Ansaldo (IT)

The Italian car brand S.A. Automobili Ansaldo was founded in 1919 as the automotive division of Ansaldo – one of the most important Italian mechanical engineering companies, which was also involved in the construction of steam engines, locomotives, military technology, aircrafts and ship engines, to name just a few other examples. The name Ansaldo itself goes back to the Giovanni Ansaldo, who originally founded the company in 1853.

Ansaldo cars were generally of good quality and modern design and competed in many races. Its powerful sports cars built in the 1920s with their 6 and 8-cylinder engines also contributed to the brand’s fame and were a symbol of Italian engineering.

In 1932, S.A. Ansaldo was sold to the Italian company OM, which in turn was taken over by FIAT in 1933.

Ansaldo Motometer (1920s)

Radiator mascots from Ansaldo are comparatively rare. The first examples were so-called Motometers that showed the temperature of the water in the radiator. The motometers of Ansaldo were of typical Italian design and made by NEW MAKE:

To see the motometer on a 1924 Ansaldo 4/CS I recommend to visit the Museo Nicolis. Another beautiful contemporary photo with Ansaldo MotoMeter and information on Ansaldo emblems can be found on Claus Wulff’s fabulous website www.radiatoremblems.com.

Ansaldo Archer Mascot (c1926-c1929)

Around 1926 Ansaldo introduced the famous Archer mascot as can be seen in the following contemporary ad of a supplier company in The Auto Car magazine:

The illustration of the archer in the advertisement above is a little misleading, as the bow of the actual mascot had no string. In addition, authentic mascots had a corresponding engraving at the base with AUTOMOBILI ANSALDO TORINO ITALIA as you can see in the following photos:

Many more beautiful contemporary photos of Ansaldos including vintage ads can be found on Michael Schlenger’s fabulous website Prewar Cars in Vintage Photos.

There might also be a late 1920s chrome plated version as shown in the following picture, but it is open to discussion whether or not this must be considered as a reproduction.

If you have more information about Ansaldo mascots, please let me know.

And if you want to learn more about the fabulous world of impressive prewar hood ornaments, you should check out this book.