STANWOOD

Stanwood Motor Car Co. (1920-1922)

St. Louis, Missouri

This is a Stanwood radiator emblem (1920-1922)      sam
Size: 63mm wide 45mm high    MM: Unknown

The Stanwood was an assembled car powered by a 55 hp six-cylinder engine and was built using standard components. The Stanwood was offered as a five-passenger touring with a three-passenger roadster and a four-passenger sedan also available for 1922.

The Stanwood was out of business during 1922 after a total production of 642 cars.

Emblem

The following Stanwood Six advertisement appearing in August 1920, includes an illustration of a Stanwood emblem:

Stanwood ad (1920)  ma

This is the red, white and blue enamel Stanwood radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post. This Stanwood radiator emblem is very rare.

The following metal only Stanwood emblem may be a hub emblem and is also very rare:

This is a metal Stanwood emblem (1920-1922)     mjs
Size: 50mm wide 37mm high     MM: Unknown

BLACK/BLACK-CROW

Black Manufacturing Co. (1907-1910)

Chicago, Illinois

This is an original Black body side decal (1909)    nam

The Black Manufacturing Company initially offered their product under two names. The first Black was an 18 hp two-cylinder air-cooled, high wheeler buggy with chain-drive and solid rubber tires, available as a surrey or a delivery wagon. A more basic 14 hp two-cylinder, high wheeler runabout buggy was also available under the name of Chicago Motor Buggy.

The Black Manufacturing Company exhibited Black buggies at the Chicago Auto Show in December 1907 and then attended many auto shows in several nearby states throughout 1908 resulting in a large number of orders.

In 1909, the Black Manufacturing Company aimed to offer its customers a wider choice of vehicle by joining up with the newly formed Crow Motor Car Company to produce the 35/40 hp four-cylinder Black Crow. 25 hp and 35 hp Black-Crow models were built in 1910. The Black Manufacturing Company distributed and sold the Black-Crow and had a Black-Crow repository in Chicago. However, the Black Crow was built entirely at the Crow plant at Elkhart, Indiana and mostly marketed by Crow, which turned out to be bad for the Black, because, in 1910, Crow cancelled the contract with Black and continued to market the new car as the Crow (see Crow). 

The result was the end of the Black Manufacturing Company and the Black in 1910.

Emblems

The Black displayed a named decal on the side of the body under the driver's seat, see example shown above at the top of this post. 

This body side decal was small and could not be seen from any distance, so was clearly not used for general publicity, see example photos below of a surviving but original Black buggy from 1908:

This is a Black buggy showing the small body side decal (1908)     hcg

Close up showing the body side decal (1908)    hcg

Original period photos of Black motor buggies shown in a 1909 Black catalog show no sign of any other emblems or scripts, see example photos shown below:

This is a Black motor buggy (1907)   dezosgarage

This is a Black motor buggy Model 20 (1908)  dezosgarage

However, Black motor buggies did display small brass nameplates attached to the side of the body under the driver's entrance, see clearer example below:

Black motor buggy Md 12 with body side nameplate (1908)
dezosgarage

The following Black maker's nameplate was used for the earliest Black buggies. This Black nameplate is very rare.

This is a Black maker's nameplate (c1908)    mjs
Size: 103mm wide 52mm high

The following Black serial plate was mounted on the dash or under the driver's seat. This Black serial plate is rare.

This is a Black serial plate (c1909)    mjs
Size: 80mm wide 30mm high

The following photo of a surviving 1908 Black motor buggy Model 112 has a brass "Black" script mounted under the dash:

Black Model 112 showing dash script (1908)   bonhams

As shown earlier above, there is no evidence of a "Black" script on any of the many original period photos of Black motor buggies, so it is most likely that this brass script is not original but was added during restoration for decorative purposes.

I do not know, if there were different maker's nameplates and serial plates for the buggies sold under the name Chicago Motor Buggy. If you have details of such a nameplate, please let me know, in order to update this post.

The Black-Crow built in 1909 and 1910 was advertised with a script style logo, see example shown below:

This is a Black-Crow ad showing logo (1909)  ebay

The Black Manufacturing Company catalog for the Black-Crow for 1910 includes original photos of the Black-Crow in the shipping floor at the Elkhart factory and in the Chicago repository. In both cases all Black-crow cars display the "Black-Crow" name using brass radiator scripts, see example photo shown below:

Black-Crow cars with rad scripts (c1909)
indiana state library

The Black-Crow radiator script is more clearly seen in the following original period photo:

Black-Crow motor car showing Radiator script (c1910)  wiki

Original Black-Crow radiator scripts are very rare.

