Miscellaneous: Covering All the Bases--1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air Hood Ornament

A bright orange-red 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air was parked not far from me in a Santa Rosa, California parking lot the other day. I walked over to take a look at it. A classic from the period when American automakers were trying to equate driving with flight (and later more specifically with rocketry), this one covers all the bases; the sleek ornament is half airplane, half bird--some kind of raptor seems to be intended.