1-49 companies

   

1)    abadal :

    The Abadal was a Spanish car manufactured between 1912 and 1923, named after Francisco Abadal,  Considered a fast luxury car, In 1916 Abadal acquired the Buick agency, The company ceased automobile production in 1923, Francisco Abadal (nicknamed Paco) was a Hispano-Suiza salesman and racing driver in Barcelona. He began this enterprise in 1912, and upon its cessation became an agent of General Motors in Spain.

  

2) abarth :

Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth in Turin in 1949. Its logo depicts a stylized scorpion on a red and yellow background. Carlo Abarth began his well-known association with Fiat in 1952,  Abarth was also associated in producing sports or racing cars with Porsche and Simca , Abarth was sold to Fiat on July 31, 1971,then Abarth became the racing department of Fiat, In the 80s Abarth name was mainly used to mark performance Fiats . The name was almost forgotten in 1990s and in 2000s it was used like a trim/model level on FIAT cars, like the FIAT Stilo Abarth.

3) ac cobra :

The AC Cobra, sold as the Ford/Shelby AC Cobra in the USA and often known colloquially as the Shelby Cobra in that country, is an American-engined British sports car, Like many British specialist manufacturers, AC Cars had been using the Bristol straight-6 engine in its small-volume production, including its AC Ace 2-seater roadster. This had a hand-built body with a steel tube frame, and aluminium body panels that were made using English wheeling machines. The engine was a pre-World War II design of BMW which by the 1960s was considered dated. Bristol decided in 1961 to cease production of its engine and instead to use Chrysler , An AC Cobra Coupe was calculated to have done 186 mph (299 km/h) on the M1 motorway in 1964, driven by Jack Sears and Peter Bolton during shakedown tests prior to that year's Le Mans 24h race. A common misconception is, that this incident persuaded the British Government to introduce the 70 mph maximum speed limit on UK Motorways which, up until that year, had no speed restrictions. However, government officials have cited the increasing accident death rate in the early 1960s as the principal motivation, with the exploits of the AC Cars team merely highlighting the point.

The AC Cobra was a financial failure that led Ford and Carroll Shelby to discontinue importing cars from England in 1967. AC Cars kept producing the coil spring AC Roadster with narrow fenders, a small block Ford 289 and called the car the AC 289. It was built and sold in Europe until late 1969. AC also produced  until 1973.

 4) acura:

Acura is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company, The brand has been available in the United States and Canada since March 1986, marketing luxury, performance, and near-performance vehicles. It was introduced to Hong Kong in 1991, Mexico in 2004, and China in 2006. Honda's plan to introduce Acura to the Japanese market in 2008 was delayed, due to economic reasons, and later withheld as a result of the 2008 financial crisis. Acura was the first Japanese luxury brand, introduced under the slogan, "Acura. Precision Crafted Performance. Almost since its inception, Acura has been involved in American motorsports, specifically in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and IMSA GT Championship series, Acura's current marketing slogan is "Advance." Recent models include Technology, Advance, Type-S, and SH-AWD trim levels. Technology and Advance models typically come with the latest hi-tech features such as keyless start and a blind spot information system. Type-S and SH-AWD models are performance-oriented, with a substantial increase in horsepower compared to the lower trim levels. 

 5)aixam :

Aixam-Mega is a French automobile manufacturer, It was founded in 1983 to make microcars, The company can trace its history back to the establishment of Arola in 1975, which was acquired by Aixim in 1983 out of administration. a microcar comparable with theSmart. A notable difference is that some of the smaller models are restricted to 45 km/h (30 mph) and can be driven without adriver's licence in some European countries (including Belgium, Estonia, France, Slovakia, Romania, Spain but not in UK, There were a variety of engines offered over the years. The diesel is fitted with a Kubota Z482-E two-cylinder 500 cc Industrial engine rated at 11.5 bhp (9 kW; 12 PS). The petrol versions used a Lombargini 505 cc twin-cylinder of approx 19.5 bhp (15 kW; 20 PS), later petrol cars fitted with fuel-injection. The gearbox is designed for small town runabout or delivery van of less than 8 bhp (6 kW; 8 PS) and limited to 30 mph (48 km/h).

 6)alfa romeo: 

Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. , sometimes colloquially referred to as simply Alfa, is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili) on June 24, 1910.  when it became a part of the Fiat Group, and since February 2007 a part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A..  In August 1915 the company came under the direction of Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, who converted the factory to produce military hardware for the Italian and Allied war efforts. In 1920, the name of the company was changed to Alfa Romeo , Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. The company that became Alfa Romeo was founded as Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906 by the French automobile firm ofAlexandre Darracq, with some Italian investors, In 1928 Nicola Romeo left, with Alfa going broke after defense contracts ended, and at the end of 1932 Alfa Romeo was rescued by the government, which then had effective control. Alfa became an instrument of Mussolini's Italy, a national emblem. During this period Alfa Romeo built bespoke vehicles for the wealthy.

7)allard:

Allard Motor Company Limited was an English car manufacturer founded in 1945 by Sydney Allard, Allards generally featured a large American V8 engine in a small, light British sports car body, giving a high power-to-weight ratio, Allard R&D failed to keep up its former pace and other manufacturers began producing cheaper and more technically advanced cars. Its new Palm Beach model was a year later than its competitors, the beautiful new K-3 failed to live up to expectations, and the large wood sided Safari Estate could not find a market in spite of its eight seats, huge V8, and beautiful bodywork. Sixties Allards were simply performance-modified British Ford Anglias marketed as the Allardette 105, 109, and 116. Production ended in 1966 when Sydney Allard died and a fire destroyed the factory and most Allard company records the same night. The Allard factory site is now a development of luxury apartments.

