Recently I ran across an old Infiniti key that’s been in my drawer for a while, it’s either from an old Q45 or an I30, but it’s the same as the one I used to use every day in my 1993 Infiniti G20. Keys are the first point of contact when getting ready to use a car and these days with remotes and completely keyless systems I think some of the magic is gone. Or replaced by real magic, I suppose. Several of our current vehicles have keyless entry and I do like the convenience of never having to take the key(fob) out of my pocket to get in, start the car, and go. However, it’s also a bit clinical with very little human/mechanical interaction, sort of robotic if you will and with zero charm.
If your car has a key that you like to use, then it can help to start the journey off on the right foot. I’ve used this particular key without a car as a paperweight, as a toy to touch and play with while I’m in front of the laptop trying to think of the right word to insert into a post or just to look at. But there are several specific things about this key that make me like it so much.
First, it is extremely heavy for a key; it’s a solid chunk of metal and on my postal scale registers at just over one and a half ounces. A few other random keys I have around are all less than an ounce, some around half an ounce. This heft provides a very welcome feeling of solidity. Second, the shape of it is perfect for using it to twist the engine to life as the head where your fingers grip it is subtly concave and the logo area provides traction. And my last reason for it being my favorite is that it is actually a piece of art, just look at how it doesn’t just have the logo and logotype on it but also incorporates a whimsical design around the perimeter of the head. They didn’t have to do that. But they did, and the key is all the better for it.
So how do you feel about your key? Do you like it, hate it, just live with it, or have never thought about it? And if you do have a memorable one, which one was/is it?
The key to my ’63 Beetle was in the shape of the VW logo.
Wish I had kept it.
I did keep mine from my ’62.
Still remember fondly the key to my Mark 2 Golf – like this
That’s one of the others that I still have from my wrecked ‘86 GTI as well. It’s a similar feel when using with the center being concave. Great design as well with the logo and then the rubber/plastic surround.
Those FACTORY mid-80s VW key blanks are hard to find. I need one for a spare key. Any help out there please?
I have one of those as a keychain for my mk4’s key
Yes! I must still have the key to my ’87 GLI somewhere, given that it was stolen and I never saw it again.
I remember those well from my 1960 and 1963 Beetles, really cool keys. Mine are long gone.
Great question. I still have a 100 percent keyed fleet. The problem with my Honda key is that it is absolutely huge, with the fob standing in for the key head. My Kia has a decent key, but it suffers from the huge piece of plastic that bulks it up.
I think my favorites were the classic Mopar pentastar keys of the 60s and 70s. And my least favorites were the aluminum keys that came with my 59 Fury – they felt entirely too thin, light and cheap.
The old brass Ford keys of the 70s were pretty nice too, nice and thick. Kind of like the cars themselves.
Yeah, my dads 58 Plymouth had an aluminum key!
The best key I had was the one from my 54 Oldsmobile. I found out that it would fit quite a few GM cars of various years and makes! Who knew?
My 1963 Plymouth had an aluminum key as well. I was afraid that I would snap it in two and had a key made from whatever metal was used for “normal” keys. I kept the aluminum key for several years but eventually lost track of it.
I heard the aluminum key was “save weight”. MOPAR was big in drag racing.
My ’62 Beetle had a key like this. Looked a little flimsy but quite cool.
Mine did break and I replaced it with a generic hardware key.
I don’t like the keys to my Lotus. One for the door, one for the ignition, one for glove box, one for the trunk. I can’t tell one from the other.
I’m not sure which Lotus key looks you have, but on most traditional brass or aluminum keys you can easily notch the head or shank with a hand file. By varying the notch location or using multiple notches to “number” the keys, you can give each one its own personality.
If the head is metal, I’d cut notches in the perimeter (green areas). If the head has a plastic cover, I’d notch the shank above the teeth (blue area).
I’d say it is likely that some things have been replaced on your car as I can’t imagine, nor have I ever heard of more than 2 distinct keys to operate all the locks on the vehicle, (valet keys excluded).
Now since it is a Lotus it may not be possible, but if they have the same warding (the grooves in the side) a good lock smith, if they can get the parts, can rekey the lock so that you are down to one or two keys.
