1998 – ’02 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Edgewater. Wednesday, November 14, 2012.
It had occurred to me last week, while writing my recent essay on the very last Pontiac Firebird, that this model seemed to be one of last, few cars that still featured pop-up headlights into the new Millennium. Its basic design had made its debut about ten years before (in the fall of ’92), and there wasn’t going to be a substantial redesign of an impractical car that was selling in numbers in the low-five-figures. Still, looking at the crop of other sports or sporty cars of that time (Toyota Celica, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Honda Prelude, Nissan 350Z, etc.), many of which had previously sported pop-ups, they no longer did so when the “odometer” flipped to the year 2000.
1990 – ’91 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. Chinatown. Saturday, October 21, 2017.
I understand that when in the upright position, these things do not help aerodynamics. They are also prone to getting stuck under winter’s ice and snow, and the mechanicals behind them can fail. I still love them. Very few styling features of performance-leaning cars of the 1970s through the ’90s scream “sports car” to me more than pop-up headlights.
1995 – ’97 Ford Probe GT. Edgewater. Sunday, March 6, 2011.
One of my life’s goals at one point had been to own a car with pop-ups, and my dream came true when I traded my ’88 Mustang LX for a lightly used ’94 Ford Probe as a college graduation present from my parents. I remember sitting in that Probe, in the broad Florida daylight, with the windows down and the key in the ignition, flipping those headlight doors open and shut for about a minute. I must have had the biggest Cheshire Cat grin on my face the whole time, so I’m sure I looked weird, but I didn’t care.
1988 – ’89 Toyota Celica ST. Edgewater. Thursday, March 26, 2015.
Why? Because with my new-to-me car having these pop-up headlights, I felt like I finally had a legitimate sports car. Did my Probe have the 164-hp, 2.5L V6? Nope. Was it fast? No, though it did have reasonable acceleration with the air conditioner switched off, and with its five-speed manual transmission, it was genuinely fun to drive. So where was the fun, you ask? As soon as the sun would start to set, I got to rotate that column-mounted stalk and watch those babies spring to life, illuminating the path in front of me. Whirrr… To life’s simple pleasures.
Mid-first-generation Mazda RX-7. Lincoln Square. Sunday, December 4, 2011.
I can’t be the only one who thinks that the second-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata and the sixth-generation Corvette lost something in the looks department when their pop-up headlights morphed into exposed, clear, composite units. Thankfully, the Mazda RX-7 stuck with pop-ups all the way through its end after 2002. I find its successor, the RX-8, to be a great-looking car, but its face is not nearly as attractive as that of the last RX-7, and the lack of pop-ups is part of what contributes to this.
1988 – ’91 Buick Reatta. Edgewater. Saturday, November 5, 2011.
Even the Buick Reatta, confused in its life’s mission though it was, had a very clean, pretty, simple visage, aided by its pop-ups. And would the wedge-shaped Triumph TR-7 and TR-8 have looked better with exposed headlamps? I think not. There is one exception to my fawning over this once-trendy design feature: the North American, third-generation Honda Accord four-door sedan. I had just started middle school around the time that these Accords were new, and I remember thinking there was something “anatomically incorrect” about a four-door sedan featuring pop-up headlights. I liked the looks of the rest of the car, and it took me a while to get used to its front end, but I eventually came around.
1997 – 2004 Chevrolet Corvette (C5). Edgewater. Monday, April 18, 2011.
Pop-up headlights at rest have always reminded me of eyes being closed… and ready to spring open and into action! When I think about it, there would be few things more terrifying to me than walking at night toward a row of parked cars when everything is completely silent, when all of a sudden, some pop-ups spring open and cast a high beam right at me. I could blame this partially on having watched too many car-based horror movies (“Christine”, “The Car”, etc.), but there seems to be something inherently predatory-looking about a car with its pop-ups exposed and shining brightly.
Hall & Oates remains one of my favorite musical acts of the ’80s (perhaps of all time? this is no hyperbole), and they got plenty of rotation at Casa De Dennis when I was growing up, thanks mostly to my older brother. One never knows when and where the inspiration for my next essay for Curbside Classic will strike, but I’ll just say that I’m glad that “Private Eyes” popped onto shuffle right about the time I was finishing up my morning chores in advance of this past, extended July 4th weekend. Hopefully, my fellow Statesiders (and Curbsiders) all had a safe and festive holiday. I’ll break with my usual writing tradition and end this piece with a question: What are some of your favorite years, makes and models of cars featuring pop-up headlights?
All pictures taken by the author in and around Chicago.
That Cizeta V16 had two sets. That must be damn near the ultimate sports car for you, buddy.
