They say necessity is the mother of invention, so it makes sense that these things that nobody needed never really stuck around. Innovation is a risky business, and sometimes what seem like bright ideas at the time end up looking pretty ridiculous.
Cars in the 60s and 70s typically hit it out of the park, but these weird features stick out as stuff that they didn’t get right. Well, some of it is pretty cool. But even the cool ones are pretty strange. From dog sacks to identity discs, check out this gallery of the weirdest features of vintage cars.
1
Ice Maker
The unimaginatively-named 1984 Toyota Van had a feature that’s usually limited to refrigerators and hotels: an ice maker. It’s a great idea for the tailgate parties that people were undoubtedly throwing in this seven-seater, but I’m not sure who would need ice while driving down the highway.
2
Third Eye
The 1948 Tucker featured a third ‘cyclops’ headlight in the middle of the car that swiveled with the position of the front wheels. Would fit right in with a drawing of the future from 1950.
3
Dodge La Femme
The 1955 Dodge La Femme was a car marketed as being ‘for women’. That means it was pink, and came with a handbag and numerous accessories like a lipstick case, face-powder compact, and comb. Very patronizing!
4
Dog Sack
Another bizarre 1930s concept, this sack was designed to allow furry friends to hitch a ride alongside cars. I guess if you don’t want your dog on your fancy upholstered seats this is a good option, but what happens when you need to squeeze into a tight parking space?
5
Spare Tire Windshield Washers
Early Volkswagen Beetles didn’t have a dedicated pump to spray windshield fluid. Instead, the 1961 Beetle used air from the spare tire to pressurize the windshield fluid. Clever, but very weird.
6
Vacuum-Powered Ashtray
Many cars offered from General Motors in the late 1950s featured these vacuum-powered ashtrays. Not only does it save the side of the highway from being littered with cigarette butts, but you also get to watch the ash get swirled down a tube.
7
“Special” AC
The 1977 Firebird had an air conditioning vent right under the steering wheel that blew cold air between your legs as you drove. Very luxurious.
8
“Champagne Cooler”
This customized 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith featured this gold-plated receptacle under the passenger seat. The owner claimed it was only used as a champagne cooler, but it looks like something different, and features the ability to dump the contents onto the road below.
9
Jump Seats
These weird hazardous-looking rear-facing seats in the truck bed of the Subaru BRAT actually served an interesting purpose. In the 70s, the US heavily taxed any trucks that were being imported into the country. These extra seats allowed the BRAT to be classed as a passenger vehicle and save a lot of money.
10
Amphicar
The Amphicar was an amphibious convertible that hit the US market in the 60s. The car was heavy and slow, reaching a top speed of 70 miles per hour on land and maaaaybe 7 in the water. They also had a tendency to sink.
11
In-Car Minibar
The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham featured a magnetized minibar inside of the glove box. This was of course before there were strict laws against drinking and driving. Alcohol still definitely got you drunk though.
12
Reliant Robin
Due to a loophole in the UK in the 70s, three-wheeled cars were legally classed as motorcycles, meaning you only needed a motorcycle license to drive them. This led to a wave of cost-cutting three-wheeled cars like the Reliant Robin. The main issue was that they could roll over with so much as a stiff breeze.
13
Wrist-Twist Steering
In 1965, Ford introduced this new steering system which looks more like something out of a Star Wars spacecraft than a car. It supposedly made parallel parking a lot easier, but like many things on this list raised safety concerns in emergency situations.
14
Reversible Seat
The 1961 Buick Flamingo, created for the last General Motors Motorama, featured seats that could rotate up to 180 degrees. Well, I say ‘seats’, but it was actually only the passenger seat that could do it.
15
Light-Up Tires
Goodyear introduced illuminated tires in 1961, but the concept was abandoned pretty quickly due to the safety concerns associated with driving around with glass bulbs inside your tires. Looks pretty cool, though.
16
Highway Hi-Fi Phonograph
Nowadays you can just play your music in the car with Bluetooth, but before that we had CD players, and before that we had tape decks, and apparently before THAT we had the highway hi-fi phonograph, courtesy of Chrysler. These car record players used special heavy records to reduce skipping and played at the odd speed of 16 ⅔ rpm.
17
Identity Discs
This concept from the 1930s was intended to address the issue of hit-and-run collisions. Upon impact, these discs with the car’s license number on them would be ejected from the bumper, leaving evidence at the scene to allow authorities to track down the culprit.
18
Swing-Away Steering Wheel
The 1961 Ford Thunderbird had an extra feature available for just $25: the swing-away steering wheel. This special steering column could shift about a foot to the right, intended to help the driver enter and exit the car.
