Fad and/or Options that quickly Faded

[Nasty Wendy]

How about some levelor blinds for the back window?

 

[Dennis Kirban]

What about the early A/C. The ice box hanging out the rear window - ram airconditioning. I saw one on a Buick a couple years back at a car show.

The little fold out windows in front....the kind you hung your smoke out of.

Rear facing station wagon seats.

Ash trays in the back of the front seats.

Gas prices

not really a fad but WISHFUL THINKING INSTEAD!

Your one response reminded me of the swival front bucket seat some models had in the 1970s Monte Carlo I think and Chrsyler may have had one.

Thunderbird 1963 vintage had the swing away steering column.

I am going by memory on my approximate years on options.....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[Nasty Wendy]

Last one for me tonight.

 

[Dennis Kirban]

How about some levelor blinds for the back window?

Dead on.....you come up with all these photos makes me think you own all these and they are sitting in your yard waiting for a rebirth in popularity! kidding....

You still see some today on cars but very very few....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[Dennis Kirban]

Here is one that is probably the stupidest one I have personally seen on a car. I wish I had taken a photo of it but I didn;t years ago.

It was a foreign sports car can't meber what make maybe a Miata had a factory hardtop on it...the removeable one.

The guy I assume a guy....had actually cut the factory removeable hardtop and installed a pop up sunroof/astroroof.....in this removeable hardtop.....

One sure way to destroy any value in a factory hardtop....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[turbo nasty]

Chrome tape somewhere on the car be it letters, etc

Windshield wipers with the spoilers on them

Light glow under the car

Neon light around the rear plate

Mercedes "Hammer" style rims

Tri fi chevys had the prismatic traffic light viewer as an option on the dash

Aftermarket Wood grain steering wheels

Kraco, Jensen and Sparkomatic speakers from Western auto, Kmart, etc.

 

[draggin61]

I remember the caddies in the 60's had the auto dimming headlights. When it worked it was pretty cool. I am surprised they don't still make them.

Another would be the FM converters we used to plug into our Am only cars from the 60's and 70's. We would then add a cheapo 8 track player, lol. The Am -8 tracks were available into the early 70's, am-fm was better.

How about the tiger tail hanging from your gas cap lid, the old "put a tiger in your tank".

I sure remember the days of air shocks and wide tires. Before that was setting the front up and the back down.

Wide oval 70's.

mood lights inside the car.

 

[turbo nasty]

I remember the caddies in the 60's had the auto dimming headlights. When it worked it was pretty cool. I am surprised they don't still make them.

The turbo regals had that option it was the twilight sentennial (spelling?) option

 

[Pronto]

Gulf gas stations in the 60s had orange plastic horseshoes that had sticky tape to put on the car. They went along with the logo "Gulf gas kicks".

 

[CamoDeafie]

for me..

wood grain vinyl siding. recently reintroduced with the PT Cruiser.

short lived fad for my time"? hmm. gonna have to say the square headlights on hot rods/street rods.....
oh yeah early 90s-mid 90s, due to the late Boyd Coddingtons Smoothster, the smooth everything down cept hte body lines and paint it all one color! fad.
I still see the jacked up high rear low front with huge tire fad here, not as many as used to, but it happens with the trucks and muscle cars....

another shortlived fad; window shades that you have to pull down and stick velcro on.

Garfield hanging on the window

full width bench seats in front, I don't think today there exist any sedan or coupe with such an option!
as recently as 2004, hyundai offered cassette players by the way.

spinning hubcaps. thank god that didnt last long..but i STILL see spinning things in rims dammit.


the lace, cobweb, panel fading, special effect paints, is still popular with the Lowrider crowd out here.

cartoonified bugs. (there's one that's had a foot and half sectioned length, section used to be the middle! extrememly SHORT wheelbase lol)

the Pro Street with back half and tube chassis and supposedly street able engines....
i think i;'ve only seen a backhalfed tube chassis FWD car with a rear axle that was a replica of the rear differential, but is not operable...stupid no?

lamp black out covers. used ot be there ws a kit for every model possible, but they no longer are popular.....some still use them as it was a quick way to aero the front (see multiple examples on this here forum lol)
bolt on chin spoilers in black, kind of like the Gurney racers.

 

[Chris Wh1]

Half moon headlight covers

 

[terik.m]

Half moon headlight covers

Those are still cool on lowriders.

 

[ffzfd186]

What about the bug shields of the 90's that had the little man peeking out from behind it

 

[troGNman]

- Anodized gold emblems and badges on Lexus and Infinitis.

- The fake convertible top on 2-door coupes, i.e. Lincoln Mark V's.

- The baja look for pickups with double-hoop roll bars with light rack and tube bumpers and bed-mounted spare tire.

- Corvette taillight kits for Chevy full-size and s-10 pickups.

- Fake portholes.

 

[EVIL]

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!

 

[Dennis Kirban]

Have to read them later but probably getting enough that would make a book for someone!

here is 2 I thought of driving to work this am...

think they were called port a walls the fake wide whitewall inserts

also the early 1970s funky looking sun coupes on Skylarks forrunner to the astro roof... was a fold up top for the roof....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[BuickMike]

Ok, let me think here from my childhood (80's). I'll throw in some 90's too.

5 panel Wink mirrors
Night Rider style third brake lights
Roll bars with KC Highlights
Enkie directionals were on everything.
In the 90's it was the 5 star rims.
13" x 10" Daytons on every econo box in LA
Huge wind deflectors on the front windows
Ridiculous tint strip on the windshield
Fake convertible tops
Air shocks
Bug deflectors
Slant nose Porsches
Hypertech chips
Pull out headunits
Blue headlights
Neon under the car
Tweed custom interior
Digital dashes
Sheepskin seat covers
and..
Quality USA made car audio components.

oh..and my '59 LeSabre has the starter engage when you tap the gas pedal.

 

[1quick6]

A list from my youth:

1. Baby on board signs
2. Do it yourself window tint. The purplish hue with bubbles was hot.
3. Oakley sticker in the rear window (yes, it was the first thing I added to my 1985 Monte Carlo LS)
4. The big knob on the steering wheel to make it easier to turn with one hand
5. Add on driving lights for cars that didn't even have it as an option from the factory (yeah, my 79 Chevette had them baby. Western Auto specials)
6. People with blackwalls painting the letters white with a paint marker
7. Windshield banners with the car make. I still hate these today. I don't walk around with a DUDE sticker on my forehead.
8. Using Western Auto flex pipe instead of constructing a real exhaust system
9. Musical horns
10. Sitting 6x9 speakers on the rear deck without enclosures
11. Back OFF mudflaps with Yosimete Sam

The fads that I dislike today, but am thankfully seeing less of is anything inspired by Fast and Furious.

 

[Pronto]

Convertable kits for 80's S10s.
Big billboard decals that went on the rear quarters that said "Chevy"
Thrush sidepipes
Header mufflers

 

[sullen]

I've seen the in car record players before.

i want one!

vinyl is still the best