Strangest Car Features Ever Used!
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- These are some of the strangest features ever found on cars!
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Thanks!
Thank you so much for the super thanks! I haven't had one of those yet so you are the first!
One of the biggest new developments that needs to go away is the touchscreen, used to control everything. There was a reason the old car radios had pushbuttons; the driver could switch stations WITHOUT taking eyes off the road!
We've made such progress. From safety first to built in distractions.
Yes, have to take your eyes off the road to find the tab that has climate control, or to switch audio. And the screens or getting bigger. Teslas have a 15 in screen.
Some have a volume control and station change button on the steering wheel.
I mean that’s not why they had pushbuttons. Touch screens didn’t exist then so wasn’t an option. I have a full touch AC and display. And honestly have no complaints. Only thing I wish was that the volume and air were roller dials or something.
I agree touchscreen computers need go
I always liked when cars had "wind wings" (the little triangle shaped widow in front of the main front window). You could swivel those open and get cool air without having a windstorm in the car. I guess having AC ended the need for those...
They were called "no drafts" because the deflected the air out from your open window, reducing the draft. Many of those same cars had a vent under the front dash you could open to get air blowing in around your feet.
I grew up with these. I really thought that they were for letting Papa's cigarette smoke out of the car.
They stopped those to cut down on production costs
The correct name for them is “quaterlight windows”, and ones you could open are “opening quaterlights”
I always called them vent wings and I loved them. Many things like that were done away with in order to cut costs. Just means less build time and more profit.
My 1968 Mustang has a foot switch for the windshield washer and wipers. I love that setup. Wish modern cars would go back to floor switches for high beams too. The "control stalk" that does everything is a nemesis.
Yes my 1988 ford extended van had one of those foot peddle switches for the wipes too I loved it .... It was so much easer than using the hand control ..
@@jenniferj7588
I had a 1980 Ford Fiesta with a floor pushbutton for the windshield washer, tho oddly enough I believe the upper trim levels of the Fiesta had stalk mounted washer activation. My car also had the stalk mounted horn activation. Many people hated that feature but it allows you to flash your headlights and honk your horn with one hand.
I Remember Dads 55 Olds had a extra one far left upper floor to switch the Radio station
My '78 T-Bird had a high beam foot push button. That was cool for being my first car 😃
I remember those commercials in the 70s that advertised new cars with woman friendly features. I couldn't imagine what they were referring to. Almost 40 years later, it hit me out of the blue. Dimmer switches were difficult for shorter woman. Being tall for a woman, it wasn't an issue for me. I do miss them though.
I always liked the floor vents in my old chevys. If it was raining and you needed to feel the wind, you could open the floor vents! None of those cars I had were equiped with air conditioning.
i enjoyed those floor vents until I hit a dip in the road w axle deep water causing my leg to get wet
There also used to be vents right under the steering column. It doesn't surprise me that women LOVED this feature since it let them cool off their private parts in hot, humid days if they were wearing skirts. My parents' 1980s Buick had a crotch vent. I'm surprised it hasn't made a comeback.
Many Chrysler s had them.
My '88 Chevrolet K2500 had those vents, miss them!
Plus air vents in the car would be more environmentally friendly.
My grandmother's 1960 Oldsmobile 88 had a speedometer that was in the form of a "line" that went left to right changing colors from green to red. She usually drove in the red!
Yep :) I remember the green to red transition had striped hash marks between solid green and solid red. Also. I remember the speed minder. It was a knob you turned to set the speed alert to go off when the speedometer reached that speed. It was a constant buzzing sound once the speedometer passed the set speed, but the knob could be turned further to set the alert speed to the maximum speed displayed on the meter. Another feature left out was the "vigil light" system on fancy GMs beginning in the late 60s. They operated on fiber optic cables that ran from the light fixture being monitored (headlights both low and high, turn signal front and rear and brakeights). They were displayed on the fenders for front lights, and above the back window (visible in the rear view mirror) for rear lights. If a bulb burned out, no light would be transmitted via fiber optic cable and the monitor would be dark in the position with the failed bulb. It was very ingenious and was used well into the 1980s.
Yep, My Dad had the same car and I loved that speedometer, unfortunately one drunk brother, one bar fight and one real xxxxxxxxx put an end to that car by parking it on the RR tracks.
I remember Pontiacs having those too.
My 1971 Lincoln Continental Coupe has a speedometer that is long horizontal cylinder, I think it's quite cool.
Grampa had one of those 88's
I'm pretty sure there was a yellow or orange range before the red. Super cool car's, especially back then.
🚀 88 🥳
You missed my favorite: the Amphicar. I will never forget the one I saw when I was a kid. Mother and I were at a lake feeding ducks when a car drove right off the beach and into the water; it proceeded to motor across the lake and drove back out on the other side. Amazing! I always kinda wanted one of those.
Good Day ZZydny : If you still have an interest in Amphicars you can still buy a brand new Amphicar in 2022 or any part for them . The company Amphicar was bought about 10 years a go buy an investor and relocated to the city of Barrie Ontario in Canada . Contact them , you can see them on the internet and you tube .
Those are an interesting car but I think they are pretty cool. I wasn't aware that they were still being sold. Thank you for watching!
I used to see them quite often when I lived in Germany in the 60s & 70s & now the only time you see one is at an occasional auction going for big bux
Might you be talking about the Duck? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUKW These were used in WW2 in the Pacific campaigns. After that, they became somewhat popular tourist vehicles in cities along waterfronts. The last time I rode in one was about 15 years ago in Philadelphia (my home region). Not too long after, one of the Duck tourboats capsized, and the entire fleet in the US was retired/killed off. It's a shame that it happened, of course, but my children & I remember the Duckboat tours with fondness.
When I lived in Wichita, there was guy that would often drive his amphibious car in the Arkansas River downtown. One day I guess someone called 911 thinking someone had accidentally drove off into the river.
What I miss most are the small vent windows in the front, they were great for venting out hot summer air or if you smoked. I believe they disappeared mostly because they could save a little money, I don’t think anybody ever complained about having those little windows in their car.
