 Concealed headlights have appeared on many automotive makes and models over the years (see partial list, at right). Often found on luxury models or muscle cars, concealed headlights can
be a design element as well as a functional consideration, depending on
the car. Before the mid-sixties, hidden headlights were rarely seen, and
were a novelty that appeared on just a few cars. But beginning with the
1965 Buick Riviera, they became a popular feature for the rest of the decade,
although their moment at the top would be brief. In fact, the very car
that was responsible for their popularity can also be credited in part
for their demise.
There were several popular ways to incorporate this feature, and most were
determined by styling considerations. Covers over the lights that matched
the surrounding panels be they grille work or a painted nose cone of some
type could be made to flip up, rotate up or down, or slide sideways while
the headlamps themselves remained stationary. Or the assemblies the headlamps
were mounted to could rotate to expose or conceal the beams. This was normally
accomplished with vacuum or electrical power, and sometimes multiple motors
were used as well.
These systems were relatively trouble free, however when a widespread malfunction
occurred, it didn't take long for it to be noticed by the Department of
Transportation, since automobile lighting systems were considered a safety
issue. Usually, the cover or assembly would fail to move and expose the
lights when the headlights were turned on, which made the car unsafe to
drive at night. Often, all that was needed was a gentle push on the moving
part to free it up, but sometimes a loose or kinked vacuum line was to
blame, or a loose electrical connection or bad relay was the culprit. At
any rate, before long concealed headlights on automobiles had caught the
attention of the Federal Government, and it wasn't long before regulations
were being enacted to protect the public.
One of the concerns that caught attention was the manner in which the 1966 Buick Riviera headlights rotated into position. On this particular model, the headlight assembly in its entirety rotated to expose the beams. When off, the headlights would point straight up, facing the underside of the closed hood. A matching grille panel on the rotating assembly aligned with the stationary grille which provided the hidden effect. The issue was what happened when the lights were turned on. Once turned on, the sealed beams themselves lit up immediately, and the assembly began to rotate to expose the lights. For a brief second, while rotating, the lights could blind oncoming drivers as they rotated down into position.
 To be fair, the 1966 Riviera wasn't the only car with this design. All
Rivieras from 1966-1969 used this design, as did the 1968-1969 Oldsmobile
Toronados. Other manufacturers were getting complaints about their designs
as well, especially from consumers. For instance, in 1969 Ford added springs
to the hidden headlight feature on all of its cars so equipped. These springs
were designed to open the covers if a problem developed with the vacuum
system, which meant lots of new Fords were sitting around with half-open
headlight covers if they hadn't been started in a few days.
For the 1969 model year, a fail-safe design was required that opened the
covers automatically in the event of a vacuum system failure, and beginning
in 1970, a requirement was in place that specified the covers took no more
than 3 seconds to open. Actually, the 3-second limit was slated for 1969,
but the car companies said they needed another year to develop the mechanism
that would allow that. It is reported that the fail-safe design was proposed
after some early 1967 Cougar models developed a problem that would cause
the headlights to disappear at night. The problem was promptly corrected,
but Washington received enough complaints about the concealed headlamp
design that they felt legislation was required.
As luck would have it, the public wasn't as enamored with hidden headlights
as they had been, due in part to problems with them, so quite a few cars
dropped them for 1970. The cars that continued with them had new standards
to meet, such as the amount of time it took for the cover to move out of
the way and expose the headlights would be limited to a maximum of 4 seconds.
This meant that fancy rotating assemblies would now (in most cases) be
history. And more systems would be operated electrically, as it was faster
for an electric motor to accomplish this task than it was for a vacuum
motor, although some makes such as Lincoln (1970-1984), Mercury (1970-1978
Marquis), and Ford (1975-1978 LTD Landau), continued with vacuum motors
assisted by powerful springs to snap the covers open quickly when the headlights
were turned on.
In the case of Lincoln, the springs became an issue. Due to the design,
vacuum was required to maintain the covers in the closed position, and
since the springs were constantly attempting to open the covers, the leak
down rate for the vacuum system could happen rather quickly. This meant
new Lincolns sitting on dealer lots with the headlight covers partially
or fully open. This required Lincoln dealers to start their in-stock units
frequently enough to keep the vacuum reservoirs replenished, as the appearance
of cars for sale with open covers wasn't a good selling feature.
Another issue involving the springs was fuel economy. Internal documents
at Ford indicated that fuel economy would suffer to some extent, as the
engine was constantly fighting the springs by applying vacuum to keep the
covers down. This was most evident on the 1969 Ford Thunderbird and 1969-1971
Continental Mark III, which used one vacuum motor for each headlight cover.
Later cars would use just one motor to reduce engine load, and minimize
the possibility of vacuum leaks and the amount of vacuum required during
engine shut down to maintain the covers in the closed position.
Still, it wasn't unusual to see Ford products of this era with their covers
slowly creeping open if the car hadn't been driven recently. And as they
aged, this leak down rate could happen fairly quickly, sometimes within
a matter of hours, which was an issue for dealers attempting to sell used
cars with hidden headlights. Admittedly, there was a malfunction somewhere
causing this, but the fact is that the electric motors used by other manufacturers
seemed to perform better over a longer period of time, without the need
for repairs when they were only a few years old.
