Home » What Forgotten Car Features Ought To Make A Comeback? Autopian Asks

What Forgotten Car Features Ought To Make A Comeback? Autopian Asks

Aa Oldsmobile Vent Ts
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Usually, when features on cars get phased out, it’s because the world’s moved on. Think about compact cassette players, vacuum-operated wipers, or six-volt electrical systems. The majority of people simply don’t miss those things because what came next was a sizeable improvement. However, every so often, a feature gets discarded for no immediately apparent reason. A feature that we miss. Today, it’s time to talk about gadgets, gizmos, and doo-dads we want to bring back from the automotive graveyard in the sky because not everything leaves when its time is truly up. I’ll start with an example.

This might come as a surprise to anyone more familiar with my premium hooptie tendencies, but my first few cars were all old and American, and most of them came with a delightful component of the HVAC system — a driver-facing vent under the steering column. While frequently referred to as the “ball-chiller vent,” this ingenious solution of ducting and grating will keep your unmentionables cool regardless of what you’re packing, to the point of being more effective than many ventilated seats on modern cars.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

Plus, it’s a relatively simple system. There’s a vent set into an interior trim panel, a bit of ducting, and boom — you can stay fresh, even in high humidity. There are no extra electrical components, little additional weight, and it doesn’t require perforated upholstery. It was a great idea, and something sorely missed on new cars.

1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 2

 

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So, what car features of the past do you think should make a comeback? Maybe you’re a huge proponent of velour over leather, or found the turn signal-activated cornering lights on old luxury cars immensely helpful, or you just want normal cars to be available in actual colors aside from dark blue. Whatever the case, make your voice heard in the comments below.

(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer)

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Not Sure
Not Sure
4 months ago

Vent windows!
T-tops!

Anything that minimizes the separation of driver and the outdoors.

Anything that opens or is removable to let a little more sunlight and breeze into the vehicle.

Glorious greenhouses on wheels, like twenty one window buses.

Anything that moves us away from the rolling bunker of solitude trend.

To hell with safety.
Let me die mangled, with a sunburn, breathing fresh air, staring at the clouds in the sky!

Aron9000
Aron9000
4 months ago

Zapp Brannigan was right. Bring back velour, plush, thick, sexy velour.

Seriously that stuff GM put in their Buicks/Olds and Cadillacs back in the 70’s/80’s/early 90s wore like cast iron and felt like a million bucks. Plus I like me a nice burgandy or navy blue interior

Mechjaz
Mechjaz
4 months ago
Reply to  Aron9000

No joke, in 7th grade I wrote about my dream car (I wish I still had that paper!) and it had velour seats, because I was so smitten with our new-to-us 1998 Mazda Protege.

Justin Thiel
Justin Thiel
4 months ago
Reply to  Aron9000

My first car was an Olds 88 with the most amazing plush bench seat.. i miss that car

VermonsterDad
VermonsterDad
4 months ago

Number 1. . .and if I could only have one, this would be it. . . I want plush seats back, like a 1992 Buick seats that are all soft and plushy, and feel like your living room lazyboy. Ah, to dream a little dream.

And some others. . .
2. Vent windows.
3. Kick panel vents
(Running with your vent theme a bit here)

And for the garage junkies. . .
4. Actual fasteners the screw and unscrew. Not more clips and push/snap connections.

Vic Vinegar
Vic Vinegar
4 months ago
Reply to  VermonsterDad

Agree. So many seats are just…not good. Buy a performance car, you expect a bolstered firmer seat to keep you in one spot. Buy anything else, and it should be comfortable.

I remember my buddy had a 1990 or so Buick LeSabre back in the day. We called the back seat the “couch”.

Baja_Engineer
Baja_Engineer
4 months ago

Bring back the transmission fluid dipstick and non-grayscale interiors

VermonsterDad
VermonsterDad
4 months ago
Reply to  Baja_Engineer

Yes to the interior colors! Bring back the blues, reds, and greens. I think the Vette and Z offer a blue interior, but it would be nice to see colors back in normal cars.

Gerontius Garland
Gerontius Garland
4 months ago
Reply to  VermonsterDad

I want a ’58 Pontiac just because I can get a two-tone green exterior over a two-tone green interior.

Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
4 months ago

Not for it to make a comeback, but I just want an in-car record player, just since they’re so neat and interesting

Last edited 4 months ago by Freelivin2713
Mars
Mars
4 months ago
Reply to  Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
4 months ago
Reply to  Mars

Well yeah, I said I wanted one since they’re so neat & interesting because I already knew they existed

Mars
Mars
4 months ago
Reply to  Freelivin2713

Well, I would consider that a comeback. But apparently it was 3D printed, so maybe with some handiwork you can achieve one yourself – or find one of those original ones in the post!

Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
4 months ago
Reply to  Mars

Oh ok, my fault…the 1 time I actually didn’t see the part about the newer one…whoa, that is really awesome! Thank you

Andiamo345
Andiamo345
4 months ago

The Mazda 626 recirculating center hvac vents, which cycled in and out over the 626 generations!

Handro
Handro
4 months ago

Radios with WeatherBand / NOAA weather.

Mr. Frick
Mr. Frick
4 months ago

Floor mounted dimmer switches. Almost all cars are automatics now. There are controls to operate with your left and right hands. Your right foot controls the accelerator and braking. My left foot wants in on the action.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
4 months ago
Reply to  Mr. Frick

Teach your left foot to brake. It’s a good skill.

Tricky Motorsports
Tricky Motorsports
4 months ago
Reply to  Mr. Frick

If only there was a 3rd pedal that was dedicated to left foot use only….

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
4 months ago

Bumpers you can bump.
Windows.

Highland Green Miata
Highland Green Miata
4 months ago

Colors. Interior and Exterior.

Kalieaire
Kalieaire
4 months ago

bring back the gooch grease dehydrator.

Manuel Verissimo
Manuel Verissimo
4 months ago

I want to see a wine bottle storage area in every door card, at least on French cars. The Citroen AX had them, why did we stop there?

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
4 months ago

You probably will want ashtrays too.

Manuel Verissimo
Manuel Verissimo
4 months ago

Wait, they don’t do ashtrays anymore?

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
4 months ago

They’ve been replaced by cup holders and insulin needle disposal boxes.

Neil Hall
Neil Hall
4 months ago

AX only had bottle holders on the 3dr, as the 5dr didn’t have a front quarterlight, so needed that space for the drop-glass. They were also a bit too large for a wine bottle, being sized more for a 1.5-litre bottle of Evian or Vittel.
However the Mégane II 3dr had spaces in the rear seat side panels that perfectly fitted wine bottles, along with a recess in the parcel shelf perfectly sized for two baguettes, and a cooled glovebox for the soft cheese.

Manuel Verissimo
Manuel Verissimo
4 months ago
Reply to  Neil Hall

I hear you but the Megane II is an abomination that is better not spoken of.

Ecsta C3PO
Ecsta C3PO
4 months ago

Haven’t seen it mentioned yet, but Auto Tilting Side Mirrors.
I would guess there’s less demand since backup cameras are mandatory, but they make parallel parking so much easier and it costs literally pennies to add in this feature.

A. Barth
A. Barth
4 months ago
Reply to  Ecsta C3PO

They still exist. Apparently you just have the wrong car. 🙂

WaCkO
WaCkO
4 months ago
Reply to  Ecsta C3PO

All my cars that have electric mirrors only do that if you leave it on the left or right mirror, but when you keep the switch in the middle they don’t move

Ecsta C3PO
Ecsta C3PO
4 months ago
Reply to  WaCkO

Maybe I haven’t tried it in new enough cars but my 2005 Acura had it. I guess I’ve been just unlucky

Did have:

  • 2005 Acura TL

Didn’t have:

  • 2011 CTS
  • 2013 Mazda 3
  • 2011 Prius
  • 2001 Legacy
  • 2013 Sorento
  • 2003 Mazda 3
  • 2004 Epica
  • 2012 Fiesta
Justin Thiel
Justin Thiel
4 months ago
Reply to  Ecsta C3PO

my 2016 XF has the auto tilt mirror

Are you not entertained?
Are you not entertained?
4 months ago

CD player. I have so many CDs that aren’t on streaming platforms. I have a lot of indie punk bands I would like to just throw in the car without having to digitize them and search on my phone for the right album.

PajeroPilot
PajeroPilot
4 months ago

Yes, bring back the CD player. It works, even if you are out of mobile data range, even if your Bluetooth has a freak out, even if radio reception sucks. I do miss them!

JumboG
JumboG
4 months ago

I prefer to be able to hold 100s of CDs worth of music in my palm.

