Here’s a little something magical to start your day with: the car that I think may be the smallest car ever to come with that most decadent of luxo-details, the opera window. The car is the 1979 Daihatsu Charade Runabout, which featured a round, slightly domed window there on the C-pillar, working hard to impart a massive amount of classy-class to the overall car. Opera windows were another fascinating trend of the strangely fussy and obsessed-with-obsolete-status-markers ’70s, the same era that gave us silly landau bars, which I wrote about earlier this week. Here’s a sort of archetypal opera window:
You may want to stand in front of that picture and work all that class that’s being radiated from it into a lather you can slather all over your body, because, let’s be honest, it can’t hurt.
Daihatsu has always been a company that makes bold styling choices, and I think the addition of the round opera window here really makes the car. Plus, that’s a wide C-pillar, so I bet the bit of light and a chance to peek outside is a pretty welcome addition to whoever is stuck in that little back seat there. It’s also a good way to peek into the cargo area to see if you remembered to pack your special night pants or whatever.
Even though it’s a domed, round window, it shouldn’t be confused for a bubble window, like you’d see on a car like the Renault Le Car Van:
You see, for it to be an opera window, it has to exist with a more conventional rear quarter window. If it lives on an unbroken expanse of sheet metal alone, it’s something else.
These seem like charming little cars, like a Civic’s cooler brother who dresses snazzier and plays a guitar.
The opera window is why you’d pronounce the the name “sha-rahd”.
Without it, it’s “sha-raid”.
For me the most fun part of it was, that on some markets, this was actually sold as a Coupé! And yes, much much love for this!
Would this make a 1980s Ford F Series Super Cab long bed the biggest factory vehicle with an opera window? These had a plastic overlay that made the rear side windows into 3 narrow vertical strips, until the early 90s face lift with the aero headlights changed these to flush glass
I clicked the link ready to make fun of this, but I kinda dig it. In fact, I think it looks better on the Daihatsu than on that gigantic battleship.
Charades became the favored hitman car in Japan. The Yakuza used the opera window as a gun port.
For a long time I was annoyed that the only USDM car to use my initials as a model or trim was the Daihatsu Charade CLS. Then Mercedes-Benz came to my rescue when they introduced their CLS in 2004.
Now, in the fullness of time, that old Charade has become much more interesting than the Merc.
I kind of want one.
Whenever opera windows are mentioned, Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1940 Lincoln comes to mind.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2017/05/29/art-of-the-design-1940-lincoln-continental
Architects shouldn’t design cars.
The Daihatsu Charaaaaaade, I really wanna drive you.
Oh I bought a Charaaaaaade, and now you know I’m on my way.
(This is a reference to the song Omobolasire by Prozzak, because I’m PRETTY SURE that most people here aren’t that up on the more minor hits from ’90s Cancon.)
The black paint, lipstick red interior, and tiny windows on that Le Car make it look like a tiny hearse, good thing that rainbow stripe is there to make the styling even more confusing!
Thoroughly lukewarm take: opera windows are cooler than landau bars.
Also, the lady in the black robe and white collar raises so many questions: wealthy nun? Supreme Court justice being bribed? Frumpy dominatrix? (And thanks to HonkeyfromtheCIA) Old-money Boston Puritan lady pimping her ride?
I got a bit of a “Captain Janeway in one of her 20th century Earth holodeck programs” vibe. 🙂
Frumpy dominatrix is my new band name.
Well, yeah, I mean, opera windows are at least semi-functional, they’re a bit of clear glass you can look through if you stretch your neck to the correct position, a landau bar is just a piece of bric-a-brac bolted on (unless you have a convertible top with a really old timey frame). That means opera windows are also cooler than the fake black plastic windows modern automakers like to glue onto sheet metal to create the half-assed illusion of a bigger greenhouse
Going to the opera, obviously.
I know this article is about the Diahatsu but I’m fascinated by the image of that Puritan lady standing by the Lincoln pimpmobile.
That’s a 1976 Continental Mark IV Bill Blass Edition: https://lincolnmotorco.tumblr.com/post/64224211590/1976-lincoln-continental-mark-iv-bill-blass
Someone who knows more about fashion than cars could probably give us a whole biography.
I’m not sure which of the two that puritan lady is an expert on.
Oh no I love it.
That Charade nose looks more like the Honda E-Whatever than old Hondas do.
That whole thing is just a charade.
