Gallery: 25 Cool Hood Ornaments

Maker: Bentley
Complex Says: To compete with Rolls-Royce, you must have an eye-catching hood ornament, right? That's why Bentley has the flying B. It's gone through minor permutations through the years, but the general shape has never strayed far from the classic form. We love it because it doesn't take itself as seriously as the competition. The flying B brings out England's...cheekiness.

Maker: Cadillac
Complex Says: The glass eagle's head featured on a few Cadillacs from the '30s is nothing short of imposing. This sets the car off as one not to be trifled with, with a dash of patriotic flavor.

Maker: Lincoln
Complex Says: Long before Lincoln became little more than a trim package for some Fords, Lincoln adorned its cars with one of the fastest animals in the world. The company probably would have picked a cheetah, but the greyhound had more of an association with the well-to-do--Lincoln's target market.

Maker: Auburn
Complex Says: Auburn decided to buck tradition and put a chest-forward winged man on the front of its cars. He's so badass, he doesn't even need arms.

Maker: Avion Voisin
Complex Says: Clearly from an age before pedestrian impact standards, the Avion Voisin steel bird sported industrial design features and wings that looked more like knives. An Avion Voisin would only have to be travelling fast enough to knock a pedestrian onto this thing to do some serious bodily harm.

Maker: Packard
Complex Says: Packard changed its hood ornaments more than most people change their socks. While most of these hood ornaments were standard takes on the styles of the day, the reclining woman was something different. She seems shy, unlike most of the other lady ornaments that boldly go boobs-first into the unknown. She is the Greek nymph Daphne, and she's simply enchanting.

Maker: Mercedes-Benz
Complex Says: The Mercedes-Benz Tri-Star is easily the most widely recognized hood ornament in the world. It's like a flag that says, "luxury." The tri-star is a truely epic monument to both the Mercedes-Benz brand and to the science of branding itself.

Maker: Dodge
Complex Says: Dodge used to place rams on the front of its cars. Eventually this changed into just a ram's head, and then a ram's head badge. Now the ram has fled the front of Dodge vehicles to become Ram, a truck brand. This, however, is a classic example of the leaping ram.

Maker: Duesenberg
Complex Says: Easily one of the greatest car makers of all time, Duesenberg chose to represent the brand with a highly stylized bird, dubbed "the Duesenbird." It's very modern and showcases lines and design ideas ahead of their time. It matched the incredible engineering in the Duesenberg cars.

Maker: DeSoto
Complex Says: This may not be the most politically correct hood ornament in the world. But the ironically named DeSoto Diplomat boasted a sweet-looking conquistador ornament.

Maker: Hispano Suiza
Complex Says: Hispano Suiza was one of the great luxury automakers of the early 20th century. At the time, it was mentioned in the same breath as Rolls-Royce. As such, it had an excellent ornament to match this status. The flying stork's wings barely touched the car, and it looked like it was gracefully and calmly cruising, much like the car it adorned.

Maker: Plymouth
Complex Says: One of the most imaginative ornaments, the Plymouth ship almost seems abstract when you first look at it. It takes just a moment to realize that the frame and the subject are not one and the same.

Maker: Bugatti
Complex Says: The elephant symbolizes power and a "large-and-in-charge" attitude, exactly the kind of thing that super-luxury marque Bugatti would want on a car. Ettore Bugatti commissioned his brother, Rembrandt Bugatti, a renowned sculptor of wildlife, to make a hood ornament. This was the result.

Maker: Pontiac
Complex Says: Pontiac didn't just derive a name from one of North America's native tribes. It also took a hood ornament to match. The native head didn't just strengthen Pontiac's brand. In some iterations, it lit up too. That's just plain cool.

Maker: Chevrolet
Complex Says: The Chevy Bel Air was adorned with the jet bird hood ornament. It didn't just have the downturned beak and pronounced crown of the bird that is our country's national symbol. By taking the shape of a jet, it was also a testament to the race of technology. Quite possibly the most patriotic hood ornament of all time.

Maker: Rolls-Royce
Complex Says: No, not the drug. The emotion. Rolls-Royce's famous ornament has changed little over the years. It's the same woman with her sleeves blowing back, as it has always been. It's beautiful, classy, and immediately recognizable as a Rolls.

Maker: GAZ
Complex Says: The city where GAZ cars were made is Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, which adopted the deer as its symbol. As an homage to its roots, GAZ concocted this beautiful hood ornament.

Maker: Packard
Complex Says: Packard's Goddess of Speed hood ornament is today lovingly referred to as the "donut chaser," for obvious reasons. While she might actually be holding a wheel, not a delicious fried pastry, we love both the ornament and the nickname.

Maker: Susse Freres
Complex Says: Made in the French foundry Susse Freres, this swallow hood ornament does more than provide a sense of forward movement, like so many other ornaments. The swallow is posed so dynamically that there is apparent movement in multiple planes, making it a sight to behold.

Maker: Delahaye
Complex Says: Hood ornaments often take the shape of nude women who may or may not have wings. So it takes some seriously interesting design to make a flying lady stand out like Delahaye's Venus. Her hair echoes the form of the wings, which are swept back and give a strong sense of movement. Those knockers can't be discounted either. Look at the size of those things.

Maker: Jaguar
Complex Says: The Jaguar Leaper is, along with the Mercedes Tri-Star and Rolls Spirit of Ecstasy, one of the most iconic hood ornaments of all time. It conveys a sense of power, grace, and speed to the cars it adorns. Although it no longer comes standard on Jags because of pedestrian safety laws, Jaguar will still sell you one as an accessory.

Maker: Willys
Complex Says: The Willys Knight seems like it was specifically designed to poke small holes in pedestrians. Despite being the very reason we don't see hood ornaments any more, the Knight still stands as one of the coolest hood ornaments in history.

Maker: Pierce-Arrow
Complex Says: One of the most dynamic hood ornaments ever made, the Pierce-Arrow Silver Archer, not only calls to mind the name of the automaker, but also gives an astounding sense of drama to the car it is placed on.

Maker: Mercedes-Benz
Complex Says: While the tri-star may be Mercedes' most recognized, this custom piece for the car of Kaiser Fredrich Wilhelm II was way cooler. There's quite possibly nothing more ballin' than having your royal family crest on the hood of your car. Maybe the Kaiser's mustache was more ballin', but that's about it.

Maker: Luigi Colani Horch Mega Roadster
Complex Says: Luigi Colani was obviously trying to create a feeling of speed on the stunning Horch Mega Roadster when he designed this hood ornament. Presumably, she was once a nude woman holding the Horch logo standing up and leaning into the wind slightly. Speed has taken its toll, though, and she has fallen down and is clinging on for dear life, making ripples in the hood as if it were water. She is, however, still fighting to hold the Horch logo aloft. This is a woman devoted to her duty. This isn't just a unique, somewhat tongue in cheek, version of a hood ornament, it's a sculpture that gives a sense of motion to the whole car.