In some ways, your automobile is an extension of your persona. The kind of car you drive can replicate not solely your fashion however your values and life priorities as nicely.
Over time, the booming automotive aftermarket has taken this sentiment to the subsequent stage by offering numerous methods for drivers to decorate their rides. And whereas some customizations (like tinted home windows) have stood the take a look at of time, others haven’t aged so gracefully.
Let’s make a journey down reminiscence lane to uncover the stunning origins of a number of the strangest automobile accent fads over the previous 70 years.
Fifties: Fuzzy Cube
A staple of Fifties “scorching rod” tradition, fuzzy cube can nonetheless be discovered hanging from the rearview mirrors of basic vehicles throughout america. However whereas these colourful plush equipment might look like the epitome of cheesiness, their origins are much less lighthearted.
It’s stated that inserting a pair of cube on the instrument panel turned a standard apply for fighter pilots throughout World Battle II. The cube not solely served as an excellent luck appeal however had been additionally a sobering reminder that each mission was a “roll of the cube.” (Allied forces would generally lose a whole lot of pilots every day throughout battle.)
Fighter pilots who had been fortunate sufficient to outlive the warfare introduced the cube superstition residence with them. And over time, a pair of cube over the mirror got here to represent a distinct sort of battle: avenue racing. Rumor has it that in the event you pulled up subsequent to a automobile with cube on the mirror (assume “American Graffiti,” not “The Recent Prince”), then the driving force was able to race when the sunshine turned inexperienced.
Fifties: Hula Dancer
Like fuzzy cube, one other once-ubiquitous automobile accent additionally has wartime origins: the dashboard hula dancer.
Everyone knows that the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor initiated the involvement of the U.S. in World Battle II. However within the years that adopted, the soon-to-be state’s strategic location within the Pacific Ocean meant that 1000’s of American troopers would spend time within the Hawaiian Islands. And consequently, small hula woman collectible figurines made for nice souvenirs to carry residence to family and friends.
Within the Fifties, the favored hula dancer figurine acquired a spring-loaded makeover, and she or he’s been dancing on automobile dashboards ever since.
Nineteen Sixties: Antenna Topper
Though they’re hardly ever seen these days, there was a time when each automobile on the highway was geared up with a metallic radio antenna. And what higher method to customise your experience than by including a piece of froth to the highest of your antenna?
Antenna toppers had been offered in types starting from smiley faces and cartoon characters to flags and crew mascots. However the authentic antenna topper was within the form of an orange ball—a Union 76 ball, to be precise.
In 1962, the Union 76 chain of gasoline stations rebranded their emblem and indicators to incorporate an orange sphere with an enormous blue “76” printed on it. For its debut on the World’s Honest in Seattle, the corporate’s promoting crew was tasked with selling the brand new emblem, they usually created foam antenna toppers mimicking the emblem. Little did they know they had been additionally creating a brand new fad in automobile customization.
Antenna toppers grew in reputation nicely into the Nineteen Eighties. However as new expertise made whip-style antennas out of date, these once-popular equipment met an identical destiny.
Seventies: CB Radio
From bell-bottoms and lava lamps to tie-dye and disco, the Seventies noticed greater than its fair proportion of fads. Within the automotive realm, residents band (CB) radio was certainly one of them.
CB radios allowed drivers to speak with one another over comparatively quick distances. The expertise was invented within the Nineteen Forties, and by the Nineteen Sixties it had been adopted for skilled use by some small companies and truck drivers.
What led to the widespread use of CB radios for private use? Many say it was the 1973 oil disaster. As gasoline costs spiked and gasoline was not broadly obtainable, drivers used CBs to study the place they might purchase gasoline. The usage of CBs in common tradition (like “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “Smokey and the Bandit”) and the mass manufacturing of radio tools helped additional cement the development.
Earlier than lengthy, CBs became a sort of pre-internet social community the place you possibly can converse with close by strangers figuring out solely their “deal with.”
