The other night I was out at a new taillight bar in the area, Stop & Glow, enjoying a nice Double-Filament 1157 and Gin, just contemplating the world in the comforting red and amber glow of the bar’s many wall-mounted taillights. I spotted two young and oddly bright-eyed people wearing matching jumpsuits with reflective red and amber stripes along their sides approaching my table, and knew exactly what I was in for. Four soft hands pattered onto the table, and I heard the expected query: “Have you heard the Good News about side marker lamps?”
Markies. They’re harmless, but pretty annoying because of their unwavering devotion to side marker lamps and their unflappable eager good nature. You can’t get a Markie angry or upset. I’ve seen grizzled old taillight weirdos fling them through windows or down flights of stairs and they just pop back up, unfazed, like some kind of spring-loaded toy.
It’s like beating up a pillow. You can’t do it. They just absorb it all and it never affects them.
Anyway, after a while you just stop even letting them bother you, and maybe even start to enjoy their marker lamp evangelism. So I told them “Yes, many times. But you can tell me about one more marker light, if it’s interesting.”
And they did. And it was. It’s the rear side marker lamp of the third-gen (A60), from model years 1982 to 1985, roughly. What’s so compelling about this marker lamp is that unlike so many others of its era, it’s not just some tacked-on afterthought, it’s something baked into the design from the get-go. This rear marker lamp has its own special mounting area stamped right there in the sheet metal, a little angled jet-engine-exhaust-like protuberance that is both clunky and sleek at the same time, a novel and compelling detail that really adds to the look and charm of the car.
Hell, it’s one of the few rear side marker lights you can clearly see from the front of the car! Look:
See it back there? All proud and bold!
Not all the Celica Supras of this era were so blessed, and in a way, that’s good, because it really helps drive home how special this rear marker lamp was. Look at the difference between the fastback Celica, which had it, and the notchback one, which didn’t:
Man, the notchback one is really phoned in, isn’t it? The designers just grabbed something from the parts bin and stuck it on the rub strip there, then knocked off early to get hammered. But the fastback one is a triumph! It’s a design element on its own, and provides excellent visibility from side and rear. It does an important job, and looks great doing it! Isn’t that what we’re all just trying to do?
The two smiling, beaming Markies also surprised me by pulling out a worn printed-out copy of our own Bishop’s article about the Supra, where he notes the Supra’s marker light inspiration from the legendary Toyota 2000GT:
I can definitely see that, though I think the ’80s Supra’s light can stand on its own merits. But the concept of emphasizing a rear marker lamp to give a visual hint of some sort of jet exhaust is definitely inspired by that older Toyota.
In Europe and Japan, where rear marker lamps are, bafflingly and barbarically, not required, the marker lamp housing was replaced with this little vent:
I’m not sure if that vent is actually functional in any way? Was it a cabin air exhaust vent? Or, most likely, just a chunk of plastic shoved into that hole. It’d be cool to put a red light behind that vent-like plastic, for some really exciting rear marker light action.
Anyway, at the end of their breathless rant, I decided I was actually happy that these weirdly upbeat Markies confronted me and broke through my solitude. I even decided to not throw the remains of my drink and the full basket of Andy Capp’s Hot Fries which were on the table at them, which I hope they appreciated.
I owned two Celica Supra’s and one Celica GT fastback of this generation. Toyota was at the height of its styling game in the mid 80s to early 90s and the side marker light you elegantly write of is a great example. It breaks up the visual flatness of the panel while adding a sense of movement and function. All this with just a small half pyramid shape. Its the type of design flourish stylists try for but rarely achieve. Now we just get lots of fake vents and clutter.
The main thing that makes it work is the lack of a bunch of shit all over the rest of the car. Everything else is there for a reason, and oh, by the way, here’s a sexy little treatment just for the rear side marker lights.
