Why Are Car Hoods Called 'Bonnets' In England?

The British have a distinctive way of referring to the parts or appearance of a car. A station wagon in England is typically called an estate car, which, not too long ago, would have been referred to by European gentlemen as a shooting brake. 

For some unknown reason, the Brits spell tyres instead of tires, despite referring to the same round and rubbery things that connect the car to the road, and British cars have the driver on the right side instead of the left, a fact that Jeremy Clarkson, the legendary host that was fired from Top Gear, will often say as the superior way to drive a car no matter where you are in the world.

However, more confusing is what the people from England call the engine cover a bonnet, instead of what car guys typically call a hood. Merriam-Webster defines a bonnet as a cloth or straw hat tied under the chin of a woman or child. The other definition is a metal cowl or covering of a valve chamber or fireplace. In British automotive parlance, car hoods are referred to as bonnets for a somewhat interesting reason.

Sometime in the 1920s, the automobile we all love began adopting a feminine aura when Italian poet and aristocrat Gabriele D'Annunzio penned a poignant letter of appreciation in 1926, describing a Fiat 509 Cabriolet as a car that glides over life's obstacles like a woman. That particular Fiat, a gift from Italian industrialist and principal Fiat shareholder Gianni Agnelli, enchanted D'Anunzio "with the grace, slenderness, and vivacity of a seductress." The female personification of the automobile, and stuff like ships being given female names became traditional in England and the rest of Europe.

It's also why bonnet is associated with the feminine gender. Much like how Merriam-Webster describes a bonnet as a cloth or straw hat worn by women or children, the Brits call the car's hood a bonnet as a reference to exquisite headwear worn by women during the early days of the automobile. 

In American English, we refer to the bonnet as a hood, referencing the head cover, or hood, of a coat, jacket, or any outfit. It wouldn't be amiss to refer to the hood of your car as a bonnet, although calling it a bonnet would somehow make you sound classier in the same manner trousers makes a set of pants sound more special.