Idiosyncratic features to be savoured

[M3DGE]

P5BNij said:

Two of my early Mk1 Mini 850s had the foot operated dipswitch, they both had the little green bulb on the end of the indicator stalk too, at night it lit up the whole interior of the car.

It's the little thing you remember isn't it

Our Morris Minor had the dip button on the floor. Messing around in the garage at Dover Ambulance Station (Dad was a mechanic there) sitting in a Bedford J Type thought i was going to press the light button in the same place - on came the two-tones! In a closed garage, scared me to death...

Those old Austin/ Morris/ MGs (I had a 69 B) also had separate ignition switch and starter buttons - oo look, 'start' buttons are back!

[Muddle238]

C70R said:

There seems to be an emerging theme here of Alfa and Citroen being mentioned a lot.

When does it stop being an idiosyncrasy and start just being consistently poor/unergonomic design?

I like the fact that Alfa and Citroen are being mentioned a lot. Shows that their cars have interesting features, the designers did their own take on things. Much rather that and have some variation in cars instead of the same dull German sausage-factories churning out perfectly ergonomic but totally uninspiring cars.

IMO

[DoctorX]

Trabi601 said:

The cool thing about 155 stalks is that they have internal illumination. Can't ever recall another car I've had where the stalks light up when you switch on the headlights.

I might be wrong but I seem to remember the Maestro/Montego having those too.

[Digger]

TR4man said:

Don't know if it is the same on a Tuscan, but my Chimaera's boot will only open with the keys turned in the ignition and you then press a button under the dash.

I sometimes think that TVRs are so idiosyncratic, they make Citroen's look conventional.

I haven't read the rest of thread to know if someone replied but there is a clever installation that can be done to allow opening of the boot without keys, ignition or any button pushing! My Griff had it and it was very useful!

[anonymous-user]

DoctorX said:

Trabi601 said:

The cool thing about 155 stalks is that they have internal illumination. Can't ever recall another car I've had where the stalks light up when you switch on the headlights.

I might be wrong but I seem to remember the Maestro/Montego having those too.

Early Rover 800 too. Probably the same stalks as the Montego.

[Nickbrapp]

Muddle238 said:

C70R said:

There seems to be an emerging theme here of Alfa and Citroen being mentioned a lot.

When does it stop being an idiosyncrasy and start just being consistently poor/unergonomic design?

I like the fact that Alfa and Citroen are being mentioned a lot. Shows that their cars have interesting features, the designers did their own take on things. Much rather that and have some variation in cars instead of the same dull German sausage-factories churning out perfectly ergonomic but totally uninspiring cars.

IMO

While that may be true, I don't think anyone driving a German car cares it's missing a light up stalk on the dash, where as a person in a broken down Alfa at the side of the road may have wished they had traded that for a reliable car

[groomi]

dme123 said:

DoctorX said:

Trabi601 said:

The cool thing about 155 stalks is that they have internal illumination. Can't ever recall another car I've had where the stalks light up when you switch on the headlights.

I might be wrong but I seem to remember the Maestro/Montego having those too.

Early Rover 800 too. Probably the same stalks as the Montego.

Pretty sure my old MR2 mk2 did aswell.

[Johnny 89]

Digger said:

I haven't read the rest of thread to know if someone replied but there is a clever installation that can be done to allow opening of the boot without keys, ignition or any button pushing! My Griff had it and it was very useful!

Enough said

[saaby93]

Johnny 89 said:

Enough said

Apparently some well known current make has a similar arrangement where if you get out the car too quickly and press the blipper to lock it, it doesnt. It assumes it's a mistake. If you want to lock it you have to get out the car slowely so theres about 5 seconds between closing the door and pressing the blipper.
Very convenient when you get back to the car and find it's already unlocked for you

[Frimley111R]

The Don of Croy said:

Does anybody know why Rover had 'hinged' keys back in the 1990's? (There may be many things ARG did that are beyond the whit of mortal man)

No but they were bloody awful things whatever the reason.

[RicksAlfas]

Trabi601 said:

The cool thing about 155 stalks is that they have internal illumination. Can't ever recall another car I've had where the stalks light up when you switch on the headlights.