In Europe and Japan, where rear marker lamps are, bafflingly and barbarically, not required…
I feel those side running lamps and retroreflective markers are so pointless. The novelty wore off so fast in the early 1970s that they had no safety benefits anymore. My perspectives are supported by this response from the European Commission, especially the last sentence:
The Commission, although it remains vigilant about any new information, has no evidence of safety concerns relative to the installation side-maker lamps on vehicles and therefore sees no need to amend the legislation.
I know. I have lived in the United States for three decades and live in Europe for almost two decades. I have driven gazillions of miles/kilometres in both continents for four decades.
So, I see no benefit of extra lighting on the side unless the lorries, buses, and vehicle are longer than six metres (i.e. Maybach 62 and Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase). We would notice the vehicles by their headlamps and taillamps as well as the glow from the instrument clusters first no matter what and how.
European regulations grudgingly allowed (not mandated) the side running lamps and retroreflective markers in 1991 due to the “World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations“. Despite the numerous promises to do so, United States refused to oblige the tit-for-tat other than allowing the ECE headlamps for the US passenger vehicles for the first time (even though they were allowed on the motorcycles for decades).
If the FMVSS had adopted the ECE regulations on the light distribution, it would not needed the side running lamps at all in the first place.
When the 3rd generation Celica came out in 82 Road & Track had a review that mentioned that because of dense traffic in Japan, car designers focused on details you could see up close and the various creases and bumps were a reaction to the very smooth 2nd generation cars that were seen as boring in Japan.
Ok, so I just wanted to share that I copied and pasted Jason’s two first paragraphs in Meta AI’s whatsapp chatbox, which promptly engaged me into a debate that is currently 15 min and heading into:
Elder Fog Lamp clears his throat, “Thank you, brethren, for sharing your insights. We acknowledge the nostalgia and aesthetic appeal of classic taillights. However, the ‘Book of Illumination’ teaches us to balance tradition with progress.”
Markie 1 adds, “Exactly! LEDs may lack the warmth of incandescent bulbs, but they provide superior visibility and safety. We must adapt to the needs of the modern world.”
Markie 2 chimes in, “And consider the environmental impact. LEDs reduce energy consumption and minimize waste. We can’t ignore the ecological benefits.”
The crowd murmurs, weighing the Markies’ responses. You sense a shift in the debate’s momentum.
I was clearing out the loft over my garage at the weekend and I found inside an unlabelled box a pair of amber indicators from my S1 Elise. As I opened it and saw the amber glow my first thought was “Torch would love this”.
“In Europe and Japan, where rear marker lamps are, bafflingly and barbarically, not required…”
It’s not those two weird little places, it’s the entire world except North America that can tell, just from the headlights at one end and the red lights at the other end, that they are looking at a car from the side.
Maybe Jason isn’t talking about the logic of marker lamps, just the visually bereft lamp desert created by their absence.
I’m an engineer, and this debate has moved into an area I’m uncomfortable with.
The answer is going to be something something subjective isn’t it? Urgh.
“Not all the Celica Supras of this era were so blessed … Look at the difference between the fastback Celica, which had it, and the notchback one, which didn’t”
Um – No, but sorta.
Every Celica Supra (or Celica XX, as it was known in Japan) had this.
Not every Celica had this – as you say, only the liftbacks.
had one of these years back, can confrim the Australian ones had the vents as well.
fun fact first car I got pulled over for reckless driving!
Yes, they are very cool (see my profile pic). https://share.icloud.com/photos/0deix0ohyv30vXNM0MHhN6XuA
Beautiful.
Yes it was. It was common for Toyota in the 70’s and through the 90’s to include these vents and make them part of their design. Their intention is to release pressure when you close the doors, otherwise they would bounce back or need a lot of force to close them (provided the weathersealing is in good shape). In the Celica’s case being a 3 door, they achieve serve the same purpose when closing the hatch.
I can only assume the US version had a hidden vent somewhere else.
