The last car with pop up headlights?

[LuS1fer]

Pop-ups usually have sufficient space round them to make freezing in-situ a non-issue. The C4 Corvette incidentally, had "barrel-roll" headlamps that span round a central pivot so they didn't go down so much as spin upside down. If they failed, it was due to the cheap nylon gear stripping it's teeth, for which a bronze replacement could be bought. In that event, the headlights lit up the engine bay bulkhead. The C5 reverted to normal "cheese-wedge" pop-ups.

[Negative Creep]

Munter said:

RobCrezz said:

littlemidgetgem said:

Are pop up lights banned now?

On new cars, yes.

Just incase you hit a pedestrian. Mind you. Why a pedestrian is standing in the road at night and not moving out of the way of a car with it's lights on. Who knows.

Normally do do with them being drunk. But then it's always the driver's fault isn't it?

[WorAl]

Alex said:

I don't know what the statistics are for pedestrians injured by pop-up headlamps, but I can guess. Zero.

Yes but they are dangerous

[planetdave]

Seb d said:

mat205125 said:

Whoosh! Slight tangent!

What do owners of top up headlight cars do when they go out in the morning, it's dark, and their cars are ice cubes? Does the heat of the lamp quickly thaw the ice and let it pop up, or do they commute on side lights until the engine warms through and the lights pop up ..... or have these got sufficient power to pop up no matter what the weather?

There shouldn't be any problem - the electric motors that pop them open are pretty powerful and I wager the extensive winter testing that the cars would have undergone when new would have quickly highlighted any potential problems.

In the 944 there is a massive bar running across the front of the engine bay. First time I saw it I thought it was an anti roll bar - except what was that large motor doing attached to it

Doesn't look like a bit of ice would cause it much problem.

Edited by planetdave on Wednesday 5th November 13:39

[pmanson]

Munter said:

mat205125 said:

Whoosh! Slight tangent!

What do owners of top up headlight cars do when they go out in the morning, it's dark, and their cars are ice cubes? Does the heat of the lamp quickly thaw the ice and let it pop up, or do they commute on side lights until the engine warms through and the lights pop up ..... or have these got sufficient power to pop up no matter what the weather?

They dont freeze up. The biggest problem is actually getting in the car. But the lights have never failed to pop up. the gaps around them are quite big...

Sounds about right... i had to use a jug of warm(ish) water to get in the 5 the other day - both doors were frozen shut and the little hands just don't give you enough leverage to get the doors open!

o/t - Another Phillip with 2 L's (sorry i was beginning to think I was the only one!)

[LuS1fer]

Thousands of two-l Phillips in Wales and they never get called Phih-llip either as you might think...

[Munter]

LuS1fer said:

Thousands of two-l Phillips in Wales and they never get called Phih-llip either as you might think...

Oi I'm not welsh I was born 2 miles from the border I'll have you know.

Anyway just make sure when you book plane tickets over the phone they know it's 2 ls.... Otherwise you struggle to check in with some people....

[snotrag]

Re Pop-ups - the lights on my Eunos certainly dont lool like they will havwe any trouble with freezing up - they pop up with rather ferocious speed, "Ka-dunk" and there up in a split second.

This also means that flashing is not a problem. You pull the stalk, the lights come on immediately, but stay on after you let go for about a second, plenty of time for the lids to go up and down. Its very satisfying when your overtaking people.

The only issue with pop ups is - cleanliness. I spent a week wondering why my headlights were so rubbish before I worked out.

You clean the car with headlights down. Thus, the headlights build up a layer of filth that you dont notice for a while as there only up when your inside the car. Thus, crappy dim headlights. You need to pop em up for a minute while washing and give them a quick wipe.

[Munter]

snotrag said:

The only issue with pop ups is - cleanliness. I spent a week wondering why my headlights were so rubbish before I worked out.

You clean the car with headlights down. Thus, the headlights build up a layer of filth that you dont notice for a while as there only up when your inside the car. Thus, crappy dim headlights. You need to pop em up for a minute while washing and give them a quick wipe.

Thats the real downside. And some people will even deny it's a "problem" and continue to moan the lights are rubbish even though they havn't cleaned them for a year.

