Some Honda cars have a red Honda badge while others have the standard black, and car enthusiasts are wondering if there’s a special meaning behind the red Honda badge. It makes sense to wonder, since car logos are created with purpose, and even added symbols have meaning behind them — for example, the “4” emblem found on the back of some Dodge cars, which signifies four-wheel drive. While the red Honda badge doesn’t have a significant meaning, it does hark back at the brand’s racing history.
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The red used in the Honda logo is a color designed by Honda — it created its own color, “Honda Red,” in 2001. This is because red plays a special role in Honda’s story dating back to the 1960s, when Japanese law barred cars from being red, with worry that citizens would confuse them for emergency vehicles. Founder Soichiro Honda fought back against this regulation and eventually released Honda’s first passenger car, the unique S500, in 1964 — and yes, in red. The brand’s signature bright red color is now used to express Honda’s quality and capabilities as well as Soichiro Honda’s philosophies.
While Honda has created its own red, it actually doesn’t use red on most of its logos. So why is it featured on its R-Type vehicles?
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The history of Honda’s logo
Red versions of Honda’s logo are used only for the brand’s sporty Type-R vehicles, including its Honda Civic Type-Rs. They feature a silver “H” with a red background inspired by Honda’s racing spirit — the red symbolizes Honda’s RA272 Formula 1 car, which won the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix wearing a red rising sun on its nose.
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Honda’s first logo consisted of the brand name under a stylized wing. The “H” logo was first seen in 1961 — the same year Honda notched its first victory at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race — and first used in 1962, on the T360. It was also used on the S500 in the 1960s with a red background. It arrived in the U.S. in 1969 on the N600. The logo became more elongated and slim later in 1969, when it was used on the Honda 1300.
At this point, it was a white “H” on a black background. By 1981, it was tweaked a bit more, with a rounded, short “H” once again, but with a low-slung middle line and taller top lines, all inside a rounded box. This version first appeared on the City — a tiny kei car sold in Japan – and has become the foundation of Honda’s logo on all models ever since. There were two variations of the “H” – chrome and bold.
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Will the logo change again? Honda has hinted at a new look while showcasing future car concepts.