I have same issue with my apartment flat keys: one for the main building entrance and one for my flat. Both have same shape and don’t have any telltale clue of their purpose. I use the colour-coded key covers like this in the photo.
I know General Motors issued the keys with unique shapes for many years: oval for doors and rectangle for ignition lock.
Well, I’m a nostalgic.
So, these are the keys…
Recently rented two different ’19 Sienna vans. I was floored when they gave me an actual key. No push button start, no proximity anything. An honest key. Hmmm. Must be rental spec….
Like my Mercedes “key”, really liked my ’06VW flip fob/key.
And this is the car.
We had the same set of keys for two cars, the first one was a 1978 Brazilian Chevette (Opel Kadett, T-car) and the second one was a 1979 Opel Rekord E 2.0. That is the one I wish I’d be able to get again, even taking into account that the cars I have owned are all faster, nimbler, more frugal on gas, lighter, and probably safer than the Rekord. Then again, that was my teenager’s dream car, my Dad finally got it (and lived to drive it for just a couple of months), then I learnt to drive in it and we kept it for 3 years. The clutch gave in with 40.000 km, there were rust bubbles when the car was 3 years old, 4th gear would snap out one you’d get over a pothole. But, was it quiet and good riding. And big and comfortable. And American-like. Anyway, Opel’s keys at the time were the same everywhere, so the Chevette had a GM logo and the Opel had the lightning.
I think my 1970’s Alfa’s had interesting keys but I can’t remember the details. Not very classic, but I think the key for our 2001 New Beetle was my favorite, a hefty remote with a folding key, first of its kind for us. new tech with old-school feel. Our new Golf has a similar but smaller and less pleasing design. But frankly being of an age that started with multiple keys that only fit one way, on through Ford’s two-way keys, then separate remotes, I love the “keyless” setup on my Tacoma.
I have no best key. As long as it starts I’m fine. I have two nominees for worst key however,
1. 1990 Cadillac Deville. Built with chip attached. Will not start if raining and key gets even the slightest bit of moisture. Cadillac owners manual actually says to use a different key if this happens. Fine if I’m at home, but sometimes I actually drive the car to a destination and don’t carry all my keys at the same time. Even if I did they would presumably all be wet.
2. 2015 Hyundai Sonata. I purchased this car with only one fob thinking how much could new one possibly cost? I priced it at the Hyundai Dealer and it costs 500-600* dollars. Seriously! I still only have one fob.
*Hyundai charges for the fob, programming, and cutting the reserve key as three separate transactions. Add all of them up and it comes to 500-600 dollars total. I wanted to be specific before some Hyundai shmuck comments that the fob is only $xx.xx and $500.00 is not accurate… blah blah…
I’ll add my vote for the old-school VW key. Another personal favorite is the key from my former ‘69 F-100. I painted the head with Testors blue paint probably when I was in high school. When I was about five or six years old, I picked out a key case to give my Dad for Christmas – I still have both the F-100 key and the key case set up on a shelf in my shop.
Somewhere out there is a spare key from my former ‘66 Tempest, too. IIRC, the head is octagonal in shape. Oh, also have a spare key from my ‘71 Vega, but it looks like any other GM key from the era.
Well, my old VW doesn’t have one of those great keys, so maybe I can’t mention that.
My favorite key was the one for my 1985 Nighthawk 750s, which was cut out somewhat like the VW one. That was my all time favourite motorcycle…
Back in March I bought a 2019
MiataMX-5. It came with proximity keys, if we can call them keys in the sense we’re discussing here. I love the fact that I never have to take them out of my pocket.My favorite key is not from a car I ever owned. When I visited my grandparents as a kid I used to love exploring all the rusting vehicles parked around their farm. One day I noticed a Studebaker key stuck in the ignition of an old Dodge truck of all places (is there any reason a Studebaker key would have worked in a 1950s Dodge?). I thought it was cool if for no other reason than because it was from a brand that was defunct more than a decade before I was born. So I took it and kept it as a souvenir. I’m sure I still have it somewhere.