Those were awesome…. strange that they’re not considered eco and green nowadays, as you’re not using power to use them….
No one complained until they leak. I loved those things
They disappeared when full framed windows went out of style in the 70s. It's also very difficult to make them quiet and aerodynamic.
I remember seeing in old movies this weird little wire looking thing on a car close to the road. My dad said they were called curb feelers. It was a way to park your car on the street and close to the curb without getting too close
Now they just prefer to grind their fancy rims….
Those things if properly installed made it sound like you were belly landing an airplane on a creekbed if you got too close to the curb. I want some for the next vehicle I own just for the coolness factor.
When your car was literally as big as small boat and you had zero cameras, those feelers could keep it from getting dented or scratched from the concrete curb. You listened to the sound of those wires...
Several years ago I had a 1994 Cadillac Deville. Custom paint job, white walls, swan hood ornament, curb feelers. Transmission went out and I sold it. Still regretting it. Loved that car!
@@emkkahn
My mother's maiden aunt had a 56 Plymouth and replaced it with a 64 Plymouth and both had the curb feelers on the passenger side. In her case she was so short that they were a necessity. We often joked that she didn't look OVER the top of the steering wheel but looked THROUGH it.
Umbrellas in the doors are actually a very common feature in cars from Skoda, which is a slightly more budget-friendly sub brand of Volkswagen.
It's part of Skoda's "simply clever" policy, which also includes, among other things, ice scrapers in the fuel doors, unfoldable sleeping pads in the headrests, and trunk lights that are removable and can be used as flashlights.
The old Datsun 280Z had a wired in but detachable light under the hood that you could use as a work light if you were stuck on the side of the road. You could use it to look around under the hood or to give some light while changing a tire. I thought it was brilliant.
My Citroën Berlingo Multispace also has such a flashlight in the trunk. I think it's a great Idea, which every car should have.
My Volkswagen from 2009 has umbrella storage in the door. It is only accessible with the door open.
Skoda is a Chech brand, not really a VW brand at all... It was acquired 30 yrs. ago, VW owning most of its shares. It just operates under the protection of the VW umbrella
@@sebastiangarla8558 Guess that's a matter of perspective. I'm not an expert on the matter but to me, Skoda is a sub-brand of VW just like Audi, Porsche or Lamborghini since they're all owned by VW.
I once owned a 62 Plymouth that had a push button auto transmission. No stick shift, nothing on the column... It had a row of buttons to select drive, reverse, etc....
I was looking at buying one of those about 10 years ago. There was a guy selling one near my job.
in 1984 I bought a 1963 Plymouth Belvedere pushbutton automatic transmission with a 383 Canadian made motor for 400 dollars. It drove like a dream & could hit 90 mph in a quarter mile easily. I drove it for the next 10 years till parts became too hard to find😢
There were a lot of push button automatics at that time.
Corvairs had a sliding knob on the dash on the automatic transmission ones. Edsels were weird too, a pushbutton type. I had a 65 four door Monza with a Spyder engine bored and stroked, Hooker headers to short glasspacks and a four into one intake manifold, it's main problem was leaking around the lifter tubes. Huge four barrel carb going to a mix box made it a monster. And a two speed transmixer with a shift kit. It ate tires and my budget. I still miss that.
I learned to drive on a push button 1963 Chrysler
Imperial.
I do recall one strange feature on cars back in the 90s were headlight windshield wipers. Supposedly they were supposed to prevent mud from building up and blocking headlight if the rain was powerful enough to throw debris in the air.
They are practical when it is snowing.
When your slowly trudging through snow without these, it gradually builds up to a point where you may as well not have headlights at all. I don't know what use they would have in areas without winter weather.
Funnily enough, headlight cleaning was (and afaik still is) mandatory to be installed on cars with Xenon headlights in Germany. Don't ask me why that law exists though...
@@niklass1641 headlight washers / wipers are also useful when driving on dusty or dirt roads.
My sisters 04 Volvo wagon has them.
the one feature I miss the most is tailgates in SUVs. They are on trucks and used to be on station wagons. As station wagons were phased out and became SUVs pretty much everyone transitioned to hatchbacks rather than tailgates with retractable windows.
I miss the old 3 way tailgate of station wagons. Could drive with rear tailgate window rolled down. And could choose to either open tailgate folding down rearward or to either side.
Those swivel seats would be very beneficial to elderly and disabled people. They should come back!! Your videos are always so fascinating!
I do think they would be great for a lot of people. Maybe they can make a come back. Thank you for watching and I'm glad you are enjoying the videos.
They were in some mid-60s Thunderbirds, too.
They make swivel seats (known as caption seats) for trucks. They might fit in large pickups and vans.
I believe they have mostly disappeared due to safety and liability issues. It would be very difficult to implement a safety restraint for a seat with that many positions much less secure the seat itself.
Safety regulations today would never allow them.
As an older guy, I would absolutely love it if my seat swiveled, even just a little, toward the door when it opened. It would make getting in and out so much easier.
The GM swivel seat of the 70s was not din because the car's were so small compared to the big Mopar cars of the 50s.
It was a"sport" bucket seat with the release lever on the front of the seat at the floor. Since the seat did not tilt forward, there was a lot of bending over & dumbing around to rotate the heavy seat around for back seat passengers to get in. It was not an easy smooth swivel but felt heavy to drag around.
Getting out of the car was easier, but the whole operation with the seat felt klunky & way too slow. It was a gimmick that most drivers probably have up on after about 4 or 5 months.
My grandma’s 89 Civic had a FANTASTIC feature that I wish all cars had. It was a little slider switch by the steering wheel that pulled in a nice stream of fresh air directly from the outside, without all the turbulence of opening the window. It would be totally useful in modern cars too, for times when it’s not hot enough for AC, yet that muggy/stale “air only” option is nearly useless.
Yeah, my '86 Civic had it too. It was fantastic because in the winter you could have hot air from the heater blowing on your body and cool air from outside blowing in your face. The farther open the slider, the more air would come through, so you could adjust it until everything was perfect.
unless you specifically press the recirculate button on your car the hvac is always pulling in fresh air from outside. just turn the fan on and you got fresh outside air.
