A Duck mobile

I saw this car today and it looked similar to a Model T Ford, but it
had a duck on the front of it. What was it?

Evan wrote:
> I saw this car today and it looked similar to a Model T Ford, but it
> had a duck on the front of it. What was it?

Probably a model T with a duck on it.

George Patterson
If you torture the data long enough, eventually it will confess
to anything.

George is probably correct - many cars of that era were fitted with
aftermarket radiator caps, many of which had a thermometer in them for the
driver to tell radiator temp...

--
Mark Sedlack
ZROC
Cuyahoga Falls OH
66 1600 http://www.mildevco.net/chevypowereddatsuns/
77 280Z http://www.mildevco.net/chevypowereddatsuns/

"George Patterson" > wrote in message
news:YklNh.2418$xE.977@trnddc08...
> Evan wrote:
> > I saw this car today and it looked similar to a Model T Ford, but it
> > had a duck on the front of it. What was it?
>
> Probably a model T with a duck on it.
>
> George Patterson
> If you torture the data long enough, eventually it will confess
> to anything.

> I saw this car today and it looked similar to a Model T Ford, but it
> had a duck on the front of it. What was it?

Maybe he just bought the car from some farmer's barn and the duck
wouldn't give up its favorite roost?

Seriously: Are we talking about a duck-shaped radiator cap, a badge
with a painted duck, a chrome duck silhouette across the radiator, a
hood ornament shaped like a duck..? Where, what colors, how big?
Sitting down or taking off? 3-d or silhouette? Realistic or
cartooney? You get the idea.

There used to be a vogue for fanciful hood ornaments, and radiator
caps before that, some of which are in the shape of realistic or
cartoonish ducks. You can still get them via the Web. And there
were other birds you could mistake for a duck in a brief glimpse (look
up the Model A quail in Motoring Mascots of the World for instance).
I haven't seen the movie "Grindhouse" yet, but apparently the
protagonist in part of it has a duck hood ornament; a movie I skipped
some years ago, "Convoy," supposedly also features one, doubtless an
allusion to the song that inspired it.

Some car makers (Packard with a swan, and Plymouth with what I think
was supposed to be a lady with wings but could be mistaken for a duck,
come to mind; a lot of Art Deco-era stuff used such motifs) even
adopted similar symbols at one time or another.

All in all, this is a tough one without a photo, or failing that a
good close look and description... Any details you can remember would
help.

Cheers,
--Joe

On Apr 10, 11:25 am, "Ad absurdum per aspera" >
wrote:
> > I saw this car today and it looked similar to a Model T Ford, but it
> > had a duck on the front of it. What was it?
>
> Maybe he just bought the car from some farmer's barn and the duck
> wouldn't give up its favorite roost?
>
> Seriously: Are we talking about a duck-shaped radiator cap, a badge
> with a painted duck, a chrome duck silhouette across the radiator, a
> hood ornament shaped like a duck..? Where, what colors, how big?
> Sitting down or taking off? 3-d or silhouette? Realistic or
> cartooney? You get the idea.
>
> There used to be a vogue for fanciful hood ornaments, and radiator
> caps before that, some of which are in the shape of realistic or
> cartoonish ducks. You can still get them via the Web. And there
> were other birds you could mistake for a duck in a brief glimpse (look
> up the Model A quail in Motoring Mascots of the World for instance).
> I haven't seen the movie "Grindhouse" yet, but apparently the
> protagonist in part of it has a duck hood ornament; a movie I skipped
> some years ago, "Convoy," supposedly also features one, doubtless an
> allusion to the song that inspired it.
>
> Some car makers (Packard with a swan, and Plymouth with what I think
> was supposed to be a lady with wings but could be mistaken for a duck,
> come to mind; a lot of Art Deco-era stuff used such motifs) even
> adopted similar symbols at one time or another.
>
> All in all, this is a tough one without a photo, or failing that a
> good close look and description... Any details you can remember would
> help.
>
> Cheers,
> --Joe

And if it turns out to be a certain frosted-glass one from France, it
might be worth more than the car!