Car Emblems and Hood Ornaments

There’s something about the artistry of old cars I find appealing.   Besides their interesting designs and contours, a detail I’d never thought much about became apparent to me when we visited the terrific National Automobile Museum in Reno.  I became intrigued by the details of the older car’s hood ornaments and emblems.  This was especially true of cars made more than a century ago.

I thought it might be interesting to look at some of these older cars from the perspective of first studying their emblems and/or ornaments, then looking at the whole car.  These are arranged chronologically by year of release and as you scroll through these you’ll see the evolution of cars in the early years of automotive design — headlamps added, the addition of windscreens, enclosed passenger compartments, etc.

I had fun organizing these and hope you enjoy them.

1908 Franklin:

1909 Ford T Touring:

1911 Pope Hartford:

1912 International:

1913 K-R-I-T:

1913 Mercer:

1913 Pierce-Arrow:

1913 Stutz-Bearcat:

1914 Fiat:

1921 Sheridan:

1923 Rolls-Royce:

They just don’t make them like this anymore.  If you liked these, in two weeks I’ve got some more to share with you.