Call me old-fashioned. But when it comes to newer vehicles versus classics, I really miss many of the oldsters’ features and simplicity.
The last rig that I enjoyed for its lack of technology was a bare-bones 1977 Toyota pickup. It was so unadorned, that it came with a manual tranny, “armstrong” steering, bias-ply tires, a bench seat with no more than three inches of padding, and controls that a child could comprehend. It was such an honest and reliable street truck that most problems could be fixed with a pliers and screwdriver.
Recalling that truck brings to mind some car features that really made sense in their time. In many respects, I think this items should be re-introduced. Here’s my short list that maybe you can add to, in the comments section below:
Vent windows.
Sometimes referred to as “poor man’s air conditioning”, these vents were an extremely efficient means of moving the breeze. On some of them, you just released the locking pin to swing them open, while others featured their own hand crank. (Smokers loved them).
Floor-mounted headlight dimmers.
These little button-like switches allowed the driver to dim the headlights while keeping both hands on the wheel. When they malfunctioned, they were easy and inexpensive to replace. They became obsolete when domestic manufacturers adopted the European-style, stalk-mounted control, which are expensive to repair.
Full-size spare tires.
The downsizing trend spelled the end of large trunk space in sedans, so someone came up with the idea of a “doughnut” spare which was only for emergencies. Worse yet are run-flat tires (I speak from experience). These may be acceptable in most circumstances, but there’s nary a spare in the trunk. If you get a nail puncture, the tire can’t be repaired. Instead of a quick and inexpensive patch, you could be forking out $300 for a replacement tire. And what do you do if there’s not a tire store within 200 miles? Ugh.
Large round knobs for AC and radio control.
Driven a new car lately? With computers and smart phones ruling the day, many of these functions are controlled with the same style of teeny buttons and touch-screens. Only savants can make adjustments without taking their eyes off the road. I like dashboard and radio controls that were simple and straight forward, like the ones in a ’57 T-Bird (shown in the header image of this article).
Curb feelers.
Curb feelers. Remember those spring-like attachments that you could mount to the curb-side rocker panels? These saved many a hubcap or rim by sounding a “twang” warning that you were getting too close to the curb. Carmakers are adding high-tech sensors all around cars, but it’s hard to beat this inexpensive solution for avoiding costly rim refinishing. Plus, they’re a great conversation piece.
Dashboard-mounted prisms.
These little gadgets were popular in the 1940s and 1950s when huge exterior sun visors were in style. If you happened to be first in line at a traffic signal, the visor’s overhang made it hard to watch the signal change from red to green. The prism reflected the light’s image to the driver’s line of sight. Think of it as an early version of today’s heads-up windshield displays. I’ve driven newer coupes and sports cars with short, narrow windshields. The prism would help those cars in city driving.