Not sure if the overseas market cars had it, but the vent on the US version was located on the B pillar behind the doors. You can see it when you open the door. I don’t recall there being one in the back hatch area.
This is peak Supra design..
My uncle had one of these when I was a little kid and I thought it was nothing less than a spaceship, especially compared to my parent’s malaise-era GMs. Those side markers stuck out to me, and the pop up headlights too. For elementary school-era me, that was about as cool as it got.
This was one of my early lighting infatuations. Another was the front marker on the ’85 Dodge Colt sedan we had. Aaaaaallllll the way from the front corner to the wheel well, I don’t think I’d seen anything so extravagant back then.
Never change, Jason!
This was my dad’s first sports car, and even as a kid barely interested in cars, I freaking loved that marker light detail.
My beloved ’83 Supra had the marker lights and I did fondle them on occasion. And I’m GLAD, do you hear? GLAD! And I’ll do it again!
Yes, I had the exact model and color shown up top. My poor Rocket Sled is gone to auto heaven now…
I feel your pain. And will flash my hi beams twice in remembrance of your loss…
Thanks, Col. I still dream of driving her.
The worst are the ones in suits and ties. You know. The biz Markies.
He’s just a friend.
Headers (headlight aficionados) generally are getting all the attention in public. Always pointing out where your life should go. Those show-offs are the type A gang.
The taillight gang has carved a nice niche just trailing through life in a comfortable glow.
Markies are unassumingly stuck in between. Always cast to one side or the other. I have a soft reflective spot for them. They are essential and used to avoid the cross-ways collisions in life. Our lives are all better off with them in it.
Let’s give it up for the side littles!!!
Torchinsky you FOOL all 1157’s are double filament. A Single filament 1157 would be an 1156. You best be careful, the society may pull your membership saying things like that.
What he didn’t mention was how after this interaction, he calmed himself down with a nice, relaxing, Pan-Asian 7443NA.
Naturally Amber, of course.
COTD. Some of the automotive lighting bars have killed for less than that.
My college friend had a Celica. Great car but that feature looks like it was put on with a trowel.
I do envy Jason’s local variety of taillight bars. All we have in Atlanta are stodgy hubcap cafes and those trendy LED taillight EDM clubs.
I had a couple of 82 celicas and that was one of my favorite design elements.
I liked the whole thing, but that really took it over the top.
And the interior had the cruise control that you slap upside the head to cancel.
Remember when these 3rd gen. came out with great fanfare, as I was a senior in H.S. at the time, and a friend occasionally got to bring his dads Supra to school. They were the fresh new look at the time, and have aged well, but compared to that porn shot of the 2000GT, they look like clunky flunky work.
P.S. Go easy on those double-filament cocktails, they get you twice as lit.
My guess is the designer wanted something to break up that large otherwise “flat” area of sheet metal, made bigger than the same area on the notch back because of the c pillar flowing into the back end. The side marker was just an excuse to bring it into harmony with the rest of the design.
I always liked that detail. Both versions of that car were striking in person, but for for some reason I preferred the look of the notch back.
Sorry for the blasphemy. I’ll await my excommunication from the Church of Taillightology.
Word at the time was that the Japanese designers realized their cars were seldom seen out in the real congested world of Tokyo or Osaka as a whole – Generally they were only seen in part.
So they designed their cars so that even just sections of the cars were interesting and identifiable.
These Amarkists will be the death of civilization.
The world needs to know of the brilliance that is Andy Capp Hot Fries. One of the old-school snacks that are unfairly slept on by the majority of the populace. It’s a travesty!
But always remember: down with Funyuns!
I won’t engage in the Funyuns slander.
But I will confirm, I probably scarfed down about 200 bags of Hot Fries between 7th and 11th grade, however I don’t think I’ve encountered them once, since. Now I’m craving some. Hot Fries are awesome.
THOU SHALT NOT SLANDER THE ONIONY GOODNESS THAT IS FUNYUNS!!!