Come to think of it, why does Rolls-Royce have a mascot on the radiator at all?
In the days before and after World War One, when all cars had exposed radiators, it was hugely fashionable to put fancy ornaments on the radiator caps. There were biplanes with rotating propellors, fat policemen, tasteless nudes, golfers, elegant Lalique crystal; a million varieties. Many of them were exceedingly trashy and cheap, lowering the tone of the car, so Rolls-Royce commissioned Charles Sykes to produce a classy one. It was available from 1911 as an option from the Factory, and most owner chose to accept the option. In later years it became standard. Rolls-Royce is probably the last manufacturer to have a radiator cap on top of a radiator (even though both the cap and radiator are dummies now), hence somewhere to put a mascot. Today a Rolls-Royce buyer would feel swindled if the new car didn’t come with the mascot.Not all owners use the official mascot even today. The Queen has a silver mascot of St George slaying the Dragon on her official Rolls-Royces. And one WA Club Member
