Hood ornaments are no longer a feature of modern vehicles, largely because of the damage they can cause in a collision with a pedestrian. However, they remain a key part of many classic cars and a range of collectors and enthusiasts consider them to be works of art.

This is perhaps why a collection of hood ornaments numbering just 30 individual items, sold for just over $800,000 during the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, last month.

The hood ornaments had been created by master glass manipulator, Rene Lalique, in the 1920s, after he had been commissioned by French auto manufacturer Citroen, to create a new hood-mounted mascot for its latest model at the time, the 5CV.

Mr Lalique, who was born in 1860, had previously had his work featured in elegant perfume bottles, amongst other things, which made his transfer to the elegant world of motor mascots quite a sensible one.

The mascots created by Mr Lalique during his long and illustrious career found their way across the world, often used to weigh down stacks of paper when they were not actually applied to the front end of a vehicle.

The Lalique collection had been built up by Ele Chesney, a well respected classic car collector.