8)alpine:

Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district ofBavaria, Germany selling their own cars, based on BMW cars. Alpina works closely with BMW and their processes are integrated into BMW's production lines, thus Alpina is recognized by TÜVas an automobile manufacturer, Alpina was founded by Burkard Bovensiepen in 1965 as Burkard Bovensiepen KG in Kaufbeuren, Bavaria in southern Germany. The original name can be traced to Dr. Rudolf Bovensiepen, his father, whose company produced office machinery

 

 9)alta:

The Alta Car and Engineering Company was a British sports and racing car manufacturer, commonly known simply as Alta. They also supplied engines to a small number of other constructors, most notably the Connaught and HWM teams. The company was founded by engineer Geoffrey Taylor, Geoffrey Taylor died in 1966 at the age of 63 years. In 1976, his son Michael attempted to revive the Alta name with a Formula Fordcar but was not successful

10)alvis:

Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd was a British manufacturing company in Coventry, England. From 1919–1967 in addition to automobiles designed for the civilian market, the company also produced racing cars, aircraft engines, armoured cars and other armoured fighting vehicles, After becoming a subsidiary of Rover in 1965, car manufacturing was ended but armoured vehicle manufacture continued. Alvis became part of British Leyland and then in 1982 was sold to United Scientific Holdings which renamed itself to Alvis plc, The original company, T.G. John and Company Ltd., was founded in 1919 byThomas George John (1880 – 1946). Its first products were stationary engines,carburetors and motorscooters. Following complaints from the Avro aircraft company whose logo bore similarities to the original winged green triangle, the more familiar inverted red triangle incorporating the word "Alvis" evolved. On December 14, 1921, the company officially changed its name to The Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd. The origin of the name Alvis has been the subject of a great deal of speculation over the years. Some have suggested that de Freville proposed the name Alvis as a compound of the words "aluminium" and "vis" (meaning "strength" in Latin), or perhaps it may have been derived from the Norse mythological weaponsmith, Alvíss, In 1936 the company name was shortened to Alvis Ltd, and aircraft engine and armoured vehicle divisions were added to the company by the beginning of World War II. Smith-Clarke designed several models during the 1930s and 1940s

11)american motors corporation:

American Motors Corporation (AMC) was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history, George W. Mason was the architect of the merger to reap benefits from the strengths of the two firms to battle the much larger "Big Three" automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler). American Motors combined the Nash and Hudson product lines under a common manufacturing strategy in 1955, 

12)american muscle:

Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles, according to  Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving.", A large V8 engine is fitted in a 2-door, rear wheel drive, family-style mid-size or full-size car designed for four or more passengers. Sold at an affordable price, muscle cars are intended for mainly street use and occasional drag racing, Opinions on the origin of the muscle car vary, but the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, created in response to public interest in speed and power, is often cited as the first muscle car. It featured America's first high-compression overhead valve V8 in the smaller, lighter Oldsmobile 76/Chevy body for six-cylinder engines (as opposed to bigger Olds 98 luxury body). Musclecars magazine wrote: "the idea of putting a full-size V8 under the hood of an intermediate body and making it run like Jesse Owens in Berlin belongs to none other than Oldsmobile.The all-new ohv V8...Rocket engine quickly found its way into the lighter 76 series body, and in February 1949, the new 88 series was born." Other manufacturers showcased performance hardware in flashy limited-edition models. Chrysler led the way with its 1955 C-300, an inspired blend of Hemi power and luxury-car trappings that became the new star of NASCAR. With 300 horsepower (224 kW), it was advertised as "America's Most Powerful Car".

 13)AMG :

Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, engineers, manufactures and customises Mercedes-branded vehicles. AMG was founded as a racing engine forge in 1967 under the name AMG Motorenbau und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (AMG Engine Production and Development, Ltd.), by former Mercedes engineers Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher in Burgstall an der Murr, near Stuttgart . The letters "AMG" stand for Aufrecht, Melcher, and Großaspach, Aufrecht's birthplace (but at no time an AMG location).

 In 1976   Originally an independent engineering firm specialising in performance improvements for Mercedes vehicles, DaimlerChrysler took a controlling interest in 1990, then became sole owner of AMG in 2005. Mercedes-AMG GmbH is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG and is headquartered in Affalterbach , Germany. AMG models typically have more aggressive looks, a higher level of performance, better handling and stability, and more extensive use of carbon fibre than their regular Mercedes counterparts. AMG models are typically the most expensive and highest-performance of each Mercedes class, with the exception of non-AMG V12 models found in the most expensive nameplates of the lineup.

14) amilcar :

The Amilcar was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1940, The company also offered a light touring car; called the "M-Type", it featured a sv 1200 cc engine and was launched in 1928. It was followed by the M2, M3, and M4 versions. 1928 also saw the manufacture of a straight eight, which was built with an ohc 2-liter engine.

 This, the C8, proved unreliable, and soon disappeared. In the late 1930s Amilcar introduced two new models; one was the 14cv, which used a four-cylinder Delahaye engine. In 1937 the company merged with Hotchkiss . The next model was the front-wheel-drive Amilcar Compound, quite advanced in design for its era, featuring a monocoque frame made of a light alloy and independent suspension all around. For an engine it had an ohv four-cylinder of 1185 cc.

Production of the Amilcar was not resumed after World War II

 15)ariel atom :

The Ariel Atom is a high performance sports car made by the Ariel Motor Company based in Somerset, England and under licence in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. There have been four Ariel Atom incarnations to date: Ariel Atom, Ariel Atom 2, Ariel Atom 3 and Ariel Atom 500 V8. The current model is the Ariel Atom 3 which is the most powerful apart from the V8 model. The latter is a limited production model with a 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS) V8 engine made from two Suzuki Hayabusa engines.

