LOST IN TIME: UNUSUAL CAR FEATURES THAT JUST DISAPPEARED

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Hello everyone! We want to thank all who have supported our channel. It's because of YOU that we keep growing. If you're not a subscriber, can you PLEASE help us out by clicking the subscribe button? We promise we won't bother you. As always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING OUR VIDEOS! - Michael J - Boca Brothers

[@jimowens381]

The window vents need to come back. They were very practical

[@CJColvin]

Exactly mate I love the vent windows in my 1996 Ford F150.

[@honestone490]

They are great for trucks but for passenger cars they usually leaked after a short while or the seal around the window deteriorated and you could then hear wind noise when sealed at higher speeds.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for watching!

[@CJColvin]

@@ThisOldCarChannel You're welcome brother

[@imrytebeehyneu]

Window vents should be a comeback cause yeah, AC are nice but are less used since it drains the battery much and my late father always open the windows which I never understand why as a kid. Now I do.

[@troynewly]

One feature absent from this list is the dimmer switch, the floor button to turn high-beams on and off.

[@elhoward7440]

That would require an additional hand control for paraplegics.

[@durwoodrobison7800]

Not really a "missing" feature but a relocated one.

[@stevebarkley2873]

Dimmer switch now is stealing column lever controlled.

[@markesanderson6381]

Always enjoy your videos! Thank you for your research and presentation. Big car buff here. There was a car prior to the 1963 Corvette that featured pop up headlights. That was the Cord 810/812 from the 1930's. They were manually cranked open and closed from inside the vehicle. Kinda cool! Thanks again - great work.

[@toddlenard7602]

A lot of my old vehicles not only had vent windows but they also had a little leaver below the dash that opened up the vents underneath the dash that would give you a huge rush of air as you're cruising down the road.

[@thevoiceofthelordpastorkei7165]

Yep, they were inside the kick panels!

[@ejohn8733]

Yes to both comments about the window vents and the kick panel vents. Very effective. I suspect, a lot of these items did not fall out of favor but rather were discontinued to save money. Usually you can Define what happened by following the money

[@jamescarrington5521]

I remember those...I had those on my 1974 Plymouth Fury "Gran Sedan," lol.

[@cruzin7749]

My 1965 Rambler has that option 😂 but it's a convertible so that's it's A/C😂

[@jamesgibbs5608]

On older cars and trucks you could open the windshield from the bottom.

[@kylebrown6951]

I just enjoy the heck out of this channel.. I remember 2 more items that went away.. The rumble seat in the station wagons that folded down into the floor and faced backwards , and the floor vents that could be opened manually that seemed to never be completly closed if opened and winter driving was cold on the toes... Thanks again for the posting 👍👍✌🍻

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Brotha Kyle! Thank you so much for the ST! We really do appreciate it. Thank you so much for watching, commenting, and supporting us man. Appreciate ya! - Boca Bros!

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

My '89 Turbo Trans Am has T-Tops, an electric antenna, CB and pop up head lights. I think the combination is cool.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

So do we! Thanks for watching!

[@realitywithmj4334]

that is a bad ass car, hope you keep it forever

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

@@realitywithmj4334 I plan to be buried in it. 😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@andrewandres148]

@@nucleargrizzly1776 I hope you got it without the Indy stickers..... Even if though, being a Grand National fan, you got the perfect world with that Intercooled queen.... And the drag coefficient is very low on those firechickens, until you flip up those headlights..... Nice ride man, dont even drive in the rain if you can help it...

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

@@andrewandres148 The Indy stickers are rolled up unused in my garage. Right where they belong. 😁😁😁

[@piotrswiat-xt8kk]

Bench seats were actually pretty cool, practical and very comfortable. To bad they're gone.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Yes they were. Thanks for watching!

[@bakgammon]

I love bench seats.

