I was just a little kid in 1979, but I remember the way that year felt, if that makes sense. There was a certain energy in the air, a sort of last groan of the 1970s, a gleeful and simultaneously mournful exclamation as though somehow we were all aware that the upcoming 1980s would mean the earliest pre-production mule of what we now call modernity. There’s books that say this, too, it’s not just me. This sort of amorphous feeling, this last yelp of wildness, I think found its best, most earnest expression in one very specific place: car hoods. Specifically, a small set of car hoods that could be ordered, right from the factory, with huge decals that all had some sort of flame-related motif or look or just general tone, even if the decal was ostensibly of a bird or a dragon or a snake or a whatever. I believe there were six cars you could buy in 1979 with such hood decals, so let’s walk through them and, why not, vote on which we think was the best? What could it hurt?
You’d think with their often iffy quality control, 1970s cars generally might want to avoid any suggestion of flames shooting out of hoods, but those were different, bolder times. Okay, let’s get into our contenders, starting with what is unquestionably the most famous of the flaming-something-on-the-hood genre: the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am:
The Firebird is really the archetype here, and it’s well-earned. That majestic bird, angrier before angered birds were a thing, makes for a real spectacle out on that hood. With wings outstretched, head turned and spitting what I assume is a jet of flame and not a partially-digested meal for the Firebird’s young, the decal commands the entire hood and is impossible to ignore. Sure, it’s been mocked as a screaming chicken for years, but if we look at it with un-jaded eyes, it’s a powerful bit of ornithological design.
One quick question, though: do you see it as a smaller bird with a flame-like halo, or do you see the outer flame-feathers as part of the bird’s overall body? Sometimes I see the smaller bird in the center as the “bird,” ringed in flame, and sometimes I just see it all as one flame bird. I’m curious what most people see now.
This is the closest that we have to a non-American entry in the flame-hood-decal world, even if it is sold under an American brand: the Plymouth Fire Arrow. The Plymouth Arrow was a captive import, a rear-wheel drive Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste. The Fire Arrow version wasn’t just a bunch of decals, but also came with the 2.6-liter MCA Jet engine, which was an interesting design that included a third valve per cylinder in the cylinder head that was used to inject air to “swirl the fuel-air mixture.” These also had discs all around!
But we’re here to talk hood graphics, not tech. Here there are some very stylized flames emanating from that V-shaped arrowhead, and it’s interesting to note how oddly similar the style of flame is to the Firebird’s or, as you’ll see, almost all of these hood graphics. It almost feels like there was some sort of unspoken agreement about how the general style of flaming hood graphics should look, which includes flame shapes that are also oddly reminiscent of the serifs on traditional Hebrew typography. Maybe there’s some Kabbalistic angle here? I should look into that.
GM was heavily invested in flaming hood decals, and wasn’t satisfied with just offering them for Pontiacs. Chevrolet got a novel take on the genre for their car/truck/ute El Camino, with the Royal Knight option package, which was really just a trim package that included all the stickers. The hood decal motif included a pair of symmetrical dragons, seen in profile, blowing serpentine flames at one another, with the negative space between them forming what appears to be a knight’s helmet, something I just realized right now as I’m typing this sentence. Cool!
Americans are strangely obsessed with the trappings of monarchy when it comes to cars, especially for a country formed to get the hell away from all those kings and lords and crap. The 1970s American automotive landscape was full of Monarchs and Crown Victorias and heraldic crests and all that crap. It’s odd. But, that’s still a striking flaming hood graphic, even if it is a bit light on the flames.
Someone at GM must have really felt the broad, flat El Camino hood was ripe for some fiery art, because they had an entirely separate sticker trim level for the El Camino’s badge-engineered GMC sibling, the Caballero. The version was known as the Caballero Diablo, and featured a huge demon head on the hood, with massive flame-hair erupting in two large wing-like sections. The design of the face has a certain ’60s Tiki-style look about it, which is a fun motif for a car – well, truck, I guess, especially a GMC, because it feels pretty unexpected.
Of course, all the Big Three needed some kind of flame hood art, and you can’t expect Ford to sit this one out. Ford’s hood-art entry has perhaps the most tenuous claim on the flames part of the equation, but design-wise, it definitely has elements that could be interpreted as flames. This is the Mustang King Cobra, which came standard with the 2.3-liter turbo four engine making 116 hp, or you could get the five-liter V8 making 140 hp. That hood scoop was just for looks, but, more importantly, it framed the hood-cobra, which reared up menacingly, its other sort of hood open wide, and, yes, maybe flames surrounding it.