Mars
Mars
4 months ago
Reply to  JumboG

Are you peeved about those dark years where manufacturers felt that giving us a CD player eliminated the need for an AUX in or is this a well-intentioned attempt to raise awareness of the concept of digital music player?

JumboG
JumboG
4 months ago
Reply to  Mars

The latter. As an early adopter of the CD player in my car, I grew tired of (a) lugging CDs around in my car and (b) having CDs stolen from my car. When Digital Media Players came out I quickly switched to them, as I had already been using USB sticks, then iPods, and now my phone for music in my car. I digitized my CD collection more than 2 decades ago.

Last edited 4 months ago by JumboG
Rubbit
Rubbit
4 months ago

Manual Windows… Save vehicle weight.

Regular keys.

Basic cars, no mats, just a rubber floor.

Manual transmission.

Manual locks.

Under license plate gas cap.

Rain gutters.

Abe Froman
Abe Froman
4 months ago
Reply to  Rubbit

Heck yes to rain gutters, manual windows and manual locks!

My YJ had the under plate gas cap. I don’t miss that. Stylistically nice, practically awkward.

Gerontius Garland
Gerontius Garland
4 months ago
Reply to  Rubbit

I cringe every time some custom car builder says “we shaved the rain gutters, the roof is so smooth now!” My Saab has rain gutters, and no matter hard it’s raining or snowing, I never worry about crap falling inside. On all the newer smooth-roofed cars, you open the doors and it immediately dumps stuff inside. It boggles the mind how we took such a massive leap backwards in daily usability.

Neil Hall
Neil Hall
4 months ago
Reply to  Rubbit

I suspect modern electric window mechanisms are lighter and cheaper than manual systems.

VanGuy
VanGuy
4 months ago
Reply to  Neil Hall

That, and I also imagine that designing doors to have all the space available for the crank at every possible point actually takes some engineering time, and it’s probably harder to make that space curvy/aesthetic.

Mars
Mars
4 months ago
Reply to  Neil Hall

Was the case for the first Lotus Elise!

VanGuy
VanGuy
4 months ago
Reply to  Rubbit

…why the “regular” keys?

Even when newer cars have “regular” keys, they usually have a transmitter in the head of the key that has to send a matching code to the car. Just getting a key cut won’t do the trick.

I learned this in high school spending a while trying to jump someone’s car who had the top of one of their keys snap off. Couldn’t get it done and they had to wait for someone to show up; later turned out it wasn’t a dead battery or broken starter, etc.; just that car wasn’t detecting an expected signal.

These signals are a good thing, because we know the security of physical keys is mostly a “keeps honest people honest” thing.

I love not having to take my keys out of my pocket for my Prius, and if the battery dies it still has a manual key available to open the door and start it.

Last edited 4 months ago by VanGuy
Tricky Motorsports
Tricky Motorsports
4 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

I’m so spoiled after having a fob that stays in your pocket and push start, I want to convert all my classics now.

JP15
JP15
4 months ago

Pop-up headlights weren’t really forgotten, but they are absolutely due for a comeback. I refuse to believe with modern lightweight and compact LED headlight assemblies we can’t figure out a way to make the assembly safe for pedestrian impacts.

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
4 months ago
Reply to  JP15

If the headlights were pop ups on modern vehicles, they would be way too high. I think regulations dictate they have to be under 5 ft from the ground.

VanGuy
VanGuy
4 months ago

In addition, I cannot think of any pop-up design that isn’t bad for aerodynamics.

Would be a bummer for me since I always drive with my headlights on.

Arrest-me Red
Arrest-me Red
4 months ago

Floor mounter dimmer switches. When driving in bad weather flipping the lights with out taking a hand off the wheel is a good thing.

Gerontius Garland
Gerontius Garland
4 months ago
Reply to  Arrest-me Red

Also makes it much quicker and easier to flash them to signal other drivers.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
4 months ago
Reply to  Arrest-me Red

Uh

I never take my hand off the wheel to flip the brights on and off. I just put my finger on the stalk and push/pull. Are my fingers freakishly long?

VanGuy
VanGuy
4 months ago

I usually take mine off the wheel. Would probably vary vehicle to vehicle, but my hands are fairly small.

VanGuy
VanGuy
4 months ago
Reply to  Arrest-me Red

I forget already which commenter said this on another post (…or possibly this one, for all I know), but the dead pedal where your left foot rests serves the important purpose of being a brace point, in case you need to stand on the brake, for example. It can’t do that and be a high beam switch.

