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History of the Pentastar
The Pentastar was created in 1962 when Chrysler Corporation President Lynn Townsend decided the company needed a new symbol to represent all of the Corporation’s brands.
Townsend wanted a symbol with a strong, classic look that would be instantly recognizable, but was universal — without written words — allowing it to be used in all countries and across many cultures.
“He was really bothered by the fact that there was no corporate identity program that made the Chrysler dealerships in a town stand out. And so he embarked on an effort to tie all these dealerships together in some readily identifiable manner, so that wherever you were, no matter what town it was, the Chrysler dealership would stand out,” said Barry Dressel, Manager – Walter P. Chrysler Museum and Heritage Communications, Chrysler.
The Pentastar was selected from more than 800 suggestions that a team from the design firm Lippincott & Margulies Inc. proposed to the company.
Stanley also created the former blue color scheme for the symbol, and the name for the design. Contrary to popular belief, the five-pointed star does not represent the five Chrysler brands that were in existence at the time - Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Imperial and the HVAC division Airtemp.
In 1963, the Pentastar logo began appearing on the right front quarter panel of Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth vehicles (or on the left front quarter in right-hand drive markets such as Britain and Australia). During the same year, comedian Bob Hope strutted on to the stage in front of the Pentastar at the beginning of his weekly television show, “Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre”.
Chrysler Corporation soon put the Pentastar to work as a hood ornament on many Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth vehicles, particularly in the 1980s when Chairman Lee Iacocca revived the company with the success of the new minivans. The Pentastar also appeared at the top of dealership signs, on office stationary, annual reports and just about anywhere Chrysler did business.
In June 1996, the company dedicated the new headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., which included an office tower crowned by a two-story-high glass Pentastar.
After the 1998 merger that created DaimlerChrysler, the Pentastar was replaced as the corporate symbol. But it didn’t entirely disappear.
“I point out to people that the easiest place to find one, all during the years of DaimlerChrysler was, if you just look on the glass of Chrysler products, there was always that distinctive little Pentastar, right on the glass. If you look at a piece of window glass it’s usually in the lower right corner,” Dressel said.
Before the Pentastar
In 1924, Walter P. Chrysler introduced the first vehicle with the Chrysler name – the Chrysler Six – and a new logo. The Chrysler symbol was a ribbon like those awarded at country fairs, emblazoned with the Chrysler name and two “thunderbolts”, which were actually Z’s in honor of Chrysler engineer Fred Zeder.
When Walter P. Chrysler created the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, the Chrysler Six logo became the new logo for the company, but only for a short time. A new logo for the new company was quickly created – an oak tree above the words “From Many Roots, Standardized Quality”.
“The whole thing was pretty cryptic. First of all, what did this oak tree have to do with automobiles. And the slogan itself was pretty cryptic,” Dressel said. “So, what they did was essentially go back to the ribbon seal.”
By the mid-1950s, at the dawn of the space race, the ribbon seal had become a quaint symbol of a bygone era. Then, in 1955, Chrysler’s new design chief Virgil Exner introduced the Forward Look design concept, emphasized by lowered rooflines and long hoods that made cars sleeker and aggressive looking. Exner also created the Forward Look symbol – two chevrons turned sideways – as a futuristic logo that captured his new styling. The Chrysler ribbon seal and many other logos disappeared and by 1957, the Forward Look symbol began appearing on Chrysler vehicles, in television commercials and on company brochures. Exner’s designs brought Chrysler to the forefront of automotive styling in the late 1950s.
However, 1961 was considered the last year of the Forward Look design and in 1962, Chrysler President Lynn Townsend ordered for work to begin on a new corporate symbol.
The Pentastar was created in 1962 when Chrysler Corporation President Lynn Townsend decided the company needed a new symbol to represent all of the Corporation’s brands.
Townsend wanted a symbol with a strong, classic look that would be instantly recognizable, but was universal — without written words — allowing it to be used in all countries and across many cultures.
“He was really bothered by the fact that there was no corporate identity program that made the Chrysler dealerships in a town stand out. And so he embarked on an effort to tie all these dealerships together in some readily identifiable manner, so that wherever you were, no matter what town it was, the Chrysler dealership would stand out,” said Barry Dressel, Manager – Walter P. Chrysler Museum and Heritage Communications, Chrysler.
The Pentastar was selected from more than 800 suggestions that a team from the design firm Lippincott & Margulies Inc. proposed to the company.
Stanley also created the former blue color scheme for the symbol, and the name for the design. Contrary to popular belief, the five-pointed star does not represent the five Chrysler brands that were in existence at the time - Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Imperial and the HVAC division Airtemp.
In 1963, the Pentastar logo began appearing on the right front quarter panel of Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth vehicles (or on the left front quarter in right-hand drive markets such as Britain and Australia). During the same year, comedian Bob Hope strutted on to the stage in front of the Pentastar at the beginning of his weekly television show, “Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre”.
Chrysler Corporation soon put the Pentastar to work as a hood ornament on many Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth vehicles, particularly in the 1980s when Chairman Lee Iacocca revived the company with the success of the new minivans. The Pentastar also appeared at the top of dealership signs, on office stationary, annual reports and just about anywhere Chrysler did business.
In June 1996, the company dedicated the new headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., which included an office tower crowned by a two-story-high glass Pentastar.
After the 1998 merger that created DaimlerChrysler, the Pentastar was replaced as the corporate symbol. But it didn’t entirely disappear.
“I point out to people that the easiest place to find one, all during the years of DaimlerChrysler was, if you just look on the glass of Chrysler products, there was always that distinctive little Pentastar, right on the glass. If you look at a piece of window glass it’s usually in the lower right corner,” Dressel said.
Before the Pentastar
In 1924, Walter P. Chrysler introduced the first vehicle with the Chrysler name – the Chrysler Six – and a new logo. The Chrysler symbol was a ribbon like those awarded at country fairs, emblazoned with the Chrysler name and two “thunderbolts”, which were actually Z’s in honor of Chrysler engineer Fred Zeder.
When Walter P. Chrysler created the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, the Chrysler Six logo became the new logo for the company, but only for a short time. A new logo for the new company was quickly created – an oak tree above the words “From Many Roots, Standardized Quality”.
“The whole thing was pretty cryptic. First of all, what did this oak tree have to do with automobiles. And the slogan itself was pretty cryptic,” Dressel said. “So, what they did was essentially go back to the ribbon seal.”
By the mid-1950s, at the dawn of the space race, the ribbon seal had become a quaint symbol of a bygone era. Then, in 1955, Chrysler’s new design chief Virgil Exner introduced the Forward Look design concept, emphasized by lowered rooflines and long hoods that made cars sleeker and aggressive looking. Exner also created the Forward Look symbol – two chevrons turned sideways – as a futuristic logo that captured his new styling. The Chrysler ribbon seal and many other logos disappeared and by 1957, the Forward Look symbol began appearing on Chrysler vehicles, in television commercials and on company brochures. Exner’s designs brought Chrysler to the forefront of automotive styling in the late 1950s.
However, 1961 was considered the last year of the Forward Look design and in 1962, Chrysler President Lynn Townsend ordered for work to begin on a new corporate symbol.