The Ariel Atom is unusual in that it is exoskeletal — the chassis is prominently visible from the outside — and therefore lacks a roof, windows and other features normally found on road cars although a small windshield is available as an optional extra.

The Atom began as a student project by Coventry University transport design student, Nik Smart. Known then as the LSC (Lightweight Sports Car), it was developed at the university in 1996 with input and funding from various automotive industry members, including British Steel and TWR. Ariel Motor Company boss Simon Saunders was a senior lecturer whose responsibility for the project was primarily as financial manager and design critic for Smart, whom he described as "The best all-round design student I've ever seen." The car was first shown publicly at the British International Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham in October 1996.

 16)ascari :

  Ascari Cars Ltd. is a British automobile manufacturer that is based in Banbury, Ascari Cars was established in Dorset , England in 1995. Its first limited-edition car, the Ascari Ecosse , was launched in 1998. After the release of the Ecosse, Dutch businessman Klaas Zwart purchased the company.

In 2000 Ascari built a new facility in Banbury in northern Oxfordshire, England. Ascari's second car, the Ascari KZ1 , was developed at Banbury, which also housed Team Ascari's racing assets. The premises are now occupied by Virgin Racing.

                                                   

 17)aston martin:

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited designs, manufactures and distributes luxury sports cars. Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford founded Aston Martin in 1913, Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin  and Robert Bamford. The two had joined forces as Bamford & Martin the previous year to sell cars made by Singer from premises in Callow Street, London where they also serviced GWK and Calthorpe vehicles. Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. The first car to be named Aston Martin was created by Martin by fitting a four-cylinder Coventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908 Isotta-Fraschini. creating the company name by combining Lionel Martin's surname and the location of the Aston Clinton Hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire, England. Aston Martin is based in Gaydon , Warwickshire, England, where all cars are manufactured, From 1994 until 2007, Aston Martin was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company, becoming part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group when it was formed in 2000. On 12 March 2007, a consortium of investors purchased 90% of Aston Martin for £479 million, with Ford retaining a £40 million stake.

 18)audi :

The company name is based on the surname of the founder, August Horch. "Horch", meaning "listen", becomes "Audi" when translated into Latin. The four rings of the Audi logo each represent one of four car companies that banded together to create the company. Audi's slogan is Vorsprung durch Technik, meaning "Advancement through Technology". Recently in the United States, Audi has updated the slogan to "Truth in Engineering". Originally, in 1885, automobile company Wanderer was established, later becoming a branch of Audi AG. Another company, NSU, which also later merged into Audi, was founded during this time, and later supplied the chassis for Gottlieb Daimler's four-wheeler.

On 14 November 1899, August Horch (1868–1951) established the company A. Horch & Cie. in the Ehrenfeld district of Cologne, but because of a dispute between him and the supervisory board, he had to leave the company. In 1909, he established a second company, Horch Automobil-Werke GmbH. The first Audi automobile, the Audi Type A 10/22 hp (16 kW) Sport-Phaeton, was produced in 1910 in Zwickau.

In 1909, Horch was forced out of the company he had founded. He then started a new company in Zwickau and continued using the Horch brand. His former partners sued him for trademark infringement, and the German Supreme Court (Reichsgericht in Berlin), finally determined that the Horch brand belonged to his former company.

Since August Horch was banned from using "Horch" as a trade name in his new car business, he called a meeting with close business friends, Paul and Franz Fikentscher from Zwickau, Germany. At the apartment of Franz Fikentscher, they discussed how to come up with a new name for the company. During this meeting, Franz's son was quietly studying Latin in a corner of the room. Several times he looked like he was on the verge of saying something but would just swallow his words and continue working, until he finally blurted out, "Father – audiatur et altera pars... wouldn't it be a good idea to call it audi instead of horch? "Horch!" in German means "Hark!" or "hear", which is "Audi" in the singular imperative form of "audire" – "to listen" – in Latin

 19) Austin healey:

Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker. The marque was established through a joint-venture arrangement, set up in 1952 between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company, a renowned automotive engineering and design firm.

Austin-Healey cars were produced until 1972 when the 20-year agreement between Healey and Austin came to an end. Donald Healey left the company in 1968 when British Motor Holdings (BMC had merged with Jaguar Cars in 1966 to form BMH) was merged into British Leyland. Healey joined Jensen Motors who had been making bodies for the "big Healeys" since their inception in 1952, and became their chairman in 1972.

The name Austin is now owned by Nanjing who bought the assets of MG Rover Group (British Leyland's successor company) out of bankruptcy in 2005. After Donald Healey sold his original business, Donald Healey Motor Company, the Healey brand was registered to a new firm, Healey Automobile Consultants, which the Healey family sold to HFI Automotive in 2005.

In June 2007, Nanjing and Healey Automobile Consultants / HFI Automotive signed a collaborative agreement that aims to recreate the Austin Healey and Healey marquees alongside NAC's MG. No timeline has been given as to when the Healey and Austin-Healey brands will return, although MG will be back on the market in China and the UK by the year's end.

