The 1969 Continental Mark III came equipped with a standard Glove Compartment
Mirror
and a unique storage compartment to store the mirror when not needed.
Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most, like a mirror located
in a handy spot!
Some even popped up automatically when the glove compartment door was opened...
For years, automobile manufacturers have provided handy mirrors on the
passenger side sun visor for those last minute make up or hair touch ups,
or to perhaps do a quick check of the teeth after eating, but as the sixties
came to an end and more and more standard equipment was being provided
on luxury cars, the car makers were looking for thoughtful convenience
features that would make their cars stand out from the rest. Some of these
features had more of a safety factor to them, such as the Fiber Optic Lamp
Monitors. Others were designed to make long trips more comfortable, such
as individually-adjustable front power seats that allowed both the driver
and front seat passenger to adjust the seat to fit their personal comfort.
And others were simply nice touches that were never used by some, and delighted
others.
Two automobiles are noteworthy for their thoughtfulness when it came to
providing mirrors for passenger use. They are the 1969 Continental Mark
III, and the 1967-1968 Imperial. While ordinary luxury cars such as the
Cadillac and Lincoln Continental supplied the visor mounted mirror, the
Mark III and Imperial took it a step further, by providing mirrors in the
glove compartments.
The Mark III mirror was stowed in a black plastic compartment mounted at
the top of the glove compartment, so it could be slid in and out as needed.
The mirror had a black textured plastic frame around it, and was marked
in the lower right corner with "Continental" script. This was
a one year only feature, and the mirror is often missing from cars today.
Perhaps the original owner wanted to keep it as a souvenir at trade in
time. For 1970, the mirror storage compartment was replaced by a small
black metal clip that served to retain the Ownercard, which provided warranty
documentation for the original owner.
The Imperial was a bit more advanced, by mounting the mirror inside the
glove compartment with a spring-loaded hinge, so it popped up automatically
when the glove compartment door was opened, and retracted down automatically
when it was closed. Because these mirrors were actually attached to the
car, it was a bit more difficult for people to walk off with them, so most
of them today are still intact and serving duty for current owners.
By 1973, illuminated visor vanity mirrors appeared as an option for 1973
Cadillacs, trailed by most other makes the next year. Driver's side illuminated
mirrors soon followed, and they are now common items on many of today's
cars.
OTHER NOTABLE USES OF MIRRORS IN AUTOMOBILES
1965 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Luxury Sedan—mounted on front seat back
1974 Ford Thunderbird—illuminated visor vanity mirror
To the delight of many 1967-68 Imperial owners, a mirror mounted in the
glove compartment is convenient, thoughtful, and a functional feature
AUTO BREVITY is a single-topic, brief look into automotive history from
Automotive Mileposts.
To the delight of many 1967-68 Imperial owners, a mirror mounted in the
glove compartment is convenient, thoughtful, and a functional feature