“is there any reason a Studebaker key would have worked in a 1950s Dodge?”
Several explanations, all related to the Studebaker and Dodge using the same or similar ignition switches (probably bought from the same source)-
1) Someone replaced the Dodge switch with a used assembly out of a Studebaker.
2) A key shop (or Studebaker dealer) was out of Dodge blanks so they used a matching Studebaker blank to cut the key.
3) The switch was so worn out any key worked, and the Studebaker key was handy (or instead of worn out, someone may have removed the pins in the key cylinder).
Uncle Denny’s mid 80s Diesel Suburban had an ignition cylinder that was so worn out you could just turn it minus the key and the vehicle would roar to life. You could have probably shoved a Popsicle stick in there and started it.
Like some many things there are only a handful of suppliers in a given segment. For the longest time Briggs and Stratton, yes of small engine fame, was the primary supplier of locks to the automotive and truck mfgs. If you had the money (Ford and GM) you got unique keys, if you didn’t want to pony up the cash you got their generic key.
Many late model Fords use Strattec the successor name for the old B&S lock and key division.
International and AMC used Saginaw steering columns once locking columns were required and while at first glance the oval and rectangular key heads scream GM you can not interchange the key as the grooves in the key are relocated slightly.
So when I bought my first Scout II it came with AMC keys because that is what someone had that would fit. I have since obtained the 90’s “diamond road” and the old “man on the tractor” versions and retired that AMC key.
As a young line-rat I discovered the key that unlocked our sliding patio door also unlocked multiple Cessnas where I worked.
One of my favorites happens to be the Saab fob key. I’ve encountered a few over the years with the 9-3s I took in on trade from time to time.
+1
Although not a personal favorite, I wonder what people think about those keys from some luxury cars (Audi in particular) where the blade folds into the base or head. I’ve heard that in some airports TSA wouldn’t allow passengers to take their car keys because they were too much like switchblades.
Of the cars I’ve owned my favorite key was to my 75 Ford Pinto. Light and small. My Passat has the switchblade key in the fob and the thing is a giant chunk in my front pocket. Ick.
And, being of the switchblade design, the key can get triggered while in your pocket and a wrong move can really rock your world in a bad way. So says a fellow Passat owner.
My wrapped-in-nostalgia nominee is the classic Ford 1960s-80s key, pretty unchanged all the while. When a new car arrived, it meant seeing those perfect shiny keys, the cuts all sharp like a newly-minted coin.
I see that Edsel had their OEM ignition key in the shape of *the* infamous grille; any other maker ever do that?
I’ve read that the 1960 Comet, since it was originally going to be an Edsel, used those Edsel keys too, but with a “C” embossed on them (actually and E with the center lug removed). The Comet keys I see online look a bit different though (but still very cool).
How about the Ford Pinto Fix-It Tool Key? The Swiss Army knife of car keys…
Yeah I wish ebay existed way back when because I certainly would have had one of those for my Pinto(s).
VW keys around 1970 weren’t pretty, but they had good ergonomics. The key was L-shaped so you could tell by feel which way it was supposed to fit, and you could immediately see if it was Lock or Garage or On.
My ’98 Neon had a neon green key that glowed in the dark.
This was my favorite key, my stepdad had a 1995 Neon Sport.
My mom had one! She liked how easy it was to find the neon green key in the depths of her purse. Probably not the only woman to realize that, I’m surprised it wasn’t adopted Chryco-wide for that reason.
Ooooh I like that Neon key. Too bad my mid-90s Chrysler keys are black.
I was going to nominate this style of Mopar key, but the one I had for my 87 Lancer was just black, not glow in the dark. I really liked that key, probably because I really liked the car it went into.
The other cool thing that Chrysler did back then, the fobs (back when they were pieces of leather with a key ring on them) had a round medallion attached with the Mopar star on the outside and on the reverse was a P.O. Box address stamped on it. If you were to lose your key, a Good Samaritan could drop the key and fob in any US Mail box and it would be returned to you, postage paid.