 20)autobinachi:

Autobianchi  was an Italian automobile manufacturer, Bianci, founded by Edoardo Bianchi in 1885 and now remembered primarily as a bicycle manufacturer, was also active in passenger car manufacturer from 1899. Bianchis were in general high-end luxury cars, made with high attention to detail. The company's factory in Abruzzi was destroyed by bombing during World War II . Edoardo Bianchi himself died in 1946 in a car accident , and the ownership of the firm passed to his son, Giuseppe. Even though a new, modern facility was constructed in Desio after the war, economic conditions forced Giuseppe not to resume passenger car production, but rather to focus on bicycles, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Bianchi bicycles are still manufactured. , created jointly by Bianchi, Pirelli and Fiat in 1955. Autobianchi produced only a handful of models during its lifetime, which were almost exclusively small cars, with the biggest being the short-lived Autobianchi A111, a small family car. Autobianchis were priced higher than Fiat models of similar size and the brand was used by Fiat to test new and innovative concepts which later found their way into mainstream Fiat vehicles; these concepts included fibreglass bodies and front-wheel drive, Autobianchi was bought by the Fiat group and integrated into the operations of Lancia. The marque survived in Italy until the end of the Y10's production in 1995, but became extinct elsewhere when the model was rebranded , The first car to be produced by the new company was the Bianchina, whose name was a tribute to Edoardo Bianchi's first 1899 car. The Bianchina was based on Fiat 500 mechanicals as a Lancia in 1989.

21)avtovaz :

AvtoVAZ  is the Russian automobile manufacturer formerly known as VAZ: Volzhsky Avtomobilny Zavod , but better known to the world under the trade name Lada. The company was established in the late 1960s in collaboration with Fiat. The current company name contains the semantic pleonasm "AvtoVAZ", which stands for "Avtomobilniy  Volzhsky Avtomobilny Zavod" ("Automobile Volga Automobile Plant"). AvtoVAZ is the largest company in the Russian automotive industry. It is 25% owned by French carmaker Renault, The plant was set up as a collaboration between Italy and the Soviet Union and built on the banks of the Volga River in 1966. A new town, Tolyatti, named after the Italian Communist Party leader Palmiro Togliatti, was built around the factory. The Lada was envisaged as a "people's car" like the Citroën 2CV or the VW Beetle.

 22)ballot :

Ballot was a French automobile manufacturer that made cars between 1910 and 1932.

The Ballot brothers, Edouard and Maurice, founded their company in 1905. Before World War I they manufactured automobile and marine engines, and from 1910 on cars. The company was re-founded as Etablissements Ballot SA in 1910.

In 1931 the company was taken over by Hispano-Suiza. Swift decline followed: the last model was practically a Hispano-Suiza, and only the chassis was provided by Ballot. Ballot closed down in 1932.

 23)bandini:

Bandini Automobili was an Italian automobile manufacturer operating between 1946 and 1992. It was named after its founderIlario Bandini.

Founded in 1946 in Bandini’s hometown Forlì , the first Bandini used a modified Fiat 1100 engine, the body was made from hand hammered aluminum and the chassis from aviation-grade tubular steel. Many other post-war Italian sports car companies followed a similar design. But Bandini’s sharp mind, racing knowledge and his eye for detail ensured that Bandini cars were a force to be reckoned with in Europe and the US.

 24)barabus tkr:

The Barabus TKR (also known as the TKR) is a supercar designed by the British company, Barabus Sportscars Ltd.

The idea for a car with the attributes of the Barabus TKR was born in 1996. British and Italian designers looked for the appropriate technical solutions, borrowing the knowledge and experience of race car drivers. The project was formed in the Italian town of Colonnella and included a plan to import the drive system from a factory in Great Britain

The vehicle was designed to compete with other high-powered supercars, like the Bugatti Veyron, and the ultimate aim of the car's creators was to achieve superior performance versus the competition, as well as suitability on public roads. At the time of its official release in mid-2006, the Barabus TKR was promoted as a supercar that could reach a top speed of 270 miles (430 km),with the capacity to reach 60 kilometres (37 mi) per hour from a stationary position in 2 seconds.

25)bellier:

 26)bently :

Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by W. O. Bentley. Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later versions of the Sopwith Camel. After the war, W. O. Bentley designed and made production cars that won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1924 and following models which repeated those successes each June 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1930.

Purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1931, when production was moved from London to Derby and later to Crewe, this business has been owned by the Volkswagen Group of Germany since 1998. The business is still based in Crewe, Cheshire, England, with theirCentral Production Facilities there. As of November 2012, China is the largest market for Bentley automobiles. Before World War I, Walter Owen Bentley had been in partnership with his brother Horace Millner Bentley selling French DFP cars, but he had always wanted to design and build his own range of cars bearing his name. In August 1919, Bentley Motors Ltd. was registered, and a chassis with dummy engine was exhibited at the London Motor Show in October of that year. An innovative4 valves per cylinder engine designed by ex-Royal Flying Corps officer Clive Gallop was built and running by December, and orders were taken for deliveries starting in June 1920;

 27)benz :

Mercedes-Benz traces its origins to Karl Benz's creation of the first petrol-powered car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen , patented in January 1886 and Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's conversion of a stagecoach by the addition of a petrol engine later that year. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft . The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company.Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that later became common in other vehicles. Mercedes-Benz is one of the most well-known and established automotive brands in the world, and is also the world's oldest automotive brand still in existence today. For information relating to the famous three-pointed star, see under the title Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft including the merger into Daimler-Benz.

28)berkely:

Berkeley Cars of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England produced economical sporting microcars  with motorcycle-derived engines from 322 cc to 692 cc and front wheel drive between 1956 and 1960. Berkeley's first production car was the 'Sports' (type SA322), announced in September 1956 and produced from October 1956 to January 1957. It was aglass-fibre monocoque , two-seater open tourer powered by a British Anzani twin-cylinder 322 cc two-stroke engine producing 15 bhp (11 kW; 15 PS) and mounted transversely driving the front wheels via a chain and three speed gearbox. The engine was already used by various small motorcycle manufacturers such as Cotton and Greeves, but in the Berkeley was fitted with a Siba Dynastart to provide both battery charging and electric starting. It was a very clever little two stroke engine which incorporated a rotary inlet valve mechanism in the centre of the crankshaft., The company produced novel sportscar designs by Lawrence "Lawrie" Bond in the Berkeley Coachworks factory owned by Charles Panter, which at the time was one of the largest manufacturers of caravans in Europe. It was an ideal project for Berkeley, who had developed considerable skills in the use of Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), and were looking for something to fill the gaps in the very seasonal caravan market. What Panter and Bond wanted to achieve was "something good enough to win World 750cc races... but cheap, safe, easily repairable and pretty."