[@snowrocket]

One of the fun things about bench seats, power steering, and automatic transmissions was that you could have your date right next to you, shoulder to shoulder. You could put the car in Drive and steer with just your left hand and have your right arm around your girlfriend. Great for a casual drive around town. On particularly wide American cars, the front or rear bench seat could double as a makeshift bed for...um...sleeping or other activities. Some bench seats carried the family that other bench seats helped to create.

[@bakgammon]

@@snowrocket They give off a comfy, clean look. Too bad they got rid of most by the time I started driving.

[@TurboMountTV]

And where many lost their virginity,

[@adrianmonk4440]

Front bench seats disappearing, that's just a shame. And sometimes I miss 255 Air Conditioning. 2 vent windows, 55mph.

[@ttop64]

Speaking of antennas my '71 Malibu has the antenna in the windshield. It also has another unusual feature for its time. An air powered rear window defogger/defroster which works great. It pulls in heat from the interior and blows it on the window. This was before the defrosters of today with the wires in them.

[@jimowens381]

I had a '70 Buick Skylark that had the antenna in the windshield. The reception was so bad, it wouldn't pick up radio stations more than 4 miles away. I went to the local auto parts store and bought an exterior antenna, drilled a hole in the fender and mounted it. Problem solved!

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Oh wow! Thanks for sharing!

[@itsnotme07]

My Dad had a 1976 Buick Skylark 2 door coupe with the 1/2 Landau roof. Car was bright yellow, roof was black. Looked great, until...New England winters....by 1984, that car had rust stains all over it and the massive doors had overloaded their hinges, dropping down and making the trim get hit (and parts removed) each time the door was shut. LOL Loved me some T-Top rides! Always fun to drive around with the glass roof off. Probably why I love convertibles today. I still have a portable CB radio I bring on long trips for emergency use. My sister had a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass coupe with a swivel driver's seat. That was kinda cool.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for sharing!!!

[@jimsmalleimb7709]

The only ones of these I miss are the bench seat, the vent window, and one thing you forgot to mention... the automatic transmission column gear selector lever which took up less space in the car and was more practical to use.

[@snowrocket]

All Teslas have a column mounted gear selector.

[@jimsmalleimb7709]

@@snowrocket : Since Teslas are impractical toys built for either rich or stupid idiots, but also have no transmission, that's irrelevant.

[@tedwojtasik8781]

@@snowrocket How retro 🙂

[@snowrocket]

@@tedwojtasik8781 It's retro that it's a column shift, but the WAY it works is different than traditional column shifters. You press the button on the end to take it out of Park, which actually releases the rear brake calipers. Then you press down once to put it in Drive. You don't pull it towards you, then down to shift to Drive.

[@NewDesignVinylGraphics]

For sure. My family's spare car is a 2007 ford taurus, it's gotta be the last sedan with a bench seat and column shifter. Such a weird old school car

[@robertd8572]

Power Antenna's were around before 1960; Cadillacs had them going back to at least 1954 or earlier. They were vacuum operated, but power nonetheless. Also, pop-up head-lights go back to at least the 1930s, look at the 1936 Cord.

[@discozula4469]

These things can be looked up so easily and yet this guy posts this video-

[@smellsuperb1]

I thought the Cord had headlight door covers.

[@discozula4469]

@@smellsuperb1 The Cord had proper pop ups. The somwhat simular looking Buick Y job had covered headlights and not proper pop ups.

[@smellsuperb1]

@@discozula4469 gotcha 💯

[@KB-ke3fi]

yip we had a 1963 Caddy with automatic antenna. I was 6 years old and burned up the motor just to watch it go up and down. dad wasn't happy about that because it stuck in the down position until it finally got stolen.

[@ceasarandrepont1243]

I am 50 years of age and I remember all those features that was once popular on autobile. How the generation, culture, times, society have changed.

[@collegeman1988]

As seen in the final picture in the video, the Chrysler Córdoba came with actor Ricardo Montalban as an optional feature. Having his charismatic presence in that car made it much easier to pick up women while cruising.

