The delightful pieces of sculpture that sit proudly atop the radiators of old cars are known as mascots.

According to Motoring Mascots of the World by William C. Williams, the first mascot was a St. Christopher statuette placed on the dash of an 1896 Daimler by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu.

  The motometer was a thermometer that showed the temperature of water in the radiator, and those began to be popular by 1912. By 1920, Boyce and other manufacturers began fitting their temperature indicators with mini-mascots.

Designers often used leaping animals, diving swans and semi-naked women figures. The Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy, Packard’s Goddess of Speed  and the 1934 Ford greyhound are among the best known.

  Rene Lalique, a French jeweler and designer, created large mascots in crystal.

 Mascots got smaller and then disappeared as cars got more streamlined. Their beauty is enduring, and they remind us of an era when automotive design was as much art as engineering.