 29)bertone:

Bertone  is an Italian automobile company, which specializes in car styling, coachbuilding and manufacturing. Bertone styling is distinctive, with most cars having a strong "family resemblance" even if they are badged by different manufacturers. Bertone has styled cars for Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, Ferrari, Fiat, Iso Rivolta, Lancia, Lamborghini ,Mercedes Benz, Opel and Volvo Cars, among others. In addition, the Bertone studio was responsible for two of the later designs of the Lambretta motorscooter, The company is based in Grugliasco in northern Italy

32)biddle: The Biddle Motor Car Company manufactured luxury automobiles in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1915 to 1922, The company was incorporated in October, 1915 and presented finished automobiles at the Philadelphia Auto Show in January 1916. It was namesake of the Biddle family, although R. Ralston Biddle did not seem to have a major role beyond lending the name.Car was an assembled car manufactured in Philadelphia.

 30)bizzarini:

Bizzarrini  was an automotive manufacturer in the 1960s. Founded by former Alfa Romeo , Ferrari and ISO engineer, Giotto Bizzarrini, the company built a small number of highly developed and advanced sport and racing automobiles before failing in 1969.

Originally Prototipi Bizzarrini s.r.l., the name was changed to Bizzarrini  in 1966. The Bizzarrini marque has been revived with a number of concept cars in the 2000s.

 31)BMC:

The British Motor Corporation Limited, BMC was a Longbridge, Birmingham, United Kingdom based vehicle manufacturer, a new holding company formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.

BMC acquired the shares in both Morris Motors Limited and The Austin Motor Company Limited. Morris Motors Limited (the holding company of the productive businesses of the Nuffield Organisation) owned MG, Riley and Wolseley.

The agreed exchange of shares in Morris or Austin for shares in the new holding company, BMC, became effective in mid-April 1952. On 14 December 1966 BMC changed its name to British Motor Holdings Limited or BMH.

BMH merged in May 1968 with Leyland Motor Corporation Limited which made trucks and buses and were owners of Standard-Triumph International Limited, BMH becoming the major, if flaccid, part of British Leyland Motor Corporation, BMC was the largest British car company of its day, with (in 1952) 39 percent of British output, producing a wide range of cars under brand names including Austin, Morris, MG, Austin-Healey and Wolseley as well as commercial vehicles and agricultural tractors. The first chairman was Lord Nuffield (William Morris) but he was replaced in August 1952 by Austin's Leonard Lord who continued in that role until his 65th birthday in 1961 but handing over, in theory at least, the managing director responsibilities to his deputy George Harriman in 1956.

 32)BMW: 

 BMW [English: Bavarian Motor Works] is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1917. BMW is headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW was established as a business entity following a restructuring of the Rapp Motorenwerke aircraft manufacturing firm in 1917. After the end of World War I in 1918, BMW was forced to cease aircraft engine production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923, once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted, followed by automobiles in 1928–29.

The first car which BMW successfully produced and the car which launched BMW on the road to automobile production was the Dixi, it was based on the Austin 7 and licensed from the Austin Motor Company in Birmingham, England.

, BMW produces motorcycles underBMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands. In 2010, the BMW group produced 1,481,253 automobiles and 112,271 motorcycles across all its brands, The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew, combined with the blue and white colors of the flag of Bavaria. The logo has been portrayed as the movement of an aircraft propeller with the white blades cutting through a blue sky—first used in a BMW advertisement in 1929, twelve years after the roundel was created—but this is not the origin of the logo itself.

BMW's first significant aircraft engine was the BMW IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, much preferred for its high-altitude performance. With German rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. Among its successful World War II engine designs were the BMW 132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet, which powered the tiny, 1944–1945–era jet-powered "emergency fighter", the Heinkel He 162 Spatz. The BMW 003 jet engine was tested in the A-1b version of the world's first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262, but BMW engines failed on takeoff, a major setback for the jet fighter program until successful testing with Junkers engines.

33)brabham : 

Motor Racing Developments Ltd., commonly known as Brabham , was a British racing car manufacturer andFormula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by two Australians, driver Jack Brabham and designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four drivers' and two constructor' world championships in its 30-year Formula One history. Jack Brabham's 1966 drivers' championship remains the only such achievement using a car bearing the driver's own name.

In the 1960s, Brabham was the world's largest manufacturer of open wheel racing cars for sale to customer teams, and had built more than 500 cars by 1970. During this period, teams using Brabham cars won championships in Formula Two and Formula Three. Brabham cars also competed in the Indianapolis 500 and in Formula 5000 racing. In the 1970s and 1980s, Brabham introduced innovations such as the Gordon Murray designed "fan car"—which won its only race before being withdrawn—in-race refuelling, carbon brakes, and hydropneumatic suspension.

 34)brammo:

Brammo Motorsports began in Craig Bramscher's garage after he visited several Ferrari and Lamborghini dealerships in Hollywood and Los Angeles, California, looking for asupercar that he could comfortably sit in. Bramscher, who was a football player at his high school, Shawnee Mission South, is 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall but has described himself as "long-waisted, so I sit like I'm 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall." Bramscher set out to design and build a car comparable to the McLaren Formula 1 car, but which would comfortably accommodate a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall person weighing 300 lb (140 kg). On September 4, 2002, he registered the name "Brammo Motorsports" with the state of Oregon

  

35)brilliance:

Brilliance Auto [officially Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited] is an automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Shenyang, China. Its products include automobiles, minibuses, and automotive components. Brilliance Auto operates a car-making joint venture with BMW and a minibus-making joint venture with Toyota.

