Hood Ornaments

There are probably dozens of reasons people love cars. For many it is simply the memories associated with them. Cars take us places we might not otherwise have been. Occasionally even over a rainbow.

Another reason people, usually guys, like cars is the power they emanate. Guys with muscle cars come to mind here... or the Fast and Furious tuner crowd.

Here at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, it is clear that cars used to be more than vehicles to take you places or extensions of one's machisimo... They exude style. From the lines and curves of the form itself to the embellishments, the vibrant colors and chrome ornamentation, there's really nothing like it in the world, a splendiforous breath taking, dream making wonder.

To me, one of the most fascinating elements on so many of the older cars, is the hood ornament. Many car manufacturers embellished their designs with a symbol which the car wore like a badge right on the front center portion of the hood. Along with the grille, the hood ornament often helped give a car its distinctiveness. Many used it as their primary brand identifier.

When we lived in Mexico, I purchased a hood ornament for my '72 Ford station wagon. It was not a great car in terms of style, but that chrome eagle in flight sure made it feel cool to me.

So for today I just wanted to share with you a couple hood ornaments which I saw yesterday. Feel free to click on each image to enlarge. And just out of curiosity, in what kinds of ways do we ornament our lives today?