Hey everyone, check out my custom hood ornament in the making. It's a bulldog clawfoot I will be mounting on my Mini as soon as it's done. The picture shows it in the process but I've just finished smoothing it and making a mold of it. It'll mount onto the hood scoop through two holes. For lightweight usability, it'll be duplicated into a plastic resin and will later be painted to look like pewter. I'm also possibly thinking of hiring a glass artist to make me the crystal ball to mount into the piece.

 

Sorry, but my personal opinion is that is just wrong on a Mini. But to each his own.

 

where would it go?

 

On the front, on top of the air intake. Yeah Broswer 23, my take on the Mini aesthetics doesn't vibe well with its British racing legacy. I notice a lot of Mini owners don't really like my take on the Mini image, but it's all cool. I'm a huge fan of art nouveau and I think that of all cars, the Mini can bear the nouveau aesthetics best. Check out this pic and you'll know what I'm talking about. Thanks for the candid comment.

 

I understand where you're coming from, since the Mini stands up to a lot of "you-ification". As an example, there are very few cars that can support a pretty wide variety of custom wheels and still look good - those that can are either so clean for their time (Civic, 3-series, multiple generations of VW Golf) or so, umm, "confident" (xB, Mini) that it works.


While I appreciate the piece and your you-ification, I'm not seeing a hood ornament on the Mini as the car's pretty "confident" as is and, in some ways, is a bit overstyled already. I don't know, maybe I'd have to see it.
Now... maybe if you also redid the exterior chrome into a matching pewter (really easy with vinyl), and then had the glass artist do a crystal ball that matched either a window tint or the paint? Hmmm... I'm seeing it I guess...

BTW, there are a lot of glass artists in the Pittsburgh area.

 

There are a lot of Mustang owners who don't like to see other owners put body kits on there Mustangs. This same kind of thing happens all over the automobile world. Every "brand" that has groups will always have the "I can't believe you did that to your car type." It's just a natural thing. So, what it boils down too, is you're going to get positve and negative feedback (more negative), and it's up to you to take both sets and roll with it. Some people are going to come down on you hard for "destroying" such a beautiful car. Hopefully, if this is something you want done to your car, you'll just do it. Remember, it's your car and you either paid for it or are making payments on it. Do what makes you happy.

 

Really interesting, aside from the intent of putting it on your car. You could cast the crystal piece in clear acrylic, polyester, or epoxy. I did something remotely similar a very long time ago. The internal cracks which resulted from curing heat made it much more beautiful than I ever imagined. Sometimes the flaws in a piece are what makes it.

 

To each and their own - Kinda cool, but I'd be afraid it would just be a beacon for vandalism.

 

When the R56 was first introduced many folk were complaining about the looks of the front clip. Much discussion revealed that the European pedistrian safety laws played a big part in the more curved lines of the front clip. The design and hood mount of your design my open up a realm of Liability you may not be expecting.

 

I really like the piece as art, but I'd rather have it in my living room than on my car.

 

I think its interesting and different...your car is beautiful...Life is short...do what makes you happy!!!

 

I like it. Great artistic work.

Adjust the size a little and make it into door handles and a shift ****.

How would it do in chrome finish?
http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/S.../mascots1.html

 

Apparently there is a method of spraying it down with chrome, then brushing it in black and wiping away the black so the color nestles into the incut features of the piece. Since I can now create multiples of it, I can experiment wildly.

As far as the whole vandalism thing goes, I've planned ahead and made it easily removable if I feel I'm in a bad neighborhood. It can also be cast into a urethane with a flexible give, so in the event of a collision, it'll just bounce around. Awesome.

 

Hey, that's a great idea man! Perhaps I'll encase a duo tone red ball in clear and it'll tie the rest of my design together.

 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thanks!