10 Unique Old Car Features That We Terribly Miss!

With the passing years, technology is changing for good. Cars are becoming safer, powerful and feature-packed. That said, over the years, the automotive industry has seen a drastic shift in the cars plying on the road. In this shift, there are features that are no longer a part of the cars of the current era. So, today we count 10 such unique aspects that used to feature in the cars of the past. Surely, these will take us back into nostalgia.

1. Removable Stereo Mouth
   

   

   This is something that is super hard to forget. The cars of the 2000s used to come with a single din slot for the stereo. Later, after purchasing the vehicle, the complete music system was installed aftermarket. Back then, almost all the music system manufacturers preferred the main unit and a separate mouth. And this mouth was usually removed when the car had to sit idle at night. Just old days things.

2. Thin A-Pillars
   

   

   This is more of a design issue than a feature. Talking about the cars sold in the 2000s and even later, they used to have really thin A-pillars. This is used to reduce the blind spot for the driver by a serious margin. But not, this is limited to the serious off-roaders and the majority of the sedans, hatchbacks and pseudo SUVs come with thick A-Pillars.

3. Simple Designs
   

   

   There was a time when the carmakers used to produce cars with no-nonsense design. This no-nonsense design used to appeal almost to everyone. The cars we are talking about had either boxy designs or they usually came with curved body panels. Eg, Tata Safari, HM Ambassador etc. But now, the cars of today, come with lots of cuts and creases. With a little aggressive design, it’s either love it or hate it relation.

4. Detailed Brochures
   

   

   When was the last time you saw detailed technical specifications on the brochure of a car nowadays? Sadly, the current brochures are more about the features and a little about the engine. But, if I can recall correctly, earlier the companies also used to mention, the type of suspension used in the vehicle. Now, it’s mostly either literature or images along with the variant list.

5. Raw Mechanical Noise
   

   

   This is something a car guy would know. We both will agree that the machines of the old times were not at all refined. But this was like the character of the vehicle. Like the raw sound from the engine filtering into the engine. With that, the noise from the transmission was also prominent in the car earlier. Now, where cars are becoming more and more powerful, but these give less of the connected feel.
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6. All Analogue Instrument Cluster
   

   

   Digital everything, cool isn’t it? But we sure miss the old analogue instrument clusters. Well, if you are not aware, in many vehicles, the speedometer was mechanically connected to display the speed. With these, these speedos also had dim lighting because of the small bulbs.

7. Oddly Placed Gear Lever
   

   

   What is the weirdest location you’ve seen a gear lever? Now, to begin with, cars with manual transmission are on the verge of extinction. Then, we’ll be adding the MT box to this list too. But till then, it is the placement of the gear lever which is the talking point. Cars like, the HM Ambassador, Maruti Suzuki Gypsy had a bizarre placement for the lever. Also, how can we forget the Premier Padmini, that had the lever placed in line with the wiper stock on the steering column. Super Weird!

8. Larger Glass Area
   

   

   Older cars overall were a size smaller when compared to the current generation of vehicles. But, that said, the older vehicles felt airier on the inside. This has to do with the larger glass area and also, bigger windows. This translates to more light on the inside and a better view out of the window.

9. Powered Antennas
   

   If you don’t know, about the powered antennas, worry not. Again, these were a common sight in the older cars. To be honest, this was a feature that usually was a part of the top-end trim of the vehicle (if it came with this feature). This is where with a press of a button, the antenna would pull out of its housing on its own. Yes, this was soo cool to watch as a kid.

10. Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighters
    

    

    Smoking is not only injurious to health but also, dangerous while driving. This is something that took time for the automotive industry to understand. Hence, the ashtrays and cigarette lights were part of the old cars. Nowadays, the cars do come with a 12V power outlet but they are more for your electronic device and not lighting a cigarette.
    

Let us know in the comment section, did we miss any features? Also, which feature do you miss that should make a come back in current-gen cars.

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