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Should car companies bring back the old day?
That New Cars Should Have
Wouldn't it be great if some of the features that made old cars neat could be fitted to today's cars and trucks? Personality--and reliability--all in the same package? A car that starts up every time, never stalls, and doesn't leak or sprout rust before the note's paid off--but which isn't just another magnificently well-engineered--and completely boring--appliance?
Granted, it's pretty much impossible to graft Harley Earl-style '59-Caddy fins onto an '05 Malibu--for taste's sake, not to mention the problem of making it past government bumper-impact/impalement standards. But there's no reason why some of the best features of the past couldn't be retrofitted to the cars of today.
For example:
Wing-vent windows: Before air conditioning became common, cars had vent windows that canted outward to provide a cooling (and deflected) breeze as you drove. Without vent windows, your only choice is to roll down the windows and get a hair-mussing windstorm--or crank up the air conditioner. Bringing back wing-vent windows would add a retro touch--and functionality--to modern cars.
High-beam button on the floorboard. A great idea that's gone away and ought to be brought back. It's much more convenient, when you want high beam, to just tap your left foot instead of having to fidget with a multifunction stalk that turns on the windshield wipers every other time instead of the brights--or engages some other function you weren't looking for and didn't want. In the hands (or feet, as the case might be) of any competent driver, a floorboard button switch is faster--and thus safer--to hit than the stalk-type. People who have a problem "accidentally" turning on their brights with a floor-mounted button are the type who also "accidentally" hit the gas when they want the brake--and drive through the local donut shop's plate-glass window. Instead of idiot- (and lawyer-) proofing new cars, automakers should stick with solutions that are simple--and work.
Rotary knobs and levers for the air conditioner. Certain functions are not improved by making their operation more complex than it needs to be. Turning a dial or knob from "cold" to "hot" is a lot less hassle than punching in a number and fiddling with a digital display, "touch screen," or "mouse input" to get the fan to work. You can walk around the block to cross the street, too, if you like--it just doesn't get the job done any faster. And down the road--when stuff begins to not work--it's a sure bet you'll spend less in time, hassle, and money to replace a broken knob or cable than you will for a new ECU, flat-screen display, or "mouse input."
Cool-design steering wheels. Air bags have all but ruined what used to be one of the most expressive features of a new car. The highly individualized spokes and horn buttons of the past have been replaced by a generic, bulging plastic housing for the air bag--the only "safety" device, incidentally, that is known to have killed several hundred people and injured thousands more. On aesthetic grounds alone, air bags should be made optional equipment for those who don't mind risking torn retinas and snapped vertebrae--not to mention the sure bet of an eyesore steering wheel.
That New Cars Should Have
Bench seats/low-back buckets. It's easy to sit three across--or "two cozy"--when you've got a bench seat instead of the rump-cradling "sport buckets" used in everything from Ferraris to minivans. There's a lot to be said for being able to slide across a seat without having to climb over a center console. It's easier to get in and out, too. Low-back seats may be a whiplash risk--and far from ideal for an autocross or any sort of high-g cornering--but there's nothing like being able to spread out like in the good old days--one hand on the wheel, the other draped casually over the top of the seat back. Like a double bacon cheeseburger, sometimes things that may not be totally safe are a heckuva lot more enjoyable--and thus worth the risk. In any case, it ought to be up to car buyers--not professional busybodies who nag the government to peck at the automakers on behalf of "consumers."
Brand-correct engines. There was a time when you bought a Buick--and got a Buick-built engine, not a generic "GM" power plant identical to the ones powering Chevys and Pontiacs (brands which also once had their own unique engines, too). Sure, it's more cost-effective to use the same engine in multiple vehicles--but you do so at the cost of soul. The best example of this is the new GTO, a fierce performer that's quicker and faster than any classic-era GTO of the 1960s. But its Chevy-sourced engine and bland styling make it sound, feel, and drive just like a Corvette or Camaro--nothing like the 389 Tri-Power "Goats" of the good old days. A Pontiac should have a Pontiac engine--otherwise it's just a Chevy in drag.
Chrome bumpers. We haven't seen them on passenger cars in decades. Instead, new cars uniformly get body color "fascias" made of urethane or some other plastic composite material instead of the impact- and dent-resistant chrome and steel that used to be industry norm. The "bumperless" design may look good in the showroom--but it's as vulnerable as Michael Jackson in prison out in the real world. Even minor fender-benders can result in hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in accident damage. And painted bumpers invariably chip and scuff within just a few years--uglifying the car and hurting its resale value. Old-style chrome bumpers not only offered much better protection, they looked great, too--setting off the cars lines, demarcating the front and rear ends from the rest of the vehicle, adding flash. They still look great on trucks--and would look great on cars, too
That New Cars Should Have
Wouldn't it be great if some of the features that made old cars neat could be fitted to today's cars and trucks? Personality--and reliability--all in the same package? A car that starts up every time, never stalls, and doesn't leak or sprout rust before the note's paid off--but which isn't just another magnificently well-engineered--and completely boring--appliance?