FRAZER

Kaiser-Frazer Corp. (1946-1951)
Willow Run, Michigan

This is a Frazer radiator emblem (1946-1950)    mjs
Size: 140mm high 86mm wide    MM: A.E. Co.

The Frazer was the top of the line of the luxury automobiles built by the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation of Willow Run, Ypsilanti, Michigan, and was one of the first American cars with entirely new body styling after the Second World War and set new standards of design. The Frazer body style was designed by Howard "Dutch" Darrin and won the Fashion Academy of New York Gold Medal.

The Frazer was named after Joseph W. Frazer who was president and general manager of Kaiser-Frazer Corporation.  Production began in May 1946 and the Frazer Manhattan made its public debut on June 29, 1946. There was one basic four-door sedan body shell that was shared with the similar but lower-priced Kaiser (see Kaiser). The Frazer was powered by a Continental Red Seal "Supersonic" L-head six engine, which achieved 115 hp by the end of Frazer production at the conclusion of the 1951 model year. 

The Frazer Manhattan was restyled for the 1951 model year and models included a four-door convertible, a hardtop sedan, and a unique hatchback sedan, the Frazer Vagabond. These Frazer cars, which were facelifted leftover 1950 models, were introduced in March 1950 and were an immediate hit with the public. Over 50,000 orders were placed, but Joseph W. Frazer had left the company and the Kaiser-Frazer management decided to concentrate on Kaiser production when the supply of leftover Frazer bodies ran out.

Emblems

The first Frazer cars introduced in 1946 carried a shield shaped hood emblem displaying the Frazer coat of arms, see the Frazer sales brochure cover illustration shown below:

Frazer brochure cover showing radiator emblem (1947) autopaper

The red, blue and gold enamel Frazer hood emblem shown above at the top of this post was mounted on the front of the bull nosed hood just above the name "FRAZER" in individual chrome letters, see example shown below:

Frazer hood emblem and name (1946-1948)   ms

The Frazer coat of arms was also displayed on the steering wheel center, see example below:

Frazer Manhattan steering wheel (1947)   wiki

There was a change in design for 1949-1950, when the hood lid was given a chrome band stamped with the "FRAZER" name on the bottom edge of the hood and with the Frazer hood emblem mounted lower down on the hood just overlapping the chrome name band, see example shown below:

Frazer Manhattan with Frazer name and hood emblem (1949-1950)
onallcylinders

The restyled Kaiser Manhattan models introduced in March 1950 for the 1951 model year carried a new colored plastic Frazer radiator emblem mounted in a large chrome unit above the radiator grille, see example shown below:

Frazer Manhattan showing radiator grille emblem (1951) conceptcarz 

The earliest versions of this multi-colored plastic Frazer emblem appears to have had a red crest and yellow/gold finish around the Frazer shield, see well worn example shown below. This Frazer radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Frazer Manhattan radiator emblem (c1950)  ms

The following Frazer Manhattan radiator emblem has a gold crest and finish surrounding the Frazer shield. This Frazer radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a Frazer radiator emblem (1951)    ms

The most usual version of this plastic Frazer radiator emblem had silver finished plastic around the Frazer shield, see example shown below. This Frazer radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a Frazer radiator emblem (1951)    ms

The Frazer coat of arms continued to be displayed on the steering wheel center, see below:

 

Kaiser Manhattan steering wheel center (1951)   ms

ULTIMATE TRUCK

Vreeland Motor Co., Inc. (1919-1925)
Hillside, New Jersey

This is an Ultimate truck emblem (1919-1925)    mjs
Size: 265mm wide 55mm high    MM: None

The Ultimate was a conventional assembled truck powered by a four-cylinder engine and offered as a 25.8 hp 2-ton Model A or a 28.9 hp 3-ton Model B. The company also built 25-seater and 30-seater bus chassis. The larger bus chassis was the only Ultimate built in the last two years of production to 1925.

Emblem

The black painted Ultimate truck emblem shown above is extremely rare.

