Badges indicating displacement were popular beginning in the early 60s IIRC. They were first seen on the big full-size sedans like the Chevy 409 and Ford 406. By the mid-60s they were seen on almost any car with more engine than the base motor (and even on 6cy Chevys).
Since there were many cars that looked like their smaller engined counterparts you learned to look for the discreet little fender flashes. I have a small collection of them.
Euro cars came with many different engines and so often had indicators of how many CCs they displaced going back to the 50s.
Maybe not so common on pickups? Neither of my old trucks have them, and "base" engine on them was an inline 6 back in those days. My plow truck even came with a 390.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
I recall the 390 badge on our 66 Galaxie, the 289 68 Fairlane did not have an engine badge.
MBs have an engine badge (rear) on most models, but for the past few decades the number doesn't always correspond to engine size, but does denote a place in the hierarchy.
I don't think I've owned a vehicle with one. I suppose some of the Subarus denote engine size in the model descriptor, such as "2.5i," but it isn't badged with that.
My Econoline has a badge that says, "SuperVan" on the rear of it, though. That should count for at least a couple engine displacement badges!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
In the early 2000s when I got my Intrigue I saw something online where a fellow who also owned one had installed a "3.5" badge from a 2nd-gen Aurora on the left side of the trunk lid. You might recall that those Auroras came in 2 versions, the same 3.5 V6 as the Intrigue, or the 4.0 Northstar V8 variant, and GM indicated that via badges. So I went to my dealer and ordered the 3.5 badge, which was conveniently in the identical font to what GM used for the "Intrigue" lettering on the rear of the car. $10 later and it was applied. I thought it looked good. The only pic of it I can find isn't the greatest.
Here's a brochure pic (from '71, '72 is similar) showing the "350" badge. If you ordered the base 6-cyl or the lowly 307, Chevy didn't shame you by announcing that on the car.
My 01 Aurora had a 4.0 badge on the trunk lid. That’s a car I regret selling as soon as I did. It had essentially every option and was a wonderful car to drive. The 4.0 was silky smooth and had a great sound to it. I was getting a little scared of the potential head bolt issue, the car then had 82k. Dad had just given me his 95 Cutlass Ciera with 60 k. I really didn’t need 3 cars and was driving the Ciera as my daily commuter, with the Aurora getting little use.
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The badge on the side indicates that this dude's spiffy '62 Impala convertible has the base engine, a "Stovebolt 6">
I think that's a 1964 Chevy. I don't recall that 6-cylinder engines got a badge, but I'm likely wrong. I think that the 283 and 327 engines did get flag badges. I thought they were different badges, but again I haven't been able to verify that.
The badge on the side indicates that this dude's spiffy '62 Impala convertible has the base engine, a "Stovebolt 6">
I think that's a 1964 Chevy. I don't recall that 6-cylinder engines got a badge, but I'm likely wrong. I think that the 283 and 327 engines did get flag badges. I thought they were different badges, but again I haven't been able to verify that.
Oops, bad call on the MY of the blue 'vert. In my defense the '62 and '64 Impalas were similar.
327, 409 and 454 motors all got their numbers shown above a pair of crossed flags. I'm not sue thats the case w the 283 which IIRC got just the flags. As we've seen the 350s got just numbers, if they got anything at all.
The badge on the side indicates that this dude's spiffy '62 Impala convertible has the base engine, a "Stovebolt 6">
I think that's a 1964 Chevy. I don't recall that 6-cylinder engines got a badge, but I'm likely wrong. I think that the 283 and 327 engines did get flag badges. I thought they were different badges, but again I haven't been able to verify that.
Oops, bad call on the MY of the blue 'vert. In my defense the '62 and '64 Impalas were similar.
327, 409 and 454 motors all got their numbers shown above a pair of crossed flags. I'm not sue thats the case w the 283 which IIRC got just the flags. As we've seen the 350s got just numbers, if they got anything at all.
