Light-up grille logos are the latest questionable automotive styling trend, popping up on vehicles ranging from Mercedes to Infiniti (and beyond). Many readers may not realize that this styling feature has far older origins. Let’s explore.
From my research, the granddaddy of light-up grille badges all is British carmaker Wolseley, who made somewhat of a trademark fitting an illuminated badge to the front of their vehicles, starting in 1932 and continuing all the way to their final vehicle in 1975. There is a closeup view of their illuminated badge in the hero image above, while one of their last models (a Wolseley Six) appears below.
Surprisingly, for most of the rest of the 20th century, few other automakers took advantage of this opportunity for illuminated automotive iconography.
There is one interesting outlier – the 1965 Chrysler 300L. By 1965, there was very little to differentiate the letter series 300L from the lesser 300 models. So for the final iteration of letter series of the 1960s, Chrysler decided to affix a light-up medallion to the grille (referred to in the brochure as a “center-grille running light”). With only 2,845 300L hardtops and convertibles produced, these would have been rare sights on the road even back in the day. Online photos of this badge are almost impossible to find: Interestingly (but not surprisingly) the best picture I was able to find came from this very site.
At this point, the trail for illuminated grilles goes dark (so to speak) for a decade or two, until Mercury revived the look with the illuminated grille of the 1986 Sable. I can remember how cool I thought these were when they first came out – they were easy and fun to spot at night. The grilleless look was very popular in the aerodynamic 1990s, and I thought this light-up panel was a nice alternative to the filler panels and hood extensions everyone else was using to fill the space between the headlights at the time. For one of the few times in its troubled existence, Mercury was as cool as the other side of the pillow.
Initially, the Sable’s panel only had two bulbs on either side of the Mercury logo (the logo itself did not light up). In 1989, Mercury doubled the bulb count to four, and now the entire panel lit up, badge included.
By 1992, the light-up panel look had spread to much of the rest of the Mercury lineup. While the lights on the Villager minivan grille (shown above) were functional, the light bars on the Topaz and Tracer were both fake, not actually lighting up.
And then, almost as quickly as they appeared, Mercury’s light-up grilles were gone. The redesigned 1996 Sable sported only turn signals in the grille, as sort of a cruel reminder of past light-up glories. By 2000, even the turn signals had moved to the headlight assemblies, leaving the grille completely unlit. The Topaz was gone after 1994, and by 1997 the Tracer had lost its fake light bar. Mercury, a brand forever chasing the fickle foibles of fashion, had deemed light up grilles passé.
If Mercury only knew how wrong they were. In 2013, Mercedes-Benz started offering an illuminated star as a dealer installed option. It quickly became a factory option due to rising popularity. Other manufacturers quickly followed suit, fueling the lit up grille badge renaissance that continues to this day.
The 1993 Cadillac Sixty Special had a light up crest on both sides of the vinyl roofs. Also the 1995 Pontiac Sunfire had an illuminated “PONTIAC” in the rear fascia.
Wow, I knew nothing about that lighted emblem on the 300L. It also surprises me that nobody else did lighted emblems. I know there were a few lighted hood ornaments in the 40s, whether factory or aftermarket.
I am not sure where Mercedes goes from here. The need for aerodynamics targets probably limits the emblem from getting bigger, and what else do you do for bling after lighting it up? Maybe teeny chaser LEDs that run around the circle and back and forth on each of the legs of the star?
Please don’t feed the Benz
Pretty cool stuff. Never knew about the Chrysler one.
Didn’t Pontiacs have a glowing hood ornament in the early 50s?
Yes, I thought the Pontiacs had one too.
Yes, they did. It was the Indian head hood ornament and it lit up in an amber color.My mother had a `49 Pontiac with one, and I thought it was the coolest thing when I was a little kid.
Riding with my uncle in his ’50s Pontiac one night, the orange lighted Chief’s head on the nose of the hood, along with ALL other lights, suddenly went dark. We made it to the side of the road safely. Great memories!!
Wow, that takes me back to a friend’s girlfriend’s 1.5 that was picked for her by her father. The grille light still illuminated when she had it. You’ve made me want the 300L even more.