I still have one of my fobs from my Lancer, out in the garage…
I like most any bladed key. The old pentagon shaped Chrysler key head was kinda cool, but if I had to pick an absolute favorite it’d be a GM key with the black plastic key head, before they became laser cut. Thin, and if left in the sun, not as hot as bare metal.
I will say I detest key fobs. I don’t like the lump in my pocket. On my ‘03 Silverado LS and ‘08 Impala LT, I just threw the fobs in the glove box and never used them. On my ‘12 Grand Cherokee with push button start I finally had a standard, bladed key made and removed the push button. Problem then was I had to put the key in so deep I could just barely turn it using the key head, so I’d turn it using the key ring (the only other key I carry on my person is my house key and office key). That also added the problem of the alarm being activated if I didn’t start the car within 10 to 15 seconds of unlocking the door without the fob. I solved that (kinda) by disconnecting the horn, but the flashers still came on. At least they’re quiet. My current ‘16 F-150 XL has a switchblade key/fob, which I also detest. I just haven’t gotten around to having a simple key made, yet. But it also has the issue of the alarm activating if unlocked by the key and not the fob. Guess I’ll have to pull the horn fuse on it, too. When was the last time you needed your horn?
Would have been easier just to keep the push button start.
But I no longer had to carry the fob around, just a key.
It was simple enough to re-install the push button when I sold the Jeep.
Seems like a lot of effort to go through just to avoid carrying a fob around? Don’t you have anything else bulky in your pockets, e.g. house keys, phone, wallet?
I only carry a house key in addition to my car key. The office has a combination door lock now, and all work keys are in my desk or vehicle’s map pocket. I carry a cheap, vinyl business card holder as a wallet with a drivers license, bank card, one credit card , health insurance card, and 3 or 4 business cards, and no more than $50 cash, double folded; it’s quite thin and I keep it in my front pocket. My cellphone has no protective case or bumper to keep it as small as possible, and in fact, I used to carry an i-8 but went back to an SE (like an i-5) so I could carry a smaller phone. If I could have just an Apple Watch (like Star Trek), I would, but you still have to have a phone nearby, so what’s the point? And I carry a comb. So…as you can see, I keep my pockets as empty and lump-free as possible.
I’m a minimalist.
If you get the Apple Watch with LTE cellular capability, it can function reasonably well without a nearby iPhone
I would think you can program your F150 to disable the alarm horn without needing to pull the fuse.
Yes the perimeter alarm can be turned off on late model Fords, but not directly with the car. It requires turning the feature off in the code in the particular module.
I went to the Ford dealership asking about turning it off, they said it can’t be done, I assume as per the module as you say. I don’t know if it’s possible to re-code a module? I got the impression it’s not possible.
Kinda funny about my prior Chevys not needing to be unlocked with the fob, but I had considered (took it home for a weekend) an ‘09 Silverado LT that required the fob, the service department said the same thing about the module, so I declined buying the truck. Yet the new ‘19 Silverados (Custom trim only, LT and above are push button) don’t require a fob to deactivate the alarm.
Well it isn’t possible on every Ford, however to turn it off on a 2016 you change the 4th digit of the second group of 4 digits in line 726-01-02 from a 1 to a 0.
The service writer at the dealership you went to either didn’t know it was possible or lied because they didn’t want to do it for liability concerns. Anyone can purchase the equipment to do it themselves for less than the dealer would charge to do it, if they would do it.
That does not mean that you can turn it on if the car didn’t originally come with it as all the components might not be there and you’ll get error codes because you are telling the module to look for items that aren’t there.
A lot of people like to turn up their nose at the whole “One Ford” thing, thinking it meant entire cars would be the same. However it went much deeper than that, with modules and software archetcure shared across the world across many models. The key is in the application specific programing to fit the vehicle, its options and the intended market. Which means you can turn on functions that are for other countries or models, ie able to put an address into navigation with the vehicle in gear, or make you infotainment splash screen and theme of that of a GT 40 in your lowly vehicle.
Those spring-loaded ‘switchblade’ key fobs were, to me, the original ‘fidget spinner’.
Has to be the 81-83 Imperial key for me!