@@dirtrider88 I agree that that should be the case in theory, but for whatever reason, the cars I’ve owned (Honda, Acura and Hyundai) yield something different than the direct outside air-and I am referring to the non-circulating option, with AC off. Perhaps it’s the filtering system and mugginess from the AC being off, I don’t know. But it’s always more neutral in temp and void of outdoor scents (which is a very positive thing a lot of the time, but its nice sometimes to crack the window and smell rain, spring, mountain foliage, etc).
I, for one, would love for the swivel seats to come back! I’ve had 5 back surgeries and it is very difficult to turn in the seat to get out of the vehicle and I’m sure getting in would be less difficult as well. I’m wondering if there is a way to have that added to my car now? It would make life easier for many people including expectant mothers. I wouldn’t want it to turn all the way around, just turn enough to stand up.
I really don't understand why that still isn't an option in cars. I could see how it would benefit a lot of people. I think it's really no different than any other type of adjusting seat. It just needs to be able to lock in the forward position while driving. Thank you for watching!
I do believe some companies will install this feature if really wanted
yes, my husband has big back problem, this would be great
I’m going to start asking and find out if this can be done. My only concern is that they won’t do it for liability reasons.
Go to your local handicap conversion company. My minivan is equipped with a motorized swivel seat that rotates from facing the passenger seat to forward driving position. To accommodate a wheelchair to driver seat transfer
The automatic seatbelts weren't a trendy feature, they were mandated in the 1980s (unless the car had airbags).
The "wrist steering" was never in a production car, just in a concept car.
The main disadvantage with Chrysler's in-car record player is it can't play your regular records as it could skip too readily. It only plays special slow-speed records sold by the auto dealer.
The Subaru BRAT rear seats were not bolted in the back -- they were welded in to make them a permanent part of the car. With them they were import taxed as a "passenger car" which had a lower tax rate than a pickup truck.
Our 1988 maxima had the funky seatbelt feature.Wife didnt like it.
Someone knows their autos pretty good lol
The seat belts were a pain, since my generation being birn jist after 1980, wore seatbelts willingly.
They could catch your shirt or your face, as they go along their track wasting power, for some good laughter from anyone seeing it.
You missed the most important reason why the Reliant had three wheels.
In some countries a motorcycle driver's license and a car driver's license are SEPARATE licenses.
This means you can't drive a car if you only have a motor driver's license AND the other way around.
It was a way for motorcyclists who didn't had a car license to be able to drive around warm and dry in a car, because it was still considered a motorcycle by law with its three wheels.
Three wheelers in England were taxed at a much lower rate for MOT
@@leftylee5068 I had a Reliant three wheeler in my younger years when I only had my motorcycle license and didn't have my car license yet. Very "interesting" when you had to go around a tight corner 😉😉😁😁
The thing I miss the most aside from vent windows are the rain gutters over the door windows. You can't roll down or even crack open a window any more without rain coming in. Now you have to stick ventshades over your windows which defeats any alleged aerodynamic gains from doing away with vent windows and rain gutters.
You can still buy those 'in channel' (the proper name for them) 'rain gutters.' Hard to get for a lot of models, but you can always have them custom made.
Ventilation systems work 99% as well, for the 0.1% of the time you might want extra ventilation when raining. With the benefit of gas savings from better aerodynamics the remaining 99.9% of the time
I wished they would bring back the wing window. Some would argue the wind drag but I say the AC is more of a drag. Now with the price of gas going up everyday.............
I do think those vent wings were a great accessory to have on a car and I miss those as well. It would also help with your windows fogging up. Thank you for watching!
@@RhettyforHistory Yes! Wing windows could defog the windshield quickly. I also liked them for ventilation
It irritates me. My wife and I imported a JDM 93 Suzuki Cappuccino two years back. It has those little windows but they don't open! I really wish there was some aftermarket part to get them to work.
Those windows increased drag and lowered gas mileage.
Yes. You don't need the AC every day. On pleasant days it was enough to just have the wing open. I had them on my '95 F150. Even in the heat of summer I would use them instead of the AC. After a hot and sweaty day of work, the last thing I wanted was to get into a cold AC.
The swivel seat idea is pretty cool. I would like to see that come back. Especially for the passenger. On long rides you could turn around and talk to the people in the back seat and still easily be able to talk to the driver too. Or if nobody is in the back seat you could put your feet up on longer rides. Definitely a feature that needs to come back! Also the Brat was a pretty cool little car with the seats in the bed. I grew up riding everywhere in the back of trucks. I know it's considered "dangerous" and all that good horse poop nowadays, but it is something I definitely miss doing as a kid on summer days. Not only were the cars better back then, but the world seemed a little better too. Good times!
The VW Vanagon Campers had that feature...it was awesome...but you had to open the door to rotate the seat all the way around
The real reason for the reverse bed seating in the Brats was to avoid the 25% tariff on light truck imports which had been imposed by LBJ in 1963. It was part of a larger trade war with Europe over cheap American chickens which were flooding the European market. I don't think they have to worry about that now. Like you, I grew up riding in the back of pickups, but the one time I tried to sit in the rear of a Brat I kept slipping out of that ridiculous seat. I suspect a lot of owners removed them, knowing it was all a gimmick.
At one point, Volvo (or Saab?) tried their take on this. The front passenger seat could be unlocked. The top half would then tip forwards on two metal arms so the passenger could sit facing the rear. Of course the big problem was having to stop the car and get out every time the seat position was changed.
I think maybe there are several safety issue that prevent this comeback
It will comeback when cars drive them selfs
Very interesting video. I've seen a few of these features and owned a few. But one that I've been fascinated by is the 1959 Volkswagen Beetle, which had an electric coffee pot as an option. I've never seen one, just read about it. Thanks for the great video!
I'm also fascinated by that.