[Le TVR]

With the Esprit V8 they also serve the useful purpose of battery test.
If the headlight pods pop up when you start the engine then the battery is just about dead.

[mgrays]

I had heard that pop ups went because of Day Light Running (DLR) in Canada and Scandinavian countries .. there they have to wire them into the ignition and the manufacturer's don't like special cars so changed them (Certainly there are special wiring looms/relays for Canadian Miatas and Swedish/Norwegian MX-5) ...and it was a not safety regs/impact. Certainly by now they would be illegal for pedestrian impacts unless housed and made of rubber .. which would be kinda of wobbly for headlights.

[Vario-Rob]

Something tells me the DeTomaso Guara was the last car available with pop up lights, still technically available in 2005

[minipower]

Vario-Rob said:

Something tells me the DeTomaso Guara was the last car available with pop up lights, still technically available in 2005

Fantastic looking car there. Going on how rare they must be, its very much likely you stayed at the same hotel as me in LeMans this year as there was one of these parked outside.

[Chassis 33]

Vario-Rob said:

Something tells me the DeTomaso Guara was the last car available with pop up lights, still technically available in 2005

Hmmm something tells me that the Lotus Esprit and C5 Corvette were both still availible in 2005 too, even if production ended in 2004 like the Guara, but never the less bonus points for obscurity
Regards
Iain

[Vario-Rob]

minipower said:

Vario-Rob said:

Fantastic looking car there. Going on how rare they must be, its very much likely you stayed at the same hotel as me in LeMans this year as there was one of these parked outside.

That was me, different number plate though! The Ibis in Alencon, stayed there every year since 1994, very nice bar outside. What car were you driving by the way?

Chassis 33 said:

Hmmm something tells me that the Lotus Esprit and C5 Corvette were both still availible in 2005 too, even if production ended in 2004 like the Guara, but never the less bonus points for obscurity
Regards
Iain

No no no, there were still cars ‘technically’ dripping out of the factory as late as 2005 so I stand by my observation! There is till one sat in build today alas nobody to stick the thing together, all very sad.

Oh to be able to get into the factory as it needs a new windscreen…………………..

[Chassis 33]

So what you're actually saying is that there is still, technically, but tenuously, in production. In that case...
Ladies and gentlemen we have have ourselves a winner, the DeTomaso Guara.
Regards
Iain

[Vario-Rob]

Chassis 33 said:

So what you're actually saying is that there is still, technically, but tenuously, in production. In that case...
Ladies and gentlemen we have have ourselves a winner, the DeTomaso Guara.
Regards
Iain

Iain, What is more there is a photograph of it sat up on the blocks in build in the previous DTDC magazine to support this claim which I will see if I can get copied and posted

Unfortunately nothing has actually happened on it for over three years but there she sits pop up lights and all.

[tony_666]

SleeperCell said:

They dont suffer the drag problems at high speed like popups.

...that's what I used to hate about pop-up headlights ...drag and the additional excessive wind noise!!!

[LuS1fer]

Chassis 33 said:

Vario-Rob said:

Something tells me the DeTomaso Guara was the last car available with pop up lights, still technically available in 2005

Hmmm something tells me that the Lotus Esprit and C5 Corvette were both still availible in 2005 too, even if production ended in 2004 like the Guara, but never the less bonus points for obscurity
Regards
Iain

Maybe not the C5 as the American model year runs from October the previous year so the 2005 MY C6 was first sold in October 2004.

[williamp]

Vario-Rob said:

Chassis 33 said:

So what you're actually saying is that there is still, technically, but tenuously, in production. In that case...
Ladies and gentlemen we have have ourselves a winner, the DeTomaso Guara.
Regards
Iain

Iain, What is more there is a photograph of it sat up on the blocks in build in the previous DTDC magazine to support this claim which I will see if I can get copied and posted

Unfortunately nothing has actually happened on it for over three years but there she sits pop up lights and all.

What a winner! Any chace of seeimg some more images of the car? Both in the fanctosy, and a fully compleated one. wahts it like? A think the car deserves a bit of attention.