R66

So, cleaning up R66 and took notice of the emblems (on the sides of the fenders, nose, etc.) are not reflecting the full bowtie (only 1/2 and vary in design. The only full bowtie found is on the tire pressure decal and other paper decals in the car. Might have missed one.

Also noted the crest or shield on the red flags of the emblems - is this Boy Scouts of America? The Chevrolet brothers family shield? A designer’s hallucination - maybe Timothy O'Leary involvement?

Comparing the emblems with those on the Camaro, a 55 Chevy, and a few others, I noted some similarities but no real uniform trend. Other cars seem to have full bowties somewhere on them. The 80 El Camino SS does have 1/2 bowties, at least on the rally wheel caps.

Basically looking for one of the experienced historical experts to fill me.

Here are some pics:




66 nose emblem - 1/2 bowtie & family crest?

66 fender emblems - 1/2 bowtie in 1/2 of 55 outlined design

55 Chevy emblem - Don't recall if it was just trunk lid or hood also.

Frankie the Fink

I dimly recall some story that a GM exec/designer saw the red flag design on some wallpaper in Europe ? France ? And it was adapted for the emblem. But then again I'm old and can hide my own Easter eggs...

Easy Rhino

The original Corvette crossed flag emblem had an American flag and a checkered flag until Chevy was reminded that is an improper use of the US flag. The emblem was then redesigned paying homage to Louis Chevrolet's French lineage using the Fleur de Lis (which you're confusing/recognizing with the Boy Scout emblem).

It was also a nod to the European influence on the car's design - remember that in the early 1950s that the US had essentially no entrants into the smaller open two-seater market that prompted GIs to bring home cars from England.

ganshert

There is a full bowtie on the mirror.

gbvette62

The use of the crossed flags, with the partial "bowtie", was never limited to the Corvette, full size Chevrolet's have used the cross flags, with the partial "bowtie" emblem also.

In the 50's and 60's, the same cross flags that the Corvette used, were used on full size Chevy's with high performance engines. When equipped with fuel injection, 57 Chevy's used the cross flag with the partial bowtie on the front fenders or rear quarters. The 59 to 61 Chevy's with the 348, had crossed flags and a "V" emblem on the front and back, and all 58 and 59 Impala's had the cross flags on the horn button. The 396 emblems on 65 Chevelle's and Impala's also used the cross flags with the partial bowtie, as did other Chevrolet emblems.

Whether shown as a full or partial bowtie, I think was just a function of what a particular designer came up with for a particular use.

The exact origin of the "bowtie" isn't known, but the most popular story as to it's origin, is that Chevrolet founder William Durant, saw it on the wall paper of a Paris hotel. Other stories have attributed it to a design he saw somewhere in a US hotel, and another is that it was something Durant came up with just doodling on a piece of scrap paper.

RatDog

Except for late year '67s.

Steve

itsforfun

Might be a good time to discuss why some emblems' checkered flag has a black in the corner and some have white!

vetsvette2002

Because it's either original or a repop

Frankie the Fink

Or why some of the "red" flags are orange and some are red...