Thanks for the pic. It’s worth noting that earlier Chrysler keys had the Pentastar reversed with the narrower end towards the blade. They changed the orientation with the advent of the 1970 column mounted ignition switch.
Alfa 159, nice black box you’d slide in a slot in the dash, press the start/stop button and away we’d go! No nonsense, never let me down and did not slice your trousers pockets.
When it comes to car keys, less is more. The smaller and less intrusive they are, the better.
The modern keys / fobs are great for being multitasking. However, they add unwelcome bulk and I don’t like having a blob of keys in my pocket. My first experience with this was on our ’01 Taurus. It is identical on our ’00 Econoline and the ’07 F-150. The key fob for the ’14 Passat is really pushing the envelope but it’s at least one piece, unlike the Ford keys.
However, I do truly miss the diminutive key as is being pictured by others. The brand is immaterial; it’s a matter of size. Perhaps the best are the keys to my ’63 Galaxie – small and only for basic business.
Less is more.
The key for the 1978-80 Ford Fiesta was a monster. I guess it made sense from a safety perspective, but that didn’t make it any more comfortable to lug around in one’s pocket.
Very good point. Some modern key fobs are just way too big. Then again, too small and I fear losing it. My Falcon key fob is nice and compact but I worry it’ll fall out of my pocket somehow, someday. And I don’t have a second fob…
The key on a Merkur Scorpio always intrigued me. I think its called a teves key.
Jaguars have/had the same thing. Actually it’s probably the same key, the head even looks very similar. It’s interesting as the “blade” is basically round.
Think all 80s and 90s euro ford keys were these
It is a Tibbie, we got them in the US on the earlier Transit Connects too.
I find it strange the Merkurs didn’t use the traditional flat, plastic-free “Ford Family of Fine Cars” key.
As the Scorpio’s smaller sibling, my ’89 (Ford) Sierra has Tibbe keys. One key broke inside the fob recently – having round blades meant when turning the fob, the blade stayed staying stationary while the fob turned. I spent half an hour thinking the battery connection was loose before realising the key was the problem…
Re the question about a Studebaker key fitting a Dodge, lock cylinders are pretty minor things, easier to buy from a lock vendor than equip a plant to make them in house.
This key is from a red 1960 Lark. iirc, on the back side it says “Yale”.
I’m a fan of my current fob.
Keep it on the carabiner at my hip with all my other keys, don’t touch it except for hanging it up at the end of the day and grabbing it first thing in the morning.
My favorite car keys of all time are from Volvo, in particular the keys to my 1989 740 GL and 1993 240. Both keys are square, much like the cars themselves.
For conventional metal car keys, I have fond recollections of my ’63 VW key with the round logo, as seen above.
The coolest modern key is Tesla’s. It’s actually in the shape of the car, like a little model. You push on the part of the car you want to open. I’ve seen and handled one, and it’s delightful. Like the car.
BMW folding key from my 1969 1602
https://www.hemmings.com/parts/item/Body–Exterior/Locks–Keys/BMW-1600-2002-Folding-Key32321101461-32321104927/17167.html
I had a 1971 BMW 1600 but, when I bought it in 1975, it had a regular key. Since there was only the one I decided to have an extra key made.
I had to go to a particular key and lock kiosk in the Spring Branch neighborhood of Houston as this was the only place besides the sole dealership in the city that had BMW key blanks and could cut the ‘extra hard’ metal (so I was told). Getting the spare key made wasn’t anymore expensive, just a bit inconvenient.
At the time my father had a BMW 3.0 (a Bavaria with leather seats and power windows) and the key for that car had a straight blade with seemingly random dimples on each side of the blade. It was unique.
I suppose my favorite key then would be that of my first car: the BMW 1600. Later I had a Mercedes-Benz with the “switchblade” key which was fun to deploy.
My ’09 Falcon has a switchblade key like my ’07 Calais had. If I’m going to have a physical key, that’s what it needs to be. All the buttons on the head of the key and no actual key bit to jab you in the leg when you put it in your pocket… when I replaced the Calais with an ’07 Legacy, I found the lack of a switchblade key frustrating for that very reason. Also a switchblade key gives you something to fiddle with!
