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Rising to the occasion
© MazdaPop-up headlights make any car at least 150 percent cooler. FACT. Sadly, these hidden headlights have now been outlawed on safety grounds, but plenty of cars have sported them over the years. Here, we round-up some of the finest, from hatchbacks to hypercars.
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Cizeta-Moroder V16T
© Cizeta-MoroderWe start with a pop-up headlight icon. Designed by Marcello Gandini – of Lamborghini Miura and Countach fame – and backed by synth-pop pioneer Giorgio Moroder, the 1991 Cizeta-Moroder V16T could have been a game-changer. After all, it had 16 cylinders and FOUR pop-up headlights. Sadly, only around 20 cars were ever made.
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Mazda MX-5
© MazdaNow here’s something that you will definitely be able to find in the classifieds – and probably be able to afford too, with prices starting from well under £2,000. The Mk1 Mazda MX-5 was a revelation when it was launched here in 1990, and has gone on to be the world’s best-selling sports car. Sadly, the pop-up headlights disappeared when the Mk2 replaced this iconic Mk1.
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AC 3000ME
© Kyle Gordon – WikipediaThe pop-up headlight reached the peak of its powers in the 1970s, when American safety regulations led to car designers exploring ways to ‘hide’ the headlights. The AC 3000ME is probably the best AC you’ve never heard of. It was powered by a Ford Essex V6 and some were produced in Scotland.
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Alfa Romeo Montreal
© Alfa RomeoOK, we’re cheating here, but we’ll use any excuse to feature the Alfa Romeo Montreal. The headlights don’t move, but the way in which the slatted grille drops and disappears beneath the lamps is a thing of beauty.
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Alpine A610
© AlpineThe Alpine A610 of 1991 was one of the last new cars to adopt the pop-up headlight. With the lights in their closed position, it’s as though the 160mph supercar-tamer is at rest.
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Aston Martin Lagonda
© Aston MartinThe ultimate wedge – both for its wonderful styling and the amount of cash you’d need to keep one on the road. The Aston Martin Lagonda had an unfortunate reputation for electrical gremlins: not something you want with a pair of pop-up headlights at the front.
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BMW M1
© BMWFlick through the back catalogue of legendary car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and you’ll discover a rich supply of pop-up headlight joy. The BMW M1 is a perfect example. LED daytime running lights have got nothing on these.
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Bricklin SV-1
© PetrolBlogSafety is all well and good, but when it’s the lead driver for the development of a sports car, alarm bells start to ring. The Bricklin SV-1 (Safety Vehicle One) was a Canadian-designed and built car featuring powered ‘gullwing’ doors and pop-up headlights.
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Buick Skyhawk
© BuickIf you’re after a four-door saloon with pop-up headlights, you’re not exactly spoilt for choice. The second generation Buick Skyhawk is an exception to the rule, being available as a two-door coupe, three-door hatchback and four-door saloon/estate.
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Chevrolet Corvette
© GMPop-up headlights made their debut on the Corvette with the launch of the second generation model, and remained a part of the design until the demise of the fifth generation car in 2004. Along with the Lotus Esprit, the Corvette was a last beacon of light for the pop-up.
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Chrysler LeBaron
© ChryslerNot all cars featured pop-up headlights, with some favouring the ‘hidden’ approach. The third generation Chrysler LeBaron was more aerodynamic than its predecessor, thanks, in part, to the closed headlights.
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Cord 810
© CordThis is where it all began. The Cord 810 was the first front-wheel-drive car built in America and the godfather of the pop-up headlight. If you drive a first generation Mazda MX-5, you should raise your lights as a salute to this American beauty.
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De Tomaso Pantera
© De TomasoWe could have chosen the Mangusta, but instead we focus on its replacement: the Pantera. This was De Tomaso’s most successful car, with 7,000 units sold in 20 years.
