It’s something brought up every so often: why does Cadillac incorporate so many colors in their badging? To stray away from the historical facts, we’ll first say it’s refreshing to see some color in a badge in a world full of silver-chrome logos plastered anywhere they fit on an automobile.
But, there is history behind the badge.
Gear Patrol has put together an entire list encompassing the history for many of the most popular brand badges today, and delved into Cadillac’s past to shed some light on the design.
Foremost, the colors in the badge come from Le Sieur Antoine De La Mothe Cadillac, the founding father of Detroit in 1701. The emblem therefore reflects the colors found in the original Cadillac coat of arms. You may remember the iconic ducks found on Cadillac emblems of yore, which were ditched many years ago as the badge evolved and modernized. Those bird creatures were actually merlettes, a symbol of knightly participation in the Crusades. The contrasting splash of red is derived from the Cadillac coat to symbol boldness and bravery during the Crusades as well.