Cars looking different for the USA market
Discussion
Benmac said:
Yep the Kia version has the US spec nose and different rear lights to both the US and UK versions as by then the REnault lights weren't available (or the french just wouldn't sell them to the koreans!)
Shame Kia never got the Elan right. Could have been a brilliant budget roadster if they'd kept the handling just so like the original.Still, I guess it means that your one keeps it's value and status so not all bad
As I understood the lighting thing from working over there, the US DOT only approved certain lamps and so everyone had to fit them. If you wander into a Walmart/K-Mart or Autozone etc, you will see racks of the same lamps - and only a few newer ones. Hence all the European manufacturers had to bodge, sorry, carefully alter their light arrangements to use the same lamps.
US regulations also required a certain percentage of light to be sent upwards to illuminate the road signs - it you look at some of the older interstate overhead signs, they aren't illuminated, but have reflective studs set into them - like our old signs (1930's era) used to do. Which makes driving in fog or falling snow pretty interesting from the refracted light just where you don't want it! If you watch a older US vehicle (say up to late 90's) go past in light falling snow, there is an interesting and pretty effect of two vertical beams of lit up snow flakes above each headlamp - and hopeless for seeing past properly.
I think it wasn't until recently they officially allowed halogen lamps (like in the last 10 / 15 years). Certainly aftermarket HID are distinctly not approved - 5 yrs ago they were slapping $1000 fines on the sellers of the kits per instance - so if they sold a kit for two headlamps, another kit for the two main beams, and maybe a kit for the fog lamps - that was $6000! So they were buying them back pretty quick!
Bri
US regulations also required a certain percentage of light to be sent upwards to illuminate the road signs - it you look at some of the older interstate overhead signs, they aren't illuminated, but have reflective studs set into them - like our old signs (1930's era) used to do. Which makes driving in fog or falling snow pretty interesting from the refracted light just where you don't want it! If you watch a older US vehicle (say up to late 90's) go past in light falling snow, there is an interesting and pretty effect of two vertical beams of lit up snow flakes above each headlamp - and hopeless for seeing past properly.
I think it wasn't until recently they officially allowed halogen lamps (like in the last 10 / 15 years). Certainly aftermarket HID are distinctly not approved - 5 yrs ago they were slapping $1000 fines on the sellers of the kits per instance - so if they sold a kit for two headlamps, another kit for the two main beams, and maybe a kit for the fog lamps - that was $6000! So they were buying them back pretty quick!
Bri
Deranged Granny said:
Der Wachauring said:
From the posts so far, I am concluding that the more luxury cars (Mercs, Jags, Rolls and even the Volvo) look better in US spec.
Are you s
tting me?Am I the ONLY one who thinks all the US cars, without exception, look far, far worse??
Why is it that rule makers focus on the wrong things, legislating the means rather than the ends and generally fouling up everything they touch?
Deranged Granny said:
Der Wachauring said:
From the posts so far, I am concluding that the more luxury cars (Mercs, Jags, Rolls and even the Volvo) look better in US spec.
Are you stting me?Am I the ONLY one who thinks all the US cars, without exception, look far, far worse??
It would've looked great without the rear buttresses and with round lights with the bodywork fluted in between them like an X300, come to think of it.
Deranged Granny said:
Der Wachauring said:
From the posts so far, I am concluding that the more luxury cars (Mercs, Jags, Rolls and even the Volvo) look better in US spec.
Are you stting me?Am I the ONLY one who thinks all the US cars, without exception, look far, far worse??
tting you. I think the twin circular lamps on the Mercs and Jaguars and twin sqaure lamps on the Rolls really suit the cars well.Some of the bumper details are a bit fussy, but they are do give these cars a different look, and that is interesting in itself.
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