The highest-priced hood ornament in the world, is well known as ‘The Spirit of Ecstasy’, ‘Emily’, ‘Silver Lady’ or ‘The Flying Lady’.  While it’s not the first time someone has blinged the iconic mascot, this one does seem to the most expensive ever.

Clad in a stunning 40 carats of diamonds, this Rolls Royce hood ornament is estimated to cost upwards of US$350,000.

This diamond hood ornament has quite an interesting history, as it was first born out of a request for Lord John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu’s Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Charles Sykes, the sculptor who designed The Flying Lady, used Eleanor Velasco Thornton (Lord John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu’s secret love) as a model for the figurine. Eleanor Velasco Thornton was Lord Montagu’s secretary, but their love had to remain secret to protect status quo.

Dubai based Instagram influencer Alex Hirschi has recently posted a video on her Instagram account @supercarblondie, showing the stunning diamond hood ornament up close. When she tries to pull the Spirit of Ecstasy out, like with all Rolls Royce’s, it automatically retracted into the radiator. Thankfully none of the diamonds were lost.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj7m3NVnuM6/?utm_source=ig_embed

Although this Spirit of Ecstasy is not up for sale, it surely serves as a great inspiration to spruce up the hood ornament of your next automobile.