If You Love Fonts And Graphic Design, Go To A Classic Car Show

It can be hard to convince the non-car enthusiasts in your life to spend a few weekend hours at a car show, especially if it's one that starts before 9 a.m. (even I have trouble with that). As enticing as the boozy brunch with friends afterwards might be, the thought of spending even 30 minutes surrounded by cars you don't care about and nerds being super annoying about them isn't exactly appealing.

There is one way to get a friend or significant other to join you for a car show, especially if they are a fan of graphic design or art in general. Vintage cars are rich with incredible badges, fonts and logo designs, with every era and country of origin typically easy to deduce just by reading the nameplates. Tons of different cars even have special fonts specific to that model, and wonderful graphics can be found even on more modern vehicles.

I recently went to Macchinissima, a new car show in downtown Los Angeles that was focused on classic Italian cars, and there were myriad examples of fantastic typography. Let us know in the comments what your favorite automotive badges are, and if you can successfully convince your loved ones to enjoy cars through a different lens.

One of the most iconic supercars of all time has one of the most iconic badge designs of all time. Nearly every car in Lamborghini's history has a name and/or design that's inspired by bull fighting, so the Miura's nameplate script got a pair of horns on the M and a curling tail at the end of the badge. It's perfect.

I love a badge that has a signature-like flourish to the font, like the one on this Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato.

The hubcap on the Flaminia is also fantastic.

This Giulia has a nice upright sans-serif font, and I like the way the metal bars holding the letters together are an integral part of the design, making up sections of letters like the F and E.

Sometimes the best badges are the hardest to read, like the B-pillar script on this Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada. The words aren't even technically in order, but that's okay because it looks so cool. (Pillar badges in general are cool.)

The Bizzarrini's rear badge is one of the greatest of all time. Just look at those Z's!

Jumping forward a few decades is the oh-so-'90s Ferrari 348. This is my favorite era of Ferrari design and fonts, exemplified by this cool badge.

Everyone knows that gold badges are just better, and this Alfa Giulietta Sprint Speciale is another great example of a cursive font. The G is incredible, and the Bertone crest is always wonderful to see.

The first-gen Maserati Quattroporte also has a great cursive script.

I don't remember what specific Alfa Romeo this is from, but I like how the blobby font kind of looks like it was written with a pen that's left ink blots on the letters.

Lots of modern trucks and SUVs have big nameplates embossed in their tailgates, but so does the adorable Fiat Panda 4x4 from the '80s. Unlike those of modern trucks, both the Panda name and the 4x4 are in an approachable, simple font.

This Panda is the Country Club edition, which has these great side graphics. Bring back side graphics!

I forget what car these Fergat wheels are on, but the sticker looks like it belongs in a Wes Anderson movie.

I love the contrast between the uppercase sans serif Alfa Romeo and the lowercase cursive GTV here.

The wave-like S and Ls of the front nameplate badge totally fit the beachy vibe of the wicker-covered Shellette.

The coachbuilder's script and logo are a nice touch.

The font used for the Laverda sticker is right up my ally, and the S.E.V. Marchal logo is one of the greatest of all time.

Another awesome logo is the bird used by Moto Guzzi. Notice how the font is different on the livery versus the stamping on that engine component.