SAURER

International Motor Co. (1911-1918)
Plainfield, New Jersey

This is a Saurer truck radiator script (c1915-1918)     mjs
Size: 255mm wide

Saurer trucks were imported from Switzerland into America from 1908 and assembly of Saurer parts in America began in 1909. In 1911 the 4-ton Saurer began to be manufactured in Plainfield, New Jersey and later that year the International Motor Company was established to produce and sell Mack and Saurer trucks in the United States, to be joined by Hewitt in 1912. From 1912, Saurer also offered 5-ton and 6-1/2-ton capacity trucks alongside their 4-ton model.

In 1911, a Saurer was the first truck to make a cross-country journey in America and was driven from Denver to Los Angeles and then to San Francisco. The same truck was then shipped by rail to Pueblo, Colorado from where it was driven back across-country to New York City, see original photo shown below displaying the Saurer logo on the side of the canopy:

Saurer truck making the first continental crossing (1911)  ms

The Saurer, sometimes called American Saurer, was discontinued in 1918.

Emblems

The Saurer truck displayed a "Saurer" script attached to the radiator core, see surviving example shown below:

Saurer truck with radiator script (1917)   bonhams

This script is similar to the "Saurer" radiator script shown above at the top of this post. Original Saurer radiator scripts are rare.

The following blue enamel Saurer radiator emblem was used on Saurer models in Europe and may have been carried by some Saurer trucks built in Plainfield, but I cannot confirm this. This Saurer radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Saurer radiator emblem (c1915)     mjs
Size: 56mm diameter    MM: None

The following is a hubcap used on a Saurer truck built in Plainfield:

This is a Saurer hubcap (1911-1918)     dkc

RAMBLER

Thomas B Jeffery & Co. (1902-1910)

Thomas B Jeffery Co. (1910-1913)

Kenosha, Wisconsin

This is a Rambler hub face showing the Rambler script logo (c1908)    mjs
Size: 51mm diameter  

In the late 1890's Thomas B Jeffery and R Philip Gormully operated the second largest bicycle manufacturer in America after Colonel Albert Pope and their bicycle was called the Rambler. In 1897 Thomas Jeffery built an experimental single-cylinder gasoline car and in 1898 his son Charles Jeffery built two more motor cars. These cars were displayed at automobile shows in Chicago and New York in 1900. 

When Philip Gormully died Thomas Jeffery decided to sell the bicycle business and to go into the automobile business with a new factory in Kenosha keeping the Rambler name. The first new Rambler appeared in 1902 and was a 4 hp, single-cylinder runabout. It was a lovely, well made car at a low price and 1,500 were produced in the first year.  For the 1904 model year, some 16 hp two-cylinder models were introduced with front-mounted engines and wheel steering. Sales had increased to nearly 4,000 cars by 1905 when a four-cylinder model was introduced with engines rated up to 40 hp. Delivery vans were also produced by Rambler. The Rambler was now an industry leader and the Kenosha factory was the largest and best equipped in America.

In 1910 Thomas Jeffery died and the company was reorganized as Thomas B Jeffery Company with Charles Jeffery at its head. Production was increased and names were added to Rambler models. In 1914 the Rambler name was dropped and a new car called the Jeffery was introduced in memory of Thomas Jeffery (see Jeffery).

Emblems

The earliest single-cylinder Rambler models did not display an emblem or a nameplate but may have had the Rambler name on a small serial plate attached to the body of the car. 

The following original period photo shows a 1904 two-cylinder Rambler, which does not display any emblem or script:

Two-cylinder Rambler (1904)   dpl

However, from 1904, the two-cylinder Ramblers did display the Rambler name on cast brass nameplates attached the the front of the dash board, see example shown below.  This Rambler nameplate is rare.

This is a Rambler nameplate displayed on the front of the dash (1904)     sam
Size: 90mm wide 40mm high

Some models also displayed the Rambler name on a cast brass nameplate attached to the metal frame along the side of the hood, see example shown below. This Rambler nameplate is very rare.

This is a Rambler nameplate attached to the side hood frame (1904)     sam

The Rambler name was also displayed on the hub caps, similar to the example shown above at the top of this post, and to the step plate, see example shown below:

This is a Rambler step plate (1904)     sam

On some models, the "Rambler" name was displayed in a cast brass hood catch fixing, see example shown below:

Rambler hood catch fixing (1904)    ms

Early Rambler cars also had a serial plate, see example below. This early Rambler serial plate is very rare.

