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Past To Present: Extinct 1980s Features That Shaped Today’s Cars

Cameron Eittreim May 24, 2023

The 1980s were a time of trial and tribulation in the auto industry. Technology was changing at a rapid pace but regulations were also coming down hard. Cars became lighter weight and the styles changed dramatically in the 1980s, and this was also the period that the minivan rose in popularity. There were cars like the DMC-12 that drew an entirely new generation of drivers to vehicle showrooms. The interesting thing about this decade was the fact that drivers were becoming more in tune with their vehicles. These extinct features disappeared but the technology continued to improve.

Things like electronic dashboards, paneling, and electronic seatbelts were just some of the things that defined the era. Cars like the original Nissan Maxima had interactive dashboards and interiors way before it was even a thing. This was a true decade of innovation for the automotive manufacturers and it’s a lot of the reason that we got the automotive industry that we have today. We looked back at some of the now-extinct features that shaped the modern auto industry we have today.

Automatic Seatbelts

An automated car interior was always the dream of automotive enthusiasts. But the trouble was just finding the technology to do it. One of the first things that automakers decided to electrify was the seatbelt restraint system. The very first electronic seatbelt system was a very simple thing. It often got stuck in the track and drivers weren’t too fond of it, which is why it didn’t stick around past the latter part of the 1990s (via McCarthy Collison).

But you’ll notice that a lot of modern cars are started to go back to having some sort of seatbelt reminder system. Modern safety features have been developed because of this failure. The seatbelt systems that we have today wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the innovations of the 1980s.

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Impact Bumpers

Safety was starting to become a high priority in the ’80s, so automakers were looking for ways to improve upon it. Impact bumpers were another innovation that peaked during this era. The idea behind impact buyers was to allow the car to take a greater impact without damage. Impact bumpers didn’t stay long but the idea behind the technology is still used in modern bumpers today. Crumple zones are what the modern impact bumpers are and most modern cars have this type of technology behind their body paneling (via 80s Goodness).

Automakers tried to come up with several solutions but nothing stuck. Impact bumpers are most notable on the Porsche Carrera and 911 cars. These cars utilized that technology a lot in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Unfortunately, there were better methods for protecting the body of the car. These methods proved to be more cost-effective for the automakers as well and you saw impact bumpers fade away.

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CB Radios

Back before cell phones were a thing, many cars had a CB radio. These were a good enough way to communicate with other drivers on the road. Made popular in the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ movies, the CB radio was a great piece of technology in vehicles. The only problems were that the technology was expensive at the time and not the most practical thing to have hanging in your muscle car (via Nostalgic Central).

CB Radios started to fade into obscurity in the 1990s. Part of the reason for this was the rise of car phones and cell phones in general. You didn’t need to have a CB radio when you could have an entire car phone built right in. Needless to say though, the CB radio was quite a popular option that paved the way for car phones.

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T-Tops

T-Tops were a popular car feature in the ’80s. These removable glass roofs were innovated by GM. The roof panels were most prominent on the Camaro and the Firebird. It allowed the driver to have the open-air feeling of a convertible without the need for a fully removable top. These days we have panoramic sunroofs and moonroofs, but back in the day, the T-Top was the only option for something like that. The T-Top gave an entirely new generation of drivers something to yearn for and it defined the way that the sports cars looked (via RK Motors).

Other automakers eventually caught on as well, and you had Nissans and other makes featuring T-Tops too. But it was GM and the original Pony cars that brought the T-Tops to the market. There was just something so unique about the T-Top systems that drivers couldn’t resist it.

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Velour Seats

We all know that automotive interiors used to be something special and that was partly due to Velour Seats. Velour seating was another option aside from the standard cloth or vinyl seating of the era. It was more cushioned and gave the interior a lot more luxury than the average car. Cadillac and Chrysler were the two main automotive brands that utilized Velour seating more than the others (via Motor City Garage).

The main problem with Velour seating was that it was expensive to maintain and keep in good shape. If you had an active family or did a lot of traveling, the seats were routinely ripped apart. There were ways to get around this problem but most drivers just moved onto leather or cloth interiors. By the ’90s, most automakers had done away with this type of seating fabric.

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Power Antennas

Radios were a big change for the modern automotive era, and most drivers grew up with some type of radio in their cars. Automotive antennas were a way that automakers were playing around with eliminating the antenna from the design of the car completely. Automatic antennas stayed around well into the early 2000s and shaped the way that car design is today. You’ll notice that most modern cars don’t even have an antenna because the feature went extinct due to the rise of streaming (via Radio Car Stuff).

Power antennas were expensive to replace at the time and that’s why automakers started to do away with them. The current antennas are just built right into the frame of the car. Still, power antennas were a feature that shaped the automotive industry as well know it.

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Footwell Icemaker

A lot of the cars you see today have built-in coolers and ice makers. This is a feature that originated in the 1980s. Footwell Icemakers was a way that automakers incorporated more homelike features into conversion vans at the time. The Toyota Van was the first vehicle that sold a mainstream footwell ice maker until the feature went extinct. The premise was simple and most drivers who owned these features appreciated having it built into the van (via Car & Driver).