As of late, CB radios are nonetheless utilized by long-haul truckers however the proliferation of cell telephones and the web have made them principally irrelevant for private use.
Nineteen Eighties: Beaded Seat Cowl
In the event you’re logging a number of hours behind the wheel, having a snug place to take a seat is essential. In the present day, you may outline that as a well-bolstered automobile seat with good lumbar assist. However within the Nineteen Eighties, peak consolation was achieved via a seat cowl comprised of a whole lot of olive-sized picket beads.
The community of beads was stated to have a sort of massaging impact. And sitting on high of the beads, as an alternative of instantly on the seat, helped enhance air flow. However who fueled the hype for these picket equipment? The reply might shock you: cab drivers.
The seat covers initially caught on with New York Metropolis cabbies and long-haul truckers — people who spend most of their days behind the wheel. And as on a regular basis motorists noticed the development, they determined to attempt it for themselves. Sadly (or maybe happily), what these seat covers might have provided in consolation they couldn’t make up for in endurance they usually step by step pale from reputation.
Nineties: White Oval Decal
In the event you’ve been on trip over the previous 20 years, you’ve doubtless seen white oval decals on the market in each gasoline station, memento store and restaurant you’ve visited. The stickers, which function two or three capital letters in daring black font, have grow to be the go-to method to showcase a household’s favourite journey vacation spot such because the Outer Banks (OBX), Hilton Head Island (HHI), Martha’s Winery (MV) or Nantucket (ACK). However have you ever ever questioned how the white oval decal development began?
These white oval decals date again to the Nineteen Forties when the United Nations carried out the usage of stickers to establish the nation of origin for vehicles touring all through Europe. For instance, if a car had a white oval decal with the letter “D,” native authorities would know the driving force was from Germany (Deutschland).
In 1994, Earle F. Williams determined to make related decals for his residence state of Vermont (VT). Quickly after, trip locations throughout the nation adopted the apply, and the development “caught.”
2000s: Large Rims
Automobile customization might have peaked on the daybreak of the brand new millennium, thanks partly to the recognition of leisure gems like “The Quick and the Livid” and “Monster Storage.”
Along with putting in televisions all over the place, one of many unlucky negative effects of this growth in reputation was the expansion (actually) of automobile wheels, or “rims.” Whereas vehicles of the Nineties generally got here stocked with 15-inch wheels, the 2000s noticed aftermarket producers push that quantity to 24 inches and past.
So, what fueled the giant-rim development? It seems advances in tire manufacturing expertise are partly responsible. As extra tire corporations had been able to producing large-diameter, low-profile tires, the demand for bigger wheels surged. Plus, an affinity for all issues “bling” solely fanned the flames.
When it got here to wheel dimension, greater was higher. And also you’d rating additional fashion factors for blinding chrome finishes or spinning wheel facilities, known as “spinners.”
Whereas this development did result in an total development in wheel sizes that’s nonetheless seen at this time, the obsession with big flashy rims is now up to now.
2010s: CarLashes
Have you ever ever thought, “I really like my automobile however I want it seemed extra female”? Maybe not, however apparently that’s what Dottie Small of Park Metropolis, Utah, was considering when she invented “CarLashes.”
What are CarLashes? They’re eyelashes in your automobile, after all. All it is advisable do is glue them to your automobile’s headlights for the automotive makeover you’ve all the time (or most likely by no means) needed.
Give Your Automobile the Safety It Deserves
Your automobile is not only 4 wheels and an engine; it’s a prized possession. You like it. You’ve accessorized it. You’ll have even named it. And also you undoubtedly rely on it.
At Erie Insurance coverage, we would like you to really feel simply as happy together with your auto insurance coverage protection. That’s why we customise your safety and repair to offer you precisely what you want and nothing you don’t. Speak to your native ERIE agent at this time to get a free no-obligation auto insurance coverage quote.