The automotive industry is one of the most dynamic industries we have today. Since the invention of cars in the 1800s, plenty of manufacturers have come and gone. They have used different names and emblems to identify themselves. One of the most identifiable ways car brands employ is using a T shaped logo.
The logo usually represents the company name, vehicle’s brand, or make. It can take different forms and designs to differentiate it from other vehicles. In this guide, we’ll go over the most common and not-so-common car brands that have a T-shaped emblem.
T Shaped Car Logo Brands
Car brands that currently have a T-shaped logo include Tesla, Tata Motors, Talbot, De Tomaso, Troller, Mitsuoka, Tofaş, Tornado, Tucker, and Tushek & Spigel Supercars GmbH.
1. Tesla
Tesla has ranked as the world’s leading electric car brand year after year. The company pioneered, promoted, and popularized EVs after it was established in 2003. Its vehicles and products come with a distinctive T-shaped logo that has a deep meaning.
According to Elon Musk, the stylized T emblem represents the cross-section of an electric motor. The line at the top of the T represents a section of a motor’s stator while the main body represents a single pole sticking out of the rotor.
The logo was created by RO Studio, a design firm based in New Jersey. It initially had a shield around it, but the designers eventually removed it and chose to go with the T on its own.
Tesla makes the world’s most popular electric cars. The company is named after the famous physicist and inventor Nikola Tesla. Its most notable models include the Model 3, Model S, Model X, and Model Y.
2. Tata Motors
Tata Motors is a multinational automotive manufacturing company based in Mumbai, India. It produces passenger cars, vans, trucks, buses, sports cars, coaches, and luxury vehicles. The T-shaped logo you see on the company’s vehicles was created in 1945.
It first featured an uppercase ‘T’ in the middle of a monochrome roundel with lettering. It was redesigned in 1988 to make it the modern and stable logo that we see today. Currently, it has a dark blue emblem drawn against a white background with uppercase lettering.
The white background is what forms the letter T. It is stylized to look like a road and to resemble a steering wheel. In some newer vehicles, you may see a more minimalistic and laconic logo with the lettering ‘TATA MOTORS’.
There are more than 50 companies linked to Tata Group – India’s largest conglomerate. Each of them use the same symbol, changed just a bit to differentiate the logotype. The predominant T logo is the most important part of the conglomerate.
It was created by one of the world’s largest branding agencies, Wolff Olins. It represents the fluidity, adaptability, and innovative spirit of the Tata Group. The T emblem also symbolizes a tree of trust or a fountain of knowledge.
Some of the most notable vehicles under Tata Motors include Tata Indica (1998-2018), Tata Indigo (2002-2018), Tata Safari (2005-2017), Tata Sumo (1994-2019), Tata Nano (2008-2018), and Tata Nexon (2017-present).
3. Talbot
Talbot was a British car brand that has an interesting history. It was founded in 1903 by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, Adolphe Clement-Bayard, and 20th Earl of Shrewsbury. They ran a company called Clement-Talbot which was renamed STD Motors after the First World War.
STD Motors collapsed in the mid-1930s. Its London subsidiary was bought by Rootes Motors Limited while the factory in Paris was bought by Antonio Lago. Lago produced vehicles under the name Talbot and Talbot Lago.
The factory closed in the 1950s but the brand continued. Peugeot S.A. produced cars under the name Talbot until 1994. Some of their popular cars include the Alpine (1967-1982), Avenger (1970-1981), Horizon (1979-1987), and Minx (1984-1986).
Many of these were primarily family cars and compact models. The brand also had sports cars. The logo had a simple letter T enclosed in a circular frame. All the lines were double-sided to create a 3D effect on the emblem. The primary colors were blue, white, and red.
4. De Tomaso
De Tomaso Automobili ltd is a car manufacturing company based in Italy. It was established by Alejandro de Tomaso in 1959. Originally, the company produced racing cars and prototypes. It was mainly financed by Tomaso’s brother-in-law, Amory Haskell Jr, who ran Rowan Industries.
It’s good to note that Alejandro de Tomaso also owned Maserati between 1976 and 1993. He also owned Moto Guzzi, a motorcycle company, between 1973 and 1993. In 1971, he sold De Tomaso Automobili ltd to Ford which acquired an 84% stake.
De Tomaso was left with the remaining 16% stake in the company. Ford would later sell back the company to him in 1974. The brand was then acquired by Ideal Team Ventures, a company based in Hong Kong in 2014.
It went ahead and launched a retro-styled sports car dubbed the P72 in 2019. Car brands built under De Tomaso feature a T shaped logo with the letter T inside a vertical rectangular frame. The frame has blue and white stripes that represent the colors of the flag of Argentina.
The T appears in the foreground and represents the symbol that was used to brand cattle in Ceballos estate, where Alejandro De Tomaso grew up. Some popular cars under this brand include the Pantera, Vallelunga, Mangusta, Deauville, Guara, Longchamp, and the recent P72.
5. Troller
Troller was a Brazilian off-road car manufacturer founded by Rogerio Farias in 1995. It was well-known for its Troller T4 which was successful in many races around the world. Ford acquired it in 2007 and carried it until 2021.
The brand name ‘Troller’ was an adaptation to the English version ‘Troll.’ It refers to a Scandinavian character that dwelled in the caves and forests of Norway. The character protected visitors, brought luck, and was loyal and faithful.