Brilliance Auto had an estimated production capacity of 800,000 units/year as of late 2010 (treating engines and vehicles as discrete). In 2012 the company continued to under-utilize its touted capacity making only about 570,000 cars.

The company is listed on the Frankfurt and Hong Kong stock exchanges.Mr Qi Yumin has been the Chief Executive Officer and President since January 2006. The origins of today's modern Brilliance can be traced to a state-owned auto factory which, under the guiding hand of the infamous Yang Rong, became a leading Chinese maker of minibuses between 1991, the year Yang invested in the company, and 2002, when he fled into exile.

In 2003 BMW and Brilliance signed a deal for the production of BMW-branded sedans in China. Its models are, alongside FAW Group Audis, Beijing Benz Mercedes Benzes, and Lexuses, some of the only Western luxury cars to have gained popularity in the Chinese market.

 36)Bristol:

Bristol Cars Limited is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom.Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; The history of Bristol Cars began in 1945, with the end of World War II. Forecasting an excess labour capacity, the Bristol Aeroplane Company began working with AFN Ltd, makers of Frazer Nash cars and British importer of BMWs before the war, on plans for a joint venture in automotive manufacture. By July 1945 BAC had created a Car Division and bought a controlling stake in AFN. Originally a division of this aircraft maker, Bristol Cars was sold after its parent joined with other British aircraft companies in 1960 to create the British Aircraft Corporation, which later became part of British Aerospace.A factory was established at Filton Aerodrome, near Bristol., the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year. While no official figures have been produced since then it is believed that in recent years production has been around 20 cars per annum.

Unlike most speciality automakers, Bristol does not court publicity and has only one showroom, located on Kensington High Street  Nevertheless the company maintains an enthusiastic and loyal clientele.

The company suspended manufacturing in March 2011, when administrators were appointed and 22 staff were made redundant. In April 2011, the company was purchased by the Kamkorp Group.

 37)british racing motors:

british Racing Motors (generally known as BRM) was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill became World Champion. In 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1971, BRM came second in the Constructors' Competition, BRM was founded just after the Second World War by Raymond Mays, who had built several hillclimb and road racing cars under the ERA brand before the war, and Peter Berthon, a long-time associate. Mays' pre-war successes (and access to pre-warMercedes-Benz and Auto Union design documents) inspired him to build an all-British Grand Prix car for the post-war era as a national prestige project, with financial and industrial backing from the British motor industry and its suppliers channelled through a trust fund.

This proved to be an unwieldy way of organising and financing the project, and as some of the backers withdrew, disappointed with the team's slow progress and early results, it fell to one of the partners in the trust, Alfred Owen of the Rubery Owen group of companies, which primarily manufactured car parts, to take over the team in its entirety. Between 1954 and 1970 the team entered its works F1 cars under the official name of the Owen Racing Organisation. Berthon and Mays continued to run the team on Rubery Owen's behalf into the 1960s, before it was handed over to Louis Stanley, the husband of Sir Alfred's sister Jean Owen.

38)brooke:

39)brutsch:

Egon Brütsch Fahrzeugbau, usually shortened to Brütsch, was a German automotive design and automaker based inStuttgart, Baden-Württemberg.

Brütsch were best known for producing a large number of different microcar designs, but only produced small numbers of each design and the primary function of the company appears to have been that of the development and promotion of each design to sell licences to manufacture to other companies.

Between 1952 and 1958, eleven different models of car were manufactured by Brütsch, but the total production of all models by the company is believed to be only eighty-one cars.

Many of the bodywork designs were simple two-piece mouldings of polyester reinforced with fiberglass, bonded at a waistline join, which was then covered by a protective strip. Chassis and suspension design was very rudimentary and after a misguided court action in 1956 by Brütsch against a licensee, at least one of Brütsch's designs was condemned as dangerous. The abbreviated chassis used on the majority of the cars meant that for structural integrity they could not have doors and all these models had low sides to facilitate entry and exit.

40)buggati: 

 Ettore Bugatti was a French car manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, founded in 1909 in Molsheim , Alsace by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti cars were well known for their design beauty (Ettore Bugatti was from a family of artists and considered himself to be both an artist and constructor) and for the large number of races that they have won. The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be the end for the marque, and the death of his son Jean Bugatti in 1939 ensured there was not a successor to lead the factory. No more than about 8000 cars were made. The company struggled financially, and released one last model in the 1950s, before eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business in the 1960s. In the 1990s, an Italian entrepreneur revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports cars. Today, the name is owned by German automobile manufacturing group Volkswagen, Founder Ettore Bugatti was born in Milan, Italy, and the automobile company that bears his name was founded in 1909 in the town of Molsheim located in the Alsace region which was part of the German Empire until 1919. The company was known both for the level of detail of its engineering in its automobiles, and for the artistic way in which the designs were executed, given the artistic nature of Ettore's family (his father, Carlo Bugatti (1856–1940), was an important Art Nouveau furniture and jewelry designer). The company also enjoyed great success in early Grand Prix motor racing, winning the first ever Monaco Grand Prix. The company's success culminated with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille winning the 24 hours of Le Mans twice [in 1937 with Robert Benoist and 1939 with Pierre Veyron], Bugatti's cars noticeably focused on design. Engine blocks were hand scraped to ensure that the surfaces were so flat that gaskets were not required for sealing, many of the exposed surfaces of the engine compartment featured Guilloché (engine turned) finishes on them, and safety wires had been threaded through almost every fastener in intricately laced patterns. Rather than bolt the springs to the axles as most manufacturers did, Bugatti's axles were forged such that the spring passed though a carefully sized opening in the axle, a much more elegant solution requiring fewer parts. He famously described his arch competitor Bentley's cars as "the world's fastest lorries" for focusing on durability. According to Bugatti, "weight was the enemy".

