Opera Lamps

Opera lamps are small decorative lights mounted on the exterior b-pillar. They were all the rage on ‘70s, and even ‘80s, domestic luxury cars. These lights, aside from looking pretty, had little practical application. But they did give the car a more formal appearance similar to a limousine, or formal carriage (a recurring theme). Designers didn’t take opera lamps lightly either, as they developed from simple lens-over-bulb accents to more complex electro-luminescent ordeals. Looking back, they seem both tacky and somewhat unnecessary, perhaps like just another set of bulbs to replace.

Fancy Trim Designations

Today, upscale versions of a model are often identified with simple letter or number monikers, like Volvo’s S80 “T6,” or Cadillac’s CTS “V” series. This, of course, doesn’t sound very fancy, now does it? Forty some years ago, however, fancy was in. The most famous upscale trim package term was “Brougham.” Various automakers of the time slapped the Brougham badge on their distinctively-trimmed (and pricier) versions of a particular model. The boxy Ford Grenada even had an upscale “Ghia” version. Yes, “Ghia,” like the Italian firm. But it was General Motors that seemed most keen on this practice, coming up with trim packages like the Monte Carlo “Landau,” Ninety Eight “Regency,” Seville “Elegante” or my personal favorite, the Sixty Special “Brougham d’Elegance.”

Cut Pile Carpeting

Anyone who has driven a large car of the decade can attest to the excellent carpeting these vehicles usually featured. Some looked like cuts of shag carpet pulled straight from the designer’s own living room, or perhaps a creepy motel room. With carpet like this, it was difficult not to take your shoes off and relax. Nonetheless, these carpet jobs appear gaudy today, especially in typical ‘70s colors. If you don’t mind the look, however, they are quite fantastic.

Pillow-topped Seats

Who wouldn’t want pillow-topped seats for those long, boring road trips? While present-day luxury cars often feature stiff, conservatively padded bucket seats, in the 1970s designers stopped at nothing to provide the utmost in derrière comfort. Cars like the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz featured thick button-tufted pillow-topped seats, which were literally pillows attached to additional padding below. It is perhaps the closest thing to driving your couch down the expressway. Of course, today these comfortable seats appear geriatric at best and downright garish at worst.

Opera Windows

Those who lived during the 1970s will likely remember the immense popularity of two door “personal” luxury cars. These luxury coupes almost always featured small, fixed decorative rear passenger windows that were separated from front windows by a thick b-pillar. The idea was to give rear passengers a sense of privacy, or to some, claustrophobia, while complementing the luxurious appearance of the car. Even less expensive coupes like the Chevrolet Monte Carlo sported small rear windows reminiscent of a formal carriage. Though sometimes tacky, these windows were still somewhat useful (and a few looked good).

Spare Tire Humps

Like many other styling features on this list, spare tire humps were attempts to mimic the custom-bodied cars of the early 20th century. The first Lincoln Continental sported a covered spare, which was both functional and attractive. Lincoln designers pushed this feature on many Continental models over the years, even when they were no longer used for housing a spare and looked awkward, if not tacky, on more modern luxury cars. However, some (like the Continental Mark III)

Bizarre Houston Art Car Parade

On May 8th about 250,000 spectators gathered in Houston to see extremely modified vehicles. Houston Art Car Parade is world’s largest car parade of its kind. Lets take a look at some really weird and bizarre modified vehicles from Houston Art Car Parade 2010.

Ugly car

Ugliness is a property of a person or thing that is unpleasant to look upon and results in a highly unfavorable evaluation. To be ugly is to be aesthetically unattractive, repulsive, or offensive. Like its opposite, beauty, ugliness involves a subjective

World’s Longest Car Ever

 This 30.5-m long (100-ft), 26-wheeled limousine, which was designed by Jay Ohrberg of Burbank from California, USA. It has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The car is being used mostly for film productions and exhibitions. Inside, its equipped with a large Jacuzzi tub, a sun deck, a helipad, a swimming pool with diving board, a king sized bed and a satellite dish. One of the few problems that people might encounter is that this limo is extremely difficult to drive.

A cop car from the future

A police car is the description for a vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a high visibility

Brightening Vehicular Graphics Artworks

Brightening Vehicular Graphics Artworks - There are a great variety vehicle graphics available in the market place and you can easily choose the one that captures your personality and creativity. Here are some excellent Vehicular Graphics Artworks.

Automobile with some artificial intelligence

A smart car is an automobile with some artificial intelligence (or "AI") functionality. As automation technology has progressed, especially in the decades after the invention of the integrated circuit, more and more functions have been added to automobiles,

Coolest Concept Cars

Concept cars are usually shown at the big motor shows throughout the world. They’re shown to consumers to gauge their reactions to radical design changes or concepts. The idea of the concept or show car was developed by the GM designer Harley Earl. The concept auto is a real car, but it never goes into production directly. It would

Poor car dragged through ice

Off Roading is a recreational pursuit popular among a sub-section of the owners of four wheel drive or all-terrain vehicles. The term "Off-Road" refers to a driving

Geneva Motor Show Highlights

 Geneva Motor Show Highlights - Considered as one of the major international auto shows, the Geneva Motor show is set to reveal more than 50 cars, trucks, and concepts to the press. Here are some top presentations from 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

Awesome concept car

This car features an open top cockpit and a mid-engined rear-drive configuration and weighs just 1150kg. Power comes from a 5.0L V8 engine sourced from Mercedes Benz that·s mated to a five-speed

Shipwreck Survival Tips

1. Always read instructions carefully
2. Do not drink urine. Or sea water. Or bird blood
3. Do not eat jellyfish. Or fish that have spikes. Or fish that have parrot like beaks. Or that puff up like balloons.
4. Pressing the eyes of fish will paralyse them

5. The body can be heroic in battle; if a castaway is injured, beware of well-meaning, but ill-founded, medical treatment. Ignorance is the worst doctor, while rest and sleep are the best nurses.
6. Put your feet up at least 5 minutes every hour