No ornament is more famous than the "Spirit of Ecstasy" that has topped Rolls-Royce grilles since 1922. Created by sculptor Charles Sykes, it originally was 7 inches tall, but is now 3 inches and ...

Perhaps Packard’s most elegant hood ornament, the Goddess of Speed was one of automotive’s “Flying Lady” ornaments crafted in the art deco tradition. She was, however, far from the only ...

Hood ornaments used to be way more than the cherry on top–the car was the canvas and the ornament the art that tied it all together. These car mascots are impractical; I get it.

Next, we come to the abstract hood ornament. Freed from the requirements of literal representation, these can represent speed or comfort or luxury with pure design. Packard experimented with such ...

By the 1950s, cars embraced the jet age with bombsites and jet planes on hoods and fenders. No ornament is more famous than the “Spirit of Ecstasy” that has topped Rolls-Royce grilles since 1922.

By the 1950s, cars embraced the jet age with bombsites and jet planes on hoods and fenders. No ornament is more famous than the “Spirit of Ecstasy” that has topped Rolls-Royce grilles since 1922.