Hood scoops are an easily recognizable sight on any number of vehicles, but their intended purpose may not be immediately obvious. Here's what they're for.

Plenty of American-made classic muscle and sports cars used hood scoops, like the striking first-generation Ford Thunderbird, the coveted 1970-71 Plymouth Barracuda, and the 1967 Corvette Sting Ray.

And, hey, you can buy repro Air Grabber decals for $15.95 from Year One- just the thing for your PT Cruiser! Thanks to Tonyola for recommending this scoop last week. Image source:vw-busman Comment (s) ...

We've always wanted a flat hood for our '68 Plymouth Valiant, but despite our best effort, hiding a 500-inch Indy Wedge with dual-quad induction below the stock bonnet proved impossible.

Even when they're not 100-percent functional, hood scoops add style and flair to a performance car design. These are some of your favorites.

One Belvedere II hardtop owner somehow convinced a drop-forged con rod to find a new reciprocating route through the side of its 426 big-inch Hemi block. That was somewhere between 1966 and 1981 ...

In 1968, Chrysler built 50 special Plymouth Super Stock Barracudas with the vaunted 426ci Hemi. Perched atop the hood was an air scoop designed to funnel every last cfm of cool atmosphere to the ...

We've got names and prices (keep in mind that the 1975 buck was worth approximately four 2009 bucks) with each scoop in the gallery below. One Piece Pro Ram, $64.98 ...