My latest, painted from a picture Jackie took years ago at the Oakland Cemetery Fall Festival. I had wanted to paint the car for a long time, mainly because I liked the simplicity of the picture, the lines of the hood and fender and especially the hood ornament. It was not a hood ornament that I recognized and even after extensive research, I could not find the manufacturer. I wanted to know what kind of car I was painting, so I contacted my good friend Randy Chance. Randy is a savant who I honestly believe knows the make and model of every car and motorcycle ever built. I sent him the picture of the hood and ornament and asked him if it was something he recognized. Within five minutes he wrote back and told me that the car was a mid-50s Willys Aero. I called Randy immediately. When he answered, I simply said, “You are a genius.” I meant it. The Aero was a sedan built by Kaiser from 1952-1955. Production ended after the ’55 model year because Kaiser wanted to concentrate solely on Jeeps. That may have been a good decision in the long run, but no Jeep ever had a hood ornament that looked as cool as the Aero’s!
1954 Willys Aero Eagle Hardtop
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