5 Classic Cars With Crazy Hoods

To become a classic car, a vehicle must fulfill certain criteria. It must be a car that resonates across generations, it must be a car whose very name evokes an emotional response from petrolheads, and it must look the part. But does it need a crazy hood? Well, not necessarily. There are plenty of examples of classic cars that achieved the status with hoods that wouldn't look out of place on a family hatchback. But there are instances where such normality had no place on a classic car, and instead, they took the crazy hood route to automotive superstardom. While the hood might not be the first thing that springs to mind when considering what makes a car a classic, it's a large part of the overall picture and rarely does it get the attention it deserves. 

Some of these were designed for pure function — built for massive engines that had to be squeezed into small bays. Others were purely aesthetic, the brainchild of designers who wanted more than just an engine cover to adorn their cars. Whether through necessity or creativity, these cars all feature outrageous hoods that became part of a legend. From classic Chevys to European legends like Jaguar, we explore some of the most iconic and crazily hooded cars of all time. 

The Jaguar E-Type is one of the most striking-looking cars ever made. One of the main reasons for this is E-Type's hood. This is a hood that seems to stretch out forever in front of the car. With a distinctive bulge that made room for the engine and its distinctive "boggle eyed headlights," this hood is not bashful. But nor is it all about aesthetics. The whole of the hood's massive length opens up for easy access to the entire engine, front brakes, and front suspension. 

To some degree this functionality can be attributed to the E-Type's racing heritage. Many of the E-Type's design features — including the aerodynamic shape of the hood — can be directly traced to Jaguar's racing pedigree. More specifically, it's an evolution of the Jaguar D-type racing car. Among the shared features that carried across to the E-type was the clamshell hood design. With its classic bulge and long sleek lines, the Jaguar E-Type has never been an understated car, and the hood is one of its defining features. 

Chevrolet's entry into this list also features a long hood with a distinctive bulge. It's also another car that has a direct link to its manufacturer's racing program. However, in this case it isn't a case of a road car evolving from a race car, but the other way around. The car dates from the 1960s — a period known as the golden era of the muscle car. This particular version was the brainchild of Zora Arkus-Duntov, the engineer known as the father of the performance Corvette. It was he who persuaded GM management to build the ultimate racer based on the Corvette. The result was a Corvette Sting Ray model with the designation L88. It's this model that features the unique hood bulge that houses the cowl cold air induction system and has come to characterize this vehicle. 

Interestingly, this was not a model that GM shouted about. Indeed, they kept the car's profile deliberately low and actively took steps to dissuade the buying public from purchasing the vehicle. GM even went so far as to list the car as having a power output of 435 hp, when the actual output was more likely between 540 and 588 hp. One of the reasons for this "misinformation" was to ensure that as many as possible of the car's limited production run ended up on the racetrack and not the public highways. 

​The 1970 Buick GSX's hood was a standout feature that combined aggressive aesthetics with functional design elements. Perhaps the biggest talking point was the hood-mounted tachometer, a feature that allowed drivers to monitor engine RPMs without diverting their gaze from the road. Although, it has to be said, a dashboard mounted one would serve the same purpose. This external tachometer not only served a practical purpose but also added to the car's performance-oriented appearance. ​But it isn't the only defining aspect of the hood. The Buick also featured bold black hood stripes outlined with red pin striping that contrasted sharply with the only two available body colors — Saturn Yellow and Apollo White (expanded to six colors in 1971). 

The hood also featured twin hood scoops. These channeled cold air directly into the engine bay helping to cool the 455 cubic-inch V8 that ensured the car cemented its place as one the fastest Buicks ever made. The ultimate manifestation of this classic included the aforementioned engine integrated with the 455 Stage 1 performance package, which is believed to add about 25 horsepower — although the factory rating was only a gain of 10 horsepower.

1970 was the year when General Motors reintroduced itself into the muscle car market, and it lifted its self-imposed decade-long restriction on the amount of horsepower it allowed to power its mid-sized cars. One of the results of this policy change was the Chevrolet Chevelle SS. Powered by the influential 454 big-block V8, the Chevelle was transformed from an also-ran to a pack leader. Of course, all this power needed to be contained under an appropriate hood and Chevrolet delivered with the now-iconic cowl induction hood, a design that was as functional as it was aggressive.

Not to be outdone on the "stripe" front, the Chevelle SS's hood also features bold racing stripes that run across the length of the hood, a design feature that made it instantly recognizable. But this wasn't just a showpiece hood. Its raised center section and vacuum-operated rear-facing air flap were designed to boost performance by keeping the engine cooler. The Chevelle SS also came with optional hood pins, which added another touch of individuality to the distinctive hood. With its long hood and aggressive, muscular stance, the Chevelle SS is a legend that came to epitomize the muscle car market of the early seventies. 

The Pontiac Trans Am's hood is something you'd expect to find on an American muscle car. It's big enough to house an appropriate power source, it features air inlets to keep the engine cool and running and optimally, and — naturally — a screaming chicken. Well, it doesn't really. In truth, the history behind this design is somewhat shrouded in the mists of time. While uninspiringly marketed by Pontiac as the "Trans Am Hood Decal" it made its debut on the 1973 model and would remain as an optional extra for the next 11 years. However, while no one knows who coined the screaming chicken name, it was such a commonplace nickname that even journalistic giants like Car and Driver were using it by the end of the decade. 

Another iconic design element that featured on early models of the Trans Am (up to 1974) was the shaker hood. In essence, a shaker hood is a free-standing air intake mounted directly to the carburetor and situated to protrude from the hood. Ostensibly, the thinking behind this design element was to allow better airflow into the engine, but the power gains are negligible. However, as a hood ornament, a hood shaker isn't just a static design element. Give the engine a quick rev and you have a visual representation of all that latent power waiting to hit the road. No wonder the chicken is screaming.