One thing I miss about an old car was the key fob for my ’04 Falcon. While the buttons were on a separate fob and not on the key itself (boo!) it had a panic button (yay!). You have no idea how often that came in handy in a huge parking lot. If I forgot where I parked, I’d just press the panic button for a few seconds and follow the sound of honking. Probably scared a few people but hey…
My 03 Falcon started mysteriously unlocking itself after about 15 minutes, it took me a while to work out it was the remote key fob itself, (when I removed the battery and it stayed locked) I never replaced it and just used the key to unlock and lock the door,
My favorite is probably my stepson’s key to his 2013 or 14 Mazda 3. It’s like a switchblade and kinda neat.
Of the classics, I was always partial to the simple double sided Ford keys of the ‘70s… bias there having two “That 70’s Fords”. I liked these better than the GM keys of the era, since you could insert them either way, unlike the Chevy keys.
Back to more modern ones, my 2007 Mustang May very well be the last car I ever get with an actual key to start it up. While yes, there’s a remote fob, it’s a real key to start the ignition. Both my wife’s 2009 Lancer and my 2016 Civic have a proximity fob/remote, although there’s a key inside it.
Civic Key on right; Mustang Key on left:
Oops… forgot to reduce the size…
The Civic’s key has a super cool feature. There actually IS a keyhole in the driver’s door handle that when you insert that key (removed from the fob in the pic below), you can open all three windows (and close them too), and this wasn’t mentioned in the owner’s manual (I couldn’t find it anyway in that 593 page tome).
The remote can be used to open the windows and sunroof like mentioned above, but I can’t figure out how to close them with it once opened.
I learned this from one of those “life hack” websites. Someone must’ve figured it out. I’ve had this car for just over three years now, and a STILL learning things it can do…
Some cars have global open but not global close for what ever reason. My wife’s C-Max for example can only open, but not close while my Lincoln can do both.
Most cars with proximity entry do have an emergency key inside them somehow. However a number do have them hidden. Sometimes you slide off a cap, that is usually released with the key. I’ve seen others where you pull the door handle to reveal the slot and then once you’ve removed it release and pull the door handle again. The new Aviator has it hidden in a piece of trim well away from the handle.
The other thing you want to do with a system like that is find where to place the remote when its battery dies so that the car can read it. In my car it is under the cup holder mat. In the wife’s its an indent in the steering column shroud.
When the battery gets low on the Civic’s remote, the instrument cluster tells you what to do. It says something like, “Hold remote close to the start button.” This seems a little weird, as it also will say “Remote Battery Low”. But these messages appear at different times. Not really sure why. It seems to vary. Perhaps it’s based on just how low the battery is at the time.
I haven’t had a car for over fifteen years, but I do drive them occasionally when I rent. They’re usually giant things that don’t fit easily into your pocket.
So, I’ll have to say my “favorite key” will be:
– An actual *key* (and not that weird thing I have to put in that slot in my mom’s Altima); and
– Anything that can fit into my pants’ pocket.
My ’94 Ford Probe had a very nice key, if I recall correctly.
I have always preferred small and simple keys over the bulk of modern keys and fobs. The new keys just take up too much real estate in my pockets. I suppose my favorites, mostly for nostalgic reasons, are the old GM square/round keys and the dual sided Ford Brass square/round keys. Of the two, the Ford keys were probably my favorite of the two because they felt more substantial, they have the dual sided function, and they just work better than the GM keys.
All our cars still use keys. My pet peeve with the fobs is not making the unlock lock buttons intuitive. The fob on my Toyota is well designed, I can hit the correct button without looking every time. The one on my wife’s Subaru is not great. Trying to hit the unlock is not easy without looking at the button. My wife’s last car, a Prius had the keyless entry. It worked really well, and I liked it. On the other hand, we have some cars at work with keyless that don’t work 100%, which I find quite irritating.
The first Mustangs had nice chromed keys with the running horse logo on them. Early Mazda rotaries has a door key with the head in the shape of a rotor, with a red enameled logo in the center. Both were very classy.
