Kookaburra Mascot Radiator Cap
c1920s. Chrome-plated brass, 10.6 x 14.3 x 9.5cm. Minor wear to plating and oxidation to metal base. The mascot consists of an Australian kookaburra perched on a stand with wings, attached to a radiator cap. The casting is crisp with no wear. Earlier automobiles had their “radiator caps outside of the hood [bonnet] and on top of the grille which also served as an indicator of the temperature of the engine's coolant fluid…The ‘exposed radiator cap became a focal point for automobile personalization’” and were popular from the 1920s to 1950s. It has been proposed that the "first ‘hood ornament’ was a sun-crested falcon mounted on Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's chariot (to bring good luck)." Ref: Wiki.
Item #CL205-26
Price (AUD): $550.00 other currencies