Troller was known for two models – the Troller Pantanal (2006-2008) and the Troller T4 3.2 Turbodiesel (2015-2021). Both car brands came with a T shaped logo enclosed in a vaguely squared badge. The T is made of two separate parts sliced vertically and tilted to one side.
One-half of the T is lowered to give it a unique design. It is colored white and enclosed in a predominantly red emblem to make it distinctive and unique. Sadly, we may not get to see any more of these off-roaders in the coming years.
6. Mitsuoka Motor
Mitsuoka Motor is an automobile company based in Japan. It was established in 1968 and is popular for its classic and retro vehicle styling. Many of its cars mimic models that rocked the streets of America, Europe, and Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.
It also has a list of vehicles under its belt that boast a modern touch. The company’s main business comes from custom designing production vehicles such as the Nissan March. It is primarily a coachbuilder that modifies different aspects of the bodywork.
The Mitsuoka car logo was derived from the Japanese character 車 (kuruma) which directly translates to ‘car’. It was created in 800 BC as a hieroglyph that represents a carriage and an ox-cart. The origins of the character are based on the slogan ‘never forget the origin of car’.
And to this effect, Mitsuoka Motor has upheld it in its vehicle design and styling. The company’s current lineup includes the Viewt which was launched in 1993, the Galue which was launched in 1996, the Himiko/Roadster (2008), Like-T3 (2010), Ryugi (2014), and Buddy (2021).
7. Tofaş
Tofaş is a car manufacturer based in Turkey. It was founded in 1968 by Turkish entrepreneur and philanthropist Vehbi Koç. The company makes passenger cars and light commercial vehicles for Fiat, Opel, Peugeot, Vauxhall, RAM, and Citroën.
The manufacturing takes place in Bursa, a city located in northwestern Turkey. Tofaş also carries out sales and after-sales operations for several brands – including Maserati, Ferrari, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Lancia.
It is the leading automaker in Turkey. It employs about 7,000 people and produces 450,000 vehicles every year. Most of the cars are either a direct copy or a modified version of other brands.
The logo features a T shape with the company name written at the bottom in burgundy letters. It uses sans-serif characters that are slightly disproportioned and mismatched.
As you may have noticed, there’s a comma right below the letter ‘s’. It’s put there because the word is usually written as ‘Tomaş’ in Turkish. Tofaş currently produces the Fiat Doblò, Fiat Fiorino, Fiat Tipo, and RAM ProMaster City.
8. Tornado
Tornado Cars Ltd was a British car marque that was founded in 1957 by Tony Bullen and Bill Woodhouse. It was famous in the 50s and 60s for its high-performance compact cars. The trend at the time was to build special vehicles that could fit a Ford 8/10 chassis or a wide range of transmissions and engines.
Its first vehicle was the Typhoon Sports which was produced until 1962. In 1963, the company was sold to Jaguar racing driver John Rex Glyn Bekaert. Another high-performance car came right after, featuring components from Daimler.
Throughout its existence, Tornado was mainly known for its Typhoon Sports, Tempest, Talisman 2+2 coupe, and the Talisman V8 cars. It was forced into liquidation in 1964 after experiencing cash flow problems.
The logo featured a predominant red T enclosed inside a blue shield. The letter T occupied the top space of the shield with the word ‘Tornado’ at the top rim in silver letters and stretched all the way down to the center and bottom of the emblem.
9. Tucker
The Tucker brand name is commonly associated with the Tucker 48. This was a sedan manufactured by American automobile entrepreneur Preston Thomas Tucker in 1948. About 51 vehicles were produced the same year before the company was forced to file bankruptcy.
Preston Tucker introduced several features that are still used in cars today. Unfortunately, he was forced to shut operations in 1949 after receiving negative publicity and controversial stock fraud accusations.
The allegations were proven to be false. Preston Tucker suspected that the Michigan Senator Homer S. Ferguson and the Big Three carmakers were behind his troubles. To date, the Tucker 48 is remembered as a pioneer in terms of safety and engineering features.
The logo was a white letter ‘T’ encased in a red shield. It appeared in the Tucker Torpedo, a concept car that was scheduled for production in 1947. The design was featured in several national newspapers. It’s good to note that this emblem differed from the logo placed on the Tucker 48.
10. Tushek & Spigel Supercars GmbH
Tushek & Spigel Supercars was first established as Tushek by Aljoša Tushek. Aljoša started racing motorbikes and go-karts at the tender age of 14. In 2004, he decided to use his own experience in racing to build his own supercars.
He started by designing the first Renovatio TS 500 prototype in 2008. The vehicle brought the company into the limelight in 2012 when it was showcased at the Top Marquez in Monaco. The brand is currently owned by Aljoša Tushek and Jacob Carl Spigel.
Some of its notable models include the TS500 (2012), TS600 (2014), TS900 Racer Pro, and TS900 Apex (2018). The brand’s logo features a grey metallic T enclosed in a triangle. It has a futuristic typeface underneath in some places. It includes the word ‘Tushek’ or ‘Tushek & Spigel’ in wide letters.
On That Note
The vehicles listed in this guide may not include all the car brands that have a T shaped logo. There could be more whose emblem has a T in them. You can add some of your own in the comment section. Meanwhile, here is a list of cars with V shaped logos.
