No Longer Present – Past Car Features

Never Rode Rear-Facing Jumpseat? You Missed Out!

When was the last time you spotted roll-up windows on a car? Have you ever come across a button situated within the driver’s section of the floorboard, and question its objective? Or do you remember riding in the back of a station wagon with an improvised seat turn facing outwards towards the backside? In spite of whether or not you have used any of these items, this video by Timely Tales will take you away to the ancient (era) of the automobile.

The detachable stereo faceplate was a fashionable accessory that had its heyday in the ’90s and early 2000s. It became trendy at the same time as auto stereo thefts shot up, due to the proliferation of aftermarket head units. As soon as you pressed the button, the control-filled plate would detach from the stereo, leaving the remaining part valueless. This fancy item was especially chic when paired with the leather carriers often designed for the faceplates. Think about it – your friends would certainly be impressed when you rolled up in your 1994 Volkswagen Golf with a Pioneer CD player whose faceplate you could take off!

Returning to a time before, it was common to have a button on the driver’s side floorboard that would switch the headlights from low to high beams. This had been the practice with cars containing a single stalk on the steering column for the turn signals used in tandem with various switches on the dashboard to activate the wipers and the lights. As car manufacturers added more functions to the turn signal lever, the high beam switch ended up being shifted elsewhere. However, come the early 90s only a select few vehicles such as Ford F-150 retained this switch on the floor.

Back in the day, most vehicles employed manual cranks to roll up windows. During the 1950s, Cadillac was featuring power windows as a luxury option, however you needed to have enough money to afford it. All the others had to make due with hand cranks, which provided a bit of exercise for their arms.

Finally, the best feature of all was the rear-facing jumpseat. If you were a youngster in the 1970s or 1980s, you didn’t call “shotgun” and head for the front. Instead, you grabbed the jumpseat that faced the rear window. As your mom drove eight kids to a pizza party, you could imagine yourself as a tail gunner on a B-17 bomber – or so I’m told.

Source: Timley Tales via YouTube