Door key from my 1980 Renault 30.
I guess my comment from earlier didn’t go through.
I’ve got to agree on that style Infinity key. It is nice and heavy and just feels good in your fingers, I’d even go as far to say it is luxurious if a key can be called that.
The early VW Logo key was another great one, unfortunately they did seem to break, though it often took a decade or two for that to happen.
Of keys I currently have I like the early 00’s and on Mercury keys. Definitely feels more substantial than the corresponding year Ford keys. That era Lincoln is nice too.
I think Ford was on a roll in the late 50’s and early 60’s from the Ford chevron keys to the Mercury Messenger, the Lincoln star, the Comet C and Edsel Pickle.
I believe in a fit of decluttering a few years ago I discarded a bunch of old keys; at least I can’t find them now. One favorite was the key to my Dad’s 1978 Continental Mark V with the Continental star. Should have saved it. And as many have said, my real favorite was the old VW key with the VW emblem cut through it. I remember thinking it was kind of fragile and having an extra regular key made for daily use back when I got a 1960 Beetle as my first car in 1966.
As a kid back in the 50’s-60’s, in addition to key styles I was fascinated by the radically different ignition lock designs of various manufacturers, from the “knob” switch used by Chevy before 65 (or 64?), the left hand (and rather small) switch used by Ford through 63, et al. To say nothing of the starter switches before the two were integrated (our manual shift Nash had the starter switch under the clutch pedal, the starter on the automatic Ambassador was activated by pulling back on the shift lever). Would be an interesting subject for a CC piece.
Must be the CC effect in reverse. Today, while heading out to go to the store, I decided to take the MGB instead of the Tesla which has no key. Actually, I’m typing this reply on my Tesla key/phone. I accidentally grabbed the key to my 1996 Saab 900S convertible. That car went to the great beyond with 250,000+ miles and a spun bearing in 2012. I’ve since kept it’s key through 4 moves, one of which was across the country. Like the OPs Infiniti key, the Saab key has a substantial feel with a divot for your thumb. I always remember how nice that key felt as I twisted it between the seats. I almost shed a tear when I realized that I grabbed the Saab key instead of the MG key today. 7 years later, and I still miss that car.
Mazda had a nice-feeling key in the mid-late 1980s, a round rubber head with a thumb indent. I drove an ’89 Mercury Tracer which used Mazda key blanks, and the generic keys from the hardware store picked up the shape of the OEM keys if you paid extra for a rubber/plastic headed key. The original Ford-supplied key had a much less comfortable rectangular head.
My favourite is Mercedes-Benz keys from the 1970s and 1980s. They have that unmistakable cheque board texture and soft rectangular shape.
That was before the keys became the fobs in the 1990s onward.
My fave is probably a Duesenburg SJ key from 1932. I had that car for over 20 years. But another favorite, if it even counts as a key, is the key to my 2018 Tesla Model S P100D.
Aftermarket 60’s Plymouth key. Or equivalent for whatever car you had.
Favorite: Definitely my Cadillac Division 23 karat gold-plated ‘Gold Key Delivery’ keys.
I only use these when I take her to a show. Somewhere i have the the black embossed key binder. (keys:Cadillac keychain: one of several i use found on ebay)
I have two sets of keys one in a flip out fob that starts my Citroen remotely locks it and rolls the windows up or down unlocking also raises it to regular ride height so you can move off when it starts, gone are the days of having to start the engine first and build pressure to raise the car and release the brakes, the other is a simple tiny brass key that starts my old Hillman its a Wilmoy & Breeden replacement of the Rootes branded original that came in the ignition switch I fitted a couple of years ago when the original failed, both sets feature a house key and only the boot of the Hillman locks, the only keyed door handle wore out long before I aquired the car.
From when a Cadillac was the Cadillac of cars.
I handled a LOT of these back when I was a valet in high school in the ‘80’s. Not really different than any other GM key but the gold color was a very nice touch and quite distinctive. One of the better marketing decisions at the time, low cost, high impact, and certainly in keeping with the target market.
I still have them from my ’89 Seville!