A cobra is pretty much the only snake you can use a frontal image of and make a compelling graphic that doesn’t look like an obelisk with a tongue, too.
Finally, we come to the now-AMC Spirit-based AMX, which had the most straightforward of all the flaming hood art decals, because it’s literally just flames. Well, flames around the name of the car, but still, there are no birds or reptiles or demons or helmets involved here, just the pure flames of AMX. And, these flames fit stylistically with all the other flames, because that’s just how you do it.
The big 4.9-liter V8 managed to dribble out an embarrassing 125 hp, further reminding us that the AMC V8 was, let’s be honest, a real boat anchor. These things weren’t quick, but, really, that’s not a big deal, because you want everyone to have plenty of time to really enjoy and contemplate those three flaming letters, right?
Okay! Now’s the big test! You’ve had a chance to see and consider all of the flaming hood art available in 1979; so which does it best? Time to make your preferences known to us all:
Respect to the OG firebird. All those other pretenders can suck it.
Until now I’d never really noticed that the Royal Knight and Diablo hood decals were different.
It’s surprising that Chevrolet didn’t offer the Royal Knight package on at least the 2-door Malibu if not, to special order, on sedans and wagons.
Didn’t a special edition of the Monza have a hood sticker of a stylized spider?
A Spyder, yes. And I have always wanted one. By now, the problem is finding one that hasn’t either completely rusted into powder, or been butchered into a circle track or 8th-mile drag car and flogged to death.
A friend in high school had one. It was black with a red spider on the hood. His dad stuck a built up 327 in it and it was a tire frying monster. He used to burn up snow tires since they made more smoke. Total late 80’s early 90’s style.
It’s Firebird all the way, especially their efforts to use the whole damn hood, but also framing the shaker between the wings. It’s an excellent use of the space and shape available.
The others feel like sticker kits, like, they are, but they FEEL like it.
Runner up is definitely that Royal Knight graphic, that’s cool as heck.
Also the AMX loses points for entirely ignoring the unique profile of its hood.
Burt Reynolds aside, I voted for the Diablo because it kinda looks like Ganondorf.
I’m a fan of subtlety, so I was torn between the shitty Mustang and the shitty Arrow.
My 3-year-old would’ve voted for the Arrow because the ‘V’ looks like Vector’s logo in Despicable Me.
It was too much ‘V’ for me, so I voted for the shitty Mustang. Apparently one of fifteen votes as of writing. I guess I’ve always leaned towards the underdog.
I voted Trans Am just because they were first. I proudly dislike all of these graphics. You’re right about the flames surrounding the Firebird. I never looked closely enough to notice. It would have looked much better without the flames. Could you imagine putting that Trams Am decal on Jim Rockford’s Firebird? “I’m not 12 years old and I don’t need people laughing at me!”
Jimmy kept his cards close to the vest. As a private investigator, he didn’t need to draw attention to himself. Also, he didn’t want to tip his hand that his Firebird Esprit was actually a rebadged Formula, packing a 400 under its flat hood, minus scoops.
That’s why Rockford is the best. His Firebird should have had a co-starring credit.
If I remember correctly, the first few years had a smaller hood bird that didn’t look as on fire. The 70-73 cars were always my favorite.
You’re right. I forgot about that.
Yep – a smaller, less flaming “chicken” right at the peak of its “beak,” which became a single broad rally stripe all the way over the car. You could have any color combo you liked, as long as it was either Cameo White with a Lucerne Blue stripe, or Lucerne Blue with a Cameo White stripe.
For those of us from countries still weighed down by kings and lords and crap, this is something about the USA that is the cause of a lot of head scratching. Disney princesses and what-not, and whole movies or drama series devoted to a hero fighting to regain their aristocratic birthright, rather than relying on hard work and brains to achieve the American Dream…?
Trans Am for the win, of course, but kudos to AMC for a graphic that makes the AMX look like it should be in a blister-pack at a supermarket checkout.
“relying on hard work and brains to achieve the American Dream…?”
It’s been a few generations since that approach to capitalism worked here.
“kings and lords and crap.”
Still got those. Only now we call them corporations and influencers and landlords.
I voted for the El Camino Royal Knight because El Camino.
When the flaming chicken appeared on the Trans Am back in the day, it was gloriously gaudy and was supposed to instill a sense of power, which it did until you actually drove or rode in one. Of course almost all cars back then were pretenders, many made to look fast and no ability to deliver due to emission restrictions, etc. It was the malaise era and you felt it in your heart, a sinking feeling that we had all lost our way (maybe that was just me), sensing that the ripping power of 60’s cars was lost. Thank you to every engineer and designer who got us out of the era.
