Friday, November 23, 2018

Silly, But I Want It (and My Wife Wants It: My Pet Name for Her is Kitty)

Until the new European pedestrian safety standards went into effect, lots of European cars had hood ornaments: the Mercedes-Benz three pointed star in the circle; the flying kitty on the Jaguars.  My XF is part of the post-pedestrian standard and this wonderful hood ornament is gone:
It is possible to drill a hole and attach one of these, but I really do not want to mess with my beautiful car.  If there was a sticky tape base or even better, a really strong magnet (one that will damage nearby compasses strong) to hold it to the hood, I would love it.  If not, maybe I will buy one of these, mill off the bolts, and use a very strong neodymium magnet.

5 comments:

  1. God only knows how many of these are on Ford F150 or other pickup trucks within a 50 mile radius of Frt Worth.

    https://www.amazon.com/Grand-General-48181-Chrome-Ornament/dp/B00H8PC9K4/ref=asc_df_B00H8PC9K4/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=%7Bcreative%7D&hvpos=%7Badposition%7D&hvnetw=o&hvrand=%7Brandom%7D&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=%7Bdevicemodel%7D&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583657821872204&psc=1

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  2. The M-B standing emblem was actually a spring tensioned mount. The base was a recessed hemisphere with a detent to keep it upright, but any sort of mild impact would have it fold down near the hood surface. Pull it back upright and it would snap into place.

    I wonder if something similar could be done with the cat where it touches the base/pedestal? If you get creative enough, it might become a new product for you. Some Jag owners might be willing to buy it.

    BTW, are you sure the hood is steel? Might be aluminum, or even some sort of composite. The hood on my 2000 Ford Ranger in aluminum.

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  3. The hood on my 1993 Lincoln Towncar is aluminum (Ford owned Jaguar then).

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  4. While the newer XEs have aluminum hoods, the XF is steel. I might buy one of the "drill a hole through the hood" type, create a steel base, attach it, and then secure the base to a magnet.

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  5. A lot of hoods are fiberglass as the car manufacturers try to meet the ever-rising CAFE fuel economy numbers.

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