Hood Ornaments

Hood Ornaments

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show is not just about wild custom cars and hot rods, it is also a market place for replacement and accessory parts. Let's look at an example. 

   

Early cars had exposed radiators, and in the first decade of the last century (the 1910's), the Boyce MotoMeter Company marketed and sold a patented radiator cap with a thermometer that was visible to the driver. Through the years, exposed radiator caps became more stylized.  

Eventually automotive design advanced such that the car’s hood covered the radiator, but hood ornaments remained as automobile manufacturers’ symbols.  A market was created for the supply of accessory mascots available to anyone who wanted to add a hood ornament or car mascot to their automobile.

Although modern cars no longer have  hood ornaments,  This form of automotive art is still available for the classic car market as displayed at the KNS Accessories booth at the 2019 SEMA show.

KNS offers a complete antique car parts website –check them out at https://knsacc.com/

All photos by the author