Automobile Radiator Ornaments
Created by Avard T. Fairbanks
by Eugene Fairbanks
The idea of the Winged Mermaid for the Plymouth as an automobile radiator ornament was conceived in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. Avard Fairbanks was then developing the sculpture department at the University of Michigan. He believed that he could design a more attractive radiator cap than existing ones, in the hopes of trading it in for a new automobile. And the Chrysler Corporation was a new company with innovative engineering and design.
Fairbanks brought sketches to Chrysler, together with clay and tools to demonstrate the possibilities of radiator designs. At the Chrysler Corporation headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, the management was very interested in an improved image, and were about to introduce an all new automobile, the Plymouth, which featured “Floating Power,” equipped with cushioned engine mounts. Could Fairbanks symbolize that in a radiator cap? He was soon introduced to a group of the company’s top executives.
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