[@ChrisACiufo]

Lol. Thanks for that image!

[@jrussellcase]

I could totally see Charles Napier having a CB radio in his car. 😄

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Yesssah!

[@michaelwilliams4410]

Landau roofs looked great on the Ford Mustang II Ghia, Chevrolet Monza Towne Coupe, & Pontiac Sunbird Towne Coupe! Plus, those three cars looked even better with sport mirrors & a chrome luggage rack on the trunk lid!

[@mymomsaysimcool9650]

My 78 Cutlass Supreme had most of these features. Other features that disappeared, opera windows on a coupe, cigarette lighters and ashtrays everywhere, sealed beam headlamps, under hood lamps, hood ornaments, jacks that lifted the car by the bumper, and crotch coolers (under steering column vents).

[@mymomsaysimcool9650]

@@Rick-S-6063And easy to replace when the bulb burned out. Wasn’t a big deal to align them, neither.

[@tedwojtasik8781]

Had a 73' Pontiac Grand Ville and a 76' Eldorado, both with crotch coolers and just about every feature you can imagine. I loved the color options back then both interior and exterior, much more divers than the boring crap today. The 76' Eldorado was a black convertible with a white interior, only the carpet was black. Talk about king pimpin! Only car more pimp-o-liscous than that would be the same car but with fire engine red interior including carpeting. A friend had a 77' like that and when he cruised 12th & Cicero, the Ho's all come a running for Pimp Daddy G 🙂

[@theclearsounds3911]

@@Rick-S-6063 My 1989 Honda Civic has aerodynamic headlights that are GLASS! They still look brand new. I wish they would outlaw plastic headlights, as they get dangerously dim when they yellow. However, sealed beam headlights were also dangerously dim even when they were brand new.

[@ChrisACiufo]

My 94 Lexus LS400 sedan has a crotch cooler

[@honestone490]

Remember when older cars used to have an installed compass as a premium feature? Many of us bought one at the auto parts store and secured it to the front windshield or dashboard but the manufacturer installed one was built right into the dashboard console. . . . Sweet.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Oh yes! Thanks for watching!

[@robertwillis4061]

Sat-nav takes care of that now. Mine can show a compass instead of the ' map'

[@billolsen4360]

They eliminate a lot of guess work when you're on those stupid suburban streets that curve all over the place.

[@youtubecarspottersguide1]

manual crank windows , head light bulbs [ one can buy at any auto parts store], chrome bumpers , keys that can be made at any key shop for $2.50, 3 speed Manuel '3 on the tree , 4 on the floor cassette or 8 trac tape any cars still offer a CD player ?

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for watching!

[@honestone490]

Remember when getting a 6 disc cd changer installed in the trunk was a luxury option? You’ll still find CD players in certain specific models from some manufacturers. They aren’t always standard and might need to be added as an optional upgrade.

[@kimballbenson8116]

"I love my Cordoba with it's rich, Corinthian leather. Chrysler even upholsters the trunk with Corinthian leather. Tattoo loves the leathered trunk as I often put him in it."

[@100percentSNAFU]

While this was an aftermarket part, Le Bra was actually very common in the 80's and 90's. I had one back in the day. Also the shaded headlight covers.

[@BEATNIKMACHINE]

I ran into Clint Eastwood and he owns one of these Firebird T tops and a town and country , I met him in a parking lot near the sears in Carmel and we spoke for plus minus 45 minutes about the engine and how much he loved it either way and that he and his girlfriend at the time took it on a sneaky getaway to vegas for a week back in the day. Good times he loves it and his example was in mint condition. 2nd time I met Mr Eastward first time was in the safeway parking and he was waiting for his wife to do the shopping in his typhoon that time he gave me 2 hours of his time. LOOK OUT FOR HIM IN PARKING LOTS I HAVE RUN INTO HIM 4 TIMES IN CARMEL AND HE IS A CAR GUY WITH MINT VEHICLES. he does not shop he waits in the car !

