This site is a father/daughter collaboration... the father has the car knowledge and his youngest daughter* has the patience to help get the knowledge into a digital format and out on the web.
The father is Ivan Hoffmann who has resided in Australia since his birth in 1930. As a 19 year old he saw the prototype of a Hartnett sedan and put his name down on the waiting list to to buy this, what would have been his first car. However, the Hartnett sedan took too long to become available due to supply issues, so instead his first car was a four-door 1952 Morris Minor with the registration plates of 336-683. Since that time he consecutively owned a 1956 Morris Minor Van (bought in 1959); Morris 1500 Nomad (bought new in 1971); Leyland P76 (bought in 1978); and in 1982 a Subaru station wagon that he still drives, aged in his 90's (it doesn't even have electric windows nor power steering!).
Ivan started collecting car badges when he was in his thirties. To start with he would go to car wrecker's yards and could get the badges for free, later he was charged for the badges he managed to liberate from the wrecks and later still he traded at "swap meets" or bought them though his increasing network of contacts. Some badges where damaged and he would get re-enameled.
Ivan would often go to the "Bay to Birdwood" an annual historic motoring event of antique, veteran, vintage, post-war/early-classic, classic cars event that has run since 1980. The Bay to Birdwood goes from a coastal suburb of Adelaide to a hills town of Birdwood (where the National Motor Museum is located) a distance of about 60-70 kilometers. Spectators line the streets to watch the old cars go by and, at Birdwood, the cars can be inspected and photographed.
The "Restored Cars" magazine published an article on Ivan's car badge collection in the 26th edition - dated Jan/Feb 1978.
Ivan's network and car knowledge meant that when he was contacted by someone needing a car badge for the old car they were restoring he would have one, or at least know someone who did!
The family has memories of being on a family drives, when Ivan would spy a car wreckers yard and "just drop in" to see if he could get any badges .... meanwhile his wife was left in the car with four young children to amuse. Hours later and many rounds of "I spy with my little eye something starting with..." Ivan would return excited about his latest additions to his car badge collection. Present ideas for his birthday, Father's Day and Christmas was easy and always the same - a "car badge or money for them"! His children would see an old car and ask "what is that old car ?" he would be able to tell them the make, model and year from memory and impress them greatly.
In July 2024 Ivan Hoffmann donated his Automobile Emblem Collection to the National Motor Muesum at Birdwood, South Australia. This will enable others to be able to see and enjoy his decades long love of collecting and preserving a part of automotive history....he might still add to it!
*Janet Fuller