# What car was this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 7, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065 "2022-02-07T18:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/21 "2022-02-08T21:52:52Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > One of my sisters owned an Opel GT when I was in kindergarten. Most cars with hidden headlights either lift the headlights or the headlight covers; the GT’s headlights rotate. The Opel GT was a beautiful car. Yes, it was under-motorized and the poor man’s Corvette, but what a wonderful design! ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/22 "2022-02-08T22:11:59Z")
That’s really cool. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/23 "2022-02-08T22:15:06Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I had a 1974 Cutlass whose bucket seats swiveled, so you could rotate 90° to get out. Of course, my vague memory is that the door wouldn’t close until you returned it to position, so that was less cool. lol. There’s a video for everything. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/f1V0wEgWXqk/hqdefault.jpg "The New Olds Cutlass with the New Swivel Bucket seats") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1V0wEgWXqk) ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/24 "2022-02-08T22:22:05Z")
An old friend ('s father) had a **[Maserati Khamsin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maserati_Khamsin)** – a _beautiful_ sports car. It had a unique feature that should probably be standard on every car: a “city/country” switch for the horn(s): [![](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/PlUAAOSwFIVaylBT/s-l400.jpg) ](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/PlUAAOSwFIVaylBT/s-l400.jpg) “City” was a RoadRunneresque beep. “Country” was dual air horns. I think (YouTuber) Mark Rober contrived something equivalent (and then some): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lv8wqnk_TsA/maxresdefault.jpg "NICEST Car Horn Ever- DIY") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv8wqnk_TsA) ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/25 "2022-02-08T22:30:19Z")
The only nifty feature my '70 Ford Maverick had was a foot pump window washer squirter. The grooviest feature my loaded 2013 Elantra GT had wasn’t its panoramic sunroof, Bluetooth, heated seats, or refrigerated glove box. It was its backup camera! It was hidden under the badge on the hatchback, which flipped up when the shifter hit reverse. Never had a problem with rain or dew! I think someone should create a coffee table book featuring all the ways manufacturers used to hide gas caps. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/26 "2022-02-08T22:33:29Z")
That’s not stock. They originally operated via a big lever in front and to the left of the shifter. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/27 "2022-02-08T22:44:00Z")
The Porsche 911 had an external oil filler cap for oil changes in 1972. They dropped it for 1973 because it looked identical to the gas filler cap on the front fender, and chaos ensued. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/28 "2022-02-08T22:50:08Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > That’s not stock. They originally operated via a big lever in front and to the left of the shifter. Yeah, the owner motorized the system rather than relying on the manually-operated cable system. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/29 "2022-02-08T22:50:35Z")
Ok, I see this OP has 27 replies ATM, so I’m sure someone has answered this correctly, but I’m going to guess before reading through the thread. My guess? An early 80’s Subaru – the ones (GL?) that had a small flip-up headlight in the center of the grill. Actually, the light had a little cover that flipped up. The light itself didn’t move. My father owned one of those and I remember it fondly. And since it’s the only car I’m aware of that has 3 headlights (there are likely others), that’s what I’m going with. Now lets go check and see what the answer is. Edit: bingo. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/30 "2022-02-08T22:59:21Z")
> [@2\_More\_Bits](#): > > Perhaps this can turn into a thread about cars that had (or have) particularly novel features My first car was a '75 VW bus. Total hippiemobile. It had a windshield washer reservoir that was powered by air pressure: there was a little air nipple somewhere in the footwell of the passenger compartment and the idea was to fill up an air reservoir that would expel the washer fluid out when you activated a switch. Mine never worked. But the heater did, which apparently is a rarity. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/31 "2022-02-08T23:30:05Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > It had a windshield washer reservoir that was powered by air pressure: there was a little air nipple somewhere in the footwell of the passenger compartment and the idea was to fill up an air reservoir that would expel the washer fluid out when you activated a switch. Mine never worked. But the heater did, which apparently is a rarity. One of my brothers owned a '49 Jeep Pickup that somebody had painted camouflage. He mostly used it to haul his wares around to the local hamfests, flea markets, etc. That thing ran so hot he didn’t even need the heater. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/32 "2022-02-08T23:46:43Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > An old friend ('s father) had a **[Maserati Khamsin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maserati_Khamsin)** – a _beautiful_ sports car. _Khamsin_ is Arabic for “50”, and is what they call the hot winds that blow for 50 days. It’s one of the few facts I know about that part of the world. I had a 1971 Plymouth Sport Suburban station wagon that had hidden headlights. They were behind a pair of doors that made a loud banging noise when they closed. Within about two hears, one of the doors quit operating and I had to disable them both in the open position (couldn’t afford to get it fixed). The first car I drove on a consistent basis was a 1960 Rambler Super. The only real thing they were noted for is that the front seats could fold flat and create a bed inside the car (insert knowing teen snickering here). We actually used it for that when camping. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/33 "2022-02-08T23:52:49Z")