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Wow! Thanks for sharing Jim.

[@BEATNIKMACHINE]

@@ThisOldCarChannel Surprisingly I spoke to Mr Eastwood of your previous video 11:27 NOW PLAYING Watch later Add to queue WORST CARS IN U.S. HISTORY! and he said that he thought he saw one of his girlfriends in one of the adverts that you posted but he doesnt know how to rewind youtube because he watches it on his smart TV. So Clint watched your channel at some point.

[@jd3radiovoiceover565]

Love it!!! I got to experience all of those. You left out the cigarette push lighters and ash trays on the door cards, back panels, and rear of the seats. Sheesh. They were everywhere.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for the watch pops....Yes, The cigarette lighter...Damn!.

[@lancerevell5979]

They got replaced by cup holders, which were everywhere too.

[@honestone490]

What happened to Velour seats? Years back when you bought a car you had a choice of vinyl, cloth, velour or leather upholstery seats. Velour is obsolete now . However, at one time choosing plush velour interior was on par with leather seats as a luxury car option upgrade. Granted they were difficult to clean.

[@mbd501]

I remember those. They're basically fancy cloth material.

[@snowrocket]

I LOVE velour interiors and have ALWAYS thought they were better, richer looking, and felt better than leather. Leather is just "really expensive vinyl" to me. I bought a used 1989 Plymouth Grand Voyager minivan years ago and it had this beautiful red crushed velour interior. Those were NIIICE seats! I think Chrysler and Oldsmobile had the overall best velour seats in the 1970s and '80s.

[@chriszenko3598]

Lots of cars in the 1960s had push buttons they where usually made from Crome it was a nice feature

[@jasonchristopher2977]

I have a 99 Town car Cartier with that kind of landau roof, and a 07 designer town car with a full vinyl roof. I coated mine in black flex seal. looks gr8 and sealed up. They need care. They sit in sun when driven and the weather. Just like the paint, needs cleaned and protected. I love them.

[@thomasgonzalez5978]

Boca brothers, your voices are amazing. We have been blessed to be family. I miss my Z 28T tops. Yes it leaked a little, but it was worth it.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thank you brother. Those were the good old days indeed!!!

[@edpowell5754]

Benchseats, I loved them. In fact I would rather still have bench seats over buckets. With buckets your forced to sit in place but with Bench seats you have some wiggle room. Vent windows, I loved them too. I once had a car were the heated went and I opened the vent window to help clear the winshild, it was cold but it worked. I would still rather have vent windows.

[@barrya.6212]

NO JOKING....JUST YESTERDAY I discovered in my secondary backup vehicle (4x4) '95 Ford Explorer that it has a tissue dispensor built into the center console / cubbie hole area, the tissues, when present stick out forward from downward wall of slopping console, hence didn't notice it, not visible unless squatted down looking back. The Original custom Kleenex box was still in there!

[@johnmaki3046]

I had an AWESOME "power antenna" on an '84 Plymouth Reliant! It COULD NOT climb a 45-degree incline! I LIKED this "ride", though!

[@gsdvii7177]

Also gone: cigarette lighters and ashtrays. Rear seats for four in the rear of station wagons. Manual transmissions and clutch pedals. Floor-mounted high-beam switch.

[@billolsen4360]

Back in the 50s & 60s, they even had ash trays and lighters in the back seats for the kiddies.

[@petertornabeni602]

Thank you

[@tonyadams6375]

Another thing that disappeared was the jumpseat in the back of the station wagon. Either rear facing or side facing. It was my favorite place to ride as a child!

[@elhombrebilingue]

I'm so happy with my 85 Buick Lesabre. No airbags and no annoying seatbelt buzzer. The plush velour seats make it such a comfortable fun drive. ❤

[@johnmaki3046]

The cars, of this era, were CLASSIC CRUISERS!