I like the weird setups that are not quite pop-ups. The Alfa Romeo Montreal, Porsche 928, that weird shooting brake Daimler, Tatra saw in Switzerland. Stuff like that.
Late ’80s Pontiac Sunbird.
Yes, aside from exotics like what Mads mentioned, the Sunbird is a great example of this — it pulled off the quasi-hidden headlight design very well.
Might be the only legitimate point of comparison between a GM J-car and European exotics!
I like that these half-covered lights serve no real purpose except style. Which is odd, because I’m usually not a fan of superfluous design.
US-spec Lancia Scorpion whose lights pointed down a bit when off, and straightened out in use.
VL Holden Calais, too. I believe they were the same headlights as the Commodore, just partially shrouded.
Ditto for the handsome Isuzu Piazza (known as Impulse in the United States). Its successor was sold in the US as Geo Storm with same partial headlamp cover set-up.
I have always liked the pop up headlights on the ‘63-‘67 Corvettes and the ‘68-‘73 Corvettes.
I’ll throw in a couple of non-sporty broughams into the mix, Joseph. And I think you’ll agree. The Lincolns of the seventies are fine examples of pop-up headlights, as are their lower priced siblings, the Mercury Marquis and even the ‘75 to ‘78 LTD Landaus.
I had my own (well, it was the ex’s) briefly… a 1984 Celica GT Notchback. They did look cool on that car.
And thank you for pointing out the “odometer” rollover that was 1999-2000. Someone in a COAL the other day mentioned the start of the new millennium as 2000, and this always drove me nuts back then. I tried in vain to explain that the 20th century’s end would come about on December 31, 2000, but they didn’t want to hear it and just wanted to keep partying like it was 1999.
”The Lincolns of the seventies are fine examples of pop-
upout headlights…Fixed it for you, my friend. 😀
Our recently departed Brougham-meister, Lee Iacocca, wouldn’t have allowed pop-ups on his creations, lest they compete with the faux Rolls Royce grille and standup hood ornament!
Thanks BuzzDog!
I actually realized that on my way to work, having posted that comment at home from my iPad after only two sips of coffee. Pop-ups they were not; they were sealed-beam headlights behind miniature garage doors in the case of the big Ford products.
As to our dearly departed Lido, he will always be “The K-Car Guy” rather than the “Brougham-Meister” to me, as that’s when he first appeared on my radar. Not because I’m not old enough to remember him from his days at Ford, it’s just that it was his stint at Chrysler that made him a true celebrity. I didn’t chime in the other day, but RIP, Lee.
My favorite non-popup hidden headlights:
– the clamshell covers in the 1965 Buick Riviera. Was there ever another car with stacked headlights that were concealed?
– the original 1966-67 Dodge Charger which had what looked like conventional covered headlights when off with an extension of the grille pattern, but did a 180-degree flip when turned on so it could maintain that grille texture around the lights instead of the usual gaping hole
– the optional coach lamps on the Lincoln Mark VI, old-timey fake headlights that covered the real ones. Tacky, yet so in-keeping with the rest of the car.
Recently, my kids (ages 9 & 12) noticed an early-2000s Firebird and asked where the headlights were. When I explained that they popped up, the kids thought that was the most awesome thing ever. It never occurred to me that kids these days have never seen pop-up headlights!
Pop-up headlights had a remarkably fast exit from the automotive scene. I’m not sure I even realized they’d disappeared until one day I wondered if there was any car left that still had them. They always annoyed me from a practical standpoint (having known too many people who had them frozen shut on an icy morning), but like you, Joseph, I yearned to have pop-up headlights of my own — vowing to keep them raised on cold & icy nights.
My favorite would be the 2nd generation RX-7, with the “blink-to-pass” feature that let the headlights shine through clear lenses in the bumper to use as parking lights or to blink at other cars.
And like you, the 1986 Accord really bugged me. I considered pop-up headlights almost sacrosanct — the exclusive right of sports cars — and the fact that an ordinary sedan would have them just seemed totally wrong.
Hidden headlights are the “sunglasses” of auto design. The evoke coolness and mystery. We see cars with faces, their headlights as eyes, so when they are hidden, we are forced to see more of the rest of the design.
Lincolns are Hollywood stars lounging by a pool.
When they are used for government – they look like bodyguards.
Corvettes are race car drivers with bugs in their teeth.
Celicas are your kid sister playing softball.
Accords are one of the Three Blind Mice.
Probes are skiers.
Miatas are small plane pilots.
Hidden headlights evoke daring and mystery, glamour and style.
I like all of these metaphors, especially pop-ups as “sunglasses”. Brilliant.