Granted, it's pretty much impossible to graft Harley Earl-style '59-Caddy fins onto an '05 Malibu--for taste's sake, not to mention the problem of making it past government bumper-impact/impalement standards. But there's no reason why some of the best features of the past couldn't be retrofitted to the cars of today.
For example:
Wing-vent windows: Before air conditioning became common, cars had vent windows that canted outward to provide a cooling (and deflected) breeze as you drove. Without vent windows, your only choice is to roll down the windows and get a hair-mussing windstorm--or crank up the air conditioner. Bringing back wing-vent windows would add a retro touch--and functionality--to modern cars.
High-beam button on the floorboard. A great idea that's gone away and ought to be brought back. It's much more convenient, when you want high beam, to just tap your left foot instead of having to fidget with a multifunction stalk that turns on the windshield wipers every other time instead of the brights--or engages some other function you weren't looking for and didn't want. In the hands (or feet, as the case might be) of any competent driver, a floorboard button switch is faster--and thus safer--to hit than the stalk-type. People who have a problem "accidentally" turning on their brights with a floor-mounted button are the type who also "accidentally" hit the gas when they want the brake--and drive through the local donut shop's plate-glass window. Instead of idiot- (and lawyer-) proofing new cars, automakers should stick with solutions that are simple--and work.
Rotary knobs and levers for the air conditioner. Certain functions are not improved by making their operation more complex than it needs to be. Turning a dial or knob from "cold" to "hot" is a lot less hassle than punching in a number and fiddling with a digital display, "touch screen," or "mouse input" to get the fan to work. You can walk around the block to cross the street, too, if you like--it just doesn't get the job done any faster. And down the road--when stuff begins to not work--it's a sure bet you'll spend less in time, hassle, and money to replace a broken knob or cable than you will for a new ECU, flat-screen display, or "mouse input."
Cool-design steering wheels. Air bags have all but ruined what used to be one of the most expressive features of a new car. The highly individualized spokes and horn buttons of the past have been replaced by a generic, bulging plastic housing for the air bag--the only "safety" device, incidentally, that is known to have killed several hundred people and injured thousands more. On aesthetic grounds alone, air bags should be made optional equipment for those who don't mind risking torn retinas and snapped vertebrae--not to mention the sure bet of an eyesore steering wheel.
That New Cars Should Have
Bench seats/low-back buckets. It's easy to sit three across--or "two cozy"--when you've got a bench seat instead of the rump-cradling "sport buckets" used in everything from Ferraris to minivans. There's a lot to be said for being able to slide across a seat without having to climb over a center console. It's easier to get in and out, too. Low-back seats may be a whiplash risk--and far from ideal for an autocross or any sort of high-g cornering--but there's nothing like being able to spread out like in the good old days--one hand on the wheel, the other draped casually over the top of the seat back. Like a double bacon cheeseburger, sometimes things that may not be totally safe are a heckuva lot more enjoyable--and thus worth the risk. In any case, it ought to be up to car buyers--not professional busybodies who nag the government to peck at the automakers on behalf of "consumers."
Brand-correct engines. There was a time when you bought a Buick--and got a Buick-built engine, not a generic "GM" power plant identical to the ones powering Chevys and Pontiacs (brands which also once had their own unique engines, too). Sure, it's more cost-effective to use the same engine in multiple vehicles--but you do so at the cost of soul. The best example of this is the new GTO, a fierce performer that's quicker and faster than any classic-era GTO of the 1960s. But its Chevy-sourced engine and bland styling make it sound, feel, and drive just like a Corvette or Camaro--nothing like the 389 Tri-Power "Goats" of the good old days. A Pontiac should have a Pontiac engine--otherwise it's just a Chevy in drag.
Chrome bumpers. We haven't seen them on passenger cars in decades. Instead, new cars uniformly get body color "fascias" made of urethane or some other plastic composite material instead of the impact- and dent-resistant chrome and steel that used to be industry norm. The "bumperless" design may look good in the showroom--but it's as vulnerable as Michael Jackson in prison out in the real world. Even minor fender-benders can result in hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in accident damage. And painted bumpers invariably chip and scuff within just a few years--uglifying the car and hurting its resale value. Old-style chrome bumpers not only offered much better protection, they looked great, too--setting off the cars lines, demarcating the front and rear ends from the rest of the vehicle, adding flash. They still look great on trucks--and would look great on cars, too
I miss the air vents the most personally. Smoking in the car is much more difficult........
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