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Dodge Daytona
© DodgeWith its headlights closed, the Dodge Daytona looks a little sleepy. With the headlights raised, it looks a little weird. Best leave them closed.
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Ferrari F40
© GoodwoodWe could have chosen any number of Ferrari models, including the 456 (the last Ferrari to feature pop-up headlights) and the Daytona (for the way the headlights are just visible when the flaps are closed). But we’ve opted for the F40. Why? Because it’s an F40, that’s why.
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Fiat X1-9
© FiatThe Fiat X1-9 is the closest you’ll get to a pint-sized Ferrari. As cars with pop-up headlights get older, problems start to appear, which is why some cars appear to be ‘winking’ – one ‘eye’ open, the other one shut.
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Ford Probe
© FordYou want a cheap car with pop-up headlights? Look no further. The American-built Ford Probe shared much with the Mazda MX-6, a car without pop-up headlights. For this reason alone, the Probe is cooler. Even with that name.
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Geo Storm
© GeoDespite sounding more like something you’d hear at the Met Office, the Geo Storm was a compact sports car, built by Isuzu and sold in North America. Its styling was controversial, but we can forgive its sins, because pop-up headlights.
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Ginetta G32
© GinettaThe G32 might sound like a gathering of world leaders, but it’s actually the name of the best fibreglass sports car to be built in Scunthorpe. It borrowed heavily from the Ford parts bin, with early cars powered by the 1.6-litre engine from the Escort XR3i.
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Honda Prelude
© HondaWait, what? We’ve chosen to ignore the iconic NSX in favour of a Prelude? Well, yes, because we have to applaud Honda for embracing the pop-up headlight in the 1980s. This is the Mk2 Prelude, although the Accord and Integra of the same era didn’t look too dissimilar.
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Iso Grifo
© Brian Snelson – WikipediaLook. At. That. The Iso Grifo II is one of the most menacing machines on the planet, and it’s all because of those semi-exposed headlights.
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Isuzu Piazza
© IsuzuMore semi-exposed joy here, with the Isuzu Piazza. It’s a little like a beautiful lady exposing a single shoulder. A bit.
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Jaguar XJ220
© JaguarAgain, there’s some cheating going on here, because the lights on the Jaguar XJ220 are fixed. Instead, it’s the cover that moves, dropping to expose the lights behind.
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Kia Elan
© KiaDo not adjust your set, this is indeed a Lotus Elan. Or rather, it’s a Kia Elan, as the Korean firm purchased the rights to the Lotus when production ended in 1995.
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Lamborghini Miura
© LamborghiniThink of the Lamborghini Miura’s headlights and thoughts turn to the ‘eyelashes’ found on the original cars. But the headlights also rose a little, as seen here.
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Lancia Stratos
© LanciaIt’s a little known fact that the Lancia Stratos wouldn’t have won three World Rally Championships without the help of pop-up headlights. Probably.
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Lister Storm
© ListerAnother cheat here, as the headlights on the Lister Storm are similar to the Jaguar XJ220 featured earlier.
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Lotus Esprit
© LotusThe Lotus Esprit was famously driven by James Bond in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me. Insert a Bond-like quip about Barbara Bach and a sudden pop-up.
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Maserati Bora
© MaseratiAnother example of Giorgetto Giugiaro employing a pair of pop-up headlights to good advantage. The Bora was Maserati’s first mid-engined car and a beautiful one at that.
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Matra Bagheera
© MatraThe Matra Bagheera featured three-abreast seating and pop-up headlights. Pinch us, we must be dreaming.
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Mazda RX-7
© MazdaA few years back, we enjoyed a blast in Mazda UK’s ‘barn find’ RX-7, seen here, which had just 856 miles on the clock (now slightly more – sorry). It’s the first of three generations of RX-7, all of which had rotary engines… and pop-up headlights.