Even weirder, the only person I've ever even read about having that option in their Beetle was serial killer Ted Bundy, who paid for the extra option because he said he needed coffee when he went skiing. A weird add on with a weirdly dark thing attratched to it is just insanely interesting.
I would love to see wing windows make a comeback!
The reasoning behind the seats in the bed of the Subaru Brat was a purely economical one because the federal government had a 50% import tariff on any complete pickup entering the country. The others at the time were shipping their trucks without the bed bolted on and had the dealers or the receiving shipping company install them. But in the case of the Brat it didn't have a bolt on bed since it was like the El Camino and Ranchero so they put the rear racing seats in the bed and called it (the first?) Sport Utility Vehicle and it became a passenger compartment instead of a pickup bed.
Thank you for watching and sharing a little more information on the brat.
subaru likes their "first sport utility______" claim, especially "first sport utility wagon" but I used to have a reprint of an article reviewing the original Jeep Wagoneer, from the mid 70s as a "station wagon for sport and utility use"
The automatic seat belts were a requirement, unless the car had an air bag. The seats in the brat were to save on an import tax so it would not be classified as a truck.
Thank you for watching and sharing a little more information.
yup, thats where the chicken tax came in & how I got mine so cheap in 1981
The Subaru BRAT was classified as a station wagon. Not a truck. The truck didn’t pass impact safety tests.
My bad. Not impact safety. It was import tax.
This is why 89-93 Thunderbirds have auto belts and 94-97 do not (they have air bags)
I had a 1993 Subaru Loyale with automatic seat belts. Never had a problem with them, and never understood why so many people did.
My first car was a used Corvair automatic with a tiny gear shift lever coming out of the dash with only Drive, low, neutral, and Reverse. No Park. You HAD to engage a Huge parking brake lever under the driver's side of the dash. It was loud when you engaged it. No hump on the floor due to rear engine so lots of room and the back seat flipped down to make a hard metal deck so you could line up grocery bags or other cargo, Despite Ralph Nader, I loved it.
My friend had a Corvair. It was equal parts deathtrap and fabulous car. He and his friends were constantly working to repair something with the engine. 😂
My favorite feature was in a 1975 Buick Apollo - in the foot well, there was a vent that you could open to let cool air in without the annoyance of road noise and wind buffeting you'd get from opening a window. Mind, this was before every car had air conditioning as standard so it was nice on hot summer days.
My mother had a 67 Dodge Dart with doors. Only problem with them was after they had been closed all winter, the build up of road dirt and dust in them would get in the car the first day you opened them. LOL
Volvo had the same.
My dad's 63 Chevy II had those. Very nice feature.
@Ban this youtube When I was in high school I had the 75 Pontiac Ventura SJ , and my buddy had a 75 Olds Omega lol we had a ton of fun in those cars, and just like Joseph said my Pontiac had the pull knob near your feet that would let in fresh air, Loved that feature !
I remember meeting Harry Truman in a parking lot across the street from his office before he moved to his Library. I believe he was driving a Buick and he had rotating seats in it. My brother thought it was soo cool. I thought it was cooler meeting the President.
That's an interesting story. Thank you for watching and sharing that with us.
Back in the days of representative government.
The swivel seat is a great idea!
The push button transmission, my dad had one. It got stuck in reverse one day and he drove it home backwards! That was an exciting experience for us kids!
Actually, they are bringing those back on some models
I believe most all transmission shifting is done with electronics now so any type of selector could be easily utilized for that feature.
That's quite a visual image! Made me laugh out loud. Thanks!
@@jimshort9266 yeah I'm sure, this happened Back in 68
@@Ben_Lorentz really! I always thought that they were cool.
My parents always had three cars. A truck for my Dad, a car for my Mom and a convertible. They bought one convertible because my Mom liked the swivel seat. Wish they had kept those cars. One of the best cars they had was a Ford Fairlane 500. The back window was different than others and I loved those wings on it.
I think it was my '71 Plymouth Fury that had the windshield washer fluid dispensed from the wiper arms directly onto the windshield as the arms were wiping.
It worked really good.
I had a State Trooper tell me his car had them and one day he hit a swarm of bees into his windshield at high speed, within two wipes his windows were clean again.
I liked that option also, my 77 Charger had it to. I think the main reason to change it back now is, when you want to use your windshield wiper washer fluid. It'll spray first to wet the windshield before the wipers activate. Less resistance and wear and tear on the wiper blades.
I remember the Dodge spirit having those in the early 90s. It was very effective.
I had a Citroen back in the early 90s that had washer jets along the windscreen wiper (wiper, singular!)
My 2006 Infiniti G35 has this.
My 2009 Buick LaCrosse CX has these wiper arms.
I believe Chrysler was the first to have swing out seats in the late 50's. They also had a cassette player that an executive could dictate and record to. Most cars used to have a push button on the driver's side floor to turn on the high beams.
I do remember the push button bright switch and I always thought those were great. Now many cars are going automatic on those. Thank you for watching and sharing some more!
I miss the high beam floor button. It made and still makes a heck of a lot more sense than being on the turn signal stalk.
Yeah, the swing-out seats were a feature of the Imperials. They were operated by cables attached to the doors, so the doors would swivel them when opened. Of course, if your doors opened in a crash, this would have been bad. The Imperials had some other odd features, like a squared off steering wheel and (one year) turn signals operated by switches on the instrument pod, instead of a lever.
My ‘71 ‘Cuda has the cassette tape player and microphone. 🤔😱
A feature my kids loved was the station wagon rear facing third row seat people constantly waving at passengers
Allot of waving and other gestures.
We had a 1961 Buick Electra. The speedometer was reversed on the dash, and you actually looked a mirror to read the speedometer. You could adjust the mirror to fit your seat position.
It also has a wheel you rolled with your finger. It was a speed warning. A buzzer would sound if you went past the selected speed.
I love the subtle humor in the videos. 8:06 "How did they make the seats safe? They had these cool ski pole handles for you to hang onto" 😆
I told my niece's fiance that cars used to have metal dashboards. He didn't believe me. Mid 20s kid.
metal dashboards with proper nickel chrome
I liked the feature on that car in the '70's that allowed Toonces to drive.
