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{{Short description|Car company or car model symbol placed on the front center of hood}}{{About|decorative hood ornaments|modern radiator caps and their function|radiator}}{{Use American English|date=June 2021}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}{{stack|File:Znaczek Mercedesa.jpg|thumb|right|Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz(File:1913 Car-Nation Tourer RadiatorBoyce MotoMeter.jpg|thumb|right|1913 Boyce MotoMeter)File:2014 Škoda Museum, L&K Škoda 110 01.JPG|thumb|right|1925 Laurin & KlementLaurin & KlementFile:1949 Kaiser Virginian hood ornament.jpg|thumb|right|1949 Kaiser Virginian]]File:Rolls Royce da Presidência (9684134369).jpg|thumb|The Spirit of Ecstasy (kneeling version) on the 1952 Brazilian presidential Rolls-Royce ]]File:1967 AMC Marlin two-door fastback sungold and white-wet hood ornament.jpg|thumb|right|1967 (Rambler Marlin|AMC Marlin]]BOOK,weblink registration, 47, The Cars of American Motors: An Illustrated History, Marc, Cranswick, McFarland, 2012, 9780786446728, ...Marlin's hood ornament was redesigned, so it seemed less obtrusive., 29 October 2014, )File:M.A.N.-Schild auf Kühler.JPG|thumb|right|1970s MAN truck]]File:Hood ornament.jpg|right|thumb|Home-made hood ornament on pick-up truck in TexasTexas}}A hood ornament (or bonnet ornament or bonnet mascot in Commonwealth English), also called a motor mascot or car mascot, is a specially crafted model that symbolizes a car company, like a badge, located on the front center portion of the hood. It has been used as an adornment nearly since the inception of automobiles.BOOK, Hinckley, James, Robinson, Jon G., The Big Book of Car Culture: The Armchair Guide to Automotive Americana, MotorBooks/MBI, 2005, 9,weblink 9780760319659, 29 October 2014,

Origin

According to the author of A History of Cars written for youth, the first "hood ornament" was a sun-crested falcon (to bring good luck) mounted on the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's chariot.BOOK,weblink 29, A History of Cars, David, Corbe, Gareth Stevens, 2006, 9780836862867, 29 October 2014, In the early years, automobiles had their radiator caps outside the hood and on top of the grille, which also served as an indicator of the temperature of the engine's coolant fluid. The Boyce MotoMeter Company was issued a patent in 1912 for a radiator cap that incorporated a thermometer that was visible to the driver with a sensor that measured the heat of the water vapor, rather than the water itself. This became useful gauge for the driver because many early engines did not have water pumps, but a circulation system based on the "thermo-syphon" principle as in the Ford Model T.The "exposed radiator cap became a focal point for automobile personalization."BOOK,weblink registration, America's heyday for hood ornaments., 31, Route 66 Remembered, Michael Karl, Witzel, Motorbooks, 1996, 9780760301142, 29 October 2014, Hood ornaments were popular in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, with many automakers fitting them to their vehicles. They also serve to differentiate cars and the ornaments were inspired by animals, mythological figures, and the automakers' logos.WEB,weblink Why Don’t Cars Have Hood Ornaments Anymore?, Jake, Rossen, 29 September 2023, 6 February 2024, A common element on every Rolls-Royce since 1911 is the "Spirit of Ecstacy" on the hood that serves as a type of "calling card" and denotes the message of luxury. During the 1920s, advertisements for Mercedes-Benz emphasized their "star" hood ornament as representing the "world-famous product of the oldest automobile works in the world" and as the ultimate symbol of luxury.BOOK, Swett, Pamela E., Pamela E. Swett, Selling under the Swastika: Advertising and Commercial Culture in Nazi Germany, 2013, Stanford University Press, 9780804788830, 118,weblink 23 September 2019, A market developed supplying accessories to those who wanted to add an ornament or car mascot to their automobile.BOOK, Browne, Ray Broadus, Browne, Pat, The Guide to United States Popular Culture, 2001, Popular Press, 9780879728212, 404,weblink 23 February 2023, These were a way to express the owner's love of their car or customizing to express individuality. Most of these companies went out of business, with only Louis Lejeune Ltd. in England surviving. Sculptors like Bazin, Paillet, Sykes, Renevey, and Lejeune created detailed miniature sculptures, like figurines.Hood ornaments were viewed as "objets d'art" according to Richard Teague, who served as styling vice president at American Motors Corporation (AMC).NEWS,weblink Hood Ornament Makes Comeback, Jerry M., Flint, The New York Times, 5 December 1972, 6 February 2024, A sculptor described some hood ornaments as “certainly some kind of sex symbol—a symbol of virility." There were Art Deco stylized women’s forms serving as hood ornaments.WEB,weblink Burt "Buck", Breedlove, Nash automobiles & hood ornaments, 5 January 2019, 6 February 2024, After World War II, Nash Motors commissioned George Petty to design hood ornaments featuring female figures without clothing for their cars.WEB,weblink Hood Ornament Designer, c 1945, nashcarclub.org, 6 February 2024, NEWS,weblink George, Lous, Anatomically Incorrect, 7 December 1997, 6 February 2024, Petty used his daughter to make the "Flying Lady" hood ornament which became a marketing coup for Nash and the 1950 "Airflyte" models in the Ambassador and Statesman cars.WEB,weblink Vintage Promo Shot: George Petty and Nash’s Flying Lady – The Least Expensive Date You Ever Had!, Rich, Baron, 25 May 2023, 6 February 2024, Nash had four different versions of this iconic ornament on its vehicles for ten years before designing non-anthropomorphic hood decorations.WEB,weblink Here are the 5 best hood ornaments, according to you, Kyle, Smith, 26 April 2019, Hagerty, 6 February 2024, WEB,weblink Fourth Nash hood ornament acquired, 28 July 2020, Burt "Buck", Breedlove, 6 February 2024, Teague brought back a hood ornament for the top-of-the-line AMC Ambassador cars because of the "good feeling" they provide to the owners "or at least a reminder of the money spent on the car." Others in the auto industry, such as Dick Macadam, a chief stylist at Chrysler hold the view that hood ornaments provide an aiming point for centering, "possibly making for easier and safer car handling."

