Jaguar's "leaper" has its place, and that place is not on the hood of the brand new XF sedan. Jaguar knows this; the hood ornament isn't offered as a factory option. In fact, one of the styling elements that made its debut on the XF is the new trunk-mounted neo-leaper badge, which incorporates the classic jumping cat without resorting to the now woefully out-of-place hood bauble.While Jaguar knew not to eff things up, the same apparently cannot be said of Jaguar dealers, as evidenced by the photo above. TTAC's Justin Berkowitz came across this car on display in his local shopping mall and was understandably horrified to see that the dealer elected to class things up by sticking an old-school leaper right on the hood. It's a disaster, looking like a growth that needs to be removed and biopsied. So, remember kids: what the automakers don't screw up, dealers can... and given the opportunity, will.
As far as hood ornaments go, it's hard to top the Rolls-Royce "Spirit of Ecstasy". The flying lady is so highly valued, that on the latest models, the ornament can electrically retract into the top of the grille. But you know how it is; for some, enough is never enough. Count among them Manhattan Motorcars, as the New York dealership commissioned this $200,000 diamond-encrusted ornament.
To create it, jewelry designer Jean Kemanjian used 150 karats worth of VVS1-quality, D-color diamonds and a handful of yellow diamonds for the wings, all laid down in pavé style over platinum for a smooth surface. Although the designer says it's not for sale or reproduction, somehow we doubt that the financially-enabled would have trouble getting one made. Until then, the Manhattan Motorcars has the only one in existence, and put it on display at its booth at the New York Auto Show.
