This Is The Surprisingly Obvious Reason Why Volvos Have That Diagonal Bar On Their Grilles
Volvo’s ÖV 4, built in 1927, was nicknamed ‘Jakob’ and was the first
vehicle to bear the Volvo name. Jakob had a sort of flawed birth; when
the first one was to be driven out of the factory, it went backwards,
due to an incorrectly installed rear axle gear. Also, as a convertible
made for the Swedish climate, it may not have had the best body style
for its target market.
Still, it was the first Volvo, and as such it wore the Volvo iron mark, designed by the painter and designer Helmer MasOlle. MasOlle wanted the badge to be centered in the open square air-intake area of the radiator housing.
The radiator housing had no proper grille or screen in front of the
radiator itself, so the logo, not being able to defy gravity, needed a
support of some sort. In order to most easily locate it at the center,
it was decided to use a diagonal bar from one corner of the radiator
shell to the other, and mount the badge on that.
That’s it. That’s why Volvos to this day have that diagonal bar—because it was the easiest way to locate the badge in the center of the radiator.
(Jalopnik.com)
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