My brother had a Daihatsu Charade as his first car. In the 4 door version without opera.. Remember it as very quick.
Daihatsu always made really revvy small 3cylinder engines. The one in the millions of Toyota Aygos (and bagde engeneered Peugeot 107s and Citroën C1s) is actually a Daihatsu engine. Lovely engine if you use it’s ability to rev quite high
In Sweden, only the 5-door was available as the importer thought people would be put off by the opera window. I remember seeing one of these in Germany when I was like nine years old and I was SOOOO excited.
Why is that dude trying to crack that chicks back? The perfect ad pose???
Counterpoint: This car would look better, cleaner, without that little zit of a window.
Then it would a Phantom of the Opera window…
But At What Cost Silliness? I think it’s fantastic, while obviously completely ridiculous (aesthetically and functionally) and not what Bertone, Pininfarina, or Adrian Clarke would have done.
Counter-counterpoint: It would be a lot more boring without the opera window. Most small hatchbacks of this era look samey. This one is unique. It would not be improved by the omission of the opera window.
Why are they called opera windows? Can we get a deep dive into the fascinating history of these magnificent windows?
Lets talk about opera lights too!
Opera lights are the bomb. Once I had a Caddy with them, and it was great. Road trips with friends, people in the back working on a paper or studying for an exam on the way back to school could use the lights and not cause problems for the driver (me) at night.
I’m talking about the softly glowing lights on the exterior of the B or C pillar near the door edge on ‘luxury’ sedans from the 1960’s-1980’s.
I had something similar on the interior of the C pillar on my 1990 Fleetwood Brougham.
I’ve been wondering that too.
The best explanation I’ve found is that it traces back to opera coaches – a particular style of horsedrawn carriage with a boxy, enclosed body that people would hire to take them out for a night in town, such as to the opera (highly popular evening entertainment in the 19th century), usually in a group. Essentially a predecessor of a party limousine, or maybe a conversion van, since they were really more like slightly smaller omnibuses with luxurious interiors. They had small windows on the front to give the passengers inside some view out toward the road, but to still allow privacy by limiting the ability of the coachman or others to look back into the passenger compartment.
Interesting. I can understand that folks wouldn’t want to be subjected to the leering gaze of a coachman or pedestrian while on their way out to a night at the opera!
They’ve been spoken of in hushed tones, whispered of in dark corners, but it appears Jason has finally found the fabled operetta window.
I like the Diahatsu, but that Le Van is just perfect! Wait: wasn’t there a Pinto wagon with a bubble window as well?
I wonder if The Bishop could manage to incorporate both an opera window and landau bar in one of his imaginings?
The Pinto was a panel wagon thing like the LeCar so similar but not matching
The Pinto Cruisin’ Wagon. Here’s an article on The Drive written by someone we know and love…
https://www.thedrive.com/news/buy-this-groovy-70s-ford-pinto-cruiser-wagon-and-step-back-in-time
Pretty decent looking little thing, but I could never understand who thought that was a good name for a car?? Seems like it would be a good name for VinFast’s next car tho…
It came upon the heels of the Consorte, Compagno, Charmant, etcetera. Mother corporation Toyota also fancied names that began with “C”, so I think Daihatsu was stuck with the leftover ones.
Those Le Car Van people are having SO much fun!
The roller derby girl sees her friend being abducted, and she’s gearing up to hip check that motherfucker right off a bridge. In honor of Last Week Tonight coming back-
#LadyExtrajudicialJustice #Feminism
Where has this Le Car Van been all my life?
GODDAMMIT! I forgot my night pants AGAIN!
Look at that fool by the bar wearing day pants!
In the UK “pants” means underwear not trousers.
Special night pants would probably be the sort of thing you’d want to keep quiet about.
Well, i do change into a pair of nice, comfy boxers at bedtime.
Something tells me i’ll think of “night pants” every time do that now…
Aren’t special night pants also known as lucky pants?
night pants is my new crappy superhero name
“Stand aside, fiends – Night Pants is here!”
I recall some early Camaros could be factory equipped with an opera window.
And why is it called an opera window?
Because you use it to peek out coyly at the paparazzi as you roll up the opera, of course!
‘Cause it’s dumb. Like opera. [insert Ain’t I A Stinker face here]
Is it called the Charade because it’s only pretending to be a car?
It’s just hanging around wanting to be a Le Car
Kinda like an Aspire?
Still a better car than the Kia Farce.
I’m still confused by the Toyota Quandry