I thought as well that the Sable’s illuminated front end was the cat’s pajamas. As memory serves me, the reason for its disappearance was its high replacement cost.
Not the first time insurance companies dictated styling decisions. I seem to have read somewhere that the disappearance of windshield antennas in the ‘80’s was due to insurance complaints about the replacement costs. The antennas moved to the rear window, or even back to a whip on the fender. However, windshields today seem to be more expensive than ever, many featuring rain sensors, heating elements and other expensive features.
My car has rain and light sensors they are in the mirror mount behind the windscreen not in it.
Windshield antennas went away because they can’t be omnidirectional. They doesn’t work very well in a vehicle that may be facing in any direction off axis from the source. Modern cars embed amfm antennas in the roof or back glass.
IIRC in some states if one bulb was out it would fail inspection, if both/all were out it would pass. That probably led to a lot of them getting disconnected.
Technically, vehicle inspections usually require all installed exterior lights to function, even if the remaining operating lights meet or exceed legal minimum. A decorative panel like the Sable probably would pass if the omitted lights were symmetrical.
Wasn’t the Sable’s treatment called the ‘laser light bar?’ It was quite the thing in the day.
Loved the light up Indian hood ornament on my fathers 1953 Pontiac. Recall early ‘50’s Hudsons had a light-up grill ornament and perhaps some Nashes as well.
Didn’t late ‘90’s Sables have the little round logo in the center of the grille light up?
My ’50 Hudson Commodore has the lighted logo in the grille. Quite cool!
The ‘46 Pontiac Torpedo featured here earlier this week appears to have a Chief Pontiac hood ornament with a lighted headdress.
Third picture from the top of the post.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1946-pontiac-torpedo/
Hudson had lighted triangles on the sides of the prow-shaped hood in ’41.
And DeSoto had a lighted head of Hernando in the ’50s.
I can remember people fitting what was called a “running light” to the center of their grilles in the mid 60’s. Never understood the fad myself. A lot of the aftermarket catalogs of the era would sell you light up hood ornaments! J.C. Whitney had some of the most tasteless.
Chrysler offered a high intensity pencil-beam driving light in 1970-72 or so on the high line editions of its C-body full size cars. There weren’t many takers and I never drove a car with one (I was a Polara-type, not Monaco) so don’t know how well it worked. But that was billed as a functional, not decorative light.
The Superlite was a Dodge exclusive option on all C bodies in 69 and 70.
I have it on 69 Polara. Later it was banned from the production because the legal issues in certain states.
Super lite in action
And somewhat related, and coming closer to being an illuminated grille badge, was the Subaru center driving/fog/off-road (can’t remember which) lamp hidden underneath the badge in the center of the grille of the early-’80s Leone and pickup/BRAT. It flipped upward when the light was turned on.
And less related, but maybe worthy of this thread, were the optional Lincoln Mark VI coach lamps on the hidden headlight covers – lights that swung out of the way to reveal other lights. Crazy!
And finally, the 1977-78 Olds Toronado, with an illuminated badge at both edges of the front end – not in the grille per se, but still a genuine illuminated badge out front.
If one was in the market for truly tasteless and/or completely tacky J C Whitney was the place to go.
I one was in the market for truly tasteless or completely tacky J C Whitney was the place to go.
I remember those running lights too. I think that those were part of some kind of safety push in the early 60s. I believe that the Indianapolis Star newspaper was behind a big push of those around here at that time. The trend obviously fizzled.
The CEO of the computer company I worked for in the early 2000’s wanted light-up (well, always lit with system power on) logos on the front of our enclosures. Not inexpensive … and didn’t last long. By the way, I must not get out much as I haven’t noticed any decorative front lighting since the Sable. I’ll keep an eye out for glowing three-pointed stars.
I do remember the lit-up “L” in the Chrysler 300L because one of my uncles had one from new, a hardtop in metallic blue. With that small a production run and being the last of the true 300 letter series, I should have offered to buy it when he wanted something new and small many years later, but the rusted-out trunk put me off. So it was traded toward a K-Car instead.
Step-Down Hudson have lighted grille emblems.
