In the early years of the automobile, models had their radiator caps located outside the hood and on top of the grille, and this cap often featured an indicator that monitored the coolant temperature. In 1912, the Boyce MotoMeter Company received a patent for a coolant radiator filler cap featuring a thermometer visible to the driver. This was very useful, as many cars at that time did not yet have a water pump actively circulating the fluid. Later, this indicator was moved to the dashboard, and the ornaments took on more of a design and marketing function.

Thermostat on an old MG TD2.

The flying stork is the mascot of Hispano-Suiza and was designed by Frederick Bazin. Originally, it was the mascot of the squadron of the French aviation hero Georges Guynemer, who flew a SPAD aircraft with a Hispano-Suiza V8 engine during the First World War.

A beautiful standing hare on an Alvis FA 12/50 from 1928.

The ornaments were particularly popular from the 1920s through the 1950s, and many brands offered multiple of these mascots to anyone who wanted something special on their hood. Most companies that made these kinds of works of art no longer exist, with one exception. Louis Lejeune Ltd in England.

The design varied from (part of) a logo or emblem to complete works of art in the form of, for example, an animal or a human. Some brands alternated different ornaments, and a fixed ornament would also sometimes change over the years. A good example of this is the Spirit of Ecstasy of Rolls-Royce, which, incidentally, has a nice story behind it.

Ornaments and legal restrictions

Restrictions on the application of decorations to the front of vehicles have been introduced in many countries over the years, and since 1978, all new vehicles in the European Union have had to comply with a European directive on protruding parts. You hardly see them on modern cars anymore, and this has to do with pedestrian safety, among other things. Being hit is unpleasant enough, but subsequently being impaled on an ornament in the shape of, for example, an arrow, a greyhound, or a bird makes it even more painful.

Brands that still feature an ornament include Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce, but most car brands nowadays have a badge instead of a protruding ornament. Rolls-Royce's ornament is now mounted on a spring-loaded mechanism designed to retract immediately into the radiator housing in the event of a collision. The Mercedes-Benz star folds flat backwards onto the hood.

Striking ornament on this Stutz Monte Carlo from 1933.

Hudson Deluxe Eight convertible coupe from 1934.

1942 Lincoln Continental. As a pedestrian, you wouldn't want to come into contact with this anymore.

Lincoln Model KB phaeton from 1933.

Logo ornament on a 1927 Pierce-Arrow Series 80 sedan.