[@grantr5417]

Another one I like on my 70s cars in addition to the vent windows was the roof drip trough. You could actually open the windows a crack in the rain and not get drenched. Now people buy the ugly plastic stick on units to keep dry. Have an 80s Laser with t-tops. Love them.

[@ayo0o0o0o0]

Back passenger pop out windows were great too for some of those 60s/ 70s vehicles without a roll option.

[@100percentSNAFU]

Many 2-door coupes of the era had pop out windows in the back between the B and C pillars. I had a '91 Escort 3-door hatch that had them. That vehicle also had automatic seat belts, which used to malfunction regularly and were terrible to have.

[@gillesjacques1022]

Another thing I don't see anymore, is the outside marker lights, had it on my chrysler cordoba. It gave the car a classy look, used to love looking at it in my rear view mirror, when I drove at night all lit up.

[@74Husky]

Cord had pop up headlamps in 1936 & 1937. Desoto had hidden headlights in 1942. Corvette was not the 1st - maybe for automatic pop ups.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Great vid!!!

[@kermann-bv8um]

Loved my T Top Camaro and Monte Carlo. The only bad thing was they got stolen a lot. Mine didn't, but a lot of others did

[@nolesy34]

I KNEW IT WAS YOU

[@valengreymoon5623]

Swivel seats, slide away steering columns.

[@honestone490]

Swivel seats are now an aftermarket option for those who suffer with mobility issues. It's amazing how times have changed.

[@schadlarry]

Bring back the pop up headlights and the bench seat, great for date night.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Yes, Bring em back Larry.

[@timheersma4708]

In the spirit of your opening picture...gone too is the "Rich Corinthian Leather"...Cordoba !😁😆😂

[@robertgastreich9846]

Thanks!

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thank you Robert!!

[@mattheweburns]

2:34 antennas for radio mold it into the windshield glass is something I’ve only seen on 80s cars

[@snowrocket]

GM had the antennae in the windshield in the 1970s.

[@spacepeanut8993]

Bring back wing windows! Great video guys! 👍👍

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thank you!!!

[@plap.]

Although there were others like the Cord rare with pop ups years prior it is interesting that the c3 Vette was the first mass car with pop up headlights and the c5 was the last, to get rid of them for the c6

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for sharing!

[@artdalby6108]

What about the '42 DeSoto?

[@thevoiceofthelordpastorkei7165]

One thing not on here that Definitely needs to come back is the Glass headlights instead of these garbage plastic lenses!!

[@paulbroderick8438]

The vent window was a real plus. prevented one from reaching for that air conditioning knob on many occasions.

[@christopherkraft1327]

Thanks for sharing this exciting list of interesting features from our automotive past!!! 👍👍🙂

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for watching Christopher!!

[@doctorhorton]

Manufacturers had a choice to implement airbags or automatic seatbelts. Eventually airbags were mandated

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Yessah! Thanks for watching.

[@74Husky]

Packard had power antennas in the early 1950's. We had a 54 Packard with one!

[@timothyharrison8953]

The Original Occupant Crash Protection Standard, auto seat belts were the interim passive restraint safety device used before the manufacturers could figure out the air bag system. Yeah, I know. GM had them available in the early seventies, but they weren't perfected.

[@willielarimer7170]

How about the foot switch for the bright lights? My dad's 1968 Dodge Dart had that

[@bruceh92]

All of these feautures were appropriate for the times. Good topic and video - creative, and unique because nobody else is making them. Hidden headlights were my fave 👍

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Couldn't agree more!

[@JoeyJr702]

Cool video. Long long ago I owned a 1989 Jaguar Vanden Plas that was equipped with those automatic seat belts. I absolutely loved the car but hated hated the power seat belt system.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Right on

[@nickj583]

in I believe it was 1989 it was required to have auto seat belts or airbags. The auto belts were used in some models until oem's could redesign vehicles to incorporate airbags. Thats why you see the majority of the auto selts from around 1989 to the mid 90's

[@randyrogers8568]

I had a 1988 Mercury with a Landau roof. It was parked outdoors for 17 years. The vinyl outlasted the paint job. It still looked good when I sold the car in 2005.

