Scott notes:
> That sounds like a plausible answer- Maybe they are signal flags for "V" &
> "S"- that might mean something like "Vignale Spezialone" or some such...
> Michelotti was the stylist, so perhaps that is the connection. I think that
> sounds like a good enough answer till a better one walks in...
>
John Gillis mentioned:
> hoot me down for this one, but I think I remember reading (I'm not
> near my books at the moment) that the flags are nautical in meaning,
> relating to the fact that the Herald was named after Black's boat.
>
I think Scott's pretty much "nailed" it. John, you've got some facts a bit
confused (bang). :-)
In "International alphabet flag" code (as the Encyclopaedia Britannica refers
to such flags): The red X on a white field is indeed "V"; the blue rectangle
on the white field is "S". I'd always thought the flags referred to Vignale
Studio, but some folks have suggested that the "S" represented Standard
(-Triumph Motor Company). Either makes some sense; I don't know if Vignale
used that symbol before the Michelotti tie-in.
As for nautical relevance? The boat for which the Herald supposedly was named
belonged to Sir John Black's successor at Standard-Triumph, Alick Dick. In
terms of nautical meaning, the flags stand for (in which order I'm not sure
at the moment) "I am going full speed astern" and "I require assistance
(non-distress)"! Make of that what you will as applied to a Herald
Convertible or Coupi (no flags on other Heralds).
Now if the Amphicar had been styled by Michelotti, then those nautical
interpretations truly might have been relevant. :-)
--Andy
Andrew Mace, President and Herald Consultant, The Vintage Triumph Register
|