Design Elements We Want To Bring Back

March 7, 2023

Vehicle design has come a long way over the last century, and we’ve seen some fantastic concepts come and go along the way. Since the turn of the 21st Century, we have watched the Mustang and the Challenger re-enter the market with updates done to their core elements, but we would like to see some other fashions from yesteryear make a return. If Tesla can innovate on the gull-wing, I see no reason these others stylings can’t get a modern makeover as well.

Hardtop

If you like the wind whipping through your hair, this feature is for you. During the late 50s through the 60s, removing the B-pillar so the windows rolled down to expose four feet of open side was in vogue. These hardtop models provided plenty of space for your drunk friends to stick their head out the window while you drove them home. While some sports coupes still do away with the B-pillar and are technically hardtops, it’s the sedans we miss. That extra air added a very literal sense of space to the vehicle that kept the front and back seats from feeling like separate compartments, plus it was great for drowning out loud kids with wind noise.

Since we’re talking about opening up space a little, our next feature seems a perfect fit.

Open Wheels

Maybe it’s the forced angular lines that converge at the grille or the naked suspension system that frames the arrow-point front end, but open wheels need to make a comeback. Chrysler tried with the Prowler back in the late 1990s, but the experimental modern hot rod failed to sell more than 12,000 units and was roundly criticized for its underwhelming V6 engine. Now that we’re fifteen years since the last attempt to revive this 1930s styling, I think it is time to try again. There are some logistical hurdles to overcome to implement open-wheels, including crafting a bumper that conforms to safety regulations and the external fender that is required to cover the tires. But if we could do it fifteen years ago, we should be able to do it again.

If you need to cool off a little after that one, our next feature has you covered.

Vent Windows

For the younger generation reading this article, the quarter glass at the front of your door, between the window frame and your A-pillar used to swivel to open to allow airflow without cranking down the retractable window. They were generally used like the low setting on your air conditioning, which is why they were phased out around the time A/C was becoming more common. Vents like these could also be found on the rear doors, which gave passengers the same bit of extra temperature control. I’m confident that the engineers of today could recreate the hinged quarter glass with better seals and wind noise dampening than they had then, plus it was more fun than a fidget spinner.

If you’re the fidgeting type, maybe our next isn’t for you.

High Beam Footswitch

At some point, automakers took the toggle switch for high beams off the floor and stuck them on the steering column with our signals and wiper controls. If you’re like me, you’ve probably accidentally blinded some poor fool ahead of you while flipping your signal on. The footswitch was moved mostly due to the real estate taken up by transverse mounted engines in front-wheel drive cars of the late 1970s and through the 80s. But with more rear wheel drive and electric vehicles on the market, the floor space has opened up again meaning there’s plenty of room for the chrome button to make a comeback.

Now that there is more room in our vehicles again, how about another from the era of big cars?

Fins

Fins are pretty much the defining feature of vehicles from the late 1950s and early 60s, and we’d love to see them make a comeback. They were initially inspired by the tail fins of fighter planes and rockets during the space race, and with our society’s renewed interest in space travel, it seems an appropriate time to bring them back. With the Camaro having received a retro-styled overhaul to match the muscle-car throw-backs of the Mustang and Challenger, it would be nice to see Cadillac do something similar in the luxury market. A ‘59 inspired model with modern amenities would be an instant classic.

Our next feature never made it on the road, but we still want it in our cars.

Unicontrol

We’ve been using pedals and steering wheels for far too long now. It’s time to shake it up and bring a new steering system in. Featured on the Firebird III concept, the Unicontrol system allows you to drive using just a single stick that controls both throttle and turning. We could let our feet relax, give that stiff driver’s knee a break and cruise along by the gentle push of the hand. GM can keep the individual bubble domes, we just want the control stick so we feel like we’re driving some space-age auto of the future.

These are just a few of the styles we would like to see make a return to the market, either for the cool-factor of just for a change of pace.

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