Today’s Photos : Rolls-Royce ‘Flying Lady’, The Most Famous Bonnet Ornament

Today’s Photos : The Rolls-Royce ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’, the world’s most famous bonnet ornament. 

Also known as the ‘Flying Lady’, it depicts a woman leaning forwards with her arms outstretched behind and above her.

Rolls-Royce’s famous bonnet ornament, the ‘Spirit Of Ecstasy‘, also known as the Flying Lady, Eleanor and Silver Lady, depicts a woman leaning forwards with her arms outstretched behind and above her.

Originally called the “Whisper”, the iconic bonnet ornament, created by artist and sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes, has adorned every single Rolls-Royce cars since in 1911.

The “Spirit of Ecstasy” was permanently fixed on the bonnet until 1970s after hood/bonnet ornaments was banned in some countries for safety purposes.

The hiding mechanism, which hides the “Spirit of Ecstasy” away into the bonnet, came about in the 1970s. This mechanism retracts it into the bonnets of Rolls-Royce cars when touched and during collision to prevent pedestrian injuries.

One of a kind a ‘Flying Lady’ that was made of 150 carat diamonds and platinum was commissioned back in 2008. The asking price then was $200k dollars, which is more than the price of a brand new 2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 SUV.

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