Went to a car show yesterday and got a snapshot of the Rolls Royce hood ornament with a Canon digicam and tried sketching it with AKVIS
CC's invited and appreciated
Uncle Gus
The Flying Lady
In the United States the mascot is called The Flying Lady. The Flying Lady was a modified version of The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine to make it bow a little farther in order to protect the bonnet.
Modern Spirit of Ecstasy
Today's Spirit of Ecstasy stands at 3 inches and, for safety, is mounted on a spring-loaded mechanism designed to retract instantly into the radiator shell if struck from any direction. There is a button within the vehicle which can retract/extend the emblem when pressed. She can be made of highly polished stainless steel, sterling silver or 24-carat gold, the sterling silver and gold being optional extras.
Curiosities
The only two Rolls-Royces this mascot does not appear on currently is the first Phantom IV delivered to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1950, which carries the British Queen's mascot of St. George on horseback, slaying a dragon, designed by artist Edward Seago. However this mascot is interchangeable so it can be placed in any of the Royal fleet's car.
On the other side, Princess Margaret chose Pegasus (by Lejeune) as hood ornament for her 1954 Phantom IV.
It is a misconception that the Rolls Royce mascots are made from solid silver. Over the years several different metals have been used, but never silver.
Now there's some trivia I probably never would have heard (as I am not likely to be driving/owning a RR any time soon!) Love the image, Gus, and the info!