One you didn't mention that I miss is the dimmer switch in the floor. I prefer it to the newer one on the turn signal lever.
The 1955 Packards had a powered self-leveling system (aka torsion-level ride) intended for better handling when you were doing some serious cornering. One of the problems was that when you had a service station put your car on the rack for lifting for service, if car frame-lifting points were used rather than tire support systems you could damage the automatic leveling system. In 1966 or 1967 one of the Denver Bronco football players had one of these and wrecked it. A little later he showed up with another one that he found since he liked it so much. (I was in the Air Force at the time and worked part-time at a service station off base which some of the Broncos used. Another Denver Bronco at the time let me drive his 1967 450 HP Yenco Camero for a test run. Yeah, it was fun. Nice guys.)
There was a car, I believe in the 1960s, that has headlights that would turn in the direction the the car was turning. It was actually a very useful feature.
Those are cool and now they are coming back on cars. Thank you for watching!
I think there was one in the US at that time, that didn't catch on. I also believe Citroen had a model or two with that feature in France.
Tucker had that in the late '40s with the centre head light. It was used at one time in the '20s or '30s where both headlights turned. Forget off hand who made that car
Headlight of that nature were outlawed in Canada for a time because the light would hit oncoming drivers in the eyes...or so it was said.
The one that was first was the 1949 Tucker. It used the center light that moved with the steering wheel movement
I love the Swivel seat. So handy when wearing dresses. So easy to turn around and deal with squabbling children.
8:35 oh how casually you say " That actually drove the driver crazy"!!! 🤣🤣
I remember when the Brights were operated by a button on the floor that you would press with your left foot.
My friend’s dad also had an Imperial that changed the radio station with a similar floor switch.
I bought an 88 accord from an amputee. He was missing an arm and it was a standard so there was a suicide knob on the steering wheel, and the light controls were on a floor switch. I'd never seen anything like it and it was a fun feature
The brights are still on the floor in military vehicles and even buses
@@bradburch2051 And the police use that spot for the parking interlock switch. It has to be depressed as the gear shift is moved out of park. That's how they get away with leaving their car running while they aren't in them.
had a 64 Olds 98 with a floor switch for the radio. Switch was to the right of the lights switch, just under the brake pedal. my mother borrowed the car and was convinced it was haunted because the radio changed stations every time she took her foot off the brake! lol
Fun video! Don’t forget the round button on the floor of the drivers side to change headlights to brights!
Those were really common and maybe not quite so strange at least for the time. Now that feature us becoming automatic. Thank you for watching!
One fun one you missed was AMC's "Twin Stick" transmission. It was a three speed with overdrive manual transmission. One lever was the conventional shift lever, the other was to lock out the overdrive. (Overdrive transmission freewheel when the overdrive isn't engaged, which can cause problems in mountain driving). There was a button on top of the lockout lever, if you were driving along in overdrive and wanted to drop down into third, say you were about to pass someone, you'd push that button and shift back into straight 3rd. Then after you released the button and took your foot off the gas for a second the transmission would shift back into overdrive.
That took some getting used to I'll bet.
@@darrellcook8253 No more than getting used to a conventional overdrive setup. It was a really nice design for a sporty car... and yes, a 64 Rambler American 2 door hardtop with buckets and Twin Stick WAS pretty sporty.
I quite liked the little button on top of the gear lever of the Aston Martin DB7 that launched missiles. (or was that just a one off for James Bond?)
I remember in the late 80s my friend's car would announce things like "The door is ajar". The voice really just came from a tape so you could make it say whatever you want if you were so inclined.
Aha! So, that anecdote I heard that a Nissan owner programmed his to say, "Close the door, dummy!" really was a thing! HAHAHA
I hate it when car doors turn into containers :( I've heard coaches can turn into pumpkins too.
Had a 1960 Plymouth Fury. It had rotating driver seat, push button transmission, a rectangular steering wheel and dashboard mounted rear view mirror. A huge fun car
In case you don't know about the channel Cold War Motors, over the past 2 yeas he has restored a 1960 Fury and it is almost done. It was a lot of work.
@@mexicanspec thanks for reminding me. I watched it when they started but forgot about it
Does anyone remember pop-up headlights?
I once had an RX 7 (Mazda 1985) with lights that popped up when turned on.
It was a disaster. Had to have them fixed so often. One was always stuck open.
I've had pop up headlights and I currently have a 1994 miata that has never had issues with them. Thank you for watching!
My '77 Thunderbird had those and on the '90s they sold stick on eyelashes for them
My 2002 Pontiac... I ended up just bolting them up permanently
I considered buying an Opel GT (1968 to1973) in my younger days. The headlights were operated manually via a handle and mechanical linkage.
Volvo 480 ES had those too.
My parents had a 1961 Ford Thunderbird with a steering wheel that would tilt sideways towards the center console. The driver pulled a lever, disengaging the column at the base to get in and out of the car easier. Especially handy when my Mother was pregnant.
I remember reading about the "wrist twist" steering ~55 years ago in Mechanix Illustrated. The reviewer had problems trying to make turns until he got used to it. All I could think of is what would happen if the power steering failed.
That weird steering gizmo looked like something from Lady Penelope's limo from Thunderbirds.
I think it would have been cool for some cars to just have a steering wheel similar to what airplanes have. Just for the "cool" factor. Remember on The t.v. show Night Rider the car "Kit" had one.
I don't understand why they thought it would be a problem for experienced drivers to get used to. Did nobody remember that before steering wheels became the standard, a lot of cars had "tiller steering". In fact, I think I can see that feature in the pictures of the horse-head design.
Don’t forget 3 on the tree!!!
Those are certainly a unique feature but I thought they were fun to drive. Thank you for watching and mentioning that one.
I drive one every day.
It was always a trip going somewhere when dads 3rd wife would drive. So off we go her, brother and 3 step sisters when she discovered she needed gas or the oil checked. So we pull into a gas station and the attendant comes out and asks what she needs. The look of shock on his face was always priceless. She could not pronounce "oil" right.