Actually the 1996 Sable did have a lighted Mercury emblem, the light bar was gone but they continued with this a few years.
My wife’s 1991 Riviera had coach lamps on both sides of the “C” pillar that were the Riviera logo “R” illuminated with a soft glow. She also had a ’91 Sable at one time. She had it towards the end of it’s life. Even the bulbs in the light bar were special and expensive. I managed to grind away some material from side marker bulbs in order to make cheap replacements. Not as bright, about 15% of the cost though.
The ’79-’85 Riv offered those lights too. I liked how they picked up on the shape, size, and appearance of the “R” logo used for backup lights.
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthumbs.worthpoint.com%2Fzoom%2Fimages2%2F1%2F0717%2F22%2Fnos-jester-lighted-die-cast-hood_1_a203b02070ae45ca5750134ba8a9f5e9.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worthpoint.com%2Fworthopedia%2Fnos-jester-lighted-die-cast-hood-1877973217&docid=qATTnyqK842jnM&tbnid=h_FKwabOHEN2vM%3A&vet=1&w=810&h=1080&client=ms-android-hms-tmobile-us&bih=512&biw=360&ved=2ahUKEwi6hZze1KDjAhXIQs0KHWWECMwQxiAoAHoECAEQHQ&iact=c&ictx=1
Wolseley had two trade marks the lighted grille badge and OHC engines, only the grille badge survived the BMC takeover.
Well, the light was more obvious to the casualy observer.
No one mentioned the 1994 Pontiac grand prix a direct copy of the sable grill
DeSoto offered a hood ornament in the early 50s that was a chrome and plastic bust of Hernando de Soto. The Spanish conquistador was credited with the discovery of the Mississippi River, but not before he died of disease and was laid to rest at the bottom of the Big Buddy. On the ’52-54 DeSoto’s hood, the Spaniards’ likeness was lit up when the headlights were illuminated. But one wonders just how comforting it was to be guided through the night by an explorer who ended his days lost in the Bayou and buried beneath the Mississippi’s mud.
The ghost of Hernando de Soto?
Let’s not forget the Studebaker Sceptre.
I’ve always felt Mercury missed a big opportunity to add a distinctive touch to the MN-12 Cougar during this time period. If there was ever an emblem that deserved to be illuminated at night it’s this one.
I see some Kenworth trucks with illuminated badges, but these days some trucks are lit up like Christmas trees.
BYD cars have illuminated rear badges
https://flic.kr/p/kJ2qeD
Anybody noticed the illuminated grill on new BMW X6?
Hopefully there is a way to deactivate light up emblems and grills on today’s modern cars. They are today’s version of coach lights on a half padded roof.
Late here but great article, thanks Tom – light-up grille badges have always fascinated me; glad I’m not the only one! When I took the 300L photo you linked to above, I didn’t realise the badge lit up – it was only when I was doing research for the linked article that I discovered it. My favourite obscure light-up badge is the word ‘Skyline’ on the rear of the R33 Nissan Skyline – see google pic below. I tried to find out more about these when I had a Skyline, but it turned out they were rare aftermarket or homemade.
Forgot about those, Ive actually seen one, a perk of working at night one overtook me one night havent seen another and Skylines are not exactly rare here
Took this a few nights ago at work, The KW badges are different colours on different trucks, another cab over had white/blue grill badge and one conventional had missing badge with wiring poking through.
Conventional is a misnomer in New Zealand as they’re far out numbered by cab overs.
They have some advantage on tipping work, but cab over Kenworths are popular because you get a sleeper cab, NZ has length restrictions.
However I’m surprised cab overs with very long sleepers aren’t popular in the US.
A cab over would give you room for a shower/toilet, kitchen etc.
The Dynes T615 I drove in summer had a blue back lit badge it was connected to the marker lights and flashed when you hit the waving switch, 8 wheeler convetional the cab is too bloody small the K200 cabovers were better for room. Dynes fleet colour is blue and all the trucks are named blue something, Blue Kane was the T615 probably explains the badge light colour
Did 1997 mercury sable LS have a lighted grille emblem
I’m pretty sure it did not.