Saturday scenes and scenery: a few automotive hood ornaments

Once upon a time, in my youth, it was easy to pick out different car models. In those days, car companies competed to distinguish their wares one from another. The result was some truly baroque designs -- tail fins, huge front grills, bodies sleek, and other bodies boxy.

These days, pretty much all modern cars look alike. I long ago stopped being able to discern the differences. And consequently, some tiny fraction of us, striving for individuality, are adding after market hood ornaments -- or treasuring old ones -- that help our vehicles stand out from the crowd. Here are a few I've seen recently.


This add-on lady strikes a pose.


Dodge has been using variants of ram figures for a long time. This one is surprisingly finely detailed.


This one was on an old Pontiac.


I don't know quite what inspires someone to add this to their car, but there it was.

These photos are by-products from my photoblog project: 596 Precincts -- Walking San Francisco. If intrigued, take a look and sign up for sporadic email updates.