Car Buffs Should Be Able to Name These Hood Ornaments From the '40s, '50s and '60s. Can You?

Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Car Buffs Should Be Able to Name These Hood Ornaments From the '40s, '50s and '60s. Can You?
Image: Wiki Commons by Fanny Schertzer

About This Quiz

In the modern era of sleek emblems, it's easy to forget that hood ornaments used to be the epitome of style and luxury. In fact, many of the mascots that adorned car hoods in the '40s, '50s and '60s would fit right in with the displays in an art museum. Created by iconic artists and legendary carmakers, thee metal statues became the signature of many major automotive brands of the period, only to fall out of favor by the latter decades of the 20th century. 

The first hood ornaments were created to serve a practical function. At a time when cars were prone to overheating, a temperature gauge installed above the radiator cap helped keep vehicles running smoothly. Throughout the 1920s, these practical caps and gauges quickly evolved into stylish figurines designed to draw the attention and admiration of onlookers. Ornaments from the '20s and '30s were inspired mainly by animals and classic mythology. Future decades brought shapely chrome curves, art deco designs and plenty of ornaments in the form of ships, trains, jets and rockets. 

A trend toward sportier styles in the '60s, combined with the gas shortages of the '70s, mostly spelled the end for elaborate ornaments, which increased wind resistance and cut down on fuel economy. It was also during this period that many people began to realize that while hood ornaments might look cool, they could be deadly for pedestrians. Though ornaments have mostly fallen out of favor, many older examples are so iconic, they loom large in the minds of car buffs to this day. See how many you can name with this quiz!

Spirit of Ecstasy
Wiki Commons by NoslivRage
Choose the correct name for this iconic Rolls Royce mascot whose design was inspired by a secret love affair.
Spirit of Ecstasy
Cormorant
Woman in White
Sprite of Speed
Pontiac Chief
Wiki Commons by Daniel Schwen & Paul VanDerWerf
Name this hood ornament used on models such as the Deluxe and the Streamliner between the 1920s and 1950s.
Hudson Hero
Pontiac Chief
Chevy Captain
Lexus Senator
Flying Lady
Wiki Commons by Ira Goldstein
Who is this shapely figure designed by a pinup artist and found on Nash Statesman models in the '50s?
Spirit of the Wind
Athena
Archer of Peace
Flying Lady

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Buick Bombsight
Wiki Commons by Brian Snelson
Only true car buffs will recognize this ornament from the '40s and '50s. Can you name it?
Lincoln Zephyr
Buick Bombsight
Town and Country Target
Packard Dart
Cormorant
Wiki Commons by Alf van Beem
Packard couldn't quite make up its mind what to call the ornament you see here. It started as the pelican until its name was changed to ...
Swan
Egret
Cormorant
Warbler
Bentley Flying B
Wiki Commons by M 93
What is this ornament that dates back to the 1930s and returned in 2019 after a long hiatus?
Bugatti Beyond Basic B
Bristol Winged B
BMW Speed B
Bentley Flying B

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Lincoln Continental
Wiki Commons by nemor2
This '40s hood ornament was inspired by the designs of the 1939 World's Fair. Which car did it adorn?
Lincoln Continental
Ford Falcon
Pontiac Metropolitan
Mercury Club Coupe
Mack
Wiki Commons by Lehigh Valley, PA
British troops started referring to this tough truck as a bulldog during WWI. Name the brand that continues to use a bulldog mascot to this day.
Ford
Mack
Jeep
Dodge
Leaper
Wiki Commons by SG2012
Yes, it's obviously a jaguar, but do you know the common nickname given to this proud feline?
Pouncer
Jumper
Destroyer
Leaper

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Bugatti
Wiki Commons by nemor2
Choose the uber-expensive brand that topped some of its earliest cars with this gorgeous dancing elephant.
Porsche
Maserati
Bugatti
Maybach
Ram
Wiki Commons by Dosseman
Believe it or not, Dodge first used this animal as an ornament on its trucks in 1932. Can you name it?
Goat
Ram
Lamb
Llama
Goddess of Speed
Wiki Commons by Joe Mabel
This elegant lady is nicknamed "The Donut Chaser." Can you guess her official name?
Goddess of Speed
Spirit of the Wind
Spirit of Ecstacy
Queen of the Road

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Greyhound
Wiki Commons by CapCase
It looks a bit like the leaping jaguar, but what is this mascot that appeared on the hoods of early Lincolns?
Whippet
Greyhound
Doberman
Afghan hound
Stork
Wiki Commons by Nave.notnilc
Spanish carmaker Hispano-Suiza chose a bird which was the symbol of Alsace, France, to rest on the hood of its cars. Name that bird.
Eagle
Pelican
Stork
Turkey
Chevy
Wiki Commons by Valder137
No bowties here. What automaker famously used a "jet bird" ornament on its mid-'50s Bel Air models?
Chevy
BMW
Ford
AMC

