Fad and/or Options that quickly Faded

[Dennis Kirban]

Not sure if anyone mentioned these yet:

-- Flip down headlights

-- Those cheezy wipers that Mercedes put on their front headlights

-- Most annoying fads for me are the under glow lights and spinner rims.

-- Cool feature on my Audi was when I put the key in the door and turned it a certain way... all the windows would roll up and the sunroof would close. I LOVED that.

Your rite about the Audi....I had a few of them and at first never realized that....also some of the Audis or perhaps all of them with the heated seta option has SIX (6) positon heated seats most cars at best have 2 or 3....us old guys love that feature.

I have owned a 2001 S4, a 1995 90 model, 01 TT, and a 2003 A4....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[Dennis Kirban]

switch pitch converters
clutchamatics.
floor mounted dimmer switches and another one beside it to change radio stations.

My youth most cars had the floor mounted dimmer switch actually liked that method....also had a few vehicles to crank the truck you had to depress the gas pedal.

In my day you did not have to have you r foot on the brake to go into other gears.....
Some automatic cars Caddy for example....did not have a park feature! Seat belts were unheard of....

When I was selling GTOs in the late 1970s and early 1980s I used to take the seat belts out of the cars as they looked ugly laying on the seats.....

My day one person could lift out a regular bucket seat....today if the bucket seat has a heating element, a cooling element and air bags takes 2 guys to lift it!

Be interesting in a few years with electric cars...no one in the promotion has brought up the fact just how heavy the battery pack is in those cars...some places I have read they cost like $3500 to replace....(a used car nitemare!). You know they gotta be heavy.....

Anyone know the typical weight of one of those batteries?

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[joemama]

Crown air freshners that would sit in the package tray areas.

Lighted winshield squirters and valve stem caps.

 

[fubar2.5]

Starter button under the gas pedal. That was fun if you set it up so it would start in gear.

 

[Dennis Kirban]

Great reading...

the stick figures of families I just now start seeing them....along the same lines I see decals on rear windows IN MEMORY OF......such and such family member passing...

the roll down rear glass....that was on a certain model Mercury late 1950s....may have been called the turnpike cruiser....

Concerning T-Tops....For in their Fox body Mustangs eliminated them after a few years....I think around 1991.....any Buick Turbo owner can understand why...

With my Hurst background....not sure if they were the first in the 1970s but they had a design called Hurst/Hatch.....made popular on the F bodies....

I actually have the instruction manual on how to cut a roof and install a set of Hurst Hatches.....not sure how many car owners would want to attempt that on a Saturday afternoon project.....definately something you want to measure twice and cut once!

I have seen several turbo regals that unfortunately have aftermarket T Tops...they would not have the proper code on the trunk label and the interior area is alot different since it lacks the plastic factory trim. Tops are shorter front to back meaning you have more metal above the windshield. Not to mention darn near impossible to get weatherstripping for it.

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[Dennis Kirban]

Another thought....

Just after our cars were built the first style bag phones were coming out....some where actually dealer options as I bought one years ago...some Buick models had them in 1987-88 think it may have depended on where you live because of cell towers or lack of cell towers?

High end cars such as BMWs had them in the center consoles....in the Buicks I think they were like a $1,000 option plus monthly fees....

I should have kept the one I had it was brand new. Some of you Buick experts can probably research that.....

Sometimes if you watch a move made in the late 1980s or so you see these hand held phones how big they were in the day....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[Dan Buick Man]

Weird, I saw a baby on board sign about an hour before reading this thread and thought wow, haven't seen one of those in a long time. Thankfully.

Solid Centerline rims were pretty big when I was in high school.

Off topic, but I also saw a help wanted sign at the local Office Depot. Haven't seen one of those around here in a long time.

 

[turboc87gn]

Crown air freshners that would sit in the package tray areas.

Lighted winshield squirters and valve stem caps.

Did you ever see when people removed the third brake light and stuck the bulb in the crown to make it light up!!!

 

[Nasty Wendy]

What about those Radio Shack tweeters sitting on the rear deck?

 

[terik.m]

People hanging a set of rubber n*ts from the bumper is just wrong. The other day I saw a girl with a set of rubbers boobs hanging from her bumper. WTH is going on?

 

[terik.m]

Also swivel seat are still an option on big trucks.

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe certain Cutlass Supremes from the 70s had them too.

Oh and sadly...stretched tires are making a comeback from the 80s.

 

[GSX-PKV]

How about all the douchebagss that drive around with the balls hanging on the trailor hitch. I can't wait for that fad to end. Pickles!

+1 I think that's a hillbilly thing.

 

[Dennis Kirban]

+1 I think that's a hillbilly thing.

I don't know if its strictly a hillbilly thing or not as I see them on hitches on trucks in my area as well.

Can you imagine someone sitting around thinking up that idea and getting them made? My guess is their earlier project was the pet rock......

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[Dennis Kirban]

Here is one that has not yet been mention that is kind neat on appeared mostly on high end cars in the day.

See how many others you can add to this list.

I am referring to the exhuast exiting in the rear bumper.

Caddy did it I think 1954-56 models....(I know 1956 as my Mom had one)

Early Corvettes had them

I not sure but I believe also the high dollar Lincoln Mark something around 1957?

Course the GSX Buick around 1970 had it as an option?

Sure experts can chirp in with more exact years/cars/facts and perhaps photos. I know one thing having the exhaust exit through the bumper makes it expensive to restore.

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[1 QWIK 6]

Little dog in the back window with the eyes that lit up with the brake lights??

 

[GNflyby]

Anyone remember these bad boys... BIG PIMPIN!!!

 

[chopped39]

Does my ex-wife count. She came and went pretty quick:biggrin:
What about port holes on fenders. Where I am at they have them on Honda's
How about stick on flames

 

[John Wilde]

People hanging a set of rubber n*ts from the bumper is just wrong. The other day I saw a girl with a set of rubbers boobs hanging from her bumper. WTH is going on?

Terik,

She is showing them off, while she saves money to get them installed...
You are close enough to the San Fernando Valley to know this. =)

 

[Vampire]

Here is one that has not yet been mention that is kind neat on appeared mostly on high end cars in the day.

I am referring to the exhaust exiting in the rear bumper.

Aren't the new Camaro's sorta doing that?

(Damn, what a good-looking car!)


Oh I have another one. The triple-headlamp front end, where the center headlamp would change direction according to where the car was pointing. It was actually pretty forward thinking...just ugly as all hell. Some modern luxury cars are accomplishing the same thing now by activating auxiliary lamps during cornering, just without the retarded cyclops-look.

1950's Tucker

Oh...and these!

 

[psycho6cyl]

Who remembers the looongg rear view mirror w 10 smaller mirrors on it? Those were ugly looking..