Is this a Pontiac Emblem?

[ClassicsFan]

I can't find another like it with those circles in the center.
Anyone help me?

[keiser31]

Ford V8 horn button.

[ClassicsFan]

OH... thats an 8!! Got it. Thanks. Any idea of the years on that?

[rocketraider]

32 on thru about 1941, I think. This looks like what was used in mid-30s. You also saw it on, of all places, the radio tuner dials.

First use of the "Arrowhead" on Pontiacs was 1959, then they really got into it in 1961. I'll give it to them- they used it proudly till the end. You knew you were driving a Pontiac, even if you didn't know or appreciate the story of Chief Pontiac.

Both among the most recognizable corporate symbols, from a time when carmakers were not afraid to say who they were. Now their stylized blobs carry little if any emblemage that really tells you who built this car, and what little they do carry looks like everybody else's.

[ClassicsFan]

Thank you both!!

[helfen]

Arrow heads come in many shapes (Google arrowheads) could this be a arrowhead on a 32 Pontiac http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Pon...V_08_CC_03.jpg
In John Gunnell's book- 75 years of Pontiac, he describes the 1951 Pontiac deluxe body side molding as a Indian spear with a head which has three stars. http://www.pontiacuk.com/sitebuilder...tiac_LXN10.jpg.
The Indian Head was still Pontiac's logo way into the 60's even though hardly seen after 1956 per Bunkie Knudsens orders, but Pontiac still needed to have it's logo somewhere on the car. So if you look at a 1959 Pontiac or a 1962 Pontiac you will find the logo as the high beam indicator light http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...dy/63dash1.jpg This ones on a 63.

Don

[keiser31]

I believe that the item in question is from a 1938 Ford...stock wheel...not banjo.

[First Born]

John has it right. FORD

Ben

[John_Maine]

And didn't Ford resurrect it for recent vintage V8 Explorers?

[Dave@Moon]

And didn't Ford resurrect it for recent vintage V8 Explorers?

They used a vaguely similar badge from 2003 to 2007. See: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-...Q5fAccessories

[helfen]

Mustang 2 badge 1975 http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/ProdImages/516228A.jpg

[nzcarnerd]

Arrow heads come in many shapes (Google arrowheads) could this be a arrowhead on a 32 Pontiac http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Pon...V_08_CC_03.jpg
In John Gunnell's book- 75 years of Pontiac, he describes the 1951 Pontiac deluxe body side molding as a Indian spear with a head which has three stars. http://www.pontiacuk.com/sitebuilder...tiac_LXN10.jpg.
The Indian Head was still Pontiac's logo way into the 60's even though hardly seen after 1956 per Bunkie Knudsens orders, but Pontiac still needed to have it's logo somewhere on the car. So if you look at a 1959 Pontiac or a 1962 Pontiac you will find the logo as the high beam indicator light http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...dy/63dash1.jpg This ones on a 63.

Don

Not sure how late they kept that indian head high beam indicator but my '65 Bonneville has it.

[helfen]

Ever notice that every Pontiac 1956-1969, except 60, 61&2 64-65 Tempest and 69 full size has the side spear, and the side spear grows into the coke bottle styling. By 1965 even full size Fords had Pontiac's coke bottle slab sides and stacked headlamps. I know there were stacked headlamp and split grille cars before 1959 and 1963, but Pontiac really pulled it off.

Don

[rocketraider]

Newest Collectible Automobile has a letter from a former Dodge stylist who admitted Dodge Styling was "enthralled" with Pontiac's split grilles and other styling concepts.

Just wish we had styling like that on new cars now. There's only so many ways you can style a jelly-bean or box. For my life I cannot understand what people see in Scion xB's, Cubes or Souls.

Then again I'm not the demographic those vehicles are targeting, though I see more than a few boomers driving the things.

[WQ59B]

Pontiac Indian head high beam indicator was gone by the '77 downsize- but I believe it went thru '76 on the full-size cars. I can testify it's there in '70.

[helfen]

Pontiac Indian head high beam indicator was gone by the '77 downsize- but I believe it went thru '76 on the full-size cars. I can testify it's there in '70.

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Interesting that nobody even asked why Pontiac's Indian head went away in 56 ( 55 & 56 hood ornaments are very similar, 55 has the Indian head and 56 doesn't) and why the ornament is in the high beam indicator light. And why Knudsen moved it to some obscure out of the way place.

Don

[WQ59B]

To protect the copyright.
That part I understand, but I am curious how that protection was deemed pertinent thru the mid-70s. While I personally like the idea, it's not like there was a chance it would be reintroduced...

[First Born]

Well, are you goiny to tell us??

[WQ59B]

It was moved to a very minimal use (the high beam indicator) because Knudsen disliked the Indian logo representation.
On the 2nd part; why PMD chose to maintain the logo copyright, I have to say I'm not sure.

[helfen]

[QUOTE=WQ59B;918385]It was moved to a very minimal use (the high beam indicator) because Knudsen disliked the Indian logo representation.
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Because???

[John_Maine]

[QUOTE=helfen;918394]

It was moved to a very minimal use (the high beam indicator) because Knudsen disliked the Indian logo representation.
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Because???

I always thought it was the same reason he did away with the silver streak, he wanted to change Pontiac's image and thought the streaks and Indian logo were old fashioned and stodgy.

[WQ59B]

Reportedly, Knudsen said that the Indian was a dead race, so he saw no benefit with the association.

[pontiac1953]

bunkie knudsen famous words were "you can sell a young man's car to an old man, you can't sell an old man's car to a young man", he thought the indian head and silver streak mouldings made the pontiac styling look old and dated. he had the 57 pontiac's silver streaks removed just in time before the 57 pontiacs went into production. charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.

[helfen]

Reportedly, Knudsen said that the Indian was a dead race, so he saw no benefit with the association.

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Bingo !!! Tom DeMauro of High Performance Pontiac magazine August 1994 interview with Knudsen. The question was "What is the story behind the removal of the Pontiac Indian as the symbol of the Pontiac car?" Knudsen; When we started going (1956) into the warehouses that held dealer promotion materials, we had many of those big wooden Indians that used to stand outside of dealerships. We got rid of all of them. I didn't want them. Hell, the Indian race was a dead race. I took the Indian off the car.
Ironically, sometimes the Indian wouldn't go away. As a drag racer our rivals and sometimes our brothers continued to call our Pontiac's "Tin Indians".
Sometimes the division or rather P/R or marketing for Pontiac would try to promote something that would not stick, such as the Tiger promotion on all Pontiac's but especially on the GTO. At the time Pontiac in 1964-1966 was really pushing the GTO Tiger theme, and our rivals coined the car the GOAT. Later Pontiac guys were calling their own GTO's GOATS! I hated that name.

Don