OTTO

Otto Gas Engine Works (1910-1911)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is an Otto radiator emblem (1910)    aacam
Size: 74mm high 60mm wide   MM: Unknown

The Otto Gas Engine Works was the largest and oldest builder of gas and gasoline engines in the world when it decided to build an automobile in 1910. The first Otto car was a 30/35 hp four-cylinder car, which was offered initially in three body styles. The Otto was an attractive well-built car but sales were not good and the Otto Motor Car Company that initially handled sales of the Otto was bankrupt by April 1911.

The car name was changed to Ottomobile for 1912 and the Ottomobile Company took over sales but it too was in receivership in 1912. By the end of 1912 it was all over for the Otto.

Emblem

The Otto radiator emblem is represented in the 1910 Otto advertisement shown below:

This is an Otto as showing the emblem (1910)   ms

The red and blue enamel Otto radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post is extremely rare. But, beware, as there are reproduction Otto emblems, although they are relatively easy to identify, see example below:

This is a Pulfer reproduction Otto radiator emblem     mjs
Size: 74mm high 58mm wide

The following Otto emblem may be a radiator emblem but I cannot confirm this. It is possible that this emblem may have lost its original enamel but it may be a different, metal only emblem with three original holes.

This may be an Otto radiator emblem (1911)     sam
Size: 67mm high 54mm wide    MM: Unknown

The following Otto emblem is a thicker, heavier metal emblem with a speckled background in the shield is closely similar to the emblem in the 1910 Otto advertisement shown earlier above but it may be an Otto gas engine emblem:

This is an Otto emblem (date unknown)     mjs
Size: 68mm high 58mm wide      MM: None

The following is a 1912 Otto Type B serial plate:

This is an Otto Type B car serial plate (1912)    ms