This is a Rambler serial plate (c1905)     mjs
Size: 78mm wide 31mm high

The first four-cylinder Rambler models appearing in late 1905 for the 1906 model year did carry an emblem mounted on the front of the radiator tank top. This is seen on Rambler advertisements for 1906, see example shown below:

Rambler ad showing a radiator emblem (1906)   ebay

This Rambler radiator emblem is more clearly seen in the original factory photo used in the advertisement and an original period photo of a Rambler race car, which show the Rambler name on a curved metal plate mounted in the radiator tank top, see below. This Rambler radiator emblem is either hand painted or uses a decal. This Rambler radiator emblem would be extremely rare.

Rambler factory photo showing radiator emblem (1906)   hcg

Rambler race car showing radiator emblem (c1906)    kenosha county historical society

Some different Rambler radiator emblems with elongated oval shapes carrying the "Rambler" name, either painted or applied using a decal, are seen in other original period Rambler photos from late 1905 to 1907, see examples shown below:

Rambler with radiator emblem (c1905)   rambler & jeffery group

Close-up showing the radiator emblem (c1905) rambler&jefferygroup

This is a Rambler car with a radiator emblem (c1906)      hcg

Close up showing the radiator emblem (c1906)     hcg

This is a Rambler car with a radiator emblem and radiator script (c1907)    hcg

Close up showing the radiator emblem and script (c1907)    hcg

The following photo shows an original painted Rambler radiator emblem similar to those shown in the above photos. This Rambler radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Rambler radiator emblem (c1905-c1908)     mjs
Size: 190mm wide 60mm high

Brass Rambler radiator scripts begin to be seen in some, but not all, original period photos from about 1907, see example shown earlier above.  This suggests that the large brass Rambler radiator script may have been an optional addition rather than fitted in the factory. An original factory photo from about 1909 shows a smaller "Rambler" radiator script, see below:

Rambler race car with smaller radiator script (c1909)   dpl

Although brass Rambler radiator scripts are widely used on surviving restored Rambler cars, I have not seen a Rambler radiator script on an original period photo of a Rambler car after about 1909.

Original brass Rambler radiator scripts, as shown in the original photos above or as shown below, are scarce:

This is a Rambler radiator script (c1907-1909)      ms
Size: Various (examples 258mm & 350mm wide)

The Rambler name was also displayed on the sill plates on some models, probably from about 1906, but I cannot confirm a date, see example shown below:

This is a pair of Rambler sill plates (c1906)     rjc
Size: 340mm wide 44mm high

The following is a later painted brass Rambler dash nameplate:

Rambler dash nameplate (c1908)   ms

The following original factory photo shows a 1909 Rambler with the "Rambler" name displayed on the front of the tank top without a backing plate:

Rambler showing script radiator emblem (1909)  dpl

From 1909, the "Rambler" name is stamped into the top of the narrow brass radiator shell of the four-cylinder models, see original factory photo of a Rambler Model 45 for 1909 shown below:

Rambler Model 45 showing Rambler script radiator emblem (1909)   dpl

This Rambler script radiator emblem is clearly seen in the following photo of a surviving Rambler Model 54 from 1910:

Rambler Model 54 showing Rambler script radiator emblem (1910)  conceptcarz

The following photo of a surviving 1909 Rambler Model 45 seven-passenger touring car also displays the "Rambler" name on a cast brass plate mounted on the front of the dash over the hood. However, the unusual shape of the nameplate suggests that it was originally placed in a different location and may have been a sill plate possibly from an earlier model.

Rambler nameplate on front of dash (1909)  rambler&jefferygroup

This is a Rambler nameplate (date unknown)   bill jacomet
Size: Unknown

The "Rambler" name continued to be displayed on the brass sill plates, see example below from a 1910 Rambler Model 53:

Rambler Model 53 sill plate (1910)   classiccars

From later 1910, the Rambler dash board nameplate was changed to reflect the new company name, see example below. This Rambler nameplate is very rare.

This is a Rambler nameplate (c1910-1913)     mjs
Size: 96mm wide 47mm high

The "Rambler" name was also displayed on what appears to be a plated brass sill plate, see example shown below:

This is a Rambler nameplate or sill plate (c1910-1913)  rrc
Size: 432mm wide 76mm high

Close up showing "Rambler" name

The very small Rambler script shown below has solder on the back was used as a lapel pin or a stick-pin. This Rambler script emblem is very rare.

This is a Rambler script emblem (date unknown)     mjs
Size: 50mm wide      MM: Childs