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Three-pointed star
Wiki Commons by Tomás Fano
Name the classic and minimal ornament that has represented luxury brand Mercedes since 1909.
Pentagram
Equilateral triangle
Hexagonal badge
Three-pointed star
Ford
Wiki Commons by Sicnag
This chrome and Lucite creation appeared on the 1949 Custom and Deluxe models made by this company.
Mercedes
DeSoto
Ford
Austin
DeSoto
Wiki Commons by JoachimKohlerBremen
Do you know which '50s models bore a hood ornament in the image of a 16th century Spanish conquistador?
Packard
DeSoto
Pontiac
Hudson

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AMC
Wiki Commons by Christopher Ziemnowicz
Can you name the carmaker whose mid-'60s Marlin Fastback featured a stunning flying fish ornament on the hood?
Ford
AMC
Oldsmobile
Studebaker
Kaiser
Wiki Commons by writegeist & Greg Gjerdingen
Pedestrians would have looked both ways before crossing the street to avoid the deadly spear-like ornaments this maker used in the early '50s.
Hudson
DeSoto
Nash
Kaiser
Oldsmobile
Wiki Commons by Alf van Beem
Pop culture was obsessed with space travel in the '50s. Which manufacturer used a futuristic rocket ornament on its 88 models in the early '50s?
Oldsmobile
Plymouth
Mack
Dodge

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Studebaker
TheManCave via YouTube
Guess which manufacturer topped off its popular, compact Lark models with this reflector-style ornament at the beginning of the '60s?
Pontiac
DeSoto
Studebaker
BMW
Eagle
Wiki Commons by John Lloyd
Which of these birds adorned the hood of the 1953 Chrysler Imperial?
Swan
Eagle
Dove
Pelican
Mayflower
Wiki Commons by sv1ambo & Damian Gadal
From its introduction in the '20s all the way through the '50s, a stylized ship appeared on the hood of Plymouth cars. Do you know its name?
Mayflower
Nina
Pinta
Santa Maria

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Winged Woman
Wiki Commons by Thomas Vogt
The brand has been around since 1902, but do you know the name of the hood ornament Cadillac used from the '30s through the '50s?
Goddess of Light
Spirit of Safety
Angel of Mercy
Winged Woman
Chevy 2
Wiki Commons by Hugh Llewelyn
Many automakers took advantage of new synthetic materials in the '40s. Which maker offered colorful plastic inserts for cars like its '49 Fleetline?
Studebaker
Chrysler
Chevy
Mercedes
Hudson
Wiki Commons by Greg Gjerdingen
Built throughout the 1930s, which company's Terraplane cars featured incredible art deco rocket ships on the hood?
Hudson
DeSoto
Citroen
Bugatti

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Austin
Wiki Commons by nemor2
B is for Bentley, but which company put a Flying A ornament on the hoods of its '40s cars?
Acura
Audi
Alfa Romeo
Austin
Flying Goddess
Wiki Commons by nemor2
Revered for its glass "Five Horses" icon in the '20s, what mascot did Citroen use on its Traction Avant in the '40s and '50s?
Silver Bullet
Flying Goddess
Aphrodite
Mercury
Ford 2
Pixabay by Pexels
One of the biggest flops in automotive history, which maker released this badge for its Edsel cars in the late '50s?
Chevy
Ford
Pontiac
Studebaker

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Hudson 2
Wiki Commons by Christopher Ziemnowicz
Name the maker of the compact Jet, a '50s car which appropriately featured this sleek plane atop its hood.
Studebaker
Pontiac
Hudson
AMC
Crosley
Wiki Commons by Alf van Beem
Do you know which American truck maker, the first to coin the term "sport utility wagon," used a bird hood ornament in the '40s and '50s?
Jeep
Crosley
Hummer
Saab
Pierce-Arrow
Wiki Commons by Thomas Vogt
The Archer figure shown here appeared on a line of classic American cars. Can you guess which one?
Rolls Royce
DeSoto
Plymouth
Pierce-Arrow

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Four-point star
Pixabay by artdent99
After decades of ornaments with art deco and space-inspired designs, what did Lincoln begin using on hoods in the mid-'50s?
Four-point star
Peace rectangle
Double L for luxury
Window to the future
Lion
Wiki Commons by Taxiarchos228
Can you remember which creature proudly appears on the hood of the Peugeot?
Greyhound
Lion
Puma
Leopard
Duesenberg
Wiki Commons by Magnus Bäck
Mobster Al Capone drove a Model J by this automaker, which used an eagle mascot on most of its models. Can you name this company?
Duesenberg
Fisker
Pontiac
Auburn

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Snipe
Wiki Commons by Riley
What is this bird that appeared on the hoods of Humber cars from the '30s through the '60s?
Egret
Bluejay
Snipe
Shoebill
Cadillac
Wiki Commons by GPS 56
Forget the fins on the back! Check out the fin-like hood ornament on this '58 American classic!
Lexus
BMW
Packard
Cadillac