Corvette Logo: Meaning and History of the Crossed Flags

What does the Corvette logo mean?

The Corvette logo means racing and Chevrolet. It shows two crossed flags: a black-and-white checkered racing flag and a red flag carrying the Chevrolet bowtie and a fleur-de-lis. Fans simply call the Corvette symbol “the crossed flags,” and every Corvette emblem since 1953 has used the two flags in some form.

The flags are not always crossed, though. They cross on most C1 to C3 emblems and on the C5; the C4 badge set them side by side, and since 2005 they have met in a V. Here is what each part of the Corvette symbol stands for:

Element	What it is	What it stands for
Checkered flag	Black-and-white racing flag, on the right until 1982 and on the left since the C4	Racing and winning races
Red flag	The second flag, on the left until 1982 and on the right since the C4	Chevrolet, the maker of the car
Chevrolet bowtie	Chevrolet’s own logo, placed on the red flag	The Chevrolet brand
Fleur-de-lis	French “flower of the lily,” on the red flag except from 1982 to 1996	Described as peace and purity; a nod to the French roots of the Chevrolet name
V shape	A metallic V above the flags from the 1956 model year, gone by 1962; since 2005 the flags themselves form a V	The early V marked the new V8 engine. The modern V is often read as Victory and a nod to the V8, but Chevrolet has given no official meaning
American flag	Part of the very first 1953 concept only	Dropped before the car’s debut

More badges like the two Corvette flags are on our page of car logos with flags.

Why is there a fleur-de-lis on the Corvette logo?

The fleur-de-lis is there because Chevrolet is a French name. Chevrolet reportedly searched for a Chevrolet family crest, found none, and chose the fleur-de-lis, a French symbol, as a nod to the French roots of Louis Chevrolet’s name. Louis Chevrolet himself, the racer the brand is named after, was born in French-speaking Switzerland in 1878, as our Chevrolet page explains.

A widely repeated story credits a Chevrolet family crest, but the fuller accounts say no crest was ever found, so treat it as unproven. The name is French for “flower of the lily,” and emblem histories describe it as a symbol of peace and purity.

It also helps date an old Corvette logo. On the 1953 badge it had three short horizontal lines under it, and from 1977 reportedly only one line remained. It was dropped in 1982, stayed off the whole C4, and came back with the C5 in 1997.

Corvette logo history: every version from C1 to C8

1. 1953–1955
2. 1956–1960
3. 1963–1964
4. 1967–1972
5. 1973–1976
6. 1977–1981
7. 1984–1990
8. 1997–2004
9. 2005–2013
10. 2014–2019
11. 2020–Present

The logo Corvette first wore in 1953 was a round white badge; the current C8 emblem is a sharp chrome-and-black V. In between, Corvette logos were redrawn with almost every generation, and a few changed in the middle of one. The table lists the main versions; anniversary badges have their own section.

Years	Generation	Version	What changed
1953 (concept)	C1	American-flag design	Checkered flag and US flag; dropped before the debut
1953–1955	C1	Round white emblem	CHEVROLET on top, script “Corvette” below
1956–1961	C1	V medallion	Metallic V above the flags for the V8
1962	C1	V removed	Flags without the V
1963–1964	C2	V-shaped flags	Flags form a V around a red, white and blue triangle
1965–1966	C2	Plain crossed flags	Front emblem reportedly simplified
1967–1972	C2 and C3	Flatter flags	Flags drawn flatter and more horizontal
1973–1976	C3	Starburst circle	Flags on a red starburst disc
1977–1981	C3	Crossed flags again	Starburst dropped; longer, thinner flags from 1980
1982	C3	No fleur-de-lis	Only the bowtie left on the red flag
1984–1990	C4	Reversed flags	Checkered left, red right, side by side in a black circle
1991–1996	C4	Black flag	Red flag reportedly replaced by a black one
1997–2004	C5	Classic flags return	Crossed poles and fleur-de-lis are back
2005–2013	C6	No circle	Flags meet in a V; CORVETTE in italic capitals
2014–2019	C7	Chrome 3-D flags	Thick chrome outline, sharper angle
2020–present	C8	Black-rimmed V	Poles merge into one V; chrome or Carbon Flash
2026 model year	C8	Illuminated badge	Dealer-installed lit nose badge option

The first Corvette logo: the American-flag design that never shipped

Robert Bartholomew, an interior designer at Chevrolet, drew the first Corvette emblem in 1953, in the final stages of the car’s development. His concept crossed two flags: a checkered racing flag on the right and the American flag on the left.