41)buick:

Buick is a brand of General Motors [GM]. Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make. Buick models share some architecture with other GM brands, Buick is currently the oldest still-active American automotive make, and among the oldest automobile brands in the world. It originated as the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company in 1899, an independent internal combustion engine and motor-car manufacturer, and was later incorporated as the Buick Motor Company on May 19, 1903, by Scottish born David Dunbar Buick in Detroit, Michigan. Later that year, the company was taken over by James H. Whiting (1842–1919), who moved it to his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and brought in William C. Durant in 1904 to manage his new acquisition. Buick sold his stock for a small sum upon departure, and died in modest circumstances 25 years later

42)BYD:

BYD Auto Co., Ltd. is a Chinese automobile manufacturer based inShenzhen, Guangdong Province. The firm was established in 2003 and is a part of BYD Co Ltd, a rechargeable battery maker. BYD Co Ltd created the wholly owned subsidiary BYD Auto a year after its 2002 acquisition of the Qinchuan Automobile Company, which may have been made solely to acquire the passenger car production license held by the purchased company.While the Chinese state is credited with development of an indigenous auto industry, BYD Auto may have been created in the absence of a State policy explicitly supporting independently owned automobile manufacturers.

In 2008 BYD Auto began selling its first mass-produced, full hybrid vehicle, the BYD F3DM.China subsidizes oil (an incentive for the State to encourage use and manufacture of electric cars), and Chinese automakers see opportunities in less mature electric vehicles because Western companies have yet to develop much of a lead in the technology. In late December 2008 Warren Buffett spent $230 million buying up a 10% stake in BYD Auto's parent, BYD Company. In 2009 the company sold 448,400 cars in China, and two-thirds of sales were its BYD F3 model. That same year saw BYD exports its cars to Africa, South America, and the Middle East.

. While that year's sales reached 519,800 making the company the sixth largest Chinese car-maker by units sold in 2010, in 2011 it failed to break into the top ten.

43)Cadillac:

 is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors (GM). Cadillac currently sells vehicles in 37 countries, with its primary market being North America. In 2011, Cadillac's U.S. sales were 152,389.Globally, Cadillac's next largest market is China, where the SRX model is its largest seller. Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company when Henry Ford departed along with several of his key partners and the company was dissolved. With the intent of liquidating the firm's assets, Ford's financial backers William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen called in engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to appraise the plant and equipment before selling them.

Instead, Leland persuaded them to continue the automobile business using Leland's proven single-cylinder engine. The company needed a new name after Henry Ford left. On 22 August 1902 the company reformed as the Cadillac Automobile Company. Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing and the Cadillac Automobile Company merged in 1905.

The Cadillac automobile was named after the 17th-century French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit in 1701

Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest automobile brands in the world. Depending on how one chooses to measure, Cadillac is arguably older than Buick. Cadillac was founded in 1902 by Henry Leland, a master mechanic and entrepreneur, who named the company after his ancestor,Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, the founder of the city of Detroit. The company's crest is based on a coat of arms that Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac had created at the time of his marriage in Quebec in 1687. General Motors purchased the company in 1909 and within six years, Cadillac had laid the foundation for the modern mass production of automobiles by demonstrating the complete interchangeability of its precision parts while simultaneously establishing itself as America's premierluxury car. Cadillac introduced technological advances, including full electrical systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel roof. The brand developed three engines, one of which (the V8 engine) set the standard for the American automotive industry. Cadillac is the first American car to win the prestigious Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club of England, having successfully demonstrated the interchangeability of its component parts during a reliability test in 1908; this spawned the firm's slogan "Standard of the World." It won that trophy a second time, in 1912, for incorporating electric starting and lighting in a production automobile, Cadillac was purchased by the General Motors (GM) conglomerate in 1909. Cadillac became General Motors' prestige division, devoted to the production of large luxury vehicles. The Cadillac line was also GM's default marque for "commercial chassis" institutional vehicles, such as limousines, ambulances, hearses and funeral home flower cars, the last three of which were custom-built by aftermarket manufacturers. Cadillac does not produce any such vehicles in their factory.

 44)caparo:

45)carver:

The Carver is a tilting three-wheeled vehicle using an automatic balancing technology to balance the passenger compartment under all conditions. The first commercial Carver product, the Carver One, was designed to seat two people, and manufactured and distributed byCarver Europe [formerly named Vandenbrink] in the Netherlands. In June 2009 Carver Europe declared bankruptcy due to lack of demand at its 30,000 euro price, and ceased commercial production and sales. As of 2011, the technology is owned and licensed by Carver Technology. The Carver vehicle combines aspects of a motorcycle and a car, both in appearance and design. Like many microcars, the Carver has three wheels and the controls of a normal car. The three-wheel Carver One is said to have the comfort, controls and stability of a normal car while showing the dynamic cornering behaviour of a motorcycle. The Carver can be driven by anyone with a normal car driver's license in the European Union, though other countries outside of the EU may not allow this. In most countries the taxation follows the motorcycle guidelines, The Carver has a 660 cc 4-cylinder 16-valve engine with a turbo intercooler giving a power output of 65 bhp (48 kW) at 7,500 rpm and a maximum torque of 100 N·m [74 lb·ft] at 4,000 rpm. An option is available to upgrade the ECU to give 85 bhp [63 kW] output. 

