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Extinct ’80s Car Features Drivers Are Glad To Forget

Cameron Eittreim May 26, 2021

11: Car Phones

Back before a life where we had a cellular phone on us at all times, only the elite could afford to chat on the go. This was done by having a hard-wired carphone installed in your vehicle. Service was connected through satellites and only the elite could afford this feature. The Porsche 930 Slantnose and Mercedes 560SEL were two of the first cars to have this feature.

One of the last cars that incorporated a built-in phone was the Lexus SC400 sports car. Having a car phone was a nice feature but cellphones advanced so quickly that automakers didn’t see a need to include them anymore. Still, if you had a carphone back in the ’80s you had something major.

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10: Beaded Seat Covers

There was a time when car seats were not the most comfortable thing in the world. Those who lived and worked in their vehicles coveted the wooden beaded seat covers. You’ve probably seen these a time or two and you might have even used one. Fortunately, the classic seat covers went out of style once automotive interiors became more lively. There was a lot to be offered in the way of back support that these seat covers just didn’t do.

You’ll still see these classic seat covers from time to time. But for the most part, car owners don’t go for seat covers much anymore. There were much better options for back support than these old wooden seat covers.

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9: Musical Car Horns

There was a period during the ’80s where musical car horns were popular. We’re not sure why someone would want an obscene horn like this. Nevertheless, there was an abundance of musical car horns in existence. For the short period that they were popular consumers went for the standard tunes that you’d expect. There was nothing like sounding like an ice cream truck coming down the block.

Musical horns went away quietly although from time to time you’ll still see a music horn. Generally, these are reserved for parade vehicles and floats. Still, it’s cool to look back and reminisce on a time when the automotive industry was changing. There were so many unique options during the ’80s that cars were truly personalized.

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8: Plastic Wheel Covers

Plastic wheel covers aka hub caps were the norm during the ’80s. With compact cars the norm, automakers needed a way to dress the wheels up. The problem with plastic hubcaps is that they would become damaged quite easily. The cost to replace them was high if you were going for an OEM option. Automakers eventually switched to alloy rims which is what we have today.

Having an actual wheel has a lot of advantages over the old plastic wheel covers. The quality is a lot better and you can take a corner without worrying about the hub caps flying off. Automakers have come a long way when it comes to wheel design, even though the ’80s were a time of innovation and creativity.

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7: Gullwing Doors

‘Back To The Future’ gave us the first glimpse of a mainstream car with Gullwing doors. Although this type of vehicle design has always been hailed as futuristic, Gullwing doors are just not a suitable option for everyday driving. These doors are more problematic than anything and tend to get in the way of a tall driver. Still, automakers tried the whole Gullwing thing for some time in the ’80s.

More recently, Tesla has attempted to bring Gullwing doors back into the mainstream. We’re not sure if this will be a short fad or something new again. Nevertheless, gullwing doors have been around since the ’80s and they didn’t catch on too well. It might just be too futuristic for what most drivers are looking for.

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6: Talking Car Interiors

As computer synthesizer technology advanced in the ’80s, so did car interiors. Nissan was the first to offer a talking car with the 1981 Datsun Maxima. The car would give you certain bulletins for service as well as letting you know if the door was ajar. Talking car interiors never managed to catch on with the consumer. Although the concept might seem neat, there was just no need for it.

The interesting thing about talking about car interiors is that the technology has made somewhat of a return. Today’s smart cars utilize Apple Siri and Google Assistant technology to take commands from the driver. While not the same thing, it was a similar concept that is making cars more interactive with the driver.

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5: Clutchless Manual

In the ’80s, pretty much every standard model car came with a manual transmission. An automatic was considered a luxury item around this time. But for a lot of consumers, the task of driving a manual transmission was a pain. This is why a few automakers got together and tried to develop a clutchless manual transmission. The problem was that these transmissions were expensive to repair and time-consuming.

Clutchless manuals faded into obscurity pretty quickly. However, in recent years there have been a few enthusiast cars that are being designed to use a clutchless manual. Hyundai is at the forefront of this trying to bring that obscure technology back into the mainstream. Time will tell if the clutchless manual can see the light of day again.

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4: Targa Tops

Another quirky feature that you might not have realized started in the ’80s was the Targa top. Prominently featured on Porsche models of the period the Chevrolet Corvette also managed to get a Targa top as well. The great thing about Targa tops was that they didn’t sacrifice the ride quality as with a convertible. Nevertheless, Targa tops never became immensely popular.

Although you can still find Targa tops for modern-day sports cars, they aren’t the norm. A Targa top is often very heavy and tough to remove. Most average consumers would rather just go for the convertible body style instead of dealing with removing the Targa top. Still, an interesting fad from the ’80s nonetheless.

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3: Techno-Colored Dashboards

One thing drivers remember about the ’80s it was the dashboards. The digital dashboards of this era were meant to represent the future. Unfortunately, all that happened was expensive dashboard replacements. The Camaro Berlinetta was one such vehicle that tried to take advantage of the digital design. Consumers didn’t adapt to this at all and by the turn of the ’90s, dashboards were analog again.

The Cadillac brand was another home to way too many digital dashboards. There are some benefits to a digital dashboard but they weren’t major. Most consumers just preferred the regular style of analog gauges as opposed to the digital dash. Still, the digital dash is a pretty notable part of ’80s automotive culture.

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2: Cylinder Deactivation

throughout the ’80s, automakers were experimenting with all kinds of new fuel management technologies. The Cylinder Deactivation was among one of the most controversial. On most of the cars that featured this technology the reliability suffered. As such, most automakers ended up moving away from Cylinder Deactivation not long after it was introduced.

Cylinder deactivation has returned in some sense of the word almost 30 years later. Most modern engines have some type of deactivation, especially on pickup trucks. It’s questionable how much fuel the technology saves. Most consumers went to have a reliable vehicle and with cylinder deactivation, this isn’t always the case.

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1: Paint Jobs

Remember the Baja-themed trucks of the ’80s? Probably not unless you lived through it. But there was a period where automakers were going a bit over the top with paint schemes. The paint jobs of this era were notoriously flashy and most of the automakers were following with this. The problem is that 10 years down the road, most of these paint jobs had peeled or faded.

Automakers are notorious when it comes to cost-cutting and it would appear that this fad was part of that. Nevertheless, if you’ve ever seen a pickup truck or car from the ’80s, you probably remember these wild paint jobs. One of the last prominent vehicles to feature this was the Ford Ranger Splash.

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