GM was told that the US flag could not be used on a commercial product, so the design had to change, reportedly just four days before the public unveiling. That debut was the GM Motorama show at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria, January 17–23, 1953. Bartholomew replaced it with a red flag carrying the Chevrolet bowtie and a fleur-de-lis, and that red-and-checkered pair has been the core of the design ever since.

1953–1955: The original Corvette logo (C1)

The first production emblem was a round white disc with a thin black ring. CHEVROLET ran in bold capitals across the top and “Corvette” in script along the bottom. Between them, the red flag on the left carried the bowtie, the fleur-de-lis and three short lines, while the checkered flag flew on the right. There was no V yet, and sources agree this badge had been replaced by 1956.

1956–1961: The V medallion (C1)

From the mid-1950s (1956 model year), a metallic V above the flags marked the new V8, which Chevrolet had introduced in 1955. Some sources date the V to 1955 instead. The flags sat in a round metallic medallion under glass, with CORVETTE in capitals. By 1962 the V was gone, so this Corvette logo belongs to the C1, not to the 1963 C2 as some logo sites claim.

1963–1966: V-shaped flags and a tricolor triangle (C2)

The 1963 C2 had no round badge on the nose. Its two flags met in a V around a small triangle with red, white and blue horizontal stripes, so American-flag colors came back in altered form a decade after the flag itself was dropped. The round emblem reportedly moved to the fuel door, and for 1965 the front emblem was reportedly simplified to plain crossed flags.

1967–1972: Flatter flags (C2 and C3)

In 1967, the last C2 year, the flags were drawn flatter and more horizontal. This version carried over to the C3, which arrived for 1968, and lasted until 1972. It had no circle, and the red flag stayed on the left with its three lines.

1973–1976: The starburst emblem (C3)

For 1973 the nose emblem became a circle again: crossed flags on a red starburst, with CHEVROLET MOTOR DIVISION CORVETTE around the rim. In 1975 the rim lettering was removed, the flags and starburst grew larger, and CORVETTE was added under the flags.

1977–1982: Plain crossed flags, then no fleur-de-lis (C3)

In 1977 the starburst was dropped and simple crossed flags returned. For 1980 and 1981 the flags became longer and thinner, and the poles formed a slight V. Then in 1982, the last C3 year, the fleur-de-lis was removed for the first time, leaving only the bowtie on the red flag.

1984–1996: Reversed flags in a black circle (C4)

The C4 Corvette logo, sold from the 1984 model year, reversed the flags for the first time: checkered on the left, red on the right. The two straight flags sat side by side in a band, with no poles, no ripple and no crossing, inside a thin black circle. The red flag carried only the bowtie. From 1991 to 1996 it reportedly turned black, with the bowtie drawn as a red outline. There is no 1983 emblem to speak of: the 43 cars built as 1983 models were prototypes and never sold.

1997–2004: Crossed flags and the fleur-de-lis return (C5)

The C5 Corvette logo brought back crossed flags on poles and, after a 15-year gap, the fleur-de-lis beside the bowtie on the red flag, with one line beneath it. The flags ripple in front of a black circle ring. The C5 did not switch the flags, whatever some logo sites say: it kept the C4 layout, checkered left and red right, front and rear through 2004.

2005–2013: No circle, flags in a V (C6)

The C6 Corvette logo dropped the circle. Its two flags meet in a V or Y shape on a single merged stem, so the poles no longer cross. The red flag keeps the gold bowtie and the fleur-de-lis inside a chrome outline. Under the emblem, a wide CORVETTE in extended italic capitals replaced the earlier script lettering.

2014–2019: Chrome 3-D flags (C7)

The C7 Corvette logo is metallic and three-dimensional, with a thick chrome or silver outline. The flags are more angular and set at a sharper angle of about 60 degrees, which gives the badge a triangular outline, and the bowtie is bevelled. The CORVETTE wordmark turned to chrome italic capitals.

2020–present: The new Corvette logo (C8)

The new Corvette logo arrived with the C8, the first rear mid-engine Corvette, sold from the 2020 model year. The flag poles merge into a single V, the lines are tighter and sharper, and the fleur-de-lis on the right-hand red flag was redrawn. The badge is black-rimmed with a gold bowtie and comes in chrome or Carbon Flash finishes; the image shows the chrome one. The CORVETTE wordmark below it is in black italic capitals.

Why did Corvette change its logo?