Legal restrictions

Restrictions to fitting ornaments on the front of vehicles have been introduced in some jurisdictions. Projecting decorative designs on the hood may increase the risk of injury to pedestrians during a collision.Regulations introduced in the United States for the 1968 model year vehicles meant the disappearance of fixed stand-up hood ornaments, as well as spinner wheel protrusions.MAGAZINE,weblink 6, Detroit serves up the '68 models, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, September 1967, 21, 9, Google Books, 23 February 2023, Later versions featured flexibly mounted (spring-loaded) stand-up hood ornaments designed to fold without breaking on impact, such as on the 1973 Ford Thunderbird, 1974 AMC Ambassador, and on the 1986 Jeep Wagoneer (SJ).WEB, Ford Thunderbird History - The Seventies,weblink automotivemileposts.com, 26 April 2023, BOOK, Automotive Industries, Volume 149, 1973, Chilton, 39,weblink Google Books, 26 April 2023, BOOK,weblink 481, Standard catalog of 4 x 4's: 1945-1993, Robert C., Ackerson, Krause, 1993, 9780873412032, Google Books, 26 April 2023, In the European Union, since 1974, all new cars have had to conform to a European directive on vehicle exterior projections.WEB,weblink Council Directive 74/483/EEC of 17 September 1974 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the external projections of motor vehicles, eur-lex.europa.eu, 17 September 1974, 29 October 2014, Rolls-Royce's mascot is now mounted on a spring-loaded mechanism designed to retract instantly into the radiator shell if struck with a force greater than {{convert|98|N|lbf|0|abbr=off}}. Other hood ornaments were designed with a spring mount to fold on impact. For aftermarket ornaments, breakaway nylon fixings are available that comply with EC Directive 74/483.WEB,weblink Car Mascots and English Law, louislejeune.com, 29 October 2014, The ornaments have been moved down from the hood to the grille.NEWS, Williams, Casey, Putting the focus on the ever-receding hood ornament,weblink The Detroit News, 5 August 2020, 23 February 2023, They are now viewed as overwrought and detrimental to aerodynamics.WEB,weblink Every Automotive Emblem, Explained, Amos, Kwon, 12 December 2022, gearpatrol.com, 26 April 2023,