[@OLDS98]

Good video. You sort of miss some of those features. I know they have the long glass roofs on vehicles now. Some open up too. The t-tops used to look so good on many cars back in the day. The trucks are the last hold out for front bench seats now. I do miss them on sedans as there are no sedans with them anymore as you said. I feel you on the power antennas. They used to be so cool. My car has one. They were replaced as you said. It is technology and change that made things better but made these things fade away. I recall the motorized seat belts. GM had them too, but theirs were not motorized and were connected to the doors. They were used on many GM models. There were vent windows on the Lincolns and Fords well into the 80's. GM had them on its 90's C and H bodies, but they do not open. Chrysler had them well into the 70's as well. Good video. Thank you for your efforts.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thank you brother!!

[@noydb-1]

I'm sure insurance companies helped with the demise of T-Tops since they were practically guaranteed to be stolen at some point.

[@jerryjones2818]

Very entertaining. A little loose on the facts, but I suspect most of that is due to trying to keep pace. Good vid.

[@mattd9161]

Two things that comes to mind are trunk mounted luggage racks and gas fillers (Triuph, Jaguar) oh, and carburetors

[@barryhadley7659]

I always thought ,the cars that looked best with t tops ,were the 76 and 77 Cutlass 2 doors. Along with the Oldsmobile rally wheels and white letter tires.

[@mjgilbert5475]

Automatic seatbelts were a cheaper solution over airbags when regulations first required passive restraints.

[@danielhulse7140]

Passive restraint systems were mandated for a while until SRS came out. If you had the supplemental restraint system on your car, then you would lose the automatic seatbelt or PRS

[@jtreut]

There were cell phones in the 80s. People used CB radios because the were far less expensive.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

We're talking 1977. Thanks JT.

[@jtreut]

Indeed. Car phones have been around for many years. See, for example, Bogart in the 1954 movie Sabrina.

[@KB-ke3fi]

Yeah they were called the brick. Extremely expensive and didn't work half the time.

[@Diesel257]

Antennas IN the windshield were awesome. My Dad's 1980 Camaro had one.

[@johnnymula2305]

As a side note on auto seatbelts. The manufacturers had to abide by Government regulations. To either have an air bag or automatic seatbelt. It was a very hated transitional device that was thankfully short lived.

[@marvin4827]

Auto seat belts were the cheaper option until gov't safely regs mandated front air bags as standard in some markets.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for watching and sharing the info Johnny!

[@fredboat]

Thanks, Enjoyed, I remember all of these features. Started driving in 69 when I cam home.

[@markaustin4370]

No, first production car with pop up headlights was the 1936 Cord 810

[@socarboy]

Good video as always with excellent narration. The last item, the automatic seatbelt, was also in the 1989-1993 Ford Thunderbird & Mercury Cougar. I had a 1990 'bird that I got used in 1992. I kept the car 8 years, in the later years, the track for the driver's side auto belt would require lube from silicone spray it would sound like a fart when it traveled

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thank you for watching!!!

[@dondebomm6329]

Some things the video missed are the high beam floor button, the ashtrays for front and back seats, the push button exterior door handles, the under dash floor vents, the gas cap behind the rear license plate, and no one's favorite vinyl seats.

[@robertnewland8358]

I had a 1977 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser with the AC Delco 8-track, am-fm, cb, radio and a powered antenna. Fake wood panels too. 403ci, 4bbl, limited slip rear end.

[@jeffpolakiewicz2277]

Ford still trying for that windshield electric defrost.

