Description

This radiator emblem belonged to a Viking automobile that was manufactured by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors of Lansing, Michigan between 1929 and 1930. The Viking was introduced as part of General Motors “companion make” program that sought to have a make in each price point for every consumer’s budget. The Viking was an upscale vehicle with a V-8 engine that was priced around $1695 and was available in a convertible coupe, sedan, and close-coupled sedan body models. The stock market crash forced Oldsmobile and GM to contract their production lines, and the Viking was discontinued in 1930. Existing Viking parts were assembled into very few 1931 models. The emblem has a gold center with a large stylized silver “V” in the middle. The center is surrounded by a black band that reads “VIKING” in silver, and a silver rim.Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblems is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.Currently not on view

Record Contributed By

National Museum of American History

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution