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1 1911 Fiat Tipo 6 Radiator Cap Hood Ornament
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2 1923 Hispano Suiza Radiator Cap and Hood Ornament
3 1929 Chevy Sedan Radiator Cap Eagle Motif Hood Ornament
4 1930 Pierce Arrow Hood Ornament
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5 1930 Rolls Royce Spirit of Ecstasy Hood Ornament
6 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Dancing Elephant Hood Ornament. Ettore Bugatti used the Dancing Elephant as a tribute to his late brother who was a sculptor of animals.
7 1931 Studebaker President Hood Ornament
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8 1932 Buick Flying Lady Hood Ornament
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9 1932 Mack Truck Bulldog Hood Ornament
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10 1933 Pontiac Chieftain Hood Ornament
11 1935 Plymouth With Schooner Hood Ornament
12 1937 Jaguar SS100 Roadster Hood Ornament
13 1939 Packard Hood Ornament
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14 1940 Chevy Hood Ornament Speed of a Locomotive Hood Ornament
15 1940 Plymouth Deluxe Touring 4 dr sedan Hood ornament
16 1941 Cadillac Convertible Coupe Winged Woman Hood Ornament
17 1941 Packard Hood Ornament
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18 1948 Chevy Fleetline Hood Ornament
19 1948 Ford Hood Ornament
20 1948 Plymouth Special DeLuxe Club Coupe Hood Ornament
21 1948 Pontiac Torpedo Silver Streak Hood Ornament
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22 1948 Tucker Hood Ornament
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23 1949 Cadillac Goddess Hood Ornament
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24 1949 Chevrolet Deluxe Hood Ornament
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25 1949 Desoto Hood Ornament
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26 1949 Ford Hood Ornament
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27 1950 Buick Gunsight Hood Ornament
28 1950 Cadillac Hood Ornament
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29 1950 Dodge Ram Hood Ornament
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30 1950 Mercury Hood Ornament
31 1950 Oldsmobile 88 Jet Plane Hood Ornament
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32 1950 Plymouth Hood Ornament
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33 1950 Pontiac Silver Streak Hood Ornament
34 1951 Chevy Hood Ornament
35 1951 Chrysler New Yorker Swept Wings Hood Ornament
36 1951 Plymouth Hood Ornament
37 1952 Desoto Hood Ornament
38 1952 Ford Victoria Hood Ornament
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39 1952 Mercury Monterey Hood Ornament
40 1952 Pontiac Chieftain Amber Hood Ornament
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41 1953 Buick Skylark Hood Ornament
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42 1953 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Hood Ornament and Emblem
43 1953 Chevrolet Hood Ornament
44 1953 Pontiac Chief Amber Face Hood Ornament
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45 1954 Chevrolet Hood Ornament
46 1954 Plymouth Belvedere Hood Ornament
47 1954 Pontiac Star Chief Hood Ornament
48 1955 Cadillac Stylized Woman Rocket Hood Ornament
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49 1955 Chevy Hood Ornament
50 1955 Dodge Lancer Hood Ornament and Emblem
51 1955 Ford Fairlane Hood Ornament and Emblem
52 1955 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Hood Ornament and Emblem
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53 1955 Plymouth Belvedere Hood Ornament and Emblem
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54 1955 Pontiac Amber Chief Hood Ornament
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55 1956 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Hood Ornament
56 1956 Ford Fairlane Hood Ornament
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57 1956 Lincoln Hood Ornament
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58 1956 Mercury Montclair Hood Ornament and Emblem
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59 1956 Pontiac Star Chief Hood Ornament and Emblem
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60 1957 Chevrolet Hood Ornament 2 Per Hood
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61 1957 Dodge Hood Ornament and Emblem
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62 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Hood Ornament
63 1957 Pontiac Star Chief Hood and Fender Emblems
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64 1958 Buick Special Riviera Hood and Fender Emblems
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65 1958 Edsel Hood Ornament
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66 1958 Ford Hood Ornament
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67 1958 Mercedes Benz 220 Cabriolet Hood Ornament and Emblem
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68 1959 Cadillac Hood and Fender Emblems
69 1959 Chevy Impala Hood and Fender Emblems
70 1959 Chrysler Imperial Hood Ornament and Fender Emblems
71 1959 Desoto Fender Emblems
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72 1959 Ford Hood Ornament
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73 1959 Nash Metropolitan Convertible Hood Ornament
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74 1959 Oldsmobile 88 Hood and Fender Emblems
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75 1959 Pontiac Star Chief Hood and Fender Emblems
76 1959 Thunderbird Hood Ornament
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77 1965 Ford Mustang GT Hood Grille Ornament
78 1971 Cadillac Eldorado Iconic Crest Hood Ornament
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79 My Dad's 52 Ford Hood Ornament he gave me after he bought a new Eagle Hood Ornament for his car. I used to play with the Jet Plane and I kept it all these years. Thanks Dad, and Happy Birthday in Heaven today August 25th! I still have the Hood Ornament.
