European Luxury Cars Trivia

European automakers have spent well over a century turning rivalries, mergers, and family feuds into some of the most recognizable badges on the road.

Names, Crests, and Family Stories

Mercedes-Benz owes its name to a ten-year-old girl, Mercedes Jellinek, whose father Emil struck a deal with Daimler to use her name on cars he sold. Rolls-Royce's elegant hood ornament, the Spirit of Ecstasy, was sculpted by Charles Sykes in 1911, while Audi's four interlocked rings simply commemorate the four companies — Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer — that merged to form Auto Union in 1932.

Rivalries on Four Wheels

• Ferruccio Lamborghini reportedly built tractors before founding his own sports car company after a run-in with Enzo Ferrari over a clutch complaint.
• Jaguar once traded under the name "SS Cars," a name it dropped for obvious reasons after World War II.
• Maserati's trident logo borrows from Bologna's Fountain of Neptune, a nod to the brand's home city.

Who Owns Whom

Corporate ownership can be dizzying: Bentley now belongs to Volkswagen Group, while its old rival Rolls-Royce is owned by BMW — proof that even the fiercest badges eventually end up under the same corporate roof.