Branding

File:Hispano-Suiza K6 Berline Vanvooren 1937 (Volante) jm20638.jpg|thumb|Hispano-SuizaHispano-SuizaMany automakers wanted their emblems displayed on their vehicles' hoods. Boyce Motormeter accommodated them with corporate logos or mascots, as well as numerous organizations that wanted custom cap emblems to identify their members. The company had over 300 such customers at one time during the mid-1920s, for car, truck, tractor, boat, airplane, and motorcycle manufacturers, and in 1927, had 1,800 employees in six countries: U.S., England, Canada, Australia, France, and Germany. The hundreds of motor vehicle manufacturers before 1929 meant many customers for their customized emblems.WEB, Koma, Victor, Reaching the Boiling Point: A History of Boyce Moto Meters, prewarbuick.com,weblink 23 February 2023, Brand identification remains essential "as firms try to distinguish their company's cookie-cutter SUV, sedan or pick-up truck from another company's cookie-cutter SUV, sedan, or pick-up truck merely with a hood ornament or a name on the bumper."BOOK, Torres-Spelliscy, Ciara, Political Brands, 2019, Edward Elgar, 9781789901825, 5,weblink 23 September 2019,

Examples

Along with the grille, the hood ornament is often a distinctive styling element, and many marques use it as their primary brand identifier.Examples of hood ornaments include:

• Archer on Pierce-Arrow carsBOOK, Ralston, Marc, Pierce-Arrow, 1980, A. S. Barnes, 9780498024511, 151,
• Ottawa leader Pontiac on Pontiac automobilesBOOK,weblink 384, Flory, J. Kelly, American Cars 1946-1959: Every Model Year by Year, 2008, McFarland, 9780786432295, 29 October 2014,
• Crest and wreath on Cadillac carsBOOK, Hernandez, Lolita, Autopsy of an engine and other stories from the Cadillac plant, 2004, Coffee House Press, 9781566891615, 151,weblink
• Letter "B" with wings on Bentley carsBOOK,weblink 26, Dennis, Adler, The Art of the Automobile: The 100 Greatest Cars, 9780061051289, 2000, Harper Collins, Google Books, 26 April 2023,
• Ball with wings on Horch carsBOOK,weblink 118, Heritage Vintage & Contemporary Photography Auction 5020, 9781599673479, 2009, Google Books, 26 April 2023,
• Leaping jaguar on Jaguar carsWEB, Hunting, Benjamin, 10 Most Murderous Hood Ornaments in History,weblink DrivingLine, 9 May 2019, 23 February 2023,
• Lion rampant on Peugeot carsJOURNAL,weblink 37, Peugeot, Automobile Quarterly, 29, 1, 1991, Google Books, 26 April 2023,
• Marlin jumping out of water mounted in a "sight" on AMC's fastbackBOOK,weblink 9, Gunnell, John, Standard Catalog of American Muscle Cars 1960-1972, 2006, Krause, 9780896894334, 23 February 2023, MAGAZINE, The Marlin Story…. From Concept to Reality,weblink AMCRC Rambler Reader, 17, 4, 1996, marlinautoclub.com, 23 February 2023,
• Rocket on Oldsmobile carsBOOK, Clinard, Marshall Barron, Peter C., Yeager, Corporate crime, 2005, Transaction Publishers, 9781412804936,weblink 255, 29 October 2014,
• Rocky Mountain big horn ram's head on Dodge cars and trucksBOOK, Hyde, Charles K., Riding the roller coaster: a history of the Chrysler Corporation, 2003, Wayne State University Press, 9780814330913,weblink 74, 29 October 2014,
• Spirit of Ecstasy on Rolls-Royce carsMAGAZINE, Crandall, Larry, The Spirit of Ecstasy, Tampa Bay Magazine, March–April 1999, 14, 2,weblink 133, Google Books, 23 February 2023,
• Stork on Hispano-Suiza carsWEB,weblink Hispano Suiza, recuerdos de una época gloriosa, Fadón, Borja, 31 May 2009, Motorpasion, es, 20 May 2019, WEB,weblink The whole stor(k)y – why is there a bird on the radiator of that car?