Him: " How may I help you?"
Her: " I need some oral."
Him: " Excuse me?"
Her: " I need some oral."
LOL
Wow! Was she from some rural area somewhere?
@@RhettyforHistory, No. City with about 50K. Just could not pronounce "oil".
My dad called it 'awl'
@@tonycampbell908, Safe to say she ( Patsy) was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. We would all pile in the van with dad driving and her in front passenger seat. Well we lived in small town farm country so it was not unusual to see fields of crops and farms and such.
So we pull out of the driveway and 5 minutes later dad would see a barn.
Dad: " Pat, you see that big red thing in the middle of the field over there?"
Pat: " Yes"
Dad: "You know what that is?"
Pat: " No Dale what is it?"
Dad: " A big red thing in the middle of a field."
Dad would do that about every 5- 10 minutes round trip and Pat would fall for it every time. LOL
Along with the Hurst " triple " shifter, you should have included the Mitsubishi Twin Stick shifter that gave you overdrive on all four " regular " gears for a total of EIGHT forward speeds.
Interesting. My first car was a manual Sunbeam Rapier that had a Laycock de Normanville overdrive on third and top, so six speeds in all.
Some Mercuries in the early sixties had a feature called a breezeway. The driver could lower the rear window to increase air circulation. The slope of the window was a reversal of ordinary cars: the lower edge was forward of the top edge, which allowed it to drop behind the rear seat and not take much room from the trunk space. It also allowed the breezeway feature to work during a rain. In later years, when air conditioning became popular, the breezeway design was dropped.
🤣not take up room in the trunk??? the trunks were huge
Those automatic seat belts were one of the most dangerous items ever installed in a car. I almost had my head taken off by one when I reached through the driver's window to start a car when I was working on it. *** Those swivel seats fit perfectly in a 65 Dodge Dart. Been there, done that. *** The single record Norelco car player did work OK as just like a CD player it would take the record in and out automatically and withstood bumps. The 14 stacker was only good when parked. *** The water filled bumpers were also used on cabs in Los Angeles. *** When Datsun had the "the key is in the ignition" voice chips a guy we knew bought a car with one. However, his had the Japanese voice chip. How the dealer missed that he didn't know. He told them about it and they said to bring it in and they would correct the "mistake". He told them where to go.
I just recently discovered your channel and have been binge watching since. I love it!!!! Keep bringing us awesome and interesting videos!!!!
Welcome to the channel and I appreciate you watching!
The s-cargo is actually a clever wordplay. Not only does it contain the word cargo, but it also sounds like the french word for snail (escargot), which the cars shape clearly resembles
But hopefully it's faster than a snail!
Don't forget that other legendary French car, the Quasimoto, AKA the Hatchback of Notre Dame.
I loved the VOE for the 1970 GTO. VOE stood for Vacuum Operated Exhaust. You pulled a knob and it made the exhaust bypass the mufflers which in turn made it an open exhaust system. More horsepower, but it made the car pretty loud.
The Reliant Robins were popular in the UK for one very basic reason - you could drive them on a motorcycle licence as well as a full car licence so losts of bikers got them for winter travel to work without having to pass their car test.
They don't go around corners well - they tip over. Top Gear BBC did a segment on them. It was funny AF.
The seats in the back of the Brat were just to get around import taxes on pickups.
Thank you for watching and sharing a little more on the brat.
When i was a kid in the 70's, we had a station wagon that had 2 hidden bench seats in the middle rear area. They were sideways, faced each other & the seat backs would lift up, revealing them. They were about wide enough for 2 skinny kids on each.
Not over the top strange, but there was the BodySonic feature in the 1984 300zx 50th Anniversary Edition. Basically a kicker inside the seats with a controller in the center console that the driver and passenger could adjust the intensity separately. A friend had one, at the end of a full evening of cruising your back needed a break from the vibes.
Some of the cars were unique and cool. The swivel was a nice touch.
That was a pretty cool invention. Thank you for watching!
Yup, we had a push button automatic station wagon that I learned to drive on. A big nine-seater station wagon. I had a lot of fun driving that around in high school! Thanks Rhett!
You're welcome and thank you for watching! Now those push button transmissions are starting to make a come back.
The disadvantage was that if you put it into the "Park" position on a hill (without first applying the separate parking brake), then the solenoids were not strong enough to release it when selected; then you were stuck.
Those push buttons on the Chrysler cars were purely mechanical. The ones on the Mercury turnpike cruiser and the '57 to '58 Edsel were electro-mechanical, often having functional issues that led to their discontinuance in '59.
One of my favorites was Saab’s night panel. When you turned it on, the glowing lights on the dashboard (other than the speedometer,) would turn off. Additionally, all the buttons in the interior would dim. It was so nice and relaxing imo
Another seatbelt feature in the '70's was when you had to buckle the seatbelts in order to start the car. My fathers company bought an employee a company car with this feature. He hated to feature so much that when he got the car home he disconnected (with wire cutters) all the sensors. They had to tow the car back to the dealer and it cost thousands of dollars to fix it. Boy was my old man PISSED!
Yep, and a loud buzzer partnered with a red "idiot light" on the dash made it all the more annoying. Most owners of cars with that feature found a way to disconnect them just like your Dad's colleague. For my family's 1974 Chevrolet though, it just became a habit to buckle up before starting off.
That was a 74 only "feature" that everyone hated. Didn't bother me all that much as I wore my belts anyway, but one day I was driving along in my 74 Fiat 128 and the seat belt buzzer went off. I reached under the drivers seat, ripped the sensor out, threw it out the window, and never had a bit of trouble with that system again.
LOL - I took my driver's test in a car with a seatbelt alarm that wouldn't turn off unless belts were engaged... the examiner, of all people, was unhappy about that. You'd expect them to WANT to wear a safety belt!
@@rchrisutoob or, you can buckle the seat belt behind you and not use it, could be uncomfortable on the back though.
@@Mikedude8462 I believe I've learned of people who did that!☺️
I miss the little corner windows
Those were great and I wish they would come back. Thank you for watching!
