Hood Ornament #2 by bmac62
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Hood ornament on a 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.
Location: National Automobile Museum, Reno, Nevada.
Something I never knew: Not only were Rolls-Royces made in England, but also in the USA in Massachusetts.
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost was produced in Derby, England from 1906 to 1925. It was also produced in Springfield, Massachusetts, for American customers from 1919 into the 1930s.
Around 1910 the directors of Rolls-Royce were dismayed to learn of owners who were fitting a variety of strange mascots to the radiators of their motor cars. Rolls-Royce determined that a mascot, if fitted at all, should complement the graceful lines of the car. Charles Sykes, a famous sculptor of the day, was given a ride in a Rolls-Royce and was so inspired that he designed a graceful figure that he thought would be worthy of the beautiful car. Sykes presented his creation to the Rolls-Royce directors and they highly approved, naming it the "Spirit of Ecstasy". This beautiful figure was used on all Silver Ghosts and some early Phantom I models. In 1920, the Spirit of Ecstasy won a first place gold medal in a world completion for the best motor car mascot.
And here it is:)

Comments (25)
superb iconic shot
Wonderful! I didn't know about the American plant either.
Excellent picture and a lot of info new to me.
Very cool photo and idea!
very good shot!!
Nice shot!
Great closeup!
Gorgeous capture!
Exquisite
xlt shot and interesting info
I have never been a fan of Rollers as they are known here, I have always thought them "Ugly" But always did have a soft spot for the spirit. I had a friend who had an old Avis, and he had a spirit on top of the radiator grill. He used to kid us on that it came from a Roller he had years ago that got totaled in a wreck, but we all knew it was a cheap copy hehehe!!! Great shot here BTW bud.
A super capture and great info Bill!!
The photo says it all.
excellent capture
Such a lovely front figure :-) Excellent shot too.
Superb capture Bill. God bless.
Now she is some lady. xx
Awesome capture of an exquisite hood ornament that definitely reflects the quality of the automobile it rides upon.
It's a marvelous sculpture; I wish cars had these prominent ornaments now, but I guess that would just be one more thing for the feral youth to steal. Beautiful capture here!
I love the rich colors that form a backdrop for this gorgeous piece of automotive sculpture. A beautiful shot!
Very cool photo! interesting how mascots get created
This is a great and classy photo of an equally classy hood ornament, Bill! Interesting info too... I had no idea RRs were produced here..
It is inspired, and thanks for the information!
Just so you know, Rolls Royce is now a German owned Company! Not British.... Sadly, though this is possibly one the most famous hood ornaments in the world, our Government let it be sold off.. Along with The Mini, that's now a VW Company.. German again... MG is Chinese.. Need I go on.... A beautiful shot Bill, excellent postwork to bring out the details... Well done.. Rob
Wow how cool that you had one of these in your gallery and great photo!!!