You see, I got this idea to check out a 1931 Chrysler bonnet ornament. It’s not something I do every day, but I was just curious, you know? So, I started digging around, trying to find out more about these things.
First, I searched for some general info. Turns out, hood ornaments have a pretty cool history. The most famous one is probably the “Spirit of Ecstasy” from Rolls-Royce. It’s designed to hide away when the car’s off so no one can swipe it. Smart, huh? I also learned that there aren’t any specific rules from the NHTSA about hood ornaments, which is kinda interesting.
Then I dug deeper into Chrysler stuff. I found this old parts list from before 1934, and it had a bunch of different radiator cap numbers. Not exactly what I was after, but still neat to see. Then, I stumbled upon this rare 1931-1932 Chrysler Gazelle on a winged cap. Looked pretty awesome, all vintage and stuff.
Here’s the thing that really got me thinking – back in the day, people used these ornaments to jazz up their cars. It was like a way to show off your style. I mean, we do that now with custom rims and paint jobs, but these old ornaments were something else. It’s like, imagine cruising down the street with a fancy gazelle leading the way. Pretty cool, right?
So, I kept digging, and I found out about this other one, the “Goddess of Speed” from Packard. The guy who made it, John D. Wilson, wanted to connect the cars to Greek mythology. He picked Nike, the god of victory. I guess it makes sense – you’d want your car to be a winner, wouldn’t you?
Anyway, that’s how I spent my day, going down this rabbit hole of old car ornaments. It might seem a bit random, but it was actually pretty fun. It’s amazing how much history you can find in these little details. And who knows, maybe I’ll start collecting them now. Just kidding… unless?
I’m going to tell my friend Jack about this. I bet he’ll get a good chuckle out of it.
- There are a lot of them.
- They have a fun history.
- They look pretty cool.
- They could be used to customize any car.
What I learned about the 1931 Chrysler bonnet ornament today:
And, I think it’s pretty amazing how much detail they put into these things back then. They are truly an art.
Okay, that’s it for my little adventure today. Maybe I’ll check out some more old car stuff tomorrow. You never know what you might find!