Corvette changed its logo mostly to keep pace with the car. The emblem was redrawn for almost every generation, but Chevrolet has not published a reason for most redesigns. The very first change had a different cause: it was legal.

The main years Corvette changed emblems were 1956, 1963, 1967, 1973, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1997, 2005, 2014 and 2020, for four kinds of reasons:

• Legal. The American flag was dropped before the 1953 debut because GM was told it could not appear on a commercial product.
• New generations. Most redesigns tracked a new body, from the V-shaped flags of the C2 to the sharper V of the C8.
• Mid-generation updates. The V for the V8, the 1973 starburst and the 1982 loss of the fleur-de-lis all came within a generation.
• Anniversaries. Special editions added numbers or plates to the standard emblem without replacing it.

Is there a Chevy logo on a Corvette?

Yes, but a small one. The Chevrolet bowtie sits on the red flag inside the Corvette emblem, and the car wears the crossed flags, not a standalone bowtie, on its nose. So the Chevy Corvette logo includes Chevrolet’s own logo without being the Chevrolet logo.

Why does Corvette have a different logo? Chevrolet has never given an official reason. The usual explanation is that the Corvette was meant to stand apart from the rest of the lineup, and it has had its own emblem since its 1953 debut. It is still a Chevrolet model, not a separate brand.

The Chevrolet name shows up on the Chevrolet Corvette logo in three ways:

• 1953–1955: CHEVROLET spelled out across the top of the round emblem.
• 1973–1974: CHEVROLET MOTOR DIVISION CORVETTE around the rim of the starburst badge.
• Nearly every version: the bowtie on the red flag. Some 70th-anniversary variants in 2023 replace it with “70.”

The bowtie itself and its origin stories are explained on our Chevrolet logo page.

Corvette Stingray logo

The Corvette Stingray logo is the same crossed-flags emblem as on any other current Corvette. Stingray is a model name, not a separate logo, and today it names the base model of the C8.

The name has three key dates:

• 1963: Model histories date the Sting Ray name, written as two words, to the C2 generation.
• 2014: The C7 carried the Stingray name and added a stingray casting to the car, separate from the flags.
• 2019: The C8 Stingray, the base mid-engine Corvette, was introduced on July 18, 2019, at Kennedy Space Center for the 2020 model year.

Special-edition and anniversary Corvette emblems

Yes, there are special-edition Corvette emblems. Most anniversary models kept the standard Corvette logo of their year and added a number, a plate or extra lettering. The best-documented Corvette emblems of this kind are from 1978, 1993, 2003, 2004 and 2023.

Year	Edition	What the emblem adds
1978	25th Anniversary	Flags on a metallic circle with a starburst, “25” above and “1953 ANNIVERSARY 1978” below
1993	40th Anniversary	The C4 emblem with silver outlines in place of black
2003	50th Anniversary	A silver plate above the flags reading ANNIVERSARY, with a light-gold 50
2004	Commemorative Edition	Marks the C5-R’s class wins at Le Mans in 2001 and 2002
2023	70th Anniversary	Some variants swap the bowtie for “70”

Emblem registries also list a 35th anniversary badge for 1988 and a 60th for 2013. Collector Edition badges from 1982 and 1996, and a 2012 Centennial Edition badge that reportedly left out the fleur-de-lis, each rest on a single source.

Where the Corvette emblem sits on the car

The Corvette badge sits on the nose, where most cars wear the maker’s logo, and on the rear, so the crossed flags take the place of the Chevrolet bowtie. Where to look:

• Nose: the crossed-flags emblem, or on the 1963–1964 C2 the V-shaped flags.
• Rear: emblems front and rear since 1956; the C5 used the same design on both ends.
• Fuel door: from 1963 until the C5 arrived in 1997, the round emblem reportedly sat on the gas lid.
• Illuminated badge: for the 2026 model year, a dealer-installed lit crossed-flags nose badge (RPO R88) is offered on every Corvette, including the ZR1X.
• Replacements: blacked-out or replacement emblems from dealers and parts stores copy an existing design; they are not a new Corvette car logo.

Corvette logo PNG and black-and-white versions

The Corvette logo PNG behind the download button above is the current C8 emblem in chrome, 1855 × 1789 pixels, with a transparent background. It shows the flags only, without the CORVETTE wordmark.

• Screens and slides: use the PNG as it is; no background needs removing.
• Print: for a black-and-white Corvette logo or an outline version, convert the PNG to one color in an image editor.
• Older generations: the history images are for reference; the C8 Corvette logo PNG is the only download here.