This is a montage from an illustration
in the 1930 Cadillac Fleetwood catalog;
in that catalog, only the LH side of the crest
is used; so half of it is fake, right?

   
On the image, right, note how the pearls in the crown are shaped
like diamonds instead of  being circular. The four quarterings also
are reversed; the top right quarter should be at top left and the lower
left quarter should be at lower right.  In addition, the four parts of
the first and fourth quarterings on this image are mis-oriented;
if you tilt them 90° to the left, then they would be OK.   BTW, the traditional merlettes of the authentic Cadillac wheel centers are replaced here with a geometric design in the form of  black dots with a white line cutting diagonally through them.  Also on the authentic Cadillac sombrero wheel covers, made from 1946 through 1952, there are, in addition, four concentric rings, in gold color, around the outer perimeter of the detachable, center crest piece

       
This cover was for sale on e-Bay in Nov.-Dec. 2002; it was described as being possibly a Cadillac or Lincoln wheel cover. The "V" and crest suggest Cadillac in preference to Lincoln, but that's as far as the resemblance goes; on the red part of the shield (image above, right) is some kind of  a bird (swan?) reminiscent of Cadillac's "merlettes"

   
The same fake crest on a Sombrero hubcap
of the late forties or early fifties

    
On the image, right, note how the "merlettes" are mixed in
with the other parts of the crest.  The dividing bar or "fess"
is missing.  This one includes concentric rings around
the circular emblem, but it is still a fake

This one is similar, though not as colorful

This fake Cadillac "Trumpet Tooter"
was offered for sale on e-Bay in 2/2003

This winged Icarus was described as a hood mascot for the 1929 LaSalle
I don't think so; it may have been an accessory house specialty for various makes of the time

   
This one bears a very vague resemblance with the V16 mascot for the 1933 models;
item on the right (sans "wings") was for sale on e-Bay in July, 2002

   
These two similar mascots were offered for sale on e-Bay, in 2001,
as authentic Cadillac mascots; face and body are similar to the two abobve it

       
Left and center: I've seen this fake Flying Lady offered as a
genuine item for the 1930-31 Cadillac V16 (right)!

Here is another fake Goddess from the 30s

   
Left:  fake 1930-32 mascot; right: a genuine article

Seen on e-Bay, May 2000, this mascot was advertised
as a 1940 Cadillac Flying Lady.  Anyone seen it before?

   
This bizarre hood mascot was offered for sale on e-Bay in 2/2003
The stand-up portion of the unit appears to be from the seventies or eighties

The mascot used on Cadillac cars of 1941 and 42 was, in fact, the handle for the latch mechanism to lock and release the motor hood.   Probably the most
ornate of all the mascots was the 1941 model.  Like the one for 1942 it was cast in one piece, integral with the hood latch mechanism, which makes it difficult
to exhibit simply as an art object, unless you build a large, box-like base to conceal the bulky mechanism. In the seventies, the 1941 mascot became a popular
accessory with many customizers.  A light-weight replica was made; it sold by the hundreds.  The replica is usually easy to recognize because on many of them
the interior of the wings are smooth, although I have seen a couple with inner "feathers", suggesting there may have been two versions; the repro mascot
is hollow (light-weight) and smaller (shorter) than the original.  In addition, there is no base (i.e. no integral hood latch mechanism)

    
Above two rows: the authentic mascot for 1941 with latch mechanism and inner wing "feathers" (right) 

The fake units

    
Two different styles of the light-weight, fake mascot marketed in the seventies
by GEM Manufacturing Co., Inc. of Chicago, IL [box cover, top photo]
[ Photos: © 1999, Yann Saunders ]
       
The inside surface of the wings on most of these fake 1941 Goddess mascots are smooth,
which make them readily identifiable as fakes (although I have seen a couple with
the wings correctly "feathered" on the interior); these light-weight repro mascots were made in the
seventies and cost around $10 each; they were popular with customizers

   
The replica '41 emblem regained  popularity among Cadillac cutomizers
in the seventies.  The one on the right gives a retro look to a 1958 custom Cadillac limousine
[ Photo:  Internet, 2004 ]

(Above and below) This is a fake winged Goddess representing that of the late forties and early
fifties It is easily identified by the spine that runs down  from the cranium to the lower
back; in addition, the wings (hair) flow back from the forehead in lieu of the shoulders;
according to one source, it was made for the Nash automobile

       
Notice how the wings on the authentic mascot (left) flow up and back from the bust line, whereas
on the replica (center and right) the wings flow straight and  back from the brow of the figurine

The following are authentic car mascots
that belong to other automobile marques

   
This one is from an Auburn of the thirties

   
Left: Buick,  Right: Plymouth

This 1936 Buick mascot resembles the
La Salle "bullet" mascot of the same vintage

This Cadillac lookalike crest is, in fact,
an after-market item for the Italian Vespa motor scooter

(résumé en français)

Cette page est consacrée aux faux emblèmes et figurines de proue que le collectionneur peut rencontrer parfois sur son chemin.  Avis aux amateurs!