A handful of automobiles sport hood ornament. Mercedes-Benz once had those and so did Jaguar and few others, but not many have them anymore, likely because an object at tip of the hood is a target of mischief. However, for Rolls-Royce, the Spirit of Ecstasy has remained a design fixture in every vehicle the British luxury marque have rolled out and apparently, never been stolen? Well, at least not in modern times and by modern times, we mean from 2004 onwards. As it turns out, Silver Lady is protected against theft by a brilliant mechanism.
I know what you are thinking. You probably thought it is electrified to keep hands off. Well, it is not, although that might work too, but a little less elegant when there’s a dead body slumped on your beloved car’s hood. So, no. Electrocution is out. Jokes aside, the ingenuity here lies in a spring-loaded mechanism that allows the figurine to disappear, very quickly (and somewhat loudly), into the car if it is struck from any direction. We though it a rather clever design that will prevent a fraction of your investment from turning into someone’s else trophy.
According to Mark Powell, Sales Director for Rolls-Royce Tampa Bay, this has been a standard feature on every Rolls-Royce ever made since 2004. A button inside the cabin allows the owner to raise the ornament back up, or if the owner cares, to lower it as a preventive measure.