Automatic seatbelts actually worked fine once you got used to them. I had a Subaru for almost 20 years and they never failed to work once. They were called "passive" seat belts, which I found confusing because the belts are actually "active." But I guess they were talking about me being passive, not the belts. The 'bad' belts were the ones that were attached to the door. In an accident (or anytime for that matter) the door could pop open, opening your belt at the same time, and eject you right out of the car!
Yes the bad ones you described were on General Motors cars that I can remember. They may have been on others as well but I cannot remember. Thank you for watching and sharing your experience with the seat belts.
I once test drove a Saturn car that had the automatic seatbelt and I couldn’t wait to get out of the car. Needless to say I walked away from the car and didn’t buy it.
My Nissan has them. People get confused when they get in the car.
I had a 1993 Subaru Loyale with the automatic seat belts. Drove it for for over 250,000 miles and 20 plus years and never had a problem with the belts. I could not understand why so many people hated them
My first car was a Rambler from the 1960’s. It had push button transmission! On the left side of the steering wheel near where the speedometer was located.
My family’s first new car was a 1966 Buick Vista Cruiser station wagon - with 3 seats and windows on the roof! We loved looking up as dad or mom drove over big bridges that had “tops”.
The hand choke. You'd pull it all the way out when you started the car, then adjusted it down as it warmed up. My first car, a '64 Ford Falcon, had one and until fuel injection I wished my other cars had had them too. Sometimes backyard mechanics would rig one up when they couldn't get the carburetor to stay adjusted right
my dad had a Ford Falcon and I remember him using the choke. Havent thought about that in years!
My 69 F-250 had one of those. I let my little sister borrow it, and she couldn't figure out how to start it. (my mom had to show her how)
I remember growing up with those automatic seatbelts. Most of the time we just disconnect the top belt and just used the lap belt.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experience with them.
I remember those, too. I thought it was a great idea, but people got tired of them pretty quickly.
My first car had automatic seatbelts - they were uncomfortable at the beginning and I never really got used to them.
GM was even too cheap to offer the motorized ones; they just anchored the seat and shoulder belts to the doors. Most people just unhooked them and put them on manually. I believe there were some lawsuits from people who were not protected because the door popped open as the car was crashing.
The automatic seat belts are a new idea to me. They don't look that cool (or safe) to me.
This was such a cool video!! Please make more. It just blows my mind to see early ideas on cars- it reminds me of the cartoon from Tex Avery- the car of tomorrow.
There will certainly be more. Thank you for watching!
I have the rotating "captains" seats. I often drive and work on the road. Being able to rotate the back where I have a desk setup would be great. Then I could pull over and work from by desk for a while before driving again.
As a camper, the camp shower is a great feature. It is often built in to vanlife builds, and is on my wish list. For most, this is not a feature people need though.
Very thorough and enjoyable video. You really do your research, and the presentation is easy on the eyes and ears.
Good Morning Rhett 🙋🏽. I hope you are having a great start to your day ‼️ have a awesome amazing beautiful day ‼️ thanks for sharing this with me ‼️😃👍🏽💯.
Thank you for watching Carole and I hope you have a great day as well!
@@RhettyforHistory thank you, I will 😃👍🏽💯.
The elephant in the room: ashtrays. You used to have 'em in the front and back as standard. When was the last time you saw a factory fitted ashtray in a car? The last car I had with it was an '02 Ford Focus that had a dashboard mounted ashtray.
They have been gone a long time but they were a good feature. I wish they would bring them back even if I'm not a smoker. Thank you for watching!
I still need them to smoke. Love a long smoke and drive
Omgosh yes!! Good one Andy Lund. 👍
My 2000 Dodge Dakota has a built-in Ash tray in the lower dash.
A good place to put coins and other small stuff, since smoking isn't allowed in my vehicles!
@@ogcowboy5743 Yeah, thats all I ever used my ashtray for. It was never actually used as an ashtray!
Actually, we still need that hit-n-run feature. Dash cams don't always get the plate numbers, so having something drop from the car would help find them.
I can only imagine how easy it would make exchanging insurance information
The only bad thing with dash cams if the camera’s are laughably bad in all of them.
Modern phones are better equipped to work then the dash cams. Even if going for budget phones.
Some info on the in car 45s.
To avoid skipping, the spring on the arm was strong, and would avoid skipping but it also marred the record to where you could get maybe 5-10 good playbacks. It was still used up to the 70s as aftermarket installs. We had one when I was growing up, and I still think its kind of cool.
Here are some things I remember that are gone from modern cars. An electric eye that would change to low beams when detecting an incoming vehicle. For that matter, the hi-low beam switch on the floor. The Chrysler Imperial had a radio with a footswitch next to the hi-low beam switch to change radio stations. I also saw an Imperial with built-in hydraulic jacks at each corner. The triangular windows on my 1965 Ford Thunderbird were called Ventipanes, and they had vacuum-actuated vents at the bottom of the rear window to let the air out. A steering wheel that shifted to the side to facilitate getting into the car. Some cars had telescoping steering wheels and adjustable pedal height.