I loved the pop up headlights on the Accord. First of all the design was revolutionary with the incredibly low hood made possible by the new double wishbone suspension. It looked like a 4 door Prelude and with apologies to the Maxima it really said “4 door sports car”
Thanks for this romp through the wonderland of pop-ups. Count me as another fan. Mrs. JPC had an 88 Accord when we met, and she still remembers the pop-up lights as one of her favorite things about the car.
Count me as a lucky pop-up-er with my Miata out in the garage. One of the best thing about them is that simple glass sealed beam lurking underneath the little door, something that never, ever needs the kind of polishing my other cars demand.
I will relate one downside – in the Miata with the top down there is a noticeable jump in wind-buffeting in the cabin with those lights popped up. So yeah, there are some aerodynamic issues.
Wow, I must not have had enough coffee this morning, and forgot the original pop-ups on the classic Cord 810/812. You would have to twist the little crank on each side pretty quickly to make them “pop” but still, the concept is there.
JP, I also forgot about the Cord 810 / 812! My late grandfather used to talk about how these cars were such a big deal. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t going to find one of these parked curbside on the streets of Chicago. 🙂
“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t going to find one of these parked curbside on the streets of Chicago. 🙂”
You can, however, find them curbside every labor day weekend in Auburn, IN. You ought to make a run over there one of these years.
Here ya go Joe & JP – found in rural New Mexico about a month ago. I guess it would be considered a curbside? Looks like it hasn’t been mobile is quite some time….looks like a Westchester or Beverly.
Fiero.
1982-84 Celica’s went from half pop up and full pop up (roll back) in this generation.
1982
1984
I use my headlights to signal other drivers or pedestrians for various reasons. Pop ups would not work for me.
The manufacturers, especially for European market, had arranged the wiring so that the auxilary or fog lamps would be used as “flash-to-pass” when the headlamps are in the closed position.
Mazda came up with clever solution: small clear windows for the headlamps to shine through during the “flash-to-pass” event.
Volvo 480. Cult car here, nowhere else. Contributor Jim Brophy drives its successor, sort of, the C30.
In my family, we had four cars with hidden headlights. We thought they were cool and exotic:
Mom: 1988 Buick Skyhawk
Cousin: 1987 Pontiac Firebird
Uncle: 1984 Nissan 300 ZX 50th anniversary edition Turbo, 1988 Plymouth Conquest TSI Turbo
With the exception of the Skyhawk they were all fast and sporty cars
I had an ’89 Probe GT with the pop up headlights. Growing up in the ’80s I always saw them as a symbol of performance, even if they were a bit gimmicky by the end of the decade.
I liked them but the frequent freezing shut got to be annoying in the winter. I suppose today there’s no practical reason to have them since lights can be almost any shape you can imagine. But back then they added a sleekness and style that you couldn’t get otherwise.
I always thought pop-ups were a luxurious feature.
I think the best ones are found on late-1970s Mercury Grand Marquis and Colony Park wagon.
My 1989 Chrysler LeBaron GLC coupe had pop up lights, which I also enjoyed, especially hearing the “clunk” when I turned the lights on.
One safety issue that hasn’t been mentioned is the collision with pedestrians and the pop-up headlamps, especially with cover protruding further from the headlamps. See the cover on US-market Ford Probe. That is modern equivalent of body-goring fintails.
The pop-up headlamps for European market are designed to reduce the injury or damage as much as possible. Hence, different cover design as shown on Ford Probe for US and Europe.
US Ford Probe with protruding cover…
Comparison of US and European Ford Probe…
Incredible! While I knew the Probe had made an appearance in Europe, I never knew this factoid about the headlight doors. Very, very cool.
I had always thought this was the primary reason pop-up lights went away — they don’t meet current pedestrian safety requirements when in the up position.
There are (still) no pedestrian-protection provisions in the US/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, but such provisions are present in the UN (formerly “European”) regs most of the rest of the world uses.
I’m partial to classic American cars with headlight covers. I sure remember a lot in the late 70s and into the 80s that had ‘sleepy eyes’ as the mechanicals didn’t age well, particularly the vacuum-operated ones.
My favorites are ’68-70 Chargers and ’67-70 Cougars.
I’d be nervous about owning a decades-old car with the feature, but damned if they don’t look cool and make the design sleek. Nice to hear everyone’s thinking–and additions–today. Also nice point of information from JPC about the wind buffeting, which would never have occurred to me (but which, of course, would never keep me from buying a Miata).
I know Joseph Dennis’s essay isn’t a comprehensive history, but did other cars precede the 1930s Cord with this design feature?