It wasn’t a third headlight, strictly speaking, but the earlier generations of the Mercury Sable had a sort of light bar connecting the two headlights, giving it somewhat the appearance of a very wide single headlamp across the front of the car. You can see it at [this](https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1986-95-mercury-sable) link. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/34 "2022-02-09T00:14:51Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > The GIF above is a little creepy. Alien almost… Yes. It reminded me of [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6iF5sINVns&t=78s): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/K6iF5sINVns/maxresdefault.jpg "The Day the Earth Stood Still (2/5) Movie CLIP - Gort Appears (1951) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6iF5sINVns&t=78s) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/35 "2022-02-09T00:30:21Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > It had a unique feature that should probably be standard on every car: a “city/country” switch for the horn(s): I remember seeing the city/countyy horns in one of Doug DiMuro’s car review videos, I think the Aston Martin Lagonda. I gather that a number of high end European cars had that feature back in the day. > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > I think (YouTuber) Mark Rober contrived something equivalent (and then some): My former coworker’s Chevy Volt had a “pedestrian horn” that sounded a lot like his courtesy horn. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/36 "2022-02-09T01:22:28Z")
Swivel seats reminded me of a box truck at work that the boss decided to customize so it would fit four passengers. So we moved the dividing wall between cab and cargo back about seven feet, and then he sprung for fully swivelable (well, it’s a word now) seats, and a little table that could be set up in the middle. When four of us were transporting equipment (and ourselves to set it up and use it) across the country, the front passenger would swivel around, the back seats would swivel toward the center, and we’d kill a lot of long-haulin’ time with an assortment of board games. The most interesting part of this: Whenever we played a word game, whoever was driving would chime in, trying to guess words based on the other players’ guesses. One of my best memories was a game of Boggle where Driver Dave mentally constructed the complete board, and would call out words like _“Thank!”_ “HOW the hell did you DO that?” “Well, DJ just got _Ankle_, then Sharon yelled _Math,_ which meant, because the first word was Pants, that A has to be the center letter, surrounded by H, N, M and P…” Guy was a genius, and he’s a doctor now. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/37 "2022-02-09T02:29:18Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > We had a 1968 Cougar whose headlights were hidden until you clicked the button, and then like a James Bond vehicle the covers flipped up. Heheh, I had a '69 cougar. The headlight doors were pulled down by vacuum and held open by springs. When it had a vacuum leak, it would look like it was slowly waking up while it was parked. > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Early Mercury Cougar with sequential turn signals: Hehehe, the same Cougar had the relay board for the taillights wear out, so they would just flash randomly on one side like a Christmas tree on mine. The other thing odd about that half year of Cougar was that Ford had decided on glue-in windows for the Mustang and Cougar. They would soon become un-glued. This happened fast enough that Ford seemed to discontinue the practice after a half of the model year. The original glue would never hold for long. Black urethane used in its place held for years until I sold the car. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/38 "2022-02-09T18:40:27Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Obviously the Tucker. An interesting feature of the Tucker was that the center light swiveled with the steering wheel, to illuminate the direction you were turning. The Citroen DS also had lights that turned, in their case the regular two lights, not a separate center light. Except the ones sold in the US lacked that feature, because US regulations didn’t allow it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/39 "2022-02-09T18:49:12Z")
I know my mother-in-law’s Suburu from about five years ago has something Suburu calls “steering responsive headlights” that swivel (or otherwise re-aim)l when you make a turn. Threw me off guard the first few times I noticed them working while driving her car. I have no idea whether this is a feature seen on a lot of cars these days or is particular to the Suburu, but that’s the only time I’ve come across it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065/40 "2022-02-09T19:01:48Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > The Citroen DS also had lights that turned, in their case the regular two lights, not a separate center light. Except the ones sold in the US lacked that feature, because US regulations didn’t allow it. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I know my mother-in-law’s Suburu from about five years ago has something Suburu calls “steering responsive headlights” that swivel (or otherwise re-aim)l when you make a turn. [Lexus introduced them for the 2004 model year.](https://web.archive.org/web/20040207023946/http://www.lexus.com/about/press_releases/popups/2003/pr_12_29_d.html) I remember their commercials from back then, implying that they invented the technology. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-car-was-this/959065.md?page=3)