Besides, ideally we’d have adaptive headlights (like Europe already has) that just block out specific portions of your high beams to avoid blinding cars, rather than just an entire on/off toggle.

Last edited 4 months ago by VanGuy
FuzzyPlushroom
FuzzyPlushroom
4 months ago

I just wish the rear side windows of my 3-door popped out like those on a Volvo 242, old BMW two-door (at least through the E46), CB7 Accord, or for that matter the third row of most minivans.

Edit: The “ball cooler” vent was my first thought in general, though.

Last edited 4 months ago by FuzzyPlushroom
Mars
Mars
4 months ago
Reply to  FuzzyPlushroom

Why, if I may ask? Was that better?

Mars
Mars
4 months ago
Reply to  Mars

To be clear: I assumed you were talking about preferring them popping out rather than rolling down, but maybe yours are outright fixed and I hadn’t thought of that.

FuzzyPlushroom
FuzzyPlushroom
4 months ago
Reply to  Mars

Yeah, they’re just fixed, unfortunately. The four-doors had four windows that opened, because 2000s Toyota wasn’t late-’70s GM, but alas, no rear ventilation for the two-doors.

It’d be neat if the back window popped open too (think Taurus wagon) since there’s a bit of a slope to the hatch and it’d make it just a bit easier to carry bulky things.

Jatco Xtronic CVT
Jatco Xtronic CVT
4 months ago

those turn signal activated cornering lights are supreme. my altima has them and I wish my other cars had them too

Griz
Griz
4 months ago

I used to work for Jatco and sell the CVT7 and 8 platforms to OEMs. I never imagined someone on this site would have that image and handle. I’m pretty sure that’s the Japan cut model because the torque converter is painted white. We didn’t typically paint the TC in the US for cut models. People at trade shows used to try to grab the inner workings and try and turn them like they were ‘hands-on’ toys.

Jatco Xtronic CVT
Jatco Xtronic CVT
4 months ago
Reply to  Griz

Thank you for your service to the automotive industry.

(had to get back into character there)

Last edited 4 months ago by Jatco Xtronic CVT
Theotherotter
Theotherotter
4 months ago

Also: color-keyed interiors! Give me something with every square inch in red, please.

Justin Thiel
Justin Thiel
4 months ago
Reply to  Theotherotter

you would have loved my Fleetwood. Rich Dark red leather interior, and deep red shag carpet on everything that wasn’t leather.

Theotherotter
Theotherotter
4 months ago
Reply to  Justin Thiel

A blood sacrifice I can get behind.

Silubr
Silubr
4 months ago

Saab’s Night Panel.

Jatco Xtronic CVT
Jatco Xtronic CVT
4 months ago
Reply to  Silubr

I own a saab with night panel. underrated feature

Autonerdery
Autonerdery
4 months ago
Reply to  Silubr

I love how iconic the Night Panel feature has become, as a contrast to how angry people still are about GM’s ownership of Saab, because…Night Panel only ever existed on GM-built Saabs. It was introduced on the 1994 “New Generation” 900, which is so often dismissed as “just a rebodied Opel Vectra.”

I mean, my ’87 900 has it, but only because none of the dash lights work.

VanGuy
VanGuy
4 months ago
Reply to  Silubr

I see this often cited, but do most cars’ dimmers not just go all the way down like my Prius’s?
If my Prius’s light sensor doesn’t detect much light and I roll the dimmer down all the way, it kills ~95% of the dashboard lights and indicators. Still keep the dim steering wheel buttons (helpful) and the safety-related indicators (cruise control, high beams, headlights, warning lights, etc.) but speedometer, fuel gauge, HVAC…they all go away.

Rubbit
Rubbit
4 months ago

Fly window.

Chris
Chris
4 months ago

Ball chiller vent, you mean a ‘Cooter Cooler’…….

Rubbit
Rubbit
4 months ago

I’ve been looking, but I haven’t seen it yet. How about the floor mounted high beam low beam button.

Theotherotter
Theotherotter
4 months ago

We don’t have wagons any more, but I’d get a kick out of seeing some SUV with a three-way tailgate.

Autonerdery
Autonerdery
4 months ago
Reply to  Theotherotter

For which you’d also want to bring back rear-facing third row seats (Mercedes being the last holdout), which are probably fairly unsafe, yes, but also a good time.

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