Oh, and a message for Joseph Dennis: I live only a few hours from Chicago, but don’t get there nearly as often as I’d like. Your photos always bring back the feeling of being a pedestrian there!
Ah, instead of “flipping, pop-up lights”, consider the delightful early ’70’s rotating Opel GT headlights.
Love these, but why on earth would someone convert them to electric? The original mechanical action was faster and seemingly significantly more robust and reliable than electric/vacuum operated units
If you asked me the exact point when car styling fell off a cliff, it’s when concealed headlights disappeared. As a child of the 90s there isn’t one current sports/supercar that looks as exciting to me as even the most modest pop-up headlight sportscar of the 80s-90s. To drive that point home, a current Mclaren looks as sporty to me as a frog eye EXP.
I’ve heard this point of dissent often, but really who cares if the aerodynamics are hindered at night? I didn’t know everyone with sports cars were running the 24 hours of lemans.
Hidden headlights, like sealed-beam bulbs, seemed to be another victim of the switch to flush, composite units.
Today, auto lighting has progressed to the point that headlights can be made so small and slit-like, the complexity and cost of hidden units in the name of styling is unnecessary.
Yet not one car since has had that sharp wedge pointed nose hidden headlights allowed. Every single followup to a preceding model with pop-ups, be it Corvette, Ferrari, Lotus, Lamborghini, etc had a more blunt nose when the switch occurred. Not to mention the final NSX with what surely must be the worst facelift ever with its lumpy “modern” HID composites.
Lighting technology may have allowed for smaller lights but headlamp height remains, with pop ups that’s a non-issue, they literally pop *up*. With flush headlights they need to be up all the time and the design must be compromised to legally accomidate them.
That’s a great point about hidden headlights being much better able to meet headlight height requirements on those cars with a severely sloping nose.
Not only pop up headlamps but “hidden headlamps.” My ’66 Riviera had lamps that rotated down. During the day nothing but grille. It gave it a very cool custom car vibe. Who can forget the ’65 Riviera in Roadhouse?
When I was 19, I had an ’85 Corolla SR5 with the pop-ups. A few times when driving through town, I’d see a woman in a ’90 Celica and we’d hit the “flash to pass” lever a couple of times at each other to say hello. It was always fun.
I too had a 85 Corolla SR5. Mine had the small, carbureted 4 cyl with a 5 speed. Fun little car. 31 mpgs no matter how I drove it.
Hi Chris,
I didn’t see your reply until today.
I remembered a story with the Corolla.
I remember racing a Cavalier Z24 in the Corolla on the old Cline Avenue bridge in East Chicago Indiana. He would pass me on the straights, but I could do my top speed of a whopping 105 around the corners with no drama, at redline in third gear. If I let it go into fourth, it lost 5 mph. So it had to work hard to stay ahead.
Funny that seems so slow now. But it was still a lot of fun. Back then I tested my top speed on Cline with every (slow) car I had. Some were surprising.
’83 Cavalier stick: 115. (Past the speedo: confirmed by a following Firebird Formula)
’79 Accord LX stick: 110.
’83 Escort: barely 85. With a tailwind.
’84 Regal 3.8L: Barley 100. It was a dog, but looked fast.
’79 Bronco stick: Speedo only went to 85, but it kept pulling well past it. It was very scary around the corners at those speeds even with Kelly GT tires.
In ’93 I got married and stopped my fast-ish driving.
But in ’08 I did a one time test of my ’05 Taurus with the Vulcan (the slower engine) It hit the fuel cutoff at 114 going uphill running E85. And handled worse than the Bronco doing it. (I was trying to catch up with a co-worker after midnights when Cline was empty. He had a Hummer H2 and I didn’t get near him, but I certainly tried.)
Always more fun to go fast in a slow car than slow in a fast one.
So I’ve heard anyway. Never had a really fast car, and if I had back then I’d have probably died. By the time fast cars got affordable, I had a family and didn’t drive fast anymore. I know I should have regrets about doing that crazy stuff when young, but I don’t. Not one bit. It was awesome!
Hidden headlamps are a styling cue that appealed to me in certain applications such as the original RX-7, the Celicas shown above, and the Ford Probe. All are sporty cars where the disappearing headlights allowed for a lower profile. One could say form followed function here, even if it also was a styling gimmick.
On the other hand, most of the 1970s cars with hidden lights are of the Brougham variety that were actively repellent to me, especially when dressed with plastic “filigree” as shown on the full-size Fords, Mercuries, and Lincolns. Nothing more than gilded (or, more correctly, plastic-plated) turds like all mid-70s FoMoCo products in my eyes, jaundiced perhaps by the memories of Mom’s horrible 1976 Torino, which failed to deliver basic transportation, let alone any real style.