[@billolsen4360]

Ford sold a lot of those with the first Taurus. Windshield had a gold caste to it. In Colorado with gravel spread on icy roads, those things lasted just one winter because they were too delicate to take the pebbles that lifted pickups, garbage, semi and dump trucks kicked up on the highway.

[@rondavid7413]

Yes The 86-89 Honda Accord sedan was the only sedan to feature the pop-up headlights which made it the most distinctive 4 door sporty yet high class very innovative I bought 2 '89s in '96 & '99 Put 15" wishbone rims on them drove them til '04 before going to Lexus

[@althunder4269]

Floor mounted high beam dimmer switches.

[@billolsen4360]

They never wore out. Had an 80 Mustang, one of the first Fords with the dimmer on a steering column stalk. Wore out within 60,000 miles.

[@davidhibbs6989]

The automatic seatbelts saved a lot of lives for people who refused to wear seatbelts but had no choice! Their were also lap belts in these cars as well. My father had the new redesigned 81' Toyota Cressida with this as standard equipment plus the great inline fuel injection 6cyl.

[@Scooter30FTW]

Well maybe they do before the mechanisms break and cause you to have to shoulder belt at all.

[@davidhibbs6989]

@@Scooter30FTW it was a trouble free system never had any problem with it

[@100percentSNAFU]

I had some trouble with mine. Sometimes they would malfunction and start moving back and forth, or tighten up at the wrong time. I always felt like also since you needed to manually buckle the lap belt to make them fully effective, it kind of defeated the purpose of having the shoulder belt automated to begin with.

[@davidhibbs6989]

@@100percentSNAFU it was made to keep your body inside the car so they didn't have to pick body parts off the road way. And yes I forgot the seatbelt would grab you if you started to lean forward!

[@frankdeboer1347]

Automatic seatbelts was a popular option for car manufacturers to avoid using airbags. They lobbied hard to allow these belts as an automatic safety feature in lieu of airbags. No buyers preferred them. Most of us absolutely hated them.

[@pnilz]

That's because airbags were very expensive at the time. When cost of airbags dropped they replaced automatic seatbelts immedeatly

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

thanks for sharing Frank!

[@scottarthurs6299]

Exactly. They met the "passive restraint" rules.

[@stevepowsinger733]

Automatic seatbelts: if you happened to lean forward a certain way they could catch you around the neck.

[@100percentSNAFU]

I had a car that had them. Every once in awhile they would tighten up as they were retracting into position and about strangle you when they locked into place 😂

[@HighMasters-fp1rg]

Great break on my break buffet ha😂😂😂😂😂

[@timmccreery6597]

Automatic seat belts were an early attempt by automakers to comply with the Federal Government. In 1974 all makes and models sold in the US were made with a lockout system that wouldn't let the car start if seat belts were not fastened. That was ruled unconstitutional and the systems removed, but the US Government was on the automakers to find a way to get drivers and passengers to comply. Now it's the law, and you have nagging bells and lights to remind you, plus airbags are here to stay.

[@bluesharp59]

Thumbs Up ! Wishing you a great weekend also.

[@protorhinocerator142]

3:00 I had that exact CB radio back in the day. Good CB.

[@rayknott1603]

I had a 87 Acura integra with a pop out sunroof

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Oh wow Ray!

[@MorganOtt-ne1qj]

I had an 86 TA with T top. On radius curves at speed, I could hear the seals squeeking as the body flexed.

[@lancerevell5979]

My only car with a padded vynil landau roof was also my only new car -a 1979 Mercury Monarch. Bought in 1980, traded that lemon away in 1982. It was still in good shape, though the rest of the car was garbage.

[@tallycally]

Safety be damned, I love a T-Top!!! My mother's '85 Buick Electra had a CB radio. My dad and my uncle's would talk to each other, via CB down the interstate, during summer vacation trips. Great memories!!

[@largol33t1]

When the MINI Clubman wagon came out, I thought it would look great with T-tops but they never made them available. A great opportunity wasted. This is why cars are getting worse and worse every year. One day, we will all be driving literal blobs on wheels with no steering wheels. I won't bother buying one by then...