Hey Leo great comment. I commented about the tilt The slide away steering wheel on thunderbirds. 65 Ford Thunderbird landau was my first car which I bought in 77 or 78 my family had a Thunderbird love. My dad on the 61 to 62 63 my sister owned the 64 convertible I own the 65 landau and a 66 regular basic model it didn't even have power a Windows and of course there was no console in the middle because it didn't have air conditioning it was like the basic model but that car I bought as a garage sale lean you know when someone leaves the car to be fixed and never fix it up the repair place can put a lien on it and sell it for what the cost of the repairs were so I paid $247 for that car and that was in 199 2 I think some of that sounds about right the only thing that was amazing about that car is the engine was totally worked the rest of the car there was no rush but the paint was coming off of it which pretty amazing cuz the the floor pans on those cars were prone to disintegrating from Russ and there was no rest at all on this car but the seats will leather and a couple of the seats were cracked but all in all I think the guy put all the money into this engine because it was light years more powerful and faster than my 65 and all these cars I mentioned all had the 390 I'm sure you can remember in your 65 my 65 land down my first car that car had every option you can think of on it you went to that car you thought you were in a cockpit of an airplane your members of the the Levis to for the vents the regular floor events and the map light and all that stuff yeah car was amazing of course there was no glove love box on the on the dash it was in the middle of the car and where the ashtray was I don't know if your car had air conditioning but if it would have air conditioning where the ashtray left off was the console and it was all Chrome it had the window if you had power windows which I had the 4th power windows it had the power window lockout and the controls for all the windows and then it had the air conditioning event in the middle there were no vents like the other cars we have you know along the dashboard of the car they were smack in the middle of the dashboard and they were chromed they were beautiful boy I missed that car I haven't been able to drive in 27 years because of a genetic eye disease that is taking my eyesight away slowly but yeah boy I miss that car I miss driving to be honest anyway you are 65 t-bird comment really you know was something like a really relate to anyway drive safe and have fun sincerely about the blind bedroom guitars
Some vehicles have "adaptive headlights" which are the modern version of the electric eye along with additional lighting features.
@@bobtheblindbedroomguitaris8742 great comment Bob! I own a 1966 Thunderbird town landau, with all the bells and whistles, also with the 428 motor and factory cruise control! It doesn't work but it is all there. I heard those weren't too reliable and kinda dangerous so I leave it olone. The car is silver mink, silver with a hint of blue in it, pretty color. I have owned it for about 4 years now, I'm in Michigan, found it on the internet in Illinois. When I got it a lot of things didn't work, the strange thing is as I drove and used it everything started to slowly work, the 8 track and power antenna slowly started working and work fine now, I think the car just needed to be used, loved and appreciated! I've always told my kids love and take care of a car and it will take care of you, I believe cars have souls! Well, I will bore you no longer, too bad we don't live closer to each other, I would happily take to for a cruise to refresh those memories that you have. Take care! Mike
Wrist wheel was phased out because that lady clearly was frustrated by the fact she couldn't text and drive
Haha! The crazy thing about that steering is you really only needed one hand. It was really like having two tiny steering wheels that were connected. Thank you for watching!
@@RhettyforHistory yeah but can you imagine vin diesel shifting gears while holding on to one of them two little steering wheels 🤣 it'll be on the big screen before you know it
A memory trip to the past is something I enjoy. Lovely presentation 👍
Very interesting and well-made video! Thanks for your work!
Loved the swivel bucket seats that came in my 73 Monte Carlo. The dash layout was organized and uncluttered. In today's cars, many of the features (radio volume, GPS, Cell phone, BlueTooth, etc) are "touch screen" and in my opinion is a distraction. Let's go back to preset stations, bass, treble, and one knob for volume, and skip the touch screen for station, etc, etc, etc.
Thankyou for the memories I remember the back of the truck 🥳🥳😁😁
Thank you for watching Suzie!
I remember when the middle brake light came into play. It started out as an aftermarket add on. And then the auto industry caught on and now it's on every car.
Another great feature of door mounted automatic seatbelts: If your car got broadsided on the other side, you had the fun possibiity of being ejected from your car if your door came open.
I remember my grandfather had a 1979 VW rabbit that didn't have automatic belts. What it did have was an ignition cutout that wouldn't let you start the car if the driver's belt wasn't latched. I never understood why carmakers in the 80s didn't do that instead of the automated belts. Both are annoying but the ignition cutout seems safer.
Very interesting rhetty thanks for the video it's a good one buddy 🤠
Thank you for watching my friend!
Ashtrays in front, in the doors of back seat, in the console areas. As a kid it seemed ashtrays were everywhere around the car. Us kids used them as used bubblegum trays. Much more practical for backseat kids.
People also keep coins in ashtray so can use when eat at a drive-in restaurant or go through a toll booth.
@@hydrolito Oh yes! I had forgotten that.
I do miss those ash trays for storage. I also wonder how many wild fires would be prevented if people had ash trays in cars to extinguish their cigarettes rather than throwing them out the window. Thank you for watching.
I was surprised that most military cargo/transport aircraft had ashtrays at each position of the cockpit.
@@RhettyforHistory people still threw their cigarettes out, no matter how many ashtrays were in the car...
You're killing me with these puns 😅😆
There's one you didn't include, push away steering. When the car was in park the steering wheel could be pushed to the side, allowing more room to exit the vehicle. I owned a '63 Ford Galaxy 500 XL that had that feature.
I remember those annoying seatbelts growing up. They always broke and when they were stuck you could force them along the track if you were lucky.
They were really just a horrible idea. Thank you for watching!
Rhetty for History Thank you for posting! Your content is always interesting and memory lane trips are common when watching it’s great. 👍
@@RhettyforHistory i disagree, they were smart and trying to do something that protected you because wearing belts were being fought against…in the end they served their purpose and people smartened up.
i honestly never saw them as nobody in my city had them. they looked like a pain but needed, especially when so many were dying from belt-related accidents.
Boston Railfan you also have to bear in mind the fact that those seatbelt related deaths were also caused by this design of seatbelt. For one they were flimsy so in an accident they would often snap right off. Also, young children would play w them and get stuck in them which is a strangulation hazard among other hazards for children.
I thought that Chrysler's push-button transmission was kind of weird, but I suppose it worked okay. My neighbor had one, and she drove me around everywhere. This was back in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
I remember, in the mid 80s, when certain cars had voice recordings that would say things like "the door is ajar".
Ha-ha. Fantastic video. Best video I've seen in a long time.
The door umbrella has been around alot longer and can be found on many Japanese JDM vehicles from the 80's
Chrysler had the Turning Seats and even a Table Option in their Imperial model. Dodge Caliber had a Cooling location in the Glove Compartment to keep caned beverages cool. It worked with the cars AC. The Highway HiFi only had two records for the player and they only worked on that player because of the odd speed that they rotated.
Thank you for watching and sharing a little more with us.
I had a 1973 Olds 442 with swivel buckets and loved them.
These videos are so much fun! ❤️