Chevrolet Bel Air Hood Ornament (1954–56): Jet Bird

Самый патриотичный маскот устанавливался на Chevrolet Bel Air, а назывался он Jet Bird. Крючковатый клюв птицы намекает на то, что прообразом для нее послужил белоголовый орлан – символ США. Ну а мощные крылья с закругленными вверх концами отсылают к авиационной тематике.

The 1950s were glory days for aviation, with the space race hotting up and aviation technology moving forward in leaps and bounds. Chevrolet gave a classy nod to aviation excellence by equipping the Chevy Bel Air with an aviation-inspired hood ornament in the form of a jet.

The jet was inspired by the popular art deco styling of the era, with a hawk-head as its nose and a trailing tail down the center of the hood. The 'hood bird' didn't last long beyond the decade but goes down as one of the classiest designs to have adorned the hood of one of America's great classics.