In some ways, your automotive is an extension of your character. The kind of car you drive can mirror not solely your model however your values and life priorities as nicely.
Over time, the booming automotive aftermarket has taken this sentiment to the subsequent degree 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 shocking origins of a number of the strangest automotive 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 Struggle II. The cube not solely served as luck allure 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 battle introduced the cube superstition house with them. And over time, a pair of cube over the mirror got here to represent a unique sort of battle: avenue racing. Rumor has it that for those who pulled up subsequent to a automotive 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 automotive 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 Struggle II. However within the years that adopted, the soon-to-be state’s strategic location within the Pacific Ocean meant that hundreds of American troopers would spend time within the Hawaiian Islands. And consequently, small hula lady collectible figurines made for nice souvenirs to convey house to family and friends.
Within the Fifties, the favored hula dancer figurine obtained a spring-loaded makeover, and she or he’s been dancing on automotive dashboards ever since.
Nineteen Sixties: Antenna Topper
Though they’re hardly ever seen these days, there was a time when each automotive on the highway was geared up with a metallic radio antenna. And what higher strategy to customise your trip than by including a bit of froth to the highest of your antenna?
Antenna toppers had been bought in kinds starting from smiley faces and cartoon characters to flags and group mascots. However the unique antenna topper was within the form of an orange ball—a Union 76 ball, to be precise.
In 1962, the Union 76 chain of fuel stations rebranded their emblem and indicators to incorporate an orange sphere with a giant blue “76” printed on it. For its debut on the World’s Truthful in Seattle, the corporate’s promoting group was tasked with selling the brand new emblem, they usually created foam antenna toppers mimicking the brand. Little did they know they had been additionally creating a brand new fad in automotive customization.
Antenna toppers grew in reputation nicely into the Eighties. However as new know-how made whip-style antennas out of date, these once-popular equipment met an analogous destiny.
Nineteen Seventies: CB Radio
From bell-bottoms and lava lamps to tie-dye and disco, the Nineteen Seventies noticed greater than its fair proportion of fads. Within the automotive realm, residents band (CB) radio was one in all them.
CB radios allowed drivers to speak with one another over comparatively brief distances. The know-how 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 fuel costs spiked and gasoline was not broadly out there, drivers used CBs to be taught 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 changed into a sort of pre-internet social community the place you possibly can converse with close by strangers understanding solely their “deal with.”
Nowadays, 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.
Eighties: Beaded Seat Cowl
If you happen to’re logging lots of hours behind the wheel, having a snug place to take a seat is necessary. Immediately, you may outline that as a well-bolstered automotive seat with good lumbar assist. However within the Eighties, peak consolation was achieved by means of a seat cowl constructed from 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 straight 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 strive it for themselves. Sadly (or maybe thankfully), what these seat covers might have supplied in consolation they couldn’t make up for in endurance they usually regularly pale from reputation.
Nineties: White Oval Decal
If you happen to’ve been on trip over the previous 20 years, you’ve possible seen white oval decals on the market in each fuel station, memento store and restaurant you’ve visited. The stickers, which characteristic two or three capital letters in daring black font, have turn out to be the go-to strategy 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 using 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 comparable decals for his house state of Vermont (VT). Quickly after, trip locations throughout the nation adopted the apply, and the development “caught.”
2000s: Large Rims
Automotive 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 in all places, one of many unlucky unwanted side effects of this growth in reputation was the expansion (actually) of automotive 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 know-how are partly accountable. As extra tire firms 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 further model factors for blinding chrome finishes or spinning wheel facilities, known as “spinners.”
Whereas this development did result in an general development in wheel sizes that’s nonetheless seen right this moment, the obsession with large flashy rims is now previously.
2010s: CarLashes
Have you ever ever thought, “I really like my automotive however I want it regarded extra female”? Maybe not, however apparently that’s what Dottie Small of Park Metropolis, Utah, was pondering when she invented “CarLashes.”
What are CarLashes? They’re eyelashes in your automotive, after all. All it’s good to do is glue them to your automotive’s headlights for the automotive makeover you’ve at all times (or in all probability by no means) needed.
Give Your Automotive the Safety It Deserves
Your automotive is not only 4 wheels and an engine; it’s a prized possession. You adore it. You’ve accessorized it. You’ll have even named it. And also you positively depend on it.
At Erie Insurance coverage, we wish you to really feel simply as glad together with your auto insurance coverage protection. That’s why we customise your safety and repair to provide you precisely what you want and nothing you don’t. Speak to your native ERIE agent right this moment to get a free no-obligation auto insurance coverage quote.
