William and George Pratt of Elkhart, Indiana had owned the Elkhart Carriage & Harness Manufacturing Company since 1888 before producing their first automobile, the Pratt-Elkhart in 1909. In 1916 the company reorganized as the Elkhart Carriage & Motor Car Company and began producing the Elcar. In 1921 the Pratts sold the company, which was reorganized as the Elcar Motor Company to continue producing the Elcar. The stock market crash in 1931 was a death knell for many auto companies, including Elcar. The gold and maroon emblem reads “ELCAR/8/ELCAR MOTOR CO/ELKHART, IND.” Elcar produced eight cylinder vehicles from 1925 until 1931, dating the emblem to that period.
Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblem is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
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