BTW, those Chicago streetscapes in most of the photographs above remind me how cold, gray and bleak winter can be there. Still, I appreciate the time taken to stop and shoot a picture of interesting automobilia.
Most 2000s cars made the transition away from pop-ups quite nicely. One exception may be the goofy 2002-2005 Acura NSX. The sales numbers reflected it, too.
I’ve never really felt any nostalgia towards pop-up lights and I’m plenty fine with my 2003 Miata and 1993 Supra not having them.
If you love pop-up headlights, you’ll love CC’s two-part history:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-hidden-headlights-part-1-now-you-see-them/
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-hidden-headlights-part-2-now-you-dont/
“Do you feel lucky, punk?”
Brilliant! Mike, you beat me there by about eight years. I normally try to check out CC to make sure I’m not repeating what someone else has said in more depth. Thank you for posting those links – and the Dirty Harry / Eastwood / GTO comparison is great.
Thanks! It’s good to get a fresh take on the subject. You and the commentariat have greatly expanded the catalog of hidden/pop-up headlight examples.
Another outstanding topic and article Joseph. And an excellent compilation of nice pics! No question pop-up headlights added so much mystique and interest to any car with sporty pretensions. There’s few examples I don’t appreciate.
I was a huge Hall and Oates fan as well. They’ve more than earned their title as the all-time top duo. My favourite album was ‘Big Bam Boom’. I always like the ‘Dance on Your Knees’ intro to ‘Out of Touch’. And Method of Modern Love’ and ‘Adult Education’ were others I really enjoyed in high school, as their sound matured. I often liked their lessor hits, and ‘Your Imagination’ was perhaps my choice from the ‘Private Eyes’ album. There is a great funky version from Daryl’s House, that runs after this clip of the original video:
Thanks, Daniel! It’s funny that you mention some of the less-ubiquitous H&O songs as some of your favorites. I also really like “Your Imagination”, as well as “Possession Obsession”, “Method of Modern Love”, and a few others from “Big Bam Boom”. These were perhaps later discoveries for me, as so many of their other hits are tied to the time period in which they were on the radio (or my family’s hi-fi).
Quad pop up lamps over quad fixed lamps. Bless you Mr. Towns.
The Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird relied on pop-ups to keep their nose cones aerodynamic.
I had a 1977 Porsche 924 a few years back with pop up headlights which continued on in the 944. Mechanically 924’s were a bit disappointing in my opinion, but I loved the slim styling, the Martini & Rossi special edition paintwork on mine and the pop-up headlights. It’s one of the few cars I (slightly) regret selling.
I’ve also really grown to love the look of the early 90’s Celicas – st185 models. Give me the all-wheel drive GT4 turbo in red please, with headlights up and ablaze!
I don’t think I can pick a favorite, but one not mentioned yet is the original Toronado. I assume it’s pop ups were another homage to the Cord 810/812.
1942 DeSoto “Airfoil”
I always enjoyed the pop-ups on my 85 300ZX. IIRC there was a special switch to flip them open for cleaning at the car wash. Unlike the vacuum-controlled doors on my Dad’s Mark V, the electric pop-ups on the Z never gave a bit of trouble.
I think the last cars sold in the US to have popup headlights were both the 2004 Corvette and the 2004 Lotus Esprit. We’re there any cars in 2005 with them???
My favorite is the ‘67 Toronado vs the less flush doors on the ‘66 Toronado
Honorable mention goes to:
‘63-‘67 Corvette (it was hard to adjust to a Corvette w/o hidden headlights in 2005)
1965 Buick Riviera
1968-1970 Dodge Charger
1969 Camaro -partial glass doors!
1986-1989 Honda Accord + Acura Integra – 4drs (like Cords) with hidden headlights
1989-1997 Ford Probe -loved driving these at night.
One of the reasons I wanted an NA Miata was for its simplicity. The other, and bigger reason, was I wanted the popups. I love ’em.
The popup lights on my 1994 Ford Probe were graceful looking. Push the button on the dash(the 1993 and 1994 models had an optional button on the console that allowed the lights to stay up without the lights being on) or turn the light stalk and the lights came up quietly. Push the button again or turn the stalk the other way and the lights closed quietly.
On my 99 Firebird, the lights coming up or going down made an awful metallic noise because the metal light covers would vibrate.
Plus unlike the Probe (or even the 93-97 Firebird) which had flat looking light doors that blended in with the hood, the 98-02 Firebird had bulging light covers that looked like a ingrown pimple.
Here is a pic of my 95 Caddy Deville and the backside(the best looking part of the car) of my 99 Firebird