As a symbol, snakes and serpents represent fertility or a creative life force. As snakes shed their skin through sloughing, they became symbols of transformation, rebirth, immortality, and healing. It had different representations in many ancient civilizations – most considering it sacred.
Logos with snakes are common, and numerous businesses use it. Automakers who chose this design have considered the snake’s meaning and hope it will make their brand gain the endless life that the snake represents. Here’s a list of car emblems with a snake.
1. Alfa Romeo (Italy)
One of the Italian luxury brands, Alfa Romeo is known for its sporty cars that participated in car racing ever since 1911. It is founded by a French man, and the company produces and sells special Darracq models for Italy. Alfa is an acronym for its founding name, “Anonima, Lombarda, Fabbrica, Automobili.”
Alfa Romeo has a famous car emblem with a snake. Its badge is made of a round shape that encloses a red cross on the left side and a huge snake with a crown eating a man on the right side. The golden Alfa Romeo letters are located at the top of the circle. Apart from some minor tweaks with the wording, the gold trim, and the wreath appearance, the design has remained consistent.
The left side of the emblem, the red cross over a white background, is a medieval Christian symbol that Milanese soldiers donned beneath their armor to lead an army to the Holy Land and to erect a cross on the walls of Jerusalem during the first crusade. But what about the other side of the emblem where the snake is eating a man? The meaning behind it is a little bit convoluted, and the simple explanation is an influential guy in Milan named Otone Visconti fought against a Saracen knight and killed him. He took the symbols of the Saracen’s shield back to Milan. When the draughtsman of Alfa Romeo saw this design on a crest, he saw it as an appropriate symbol for the city of Milan and turned it into Alfa Romeo’s official emblem.
2. Ford Mustang Shelby (United States)
The Ford Mustang Shelby is a high-performance version of the Ford Mustang. It was built by Shelby American from 1965 to 1968, then by Ford from 1969 to 1970. After Ford introduced the fifth generation Ford Mustang, they revived the Shelby nameplate and made it a high-performance supercar model, now built and designed by Ford.
This car uses a cobra emblem on its logo, with the cobra having its mouth open and fangs revealed. The full version of the logo shows a cobra surrounded by a circle. You can see a strong and aggressive “Shelby” lettering placed over or below the snake in the center of the logo. On the cars themselves, the logo is placed on the front grille without a circle.
3. Dodge Viper (United States)
Dodge Viper is one of the most famous sports car manufactured by Dodge, a division of American car manufacturer Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Dodge Viper debuted in 1989 and has experienced a transition between three logos.
The first one is a Sneaky Pete badge on the Dodge Viper RT/10, which was introduced in 1992. The snake does not look aggressive. After ten years, the Fangs replaced the Sneaky Pete, with a head-on striking snake remaining, but with a more aggressive appearance. The shield in the logo was almost kept intact, but it grew shorter to fit the snake’s head. In 2013, the SRT Viper was introduced with a new Stryker Logo, with a snake looking more alive and elegant than the two former versions. Since the 2013 Dodge Viper was the most aggressive car in their lineup, the Stryker logo seems to be harmonious with the car.
4. AC Cobra (United States)
AC Cobra is a type of car known as Shelby Cobra in the USA, which was manufactured by the company Ac Cars. Caroll Shelby, a racing driver and automotive designer worked with AC cars to develop the first Shelby Cobra in 1962. It was powered by Ford’s 260 engine, and later with a venerable 298 V8. Pretty soon, it took the sports car world by storm in the 1960s. The 1964 Cobra 427 had more potential and became one of the most sought-after and expensive classic cars that are cherished and preserved by their owners.
AC Cobra is one of the few cars in the world that features a cobra in its logo. Its emblem includes a cobra snake in the center and a “cobra” lettering at the lower part of the logo.
5. Zarooq Motors (United Arab Emirates)
Zarooq Motors is a car manufacturer from the United Arab Emirates. They create high-performance cars and is based in Dubai. This company is the first to manufacture the chassis, car body and assemble a production series automobile in the UAE. They are also the first to manufacture cars with Emirati Management and are placed at the forefront of Emiratization and Dubai diversification.
The name Zarooq is inspired by the Schockari Sand Racer, the fastest snake in the desert. The logo has a snake’s head in the center with some curves around that create the snake’s body. The company brands themselves as the “Supercars Born in the Desert,” alluding to their roots in the UAE, a country well-known for its love for luxury hypercars and the desert. Zarooq focuses on performance supercars with off-road capabilities.