13 Nostalgic Car Features We Wish Would Make a Comeback
The automobile has evolved massively over the years to become something unrecognizable from the early days, apart from perhaps the four wheels. Over the years, cars and vehicles have changed considerably, with new features coming and going.
Think of things such as pop-up headlights and hood-mounted mirrors, both of which have been superseded. But there are plenty of other features that have also been consigned to history.
Our list contains some of the best and most nostalgic car features that we wish could come back. The only criterion for their inclusion is the level of nostalgia they give us.
Pop-Up Headlights
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Having briefly mentioned them, we have to include pop-up headlights. These are some of the most recognizable features on cars from the 1970s to the end of the 1990s before they were outlawed and replaced by the conventional headlights we know today.
Pop-up headlamps, also known as hidden headlamps and hideaway headlights, were replaced on safety grounds. This was mainly due to pedestrian protection, as pop-up headlights could cause more injury if a person were hit by a car. Increased safety requirements for vehicles, in general, have also contributed to their downfall.
Cigarette Lighters
Cigarette lighters were once increasingly common in many vehicles. These initially powered an electrically heated cigarette lighter, which fitted into a power outlet inside the cabin. As smoking fell out of favor, cigarette lighters have become a thing of the past.
However, they also have a secondary feature. USB charging outlets can be plugged into the lighter sockets, and thus, you can charge up your phone. While in-built USB ports have eliminated mainly this need, a cigarette lighter would increase the number of ports available.
Crank/Hand-Operated Windows
We may want this feature to come back, but it certainly has its charms. Crank or hand-operated windows are virtually non-existent in modern cars, and windows are now operated electrically via buttons, which makes life much easier.
There is, though, a certain charm to the windows and something immensely satisfying about using them in a classic car. Even if a downside means you can’t easily wind the passenger window down if you are the only person in the vehicle.
Built-In Phones
Yes, this really was a thing. Now, we can easily Bluetooth our phones to our vehicles’ infotainment systems and utilize features such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. However, for a time, some cars could come with the option of an actual, in-built phone.
While you couldn’t play music or access Google Maps with it, you could take phone calls with it. When these were available, they were an expensive option and almost a status symbol to some.
Hood Mirrors
Almost every vehicle now has its wing/side mirrors right on the side of the car. They are positioned on the driver and passenger doors, meaning a glance is needed to see what is behind or alongside you.
However, classic cars used to have their mirrors mounted on the hood, down the side. In some ways, this is better than the current mirror solution, with even less of a glance needed to see what is going on behind you. Plus, they do look cool on some classics, and it would be great to see them make a comeback.
Cassette Players
Sure, most cars now have at least a CD player and usually Bluetooth and smartphone connectivity, so we can play nearly any music or podcast we want. However, remember when cassette players were a standard feature? It’s been a long time since that was a thing.
Cassette Players fell out of favor in the 2000s, yet there are probably a lot of us who have cassette tape collections. How cool would it be to bring them out with us and play them through a modern sound system in new vehicles?
Manually Operated Mirrors
Much like window cranks, manually operated mirrors aren’t a feature that many of us miss. We all love to press a button or two to adjust the angle of our side mirrors. It makes life so much easier.
However, there is still something oddly satisfying about operating a manual side mirror on a vehicle. In some ways, doing so can feel more precise and allow us to get exactly the view we want from those mirrors. Plus, was it really that much of a pain to adjust without the aid of electronics?
CD Player
Yes, some cars still come with a CD player, and it still feels like quite the step up from a cassette player. However, CD players themselves are starting to fall out of fashion thanks to music streaming services and the ability to sync our phones to our cars and play whatever we want.
Yet knowing we have a CD player in our car that we can use and the high-quality audio they produce feels good. In fact, you could argue that some vehicles don’t feel complete unless they have a CD player. Plus, a CD can be a good backup in case our phone dies, or we can’t access our music libraries.
Vent Windows
Sometimes, lowering the window in our vehicles to let some air in is better than using the air conditioner. It is more economical, for starters, but one cooling feature that is largely forgotten is the vent window.
These were front-quarter windows that spun on a vertical axis. The angled glass would then direct air into the car while you were on the move and was a great way of getting cool air right onto you. Smokers would also flick the butt of their cigarette out of them, with many doing so without even looking.
Physical Keys
As time has gone on, we’ve all gotten used to keyless entry, where we only have to press a button to get in and out of our cars and push a button to start the engine. However, what was wrong with a physical key? No, really. Was anything wrong with an actual key?
Being able to insert it to both allow access to the car and start the engine still feels good. It’s a simple system that works and is less open to exploitation than a keyless entry system. While keyless entry is sort of a step forward, it doesn’t feel like it was a necessary one.
Manual Handbrakes
Just like with physical keys, the invention of the electric handbrake seems mostly unnecessary. The manual handbrake lever was simple to get to, and you were always certain you had applied it, given the satisfying click as you pulled it up.
Electronic handbrakes free up a little bit of space around the center console of modern cars. But is it something we really care about? Plus, we’ve now removed the ability to conduct well-executed handbrake turns, as there is now no handbrake handle for any of us to yank.
Manual Transmissions
While manuals still exist in 2024, they are a dying breed. The vast majority of drivers favor the ease and simplicity of an automatic, and electric vehicles do away with transmissions entirely. Today, manuals are usually reserved for more budget-friendly and basic cars and some performance models.
Manual transmissions will eventually disappear, destroying a whole art form and way of driving. The clutch pedal will also become a thing of the past, and that will be one of the saddest days in automotive history.
Tailfins
Tailfins were a purely cosmetic feature, mostly seen in the 1960s. Many car manufacturers took inspiration from the iconic Batmobile driven by Adam West during that time, and they could make even the most mundane family cruiser look futuristic and high-tech.
Sadly, tailfins have long been a thing of the past. The only way we can see them now is on one-off models, classic vehicles, or concepts that manufacturers have no intention of producing. There is something quite special about a car with a long tailfin, something that we sorely miss.
