Fleur de Lis
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,971
Likes: 9
From: The reason time exists is so everything doesn't happen at once
The Chevrolet Brothers were French and the Fleur de Lis was the symbol of French royalty. Considering the general feeling of Americans about the French I don't know how well that idea would fly today. 
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Yep. A symbol of the Chevrolet brothers' French heritage coupled with the traditional Chevy bowtie. The only place I've seen it used is on Corvettes and muscle cars that had a crossed-flag emblem. The original Corvette logo was a checkered flag and an American flag, but that had to be dropped due to a law in the early 50s prohibiting the American flag in commercial logos (so I've heard - and I've seen pics of the original emblems from the Motorama shows).
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 2,848
Likes: 0
From: Beacon NY
Originally Posted by I'm Batman
Yep. A symbol of the Chevrolet brothers' French heritage coupled with the traditional Chevy bowtie. The only place I've seen it used is on Corvettes and muscle cars that had a crossed-flag emblem. The original Corvette logo was a checkered flag and an American flag, but that had to be dropped due to a law in the early 50s prohibiting the American flag in commercial logos (so I've heard - and I've seen pics of the original emblems from the Motorama shows).
yup, absolutely correct.
The original emblem is on display in the Corvette museum (at least it was when I visited it in 2002).
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,490
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From: A high school diploma fixing what a college degree broke TN
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
It gets worse.I read that the traditional Chevy "bowtie" was taken from some hotel wallpaper that the Chevrolet brothers stayed at in france. 
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,045
Likes: 4
From: Yorktown VA
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Originally Posted by 6t9l4t6
The Chevrolet Brothers were French and the Fleur de Lis was the symbol of French royalty. Considering the general feeling of Americans about the French I don't know how well that idea would fly today.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 607
Likes: 0
From: North Alabama
Originally Posted by Jclgodale3
"Best Of Everything"
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,128
Likes: 21
From: North Alabama
Originally Posted by vettepilot68
Correct you are my French friend...but here is a better question...notice that on the C3 the flags are reversed from what they are on a, say C5...what year did they change, and why? They answer my friend is blowing in the wind...
Racer
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 319
Likes: 0
From: Sunnyvale CA
Originally Posted by FEDX
It gets worse.I read that the traditional Chevy "bowtie" was taken from some hotel wallpaper that the Chevrolet brothers stayed at in france.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,128
Likes: 21
From: North Alabama
Originally Posted by vettepilot68
Correct you are my French friend...but here is a better question...notice that on the C3 the flags are reversed from what they are on a, say C5...what year did they change, and why? They answer my friend is blowing in the wind...
Last edited by Jclgodale3; Sep 7, 2005 at 10:02 PM.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 607
Likes: 0
From: North Alabama
Originally Posted by Jclgodale3
The French symbol left the emblem in 1982 leaving only the chevy logo and checkered flag. The checkered flag then got reversed to the left side in 1984 and newer. The insignia left the emblem in 1982 cause...the French Suck? Nuff said?
Sounds good to me
I just have never heard why they flipped the flags...one of those things that makes a vette fan say hmmm...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,128
Likes: 21
From: North Alabama
Originally Posted by vettepilot68
Sounds good to me I just have never heard why they flipped the flags...one of those things that makes a vette fan say hmmm...
I just have never heard why they flipped the flags...one of those things that makes a vette fan say hmmm... 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,606
Likes: 5
Originally Posted by Bangkok Dean
A side question for the folks in the good old US of A. Does the Boy Scouts still use the Fleur di Lis in there emblems?
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
The C4 emblem has to be the ugliest thing that's ever been attached to a Corvette. If you ask me, the '77-'79 version worked the best...not quite as realistic-looking as the pre-'75 flags, but not as stylized and ugly as the '80-up versions. The C5 and C6 seem to be fixing the problem, though.