Auburn Automobile Company radiator emblem
Smithsonian Institution
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This object appears in the following sections:
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Auburn Automobile Company radiator emblem
Catalog #: 325,528,
Accession #: 260,303
Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
In 1900 Frank and Morris Eckhart of the Eckhart Carriage Company began experimenting with hand-built cars and selling them around Auburn, Indiana. The first production car, a single-cylinder chain-driven runabout, appeared in 1903. A touring model was added in 1904, and 2-cylinder models were introduced in 1905. In 1919, the company produced the Beauty-Six, featuring streamlined bodies with bevelled edges on the side. In 1921, this car became the 6-51 sports model. E.L. Cord bought the Auborn Company in 1924, pushing it to a leading position among American auto makers. Although the company continued to produce well-built vehicles, it eventually collapsed during the Depression. |
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Physical Description |
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Dimensions (in mm): 5.0 L x 8.0 W x 0.8 D
Inscriptions: AUBURN Beauty-SIX AUTOMOBILE CO. AUBURN IND.
Materials: metal
Colors: white, blue, gold
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Details |
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Credit: | Gift of Hubert G. Larson |
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History |
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Radiator emblems were colorful metal plates with a manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, but never more than a few inches across, the emblems were small branding devices. As vehicles became more popular in a national market, people began associating the company name and logo on different vehicle models with a specific manufacturer. Radiator emblems sometimes indicated the type of engine or place of manufacturing. Other times they appealed directly to a driver's sense of style and class by using iconic images or a catchy motto.
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Related People, Places, and Events |
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Donor
Hubert G. Larson
In 1964 Hubert G. Larson donated a collection of 278 radiator emblems to the Smithsonian.
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