Yes, in '64 the 283 got the crossed flags with no callout (one of these is on the blue 'vert). I know that the 409 had a displacement callout. I can't for the life of me remember whether the 327 had a displacement callout in '64.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Found a description stating, "People watching the Hancock Oil Refinery Fire at Signal Hill (now Long Beach) California. May 22, 1958. It was one of the largest fires in California history, and burned for three days."
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
Yes that was the Rover BRM which took part at LeMans - I think in 1966 - and was run as an experimental car so carried the number 00 - it went for about twenty hours with a few stops so wouldn't have won but still it was a viable entrant...
The plate on the back is a Trade plate - much like a Dealer plate but allocated to Rover as Manufacturer - and they leant it to Motor magazine for a week to use it in traffic.
Funnily enough the car ahead of it is an Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire - and was named that by AS because their Armstrong Whitworth and Hawker Siddeley divisions had developed the Sapphire jet engine in the closing years of WW2- so its sort of related- purely by coincidence.
The rest of the cars are all pure British stodgy ones - so the Rover BRM was like landing a 707 in the street...
Found a description stating, "People watching the Hancock Oil Refinery Fire at Signal Hill (now Long Beach) California. May 22, 1958. It was one of the largest fires in California history, and burned for three days."
Kind of odd to have so many cars from the early 50s in a 1958 photo. The Corvette is a '53 or '54.
Found a description stating, "People watching the Hancock Oil Refinery Fire at Signal Hill (now Long Beach) California. May 22, 1958. It was one of the largest fires in California history, and burned for three days."
Kind of odd to have so many cars from the early 50s in a 1958 photo. The Corvette is a '53 or '54.
It's not white, so it isn't a '53. It could be a '54 or even a '55 I suppose
I forgot that they continued the original tail shape for '55. I'm not sure all '55s were originally white. There's a lot of black, blue and red ones that come up when you Google 1953 Corvette but most come up as replicas.
1953s were all white with red interior from the factory. Only a few were actually built, either 300 or 315 depending upon the source. Colors were introduced for '54.
Parked at the corner, a 1964 Oldsmobile. As to the Newhart television show, was not the last minute of the last episode tremendous? I hope the writer(s) of that ending received a bonus.
Comments
Since there were many cars that looked like their smaller engined counterparts you learned to look for the discreet little fender flashes. I have a small collection of them.
Euro cars came with many different engines and so often had indicators of how many CCs they displaced going back to the 50s.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Sadly missing engine displacement emblem.
MBs have an engine badge (rear) on most models, but for the past few decades the number doesn't always correspond to engine size, but does denote a place in the hierarchy.
My Gremlin might be the only one (4.2l I think it was, or maybe 3.8l)
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My Econoline has a badge that says, "SuperVan" on the rear of it, though. That should count for at least a couple engine displacement badges!
Never owned anything with displacement.
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I think that the 283 and 327 engines did get flag badges. I thought they were different badges, but again I
haven't been able to verify that.
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327, 409 and 454 motors all got their numbers shown above a pair of crossed flags. I'm not sue thats the case w the 283 which IIRC got just the flags. As we've seen the 350s got just numbers, if they got anything at all.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Lamborghini Miura?
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I have to admit this one doesn't conform to the description "production car" so isn't really for this site.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
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1950 Ford.
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Yes that was the Rover BRM which took part at LeMans - I think in 1966 - and was run as an experimental car so carried the number 00 - it went for about twenty hours with a few stops so wouldn't have won but still it was a viable entrant...
The plate on the back is a Trade plate - much like a Dealer plate but allocated to Rover as Manufacturer - and they leant it to Motor magazine for a week to use it in traffic.
Funnily enough the car ahead of it is an Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire - and was named that by AS because their Armstrong Whitworth and Hawker Siddeley divisions had developed the Sapphire jet engine in the closing years of WW2- so its sort of related- purely by coincidence.
The rest of the cars are all pure British stodgy ones - so the Rover BRM was like landing a 707 in the street...
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
window
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Post'58 back window.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
As to the Newhart television show, was not the last minute of the last episode tremendous?
I hope the writer(s) of that ending received a bonus.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93