Going Emblemless on My Beloved Car

I ordered my manual transmission car back in April, but production and delivery dates are still uncertain. While researching delivery info and browsing images online to see if I could improve the specs, my husband said this to me:

“That car would look cleaner and cooler without the emblem on the back, don’t you think?”

Hearing that, I searched online for images of the car both with and without emblems and compared them. Sure enough, the emblemless version gave off a more stylish vibe.

But being a bit timid, I hesitated, wondering, “Is it really okay to be so picky…?” Then I asked my husband, “Could you ask the dealer if we can skip the emblem?” (I should have called myself, though.) He promptly contacted the dealer, and

They agreed to remove the emblem before the car arrives at the dealership. I also asked them not to put any stickers on the rear window. They did mention, “There’s a slight chance some marks might remain after removing the emblem, so please understand that.” By the way, they said, “Some people do choose to go emblemless every now and then,” which made me laugh.

Before this, I never even considered that you could order a new car without emblems, nor did I think it was possible. But watching my husband, I learned that if you have something on your mind or wonder, “Could we do it this way?” it’s always good to tell or consult with your dealer.

By the way, when my husband bought his first Porsche, a Boxster GTS (981), he ordered it without the “Boxster GTS” logo on the rear.

At the time, I wasn’t really into cars, so long after delivery, I was surprised and asked him, “Wait, it doesn’t say Boxster GTS anywhere!!” He said,

“You’re just noticing now? Yeah, I didn’t put the logo on. It only says ‘GTS’ on the side, and the back is simply ‘PORSCHE.’ Because the GTS has different aero parts, at a glance you can tell, ‘Hmm, this isn’t a normal Boxster,’ but there’s no GTS badge on the rear. But those who know will recognize, ‘Ah! They removed the GTS badge but it’s still a GTS!’ That’s the point. Also, the GTS usually has red dials and lots of Alcantara inside, but I deliberately went with regular black and leather interior instead.”

Thinking back, when he bought the wingless GT3 Touring, he said,

“The best thing about the Touring is that there’s no GT3 badge on the back! And it looks a bit different from a regular 911… Since there’s no wing, you might think it’s not a GT3… but those who know will see, ‘Ah! This is a GT3!’ That’s what I like. It’s a GT3 only the knowledgeable can tell.”

He’s quite an unusual guy to say, “Even though I bought a GTS or GT3, I’d rather it not be obvious at first glance” (–_-).

Emblemless Cars Are Common in Germany

While emblemless or logo-free cars are rare in Japan, apparently they’re quite common in Germany.

On our honeymoon trip to Germany, we rented a Porsche 911 and drove nonstop on the Autobahn and Romantic Road, visiting Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi museums (what kind of honeymoon was that? lol). My husband was surprised by how many cars in Germany drive without emblems.

Even with Mercedes-Benz, it’s sometimes hard to tell if it’s an S-Class or E-Class, and you can’t tell the grade either. From what I see on Instagram, it’s common in Germany to deliberately remove emblems. Apparently, except for Porsche, German cars imported to Japan don’t offer emblemless options, but in Germany you can choose it.

I didn’t notice any of this myself, but what stuck with me more was “almost all taxis were Mercedes” and “someone surfing in the freezing cold river in Munich.”

I used to think that if a car has a badge like “S63,” people around would say, “Wow! An S63! Amazing!” so I’d want to keep it on. But maybe the way Germans think about grades and models is different.

A quick online search showed opinions like, “On the Autobahn, if cars behind discriminate based on engine size or base vs. high grade, it makes driving difficult.”

No wonder they’re a country that drives at 200 km/h on the Autobahn.

Car culture is totally different between Japan and overseas—even down to body colors. Once things settle down, I’d love to visit Germany again. Now that I know more about cars than before, I’m sure I’ll discover many new things I missed before and be able to write great blog reports. lol