  last=Koch

  work=Hemmings, 23 February 2023, Three-pointed star surrounded by a circle on Mercedes-Benz sedans and wagons Trishields on Buick carsBOOK,weblink 254, Standard catalog of Buick, 1903-2004, John, Gunnell, Krause, 2004, 9780873497602, 29 October 2014, Additionally, many models in all price and market segments, such as Buick Regal, Chevrolet Impala, Jeep Grand Wagoneer (SJ), and Chrysler Cordoba, featured unique emblems and accompanying distinctive standup hood ornaments.WEB,weblink 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer hood ornament, the standard hood ornament on all 1986-91 Jeep Grand Wagoneers, 19 May 2014, classiccarstodayonline.com, 26 April 2023, BOOK, Gunnell, John, Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975, 1982, Krause, 9780873410274, 576,weblink 23 February 2023, .... distinctive medallions were set into the taillamps and the stand-up hood ornament ..., The importance of design While "originally designed for a purpose," the hood ornament became "transformed into elaborate decorations or symbols."WEB, Harrop, JoAnne Klimovich, Hood ornament exhibition opens at The Frick Pittsburgh,weblink TribLIVE.com, 3 May 2021, 26 April 2023, As a result, the radiator cap was changed into an art form and became a way of individualizing the car, "representing a company's vision of the automobile", or "speaking volumes about the owner" of the vehicle. Another design objective developed for the hood ornament "reflected an idea of motion and speed and grace."There are legal issues in protecting the designs of hood ornaments. Less expensive than patenting the design, protection by copyright may be possible "only if, and only to the extent that, such design incorporates pictorial, graphic, or sculptural features that can be identified separately from, and capable of existing independently of, the utilitarian aspects of the article." Thus, the Rolls Royce ornament could be used as a separate sculpture while most other distinctive hood ornament forms would not be considered free-standing items.BOOK,weblink 332, The Economic Structure of Intellectual Property Law, William M., Landes, Richard A., Posner, 2003, Harvard University Press, 9780674265295, Google Books, 26 April 2023, Materials used in manufacturing Hood ornaments are usually cast in brass, zinc, or bronze and chrome plated. During the years when chrome plating was unavailable, silver or nickel was substituted. Some also incorporated other materials, like plastic, bakelite, or colored glass. The 1950 Ford Custom DeLuxe hood ornament was molded in Plexiglas.MAGAZINE, Modern Plastics, 28, 1951, Breskin & Charleton, 177,weblink Ford's Plexiglass hood ornament, 6 February 2024, Others contained a light bulb for illumination at night. Pontiac featured a lighted Indian-head hood ornament through 1955, after which it was replaced by the flying V design.MAGAZINE, 1955 Pontiac is all New, Popular Mechanics, November 1954, 102, 5, 88–89,weblink Google Books, 23 February 2023, The best-known glass mascots were made by René Lalique in France.WEB,weblink Wraight, Tony, René Lalique pre-war Car Mascots article, 29 October 2014, Other sellers or producers of glass mascots include Sabino in France, Red Ashay in England, and Persons Majestic in the U.S. The latter two had their products made in Czechoslovakia. Like Louis Lejeune Ltd., the Lalique Company is one of the few survivors from this era of motoring. Collectibility Some hood ornaments are attractive for more than the car's owners such as the red-white-and-blue golden lion crests that were on the hoods of 1950 Fords that children took to decorate their hats, belts, or bicycles.BOOK, Gunnell, John, Standard Catalog of Ford, 1903-2002: 100 Years of History, Photos, Technical Data and Pricing, 2011, Penguin, 9781440230387,weblink 23 September 2019, The company solved the problem by offering a free miniature crest to all the kids that wrote letters requesting one.There is a collector's market for hood ornaments and car mascots.WEB,weblink Collector's Corner: Automobilia - Hood Ornaments and Mascots, Michele, Alice, ecommercebytes.com, 17 September 2006, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141030041439weblink">weblink 30 October 2014, 23 February 2023, WEB,weblink Vintage Hood Ornaments, collectorsweekly.com, 29 October 2014, BOOK,weblink 19–22, Test drive to Chicago: and other trips and tales, David, Suvak, Xlibris, 2012, 9781479755530, 29 October 2014, {{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}} One of the most sought-after is the Nash Petty Hood Ornament, with one of the most largest followers of all hood ornament collectors.WEB,weblink 1953 Nash Flying Goddess Hood Ornament, Fluid Chrome Studios, 6 February 2024, To satisfy collectors, reproduction castings of the "Flying Lady" are being made from the original Nash ornament.WEB,weblink George Petty Nash Flying Lady Hood Ornament, $1,250.00, whiteglovecollection.com, 6 February 2024, References {{Reflist}} External links {{Commons category|Hood ornaments}} WEB, Automobile and Car Mascots,weblink northstargallery.com, 23 September 2019, BOOK, Dreßler, Matthias, Kühlerfiguren klassischer Automobile 1909-1939, Radiator Mascots of the Classic Car Era 1909-1939, 2019, Matthias Dreßler, 9783000608650, de, BOOK, Weiner, Geoffrey George, Unique Lalique mascots, 2014, Trans-Atlantic Publications, 9781909984219, BOOK, Weiner, Geoffrey George, Unique Lalique Mascots Volume 2, 2017, Grosvenor House, 9781786239037, {{CarDesign nav}}{{Ornaments}}

  
  
  
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