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Mercedes-Benz C111
© Mercedes-BenzThe Mercedes-Benz back catalogue is strangely devoid of pop-up joy, but the experimental C111 vehicle is an exception. Even in black and white, this thing is a sight to behold.
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Mitsubishi Starion
© MitsubishiThe Mitsubishi Starion looks great with its lights closed, but it’s even better with them popped-up. A hairy-chested Japanese sports car for the 1980s.
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Oldsmobile Toronado
© Karrmann – WikipediaEarly Oldsmobile Toronados were dripping in American glamour: some featuring ‘hideaway’ lights, others pop-up.
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Opel GT
© OpelSearch online for a video of the Opel GT’s headlights in action and prepare to be amazed. These lights were manually operated by way of a lever on the centre console.
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Panther Solo
© PantherLess ‘pop-up’ and more ‘rotating’, the Panther Solo did things differently. The headlights swivelled around, like a pair of wing-mounted Gatling guns.
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Plymouth Superbird
© Dennis Elzinga – WikipediaThe Plymouth Superbird was a highly modified version of the Road Runner, featuring, amongst many other things, a pair of pop-up headlights.
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Pontiac Firebird
© PontiacBy now, you should be convinced that pop-up headlights are the coolest things ever to grace a car. Sadly, the cost of developing a pair to meet strict pedestrian safety tests means we’re unlikely to see them again.
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Porsche 928
© PorscheAre we allowed to say the Porsche 928 looks a little frog-like with the headlights turned on? Well it does.
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Reliant Scimitar SS1
© ReliantThe Reliant Scimitar SS1: the sports car with pop-up headlights, famously not owned by Princess Anne.
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Saab Sonett III
© SaabOne of the great things about the Saab Sonett is that each generation was so of its era. The Sonett I was distinctly ‘1950s’, the Sonett II was of the 1960s and the Sonett III was 100 percent ‘1970s’, right down to the pop-up headlights.
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Subaru XT
© SubaruThe coolest Japanese coupe of the 1980s? It’s in with a shout, thanks mainly to its otherworldly styling, space-age dashboard and pop-up headlights. We suspect this farmer is suggesting this isn’t the Brat pick-up he ordered.
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Toyota 2000GT
© ToyotaThe most beautiful Japanese car ever built just happened to feature a pair of pop-up headlights. More proof that they make everything better.
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Triumph TR7
© TriumphAh, this might provide evidence to the contrary, but we’ll run with it. If nothing else, the Triumph TR7 is as ‘1970s’ as you can get.
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TVR Tasmin
© TVRThe Tasmin was a highly successful car for TVR and we suspect this is because it wore a pair of pop-ups.
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Vauxhall XVR
© VauxhallThe best looking Vauxhall never built? The smoothed-out front end and pop-up headlights give it the look of a Corvette. Hardly surprising, given the GM connections.
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Vector M12
© Supermac1961 – WikipediaIt’s not the most subtle of supercars, but the Vector M12 of the late 1990s was certainly striking. Underneath the skin was a Lamborghini Diablo and the car was good for a top speed of 189mph.
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Venturi Atlantique
© VenturiOne of the last torchbearers for the pop-up headlight was the Venturi Atlantique, a French, mid-engined sports car. The original Atlantique was powered by a 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 engine, with later cars offered with a 3.0-litre V6.
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Vignale Samantha
© VignaleThe pretty Samantha was based on the contemporary Fiat 124 and 125 models, and built by Carrozzeria Vignale. Approximately 100 were produced and only a handful survive.
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Volvo 480
© VolvoThe 480 was Volvo’s first front-wheel-drive car and the only time the Swedish carmaker has used pop-up headlights. Shame.
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Honda NSX
© HondaOh, go on then, one more for luck. We could have chosen the Ferrari Daytona or 288 GTO for the final car. Possibly the Lamborghini Countach. Instead, we opted for the Honda NSX, not least for the way the lights open just a little, helping to maintain the vehicle’s aerodynamics. Nice.