The World's Biggest Bow-Tie Is Off To A Flying Start...

LUTON, UNITED KINGDOM – Sept 8, 2011: Guests flying into Germany’s Frankfurt Airport over the next month should be sure to look out of the window as their plane approaches the tarmac, as the biggest Chevrolet logo in the world is, quite literally, outstanding in its field!

The 600 square metre (or 6,458 square feet) rendition of the American brand’s iconic bow-tie logo was created inside the airport’s landing zone to mark the opening of the IAA, Frankfurt’s International Motor Show, which runs throughout the second half of September.

Visible from the windows of aircraft on approach to the airport, the logo is the size of a large detached house, and is situated in a ploughed field within the airfield grounds. It has been created to celebrate the centenary of Chevrolet. The American brand was established in 1911 by Swiss racing driver Louis Chevrolet and American engineer Billy Durant, and marks its 100th birthday on November 3, the day the company was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan – the traditional home of the American car industry.

The famous Chevrolet gold ‘bow-tie’ was first used in 1913, and there are various rumours as to how it came into being. The most commonly believed of these is that it was originally taken from a wallpaper design in a French hotel by Billy Durant, though members of the Durant family also claim he first drew the logo on a napkin after finishing a bowl of soup.

Other suggestions to its origin are that it represents the cross on the flag of Switzerland, Louis Chevrolet’s birthplace, or was taken from an advertisement for coal products seen by Chevrolet in a newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia.

Whatever its origin, the bow-tie is one of the best known symbols in industrial and motoring history and has served Chevrolet in many different forms for 98 years. And its legendary status looks set to grow even further. Chevrolet is the fastest growing car brand in Europe, and in 2011 enjoyed global first half-year sales of 2.35 million vehicles worldwide – it’s best ever six months, and a fitting way of celebrating the centenary of an American icon!