Today, it's rare to see cars on the road of any vintage with concealed
headlights, and even more rare to find them in operable condition. Time
takes its toll on all things mechanical, and when rotating parts get dirty
or rusty, or vacuum seals dry up and crack, problems arise.
Hidden headlights have now gone the way of all the other things that used
to make automobiles unique, including styling touches that made them stand
out. Add them to the list with interiors offered in more than just black,
gray, and beige; offering more than just 5 exterior paint colors (you used
to be able to choose from 20...sometimes more!); and the ability to order
options individually, instead of paying for a package with a bunch of stuff
you really don't want.
All this comes at a time when the American automobile industry is reeling
from lack of sales and huge losses. At the time of this writing, General
Motors and Chrysler are talking about merging. GM has enough cash to last
12 months, and Ford has enough to make it 18.
Could it be the time has come for the American auto makers to stop trying
to build foreign cars and give Americans what they want? Try something
new...or rather, old...for a change. Give people what they want and they
just might buy it! |
AMERICAN CARS WITH CONCEALED HEADLAMPS
(Partial list)
Legend:
LISTED BY YEAR FIRST, THEN ALPHABETICALLY
Top Line: YEAR(S) AVAILABLE/MAKE AND MODEL/S = STANDARD OR O = OPTIONAL FEATURE
Bottom Line: Direction of cover movement to expose lamps and other details
1936-1937 Cord 810 (S)
Assembly flips up from fender; manually crank operated from inside car
(handle on each side of instrument panel, one for each cover)
1942 DeSoto (S)
Assembly rotates upward
1963-2004 Chevrolet Corvette (S)
Flips and rotates upward 1963-1967 and 1983-2004; assembly rises up 1968-1982
1965-1969 Buick Riviera (S)
Clamshell design in 1965, top raises and bottom lowers; assembly rotates downward 1966-1969
1966-1971 Dodge Charger (S—1966-1970; O—1971-1972)
Grille assembly rotates 180 degrees 1966-1967; covers rotate upwards 1968-1972
1966-1969 Oldsmobile Toronado (S)
Headlight assembly rises up 1966-1967; assembly rotates downward 1968-1969
1967-1968 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado (S)
Cover rotates downward; vacuum operated
1967-1969 Chevrolet Camaro (O)
Cover slides inboard behind grille; vacuum operated 1967; electrically operated 1968-1969
1967-1969 Ford Thunderbird (S)
Cover rotates upward; two vacuum motors; 1969-only spring loaded internally
1967-1970 Mercury Cougar (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1967-1968 Pontiac Grand Prix (S)
Cover rotates upward
1968-1969 Chevrolet Caprice (O)
Two piece cover - lower section raises up over lights and header section above is hinged at top and flips up under header panel 1967-1968; 1969 cover rotates upward
1968-1971 Chrysler 300 (S)
Cover rotates upward
1968-1970 Ford Galaxie 500 XL (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1968-1970 Ford LTD and Country Squire (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1968-1969 Pontiac GTO (S)
Cover rotates downward; vacuum operated
1969-1975 Chrysler Imperial (S)
Cover rotates upward; electrically-operated, spring assisted
1969-1971 Continental Mark III (S)
Cover rotates upward; two vacuum motors; spring loaded internally
1969-1978 Mercury Marquis and Colony Park (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1970 Ford Ranchero (GT only) (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1970 Ford Torino (Brougham only) (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1970-1979 Lincoln Continental (Sedan, Coupe, Town Car, and Town Coupe) (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1970 Mercury Montego MX Brougham, Cyclone, Cyclone GT, and Cyclone Spoiler (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1970-1971 Plymouth Fury (Sport and Gran Coupe; 1971 only Sport Suburban Wagon) (S)
Cover rotates upward; electrically-operated
1970 Plymouth Superbird (S)
Headlight assembly rises up; vacuum operated
1972-1976 Continental Mark IV (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1972-1973 Dodge Monaco (S)
Cover retracts downward
1972 Plymouth Fury III (O)
Electrically-operated
1974-1976 Bricklin SV-1 (S)
Assembly rises up; vacuum operated; two vacuum motors
1975-1978 Ford LTD Landau and Country Squire (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1976-1981 Chrysler New Yorker (S)
1976-1978 Dodge Royal Monaco (S)
1977-1979 Continental Mark V (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated
1977-1983 Ford Thunderbird (S)
Cover rotates upward; vacuum operated; single motor
1979-1981 Dodge St. Regis (clear covers) (S)
1978-1979 Dodge Magnum (clear covers) (S)
1981-1983 Chrysler Imperial (S)
1980-1984 Continental Mark VI (S)
Cover rotates upward; two vacuum motors; spring loaded
1986-1992 Oldsmobile Toronado (S)
1987-1992 Chrysler LeBaron (Coupe and Convertible) (S)
1988-1991 Buick Reatta (S)
1988-1993 Chrysler New Yorker (S)
1990-1993 Chrysler Fifth Avenue (S)
1990-1993 Chrysler Imperial (S) |