46)caterham:

Caterham Cars is a manufacturer of specialist lightweight Sports Cars based in Caterham, Surrey, UK. Their current model, the Caterham 7 , is a direct evolution of the Series 3 Lotus Seven designed by Colin Chapman and originally launched in 1973. In the 1990s the company made the Caterham 21,a two-seater soft top alternative to the MGF and Lotus Elise, which both sold many more units. 

50)chang’an: Chang'an Automobile Co Ltd is an automobile manufacturer headquartered in Chongqing, China, and a state-owned enterprise with China Weaponry Equipment as parent.

Its production is primarily composed of no frills passenger cars and mini-vehicles, microvans and microtrucks that see commercial use.

Also known as Chana the company is currently one of the "top 4" Chinese automakers along with Dongfeng Motor, FAW Group, and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.Manufacture of nearly 1.8 million units in 2012 saw the company continue to round out a ranking of China's largest automakers by production volume.

A subsidiary, Chongqing Changan Automobile Company , is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange 

Foreign automakers that have joined joint ventures with Chang'an include Ford, Suzuki, and PSA Peugeot Citroen,

Chang'an claims its early origins can be traced back to 1862 when Li Hongzhang set up the Shanghai Foreign Gun Bureau. How this company and today's Chang'an are linked is not clear, however.

In 2010 it became the fourth most-productive automaker in the Chinese automobile industry by selling 2.38 million units–little more than 13% market share, In the late 1950s its predecessor company, Chang'an Factory, assembled a jeep sold under the brand name Yangtze River.^] By the end of the 1980s the company was also producing mini vehicles, small trucks and vans that see commercial use.

47)chang’an: 

Chang'an Automobile Co Ltd is an automobile manufacturer headquartered in Chongqing, China, and a state-owned enterprise with China Weaponry Equipment as parent.

Its production is primarily composed of no frills passenger cars and mini-vehicles, microvans and microtrucks that see commercial use.

Also known as Chana the company is currently one of the "top 4" Chinese automakers along with Dongfeng Motor, FAW Group, and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.Manufacture of nearly 1.8 million units in 2012 saw the company continue to round out a ranking of China's largest automakers by production volume.

A subsidiary, Chongqing Changan Automobile Company , is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange 

Foreign automakers that have joined joint ventures with Chang'an include Ford, Suzuki, and PSA Peugeot Citroen,

Chang'an claims its early origins can be traced back to 1862 when Li Hongzhang set up the Shanghai Foreign Gun Bureau. How this company and today's Chang'an are linked is not clear, however.

In 2010 it became the fourth most-productive automaker in the Chinese automobile industry by selling 2.38 million units–little more than 13% market share, In the late 1950s its predecessor company, Chang'an Factory, assembled a jeep sold under the brand name Yangtze River.^] By the end of the 1980s the company was also producing mini vehicles, small trucks and vans that see commercial use.

48)chery motors:

Chery Automobile Co., Ltd.is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Wuhu, Anhui, China. It was founded in 1997 and is a state-owned corporation. Chery was founded in 1997 as a state-owned enterprise by a group of officials from Anhui province and began automobile production in 1999  using a chassis licensed from Volkswagen's SEAT Toledo. Called the Fengyun, Chery's first car sold nearly 30,000 units.,The ninth-largest China-based automaker measured by 2013 output (about 500,000 units), its products are primarily passenger cars, minivans, and SUVs, which it sells under four brand names: Chery, Karry, Rely, and Riich. Reuters calls the company a "mass volume player" in the Chinese automotive industry.

Chery began the production of automobiles in 1999 and the export of vehicles from China in 2001. It has been China's largest passenger car exporter since 2003 and in 2011 exported around 25% of its total production. It operates a 50:50 joint venture with Israel Corporation, Qoros, which was formed in 2007 and is developing a range of premium vehicles for sale worldwide. In March 2012 Chery and Jaguar Land Rover agreed to form a new China-based joint venture.

Chery is unusual among Chinese automakers in not having had a joint venture with a major western automaker for the past decade, but in 2012 it announced a joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover.

The company has received criticism from General Motors, which asserts Chery has infringed its intellectual property rights.

Some sources may refer to Chery by the pinyin transcription of its Chinese name, Qirui.

49)Chevrolet:

Chevrole, also known as Chevy, is an American brand of vehicle produced by General Motors (GM). Chevrolet was founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted General Motors founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911. In 1918 it was acquired by General Motors.

Chevrolet was positioned by Alfred Sloan to sell mainstream vehicles to compete with Henry Ford's Model T in the 1920s, with "Chevrolet" or "Chevy" being synonymous with GM. In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, fromsubcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks, whereas in Europe, the brand name is used mainly for automobiles produced in Korea by General Motors, On November 3, 1911, Swiss race car driver and automotive engineer Louis Chevrolet co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in Detroit with William C. Durant and investment partners William Little (maker of the Little automobile) and Dr. Edwin R. Campbell (son-in-law of Durant) and in 1912 R. S. McLaughlin GEO of General Motors in Canada.

Durant was ousted from the management of General Motors in 1910 for five years. He took over the Flint Wagon Works, incorporating the Mason and Little companies. As head of Buick Motor Company prior to founding GM, Durant had hired Louis Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races. Durant planned to use Chevrolet's reputation as a racer as the foundation for his new automobile company.

Actual design work for the first Chevy, the costly Series C Classic Six, was drawn up by Etienne Planche, following instructions from Louis. The first C prototype was ready months before Chevrolet was actually incorporated.

Chevrolet first used the "bowtie emblem" logo in 1914. It may have been designed from wallpaper Durant once saw in a French hotel room. More recent research by historian Ken Kaufmann presents a case that the logo is based on a logo of the "Coalettes" coal company. Others claim that the design was a stylized Swiss cross, in tribute to the homeland of Chevrolet's parents.