Hood Ornaments
The hood ornament is an object of desire. All the cool cars have them. All the cool trucks have them. Pretty ladies, leaping cats, bulldogs, rams, and of course three-pointed stars. My two-year old doesn’t need any sort of history lesson to appreciate this.
A future classic (heh) arrived in my driveway and as I worked the deal the kids were checking out dad’s new car. Cash changed hands the old owner snapped a pic and drove off. 1995 E320, the two door one, is a rarity anywhere, especially in central Texas. I hear the voice of my four year old … “dad can I touch the paint”? This particular example had been well-loved by the original owner for over 20 years and before it was bought and cleaned up by a co-worker. New upholstery, some paint work, and a fancy blue tooth radio. High miles and an odd whine at the left corner are a few small things left to for me to sort out. This is a unicorn worth spending some time with. I’m telling myself I owe it to my kids to have some cars around that have some freakin’ class.
Of course I just wanted the damn thing. I have a fondness for the quirks of European car. Really I could have cared less about the three pointed star until I worked at a local Mercedes dealership washing cars. If you were an “owner” you got a free car wash on the weekends. The ones with silky V-12s, ratty 190e’s, lipstick red SL500’s with chrome rims, diesel wagons with one window that was stuck down and wouldn’t turn off. Cars with 300,000 miles! What the hell is a seat belt presenter? All of them got the bath the deserved.
Back in my driveway the kids come to CHECK IT OUT! Can I drive it? What’s in the back? Jumping on leather feels good! What’s this wooden thing? What does this button do? Can I tug on this? The realities of having my sweet angels explore my future classic sets in. Wooden garage door things over nearly useless storage compartments are rare. As my youngest jumps on it I realize that I won’t be buying another if it crumbles. Old cars are crispy. Old cars that lived in hot states are really crispy.
In the end I don’t really care. That’s the point and the fun of having quirky old cars. Finding the oddities and showing them off. I want to show my kids that some cars are worth the trouble to keep running, and the cool ones have hood ornaments.