Later on, cars like the Pontiac Aztec tried to experiment with built-in coolers and such. But it was the modern era that brought automotive refrigeration into the mainstream. Now you’ll find one in just about every high-end car vehicle like the Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

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Door Rub Strips

Door rub strips were a popular feature in cars of the 1980s. These strips, typically made of durable plastic or rubber, were installed along the sides of the doors to protect the vehicle’s body from scratches and dents caused by minor collisions or accidental bumps. They served as a barrier between the door and other objects, such as shopping carts or other cars’ doors in tight parking spaces (via Door Rub Strips).

The rub strips not only provided a layer of protection but also added a distinct visual element to the car’s exterior, often featuring contrasting colors or textures that complemented the overall design. However, as automotive design trends evolved and technology advanced, door rub strips gradually disappeared from modern cars. The development of advanced materials and improved manufacturing techniques allowed car manufacturers to integrate protective features directly into the body panels, eliminating the need for separate rub strips.

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Landau/Vinyl Roofs

Vinyl was popular as a material on cars in the 1970s and ’80s. Landau roofs were made of vinyl material that was stretched and adhered to the metal roof of the vehicle. They added a distinctive and luxurious touch to the car’s appearance, giving it a stylish and sophisticated look. Vinyl roofs were available in various colors and textures, including patterns that mimicked the look of a convertible or Landau-style top (via Autotrader).

Beyond aesthetics, vinyl roofs served a functional purpose as well. They provided an extra layer of protection for the car’s metal roof, shielding it from the elements such as sun exposure and moisture. The vinyl material was durable and weather-resistant, helping to prevent rust and fading.

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Headlight Wipers

There were a lot of interesting safety features that came out of the 1980s and ’90s, but perhaps the most unique thing was headlight wipers. You’d generally see these on more expensive cars from the era. Like a Mercedes or a BMW, and they helped with visibility on the roadways. But the units were expensive to replace and most drivers never needed to use them on an average drive (via Hot Cars).

Additionally, the development of advanced headlight systems, such as LED and xenon lights, provides enhanced visibility without the need for additional cleaning mechanisms. While headlight wipers may have been a practical and quirky feature of the past, they have largely been phased out in favor of more advanced and maintenance-free headlight designs.

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Bench Seats

Bench seats used to be a common sight in cars, especially in the past. These seats, often found in the front row, were designed to accommodate three passengers side by side. They provided a sense of togetherness and spaciousness, allowing families and friends to ride comfortably together. However, over time, bench seats gradually disappeared from mainstream car designs. Instead, bench seats provided the path for automakers to invest in center console design (via CNBC).

It’s been stated in the automotive press that bench seats could potentially make a comeback in electric vehicles. The design and functionality are still something that some consumers yearn for even though it’s extinct. It’s interesting to see how the technology of the past has shaped the cars that we’ve got today.

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Button Tufting

Button tufting was another popular option on car interiors in the 1980s. It provided that extra level of comfort and design that drivers couldn’t get in other trim levels. Button tufting added a new level of design to the seats. It also paved the way for automakers to get more daring with their interior designs these days (via Model Car Mag).

You’ll still see button tufting done in the custom car community as well. The art of doing it has evolved since the 1980s and it helped automakers to refine their interiors until it went extinct in the mainstream. Without button tufting, we might not have the high-end luxury interiors that we have in cars today.

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Throttle Body Injection

One thing that drivers started to notice about the 1980s was the waning popularity of carbonated motors. These motors were difficult to maintain and expensive to repair. A fuel injection option was a much more viable method of fuel delivery for most cars. The third-generation Camaros were some of the first cars that experimented with throttle body injection before it went extinct as well (via Herko Automotive).

While TBI systems were eventually replaced by more advanced fuel injection technologies that went extinct, such as multi-port fuel injection, their introduction marked a significant milestone in improving engine performance. The change was dramatic and most drivers adapted the new technology pretty quickly.

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Car Phones

Another feature that was big in the 1980s was car phones, and you started to see them pop up everywhere long before they were extinct. Originally reserved for the rich and famous, car phones became the norm for most high-end cars in the 1980s. The modern infotainment systems that we have today wouldn’t be around if it hadn’t been for car phones (via Quora).

Car phones offered a range of benefits, including enhanced safety and improved communication options. Which is why they were incorporated into the modern designs of cars before they were extinct. Most drivers nowadays enjoy having the luxury to make calls directly from their vehicle while they are on the road.

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Digital Dashboard

Digital dashboards were all the rage in the 1980s because technology was advancing quite a bit. The most notable digital dashboards were in GM vehicles as the company was pushing the technology hard. The problem was that most Digital dashboards weren’t very reliable and the cost to replace one was astronomical (via Core 77).

But digital dashboards paved the way for us to have the car interiors that we’ve got today. The digital dashboards and infotainment centers in our cars all originated from this extinct 1980s technology. It’s interesting to see how far automotive technology has come and how far it will go.

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