My sense was that it was a small bird inside flames, at least that’s what it looked like in real life to me.
Chicken graphic evolution:
1) equally badass and gauche (1970s)
2) hopelessly déclassé (1980s)
3) what’s a Firebird? (1990s)
4) what’s a Trans Am? (2000s)
5) what’s a Pontiac? (2010s)
6) damn those chickens were pretty cool even though the cars kind of sucked due to the geopolitical context of the day (2020sl
For the first few model years, the 2nd gen Trans Am were beastly, especially the 455SD.
There may be one car that is missing from this list: the 1979 Isuzu 117 XC-J. It’s possible it was just a one off for promotional materials or something, what little I can find of it is in Japanese, but it does feature a pretty cool flaming lion’s head on the hood.
https://auctions.afimg.jp/u1036030465/ya/image/u1036030465.5.jpg
Never saw that one before, thanks for pointing it out, really nice design.
“Burn baby burn – DISCO INFERNO” Yes, that’s what was going through my head reading this article.
As it should.
This comment hits close to home, my 70s/80s GM Tech father educated me in the ways of the Disco, as well as the Screaming Chicken. “Burn the mother down!”
I voted the Arrow. Because I dated a wild chick who had one. And she looked like the blonde in the photo, only hotter. She almost ruined my arrow several times. (she was a biter.) After she wrecked the car, the graphics were hard to obtain. So the car was repainted and she used the extra cash for coke.
Poor thing did 18 months in Federal Prison during the first Reagan term for selling a gram of coke to an undercover agent. Being a lawyer she thought she could beat the charges. Stupid is stupid.
The original Trans Am, first generation were truly the best.
The AMX looks like the Kmart/Pep Boys version of graphics.
The Mustang always reminded me of some sort of giant tick or spider.
The GM El Camino and GMC just looked way overdone.
I always wanted a ride with Foghorn Leghorn on the hood.
A friend of mine in high school had the Trans-Am flaming chicken tattooed onto his shoulder. I wonder if, pushing 50 now, he still thinks that was a good idea.
Hey JT – Ever going write about the Firebird catalog? All that fake leather and mullets. I saw the 8″ floppy disk in your site redesign video. Epic!
You could ask that of anyone still sporting a 30yo tattoo.
No comment.
I am 51. Thanks for reminding me that I have yet to get a screaming chicken tattoo. Maybe I can work it into a piece that includes the tattoo of KISS in makeup that I also never got – I think it should probably frame their faces the same way it frames the shaker scoop on the hood. BRB, calling my tattoo guy.
If I was into tattoos, I’d totally get one. I’ve owned more Firebirds than any other car, 4 to be exact. I’m 45.
I am legally required to say the Royal Knight is the winner here, as I own a 79 El Camino. Fortunately, it’s not a lie, as I believe that to be the correct answer anyway. I wish mine was an RK, but it’s not. 🙁 Easy enough to apply the stickers though, right?
The Poncho will win, but I’m going to play Devil’s advocate here and vote Diablo.
“The Black Knight always triumphs!”
But the best special editions of that era, though they lacked any flames on the hood, were the Dodge trucks. Specifically the Warlock and the Power Wagon Macho Edition.
1979 being the year of my birth, I feel I am able to speak with a level of authority here. The El Camino Royal Knight is the correct choice. Equal levels of badass and utility.
1979 birthday guy checking in here!!!!
Caballero Diablo. It would be impossible not to dress to match.
the 72 Mod Bod GM graphics call “Flame” on the Elcamino and Blazer were something to behold as well.
I might have chosen Daisy Dukes Golden Eagle Jeep if you had mentioned it, but the Bandit’s Screaming Chicken is the epitome of the archetype of this era.
I really like the AMX one BUT we all know the ‘Flaming Chicken’ is going to win!
On a side note.. why has nobody created a gas-station themed fried chicken restaurant called the Flaming Chicken!? Somebody get on that quick, I’ll take my payment in Trans Ams filled with wings.
Hell yeah
AMC was still around in 79? Wow. That’s my runner-up.
AMC was still making cars all the way until ’87 when their partner Renault sold them off to Chrysler.
High school in the mid-80s, my best friend’s mom drove an AMC Eagle wagon. Yes, with the wood paneling b/c of course. Did well in the winter though.
Is there really a wrong answer here? I want one of each!
The Cobra, but simply because those aren’t flames.
Fair. I’ll still have one.
Obviously the Screaming Chicken will win this. But I’m digging the Royal Knight. Two dragons making out to create a negative space knight? I’m here for it.