80 Mom, Dad and Me with our brand new 1952 Ford. I was 5 years old here. You can see the original Hood Ornament on the car which Dad gave me later on when he replaced it with an Eagle ornament.
Hood Ornaments - Why Invented & Why Gone
Cascadia Classic presents: Hood Ornaments
Rolls Royce Spirit of Ecstasy
Ettore Bugatti used the Dancing Elephant Hood Ornament as a tribute to his late brother who was a sculptor of animals. This video is of Lalique making the Dancing Elephant Figurine.
Anonymous on Aug 25, 2023 said:
Now THIS is how you do a thread on hood ornaments. WOW WOW and WOW. I checked to make sure my favorite the lit Indian Head was included or I would have been on the warpath. PUNN INTENDED.
Number 1 and 2 both look like it took a true design engineer to come up with those. and again WOW.
The intricate details are astounding. I believe your threads are getting even better Mario....hats off for continuing your saga and goal of 200 posts.
Now stop reading and get back to creating another thread worth a lot of WOWs, like this one.
WOW............
Anonymously Rob.........
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Mario on Aug 26, 2023 said:
Thank you Rob, the lit Pontiac ornament is a favorite of mine also. And I agree some of the more exotic hood ornaments had to be designed and engineered by sculptors.
The detail in #1 is incredible on the 1911 Fiat. It took a Craftsman to design and produce this. How about #4 1930 Pierce Arrow Hood Ornament. George Pierce who made bicycles in 1896 started an auto company in 1901 and had a successful car The Arrow in 1903. Thus the famous Archer on the hood of his most luxurious cars.
Thank you for your comments Rob and glad you still keep us in your thoughts. Best Regards, Mario
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57timemachine on Aug 25, 2023 said:
I wish I knew how to contribute to this post.
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Mario on Aug 25, 2023 said:
Hi George, your comments is your contribution to this post. And I always appreciate your insight. Cheers, Mario
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57timemachine on Aug 25, 2023 said:
Mario, fabulous post of a very important and very endearing aspect of vintage automotive design. So lacking for so many decades now. Just another reason why I so miss the great past. Thank you for sharing. Cheers.
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Mario on Aug 25, 2023 said:
I agree George. I was always intrigued by the variety of hood ornaments on cars while growing up in the fifties. I have my Dad's 52 Ford Hood Ornament from his car when he bought an Eagle ornament. He gave me the original ornament and I still have it. Too bad the hood ornaments faded away from fashion. Cheers, Mario
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57timemachine on Aug 25, 2023 said:
Mario, that photo of you with your mom and dad is so priceless. There is no price for that. That is timeless on many levels. Thank you for sharing that wonderful moment in time. Cheers to you buddy.
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Mario on Aug 26, 2023 said:
Yes one of my many favorite photos with my Mom and Dad. Although they are both gone now, I keep their Spirits alive by remembering them as often as I can.
It was a Great time growing up in the Fifties for me and the cars of that era bring me back to those times.
I hope they do the same for you George.
Cheers, Mario
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ghpcnm on Aug 25, 2023 said:
All of them are beautiful, but I like the Pontiacs best of all.
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Mario on Aug 26, 2023 said:
Hi Dave hope you're feeling better. I like the Pontiac ornaments too but there are stories behind some of the exotic ornaments.
The Fairy #5 on a Rolls is to signify a Rolls rode so smoothly a Fairy could ride on the hood and not be disturbed. Take care, Mario
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Mario on Aug 25, 2023 said:
Hood Ornaments are specially crafted sculptures symbolizing a car make like a badge, located on the front center portion of the hood. It has been used as an adornment since the inception of automobiles.
In the early years, automobiles had their radiator caps outside the hood and on top of the grille serving as a temperature gauge of the engines coolant fluid. Since the exposed radiator cap occupied a prominent place on the vehicle, opportunities arose to transform it into an art form.
Hood ornaments were popular in the 1920s through the 1950s, with many automakers fitting them to their vehicles. Many hood ornaments were themed to reflect the advanced technology of the times such as locomotives in the 1930s, airplanes & gunsights in the 1940s and jet aircraft in the 1950s.
Hood Ornaments inspired a wide array of sculptures that still fascinate classic car buffs today. This is my Tribute to Hood Ornaments. Enjoy! Mario
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