[@KB-ke3fi]

Yeah we used to stand up on the seats coming back from a rock concert in town doing about 90. So, one bumper to bumper rear end and we could have been cut in half.

[@madusmaxamus8670]

I worked in the industry during the "T-top" years. In the trade we called the "Pee-top's" since the always leaked. In one dealership GM had to refund a person all the money that he had paid for one of those "Pee-top" cars since they could not stop it from leaking. They tried to give it to me to fix, but I refused to work on it. They were all a nightmare, and I was glad to see them go.

[@jimowens381]

The auto seat belts were awful!

[@billolsen4360]

They were once mandatory by US federal law. Universally hated, except by Ralph Nader.

[@marvin4827]

Pop up & hidden head lights were available before the 1960"s. In fact, some Cord Cars featured them In the 1930's. Pop up headlights were discontinued mainly due to pedestrian safety concerns in the event of a collision.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thanks for sharing Marvin!

[@marvin4827]

@@ThisOldCarChannel Thanks for the great video as well. Very informative.

[@michaelplunkett8059]

BUT, they were not automatic DeSoto etc al. You had to turn a crank to open them.

[@CraigJones-gu2ye]

Government regulations required automatic seat belts or air bags. Many manufactures didn't want to add air bags.

[@honestone490]

Anyone remember when some cars had wipers on their headlight? I know wipers on the rear window of SUV's was popular when they first came out but I don't see them on vehicles as much anymore either.

[@tallycally]

Yea. Mercedes (not sure which version, class..... too rich for my blood) had wipers on the headlights.

[@billolsen4360]

We had a used Audi with nozzles the squirted washer fluid onto the headlamps. Was one of the few things on that car that worked. It was such a streamlined and beautiful car, we didn't anything could ever go wrong with it, lol.

[@snowrocket]

Rear washer/wipers are still very common on SUVs and hatchback vehicles in the USA.

[@georgeford6439]

Pop up headlights were not a standard feature on the 911.

[@billolsen4360]

Yup, never were. 914 & 924 only as I recall. And 928's had laid-back headlamps, I guess to collect bird poop on the lenses during daylight hours

[@snowrocket]

Correct! You had to get a 935-style slant-nose conversion done or buy the later factory slant-nose to get the pop-up headlights in a 911 variant.

[@alpine1600s]

8:15 the auto shoulder belt was also a NHSTA pet peeve, by the 90's regulations were passed to mandate either air bags or the automatic shoulder belt. Seat belts are still the number one safety feature in cars. Air bags have actually taken lives. 🤦‍♂️

[@ricklundeen2722]

i had an olds cutless that had t tops, and mag wheels, bucket seats--- i loved that car

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

I hated those automatic seat belts so much that I literally cut them out of my car!

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Me too!

[@KB-ke3fi]

Me too I kept getting my beer caught in the stupid thing.

[@Tony-hx2fj]

sure miss the bench front seat , so your sweetie could sit right next to you or even get more intimate. Really miss the front seats that laid flat like Rambler Ambassador, "Roving Motel" Had lots and lots of fun with mine during my dating years in the late '60s . They would be great today with all of the homeless living in their cars, although station wagons would work great for them if a van is not wanted.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

I hear you on that one Tony...hehe!

[@travisbryant444]

don’t forget vinyl seat wraps, mudflats and static straps, curb finders, ash trays, suicide doors, chain latch tailgates.

[@HighMasters-fp1rg]

That's a good way to get me in the car😂😂😂😂

[@ComeJesusChrist]

I was waiting for that car boot tent to come up!

[@joeg3741]

My brother is an attorney. He sued GM over their automatic seat belts. He managed to prove in court that GM knew that the shoulder belts (if no lap belts were used) could throw the driver or passenger out of the car if the door opened ( on a rollout) .