This very stylized logo used on the 1966 Ford Country Squire station wagon could only have been designed in the Sixties. Close to 3 1/2 inches in diameter, I would have been very happy to have the assignment to work on details like this, had I pursued a career in car design. Isn't the horse's head beautifully rendered? For a Google Image photo of the '66 Country Squire and the logo placement on the front fender, click here.
I'm guessing this 5-inch Nash hubcap dates to the early 1920s. Nash Motors began producing cars in 1916. This small cap, which literally covered only the center hub of the large wheels of that period, is cast from brass and was plated, probably in nickel. There is a tear in the brass—I can only imagine the force needed to do that—a car accident, perhaps? I found this in my dad's garage bins when the house was sold, He was as much of a pack rat as I am. I love the dull sheen and the slight glow of the aged brass coming through the thinning nickel outer plating, sort of like the way I fade layers in my art. The oh-so Twenties logo and typography is charming as well.
The gas cap used on the early 1970s AMC Hornet. American Motors created some great logos for their cars in the '60s and '70s, including the Marlin, Gremlin and this Hornet, They were whimsical, stylish and well-detailed, and small items like this gas cap were well-made of quality materials.
I once had close to 100 hubcaps/wheelcovers in my collection, but they're one of the few things I downsized at my last move, and it was very difficult for me to let them go! I now have only ten or so. I'll photograph and post them one of these days.
