I have a choice with car manufacturers. There are simply not enough hood ornaments nowadays, and companies known for their bright decor simply give up on everything, they are not particularly interested in this type of symbol. Why not?
Mercedes once again stripped a Benz – this time, the E-Class – hood ornament. This, friends, is a sad day.
Now, in general, I’m here for design and technology improvements to cars. I’m not the kind of person who longs for the good days (although I can appreciate those days for what they were; there is a difference). Normally, when an old-fashioned item disappears from a car, I say “good relief.” But the hood ornaments are where I will draw a line.
The hood ornaments are like the mascot of your car. They do not serve any modern purpose other than to improve the visual, but adornment has always been important to us humans. The Egyptians and Romans used to decorate their chariots with ornaments and talismans, which generally served a mystical and aesthetic purpose. The icons of the gods or the symbols of the animals that transmit power and luck were glued somewhere on these wheeled vehicles, in part to produce whatever the icon represented, but also to remind the rider to embody that representation.
Then it made sense to add icons similar to the hood or radiator cap of cars when combustion engines hit the streets. The exposed radiator caps were visible on the hood of those original cars and were a way to check the temperature of the water vapor. But when almost anyone could start a car company and there were a lot of different names, the hood trim was a nice and easy way to identify the car brand.
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They have finally become a symbol of luxury, especially thanks to the iconic ornaments of the Mercedes-Benz hood.
They began to be phased out because they pose a danger to pedestrians. I was hit by a car and I have to say it was quite painful without being nailed by a huge thing with the tip of the hood.
But they were a beautiful touch. They were that little extra doodad to be proud of and we could all use that little bit of extra personalization in our lives these days.