The early 145/6 cars had the same stalks. Alfa dropped the illumination on later models.

[GerryAttrick]

Saab 99. Heated air ducted to the rear screen instead of an electric demister. Also the clutch was on the front of the engine so you could change it with both engine and gearbox in place.

[Horsetan]

motco said:

280E said:

Non self-cancelling indicators on many Citroens.

...and the self-centring steering by servo on them too. Stop in traffic with any lock on, release the wheel and it straightens up while you're stationary. Then there's the brake 'button' instead of a pedal...

Just about anything on a Citroën. The CX had not just the above, but also:

- bathroom scales / revolving drum speedo and rev counter (on Series 1 cars up to 1985)
- electric rear window switches on the end of the centre console
- stereo beside the handbrake lever
- spare wheel/tyre in the engine bay
- rotary door lock switches in the rear doors
- immobiliser keypad (optional extra) hidden under a flap above the central instrument panel

The footbrake "button" was replaced by a conventional pedal in the CX, but the brakes were just as sharp!!

Edited by Horsetan on Thursday 5th October 23:46

[DoctorX]

Frimley111R said:

No but they were bloody awful things whatever the reason.

Bit like my desk keys at work, designed to fold when knocked in the lock rather than snap. Cheap crap.

[coppice]

So unimaginative is so much of the car buying public that innovation rarely sells but homogeneity does . There really is no reason why indicators should be on the left, and operate by stalk , nor that light switches all ape the 1983 Mercedes 190(I think ) model , nor that speedoes be calibrated with absurd speeds which the car wouldn't do if you dropped it off a plane , nor that every car has a temperature gauge (light would be more useful for most ), nor that cars have gloveboxes and grab handles no-one ever uses . Etc

[jhonn]

Missed this thread first time round..

A few uncommon things in our Jeep Grand Cherokee that I quite like -

Foot operated parking brake (which nicely declutters the trans tunnel area)

Only one stalk on the steering column to control lights, wipers, etc

There's a plug-in rechargeable torch tucked away in the boot.

[havoc]

coppice said:

There really is no reason why indicators should be on the left, and operate by stalk ,

All Japanese-built cars have the indicator stalk on the right, where it makes sense for a RHD car (i.e. your left hand doesn't have to try and deal with indicator / gearstick / wheel while turning - this makes for a better division of labour between your hands, and feels more natural very quickly).

As for 'why on a stalk' - other ideas have been tried, but a stalk is more easily accessible than a button and is intuitively operable by extending your fingers as the wheel moves - both for activation and cancellation.

[Pica-Pica]

coppice said:

So unimaginative is so much of the car buying public that innovation rarely sells but homogeneity does . There really is no reason why indicators should be on the left, and operate by stalk , nor that light switches all ape the 1983 Mercedes 190(I think ) model , nor that speedoes be calibrated with absurd speeds which the car wouldn't do if you dropped it off a plane , nor that every car has a temperature gauge (light would be more useful for most ), nor that cars have gloveboxes and grab handles no-one ever uses . Etc

Cars used to have a centre switch above steering wheel boss for indicator. There is some benefit in uniformity when people hop from car to car.
Most Japanese cars have light switches on left hand stalk (rotary feature)
Gloveboxes are useful and used by me
Grab handles are useful, teenage sons used to hold on, kind of cool, I suppose.
Not all cars have a temperature gauge by any means, many just have a light (blue when cold; none at operating temperature, and red or amber when overheated).
If innovation does not sell, how come there are so many Honda Jazzs with 'magic seats'?

[talksthetorque]

Homogeneity sells because everything being the same brings economies of scale and therefore lowers the cost. It stands to reason that things that have had a lot of development and refinement start to veer towards the same solution. You don't see many fat short wide pens.


Indicator stalks on the left because only one solution is needed worldwide instead of 2, and most of the world drives on the wrong side.

[Jex]

coppice said:

So unimaginative is so much of the car buying public that innovation rarely sells but homogeneity does . There really is no reason why .... cars have.... grab handles no-one ever uses . Etc

But isn't the point of grab handles to damp how they return to their unused position so they do so slowly and without a sound, thus demonstrating that this is a quality car?