The Rise and Fall of Popup Headlights

Gone are the days of pop-up headlights, a feature missed by many, but why exactly did they die out? There were so many amazing cars fitted with them and we’ll gather a few of the best together here whilst exploring the history of the hidden headlight

Corvette Stingray Coupe (1963-67)

From the rare Cord 810 of 1936 right through to the Chevrolette Corvette C5 in 2004, pop-up headlights have appeared on all kinds of cars. They gave drivers the option of closing their car’s eye-like lights during the day when they weren’t needed, before flipping them open to light the way at night.

Dodge Charger Daytona (1969-70)

The aerodynamic, fuel-saving advantages were questionable but you can’t deny that by hiding headlights away, a car immediately has a sleeker, smoother profile and this made them very popular especially during the 80’s.

BMW M1 (1978-81)

Manufacturers used pop-up headlights to get around the 1970’s height requirement to suit low-slung sports cars, however regulations soon came into effect that prioritised the safety of pedestrians in the event of a crash. The costs involved in following the rules whilst still manufacturing cars with hidden headlights become too steep so they were soon phased out, much to the dismay of car lovers around the world.

Jaguar XJ220 (1992-94)

Of course, nothing is ever perfect and there were inevitably a few problems that developed with the motors and electric components. You may have heard about the famous ‘winking car’ issue where one light would remain closed; in some cases, both would stick open or even freeze shut in cold weather.

Saab Sonnet III

By the 1990’s sports cars had claimed the majority of pop-up lights until they all but disappeared in the early noughties with the Lotus Esprit V8.

Lotus Esprit V8 (2002-04)

Sadly, it seems there is unlikely to ever be a reappearance of this feature so we have to look to the classics to appreciate their unique styling. To some they may seem gimmicky, to others they are the perfect addition, either way their invention has lead to some pretty impressive looking cars over the decades.

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