Just like in any other industry, the Automobile industry is going nowhere without innovation. Whether it’s the emergence of AWD or adding cup holders, we're always excited to see something new in a car. Not all innovations work, though. Things like an inbuilt gramophone or Hamburger fryer in the exhaust came and went without anyone noticing. Regardless of the outcome, we should always welcome experiments and out-of-the-box procedures and consider them at least once.

Let’s talk about headlights for a moment. One can argue that they have largely remained the same, at least function-wise. But we have seen a lot of variation and difference in their design across different brands. When a classic car appears, and we can’t see the headlights, it gives a certain mysteriousness and uniqueness to the car. When the curtains open and the headlight finally reveals itself, sometimes that’s enough for us gearheads to fall in love with that car. Pop-Up headlights have a similar ring to them and cars like the C2 Corvette, Opel GT, Miata, and RX-7 are awesome examples. Make sure to check them out in the coolest Pop-Up headlights as well. Anyway, here are 10 of the coolest hidden headlights we’ve seen.

10 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS

Chevy Z28
Via: Mecum Auctions

The Camaro has been with us for more than half a century. These models make a total of six generations, but the first three model years (1967 to 1969) stand apart from the rest.

These first three models saw the Camaro’s RS trim include headlight covers. These covers would defy the norm and slide inwards, toward the center of the grille to reveal the lights. The 1969 model is even better than the other two because it had louvered covers with matching paint as the body.

Related: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS Pro Touring Is Back In Black

9 1967 Mercury Cougar

Mercury Cougar - Front
Mecum Auctions

The same year as the Camaro, Mercury made sure to give its competition a run for its money with a badass headlight cover design of their own. The front covers blended with the front grille seamlessly to make it look like it’s a single part.

Then, at the touch of a button, a vacuum-operated mechanism would open the covers from either side like a curtain. Mercury based the Cougar on the Mustang but gave it an entirely different sheet metal. They also gave it a longer wheelbase (like the 1970 Barracuda and Challenger). However, the Mustang still overshadowed this underrated gem.

Related: This Is Why A Classic Mercury Cougar Has Such A Whopping Price Tag

8 1969 Dodge Charger

Here's Every Car In The New Fast And Furious 9 Trailer
Via: Universal Studios

Say what you want about The Fast and The Furious (2001), but you can't deny that the first time we saw the badass Charger in action was an unforgettably awesome moment for every gearhead. The car was amazing, and it's only too bad we could never see the Charger's headlight covers in action.

The blacked-out grille looked menacing already, and when we see the reveal that only the center part was the grille, the headlight covers took the rest, it was something else. The right cover especially grabbed attention because of the ‘Charger R/T’ badge on it.

7 1968 Pontiac GTO

1968 Pontiac GTO
Via: Barret-Jackson

We’re sure you can see a pattern here. It begs the question, “What’s up with the late '60s and early '70s obsession with hidden headlights?!” That’s a question for another day because today we are focusing on the quad headlights of the ‘69 Pontiac GTO. Another pattern you’ll notice is the matching grille and headlight covers design.

But this time around, the headlight covers would simply drop down, and the chrome design looked awesome while doing so. But not all Pontiac GTOs from 1968 or 1969 would have them. The hideaway lights were optional, so it depended on the buyer. We know what we would have chosen.

Related: 10 Surprising Facts About The Pontiac GTO Judge

6 1970 Ford Torino

Ford Torino GT
Via Mecum Auctions

Yet another amazing mid-size muscle car overshadowed by the Mustang, but the Torino looked sinister. Honestly, just look at it! Seeing a Torino with that massive grille come towards you may even remind you of that car-eating nightmare race from Cars (2006).

The Torino is a superb-looking muscle car that deserves more love than it gets.

5 1968 Ford Galaxie 500

Dirty Harry 1968 Ford Galaxie 500
Via: Hagerty

The Galaxie 500 is another criminally underrated car. The Galaxie had a powerful V8 engine that made 425 hp. Moreover, it was a convertible that sells for as little as $8,000 today! This Ford had the looks of a classic muscle car that we associate the late 1960s with.

But still, somehow it managed to slip through the cracks. We don’t see these nearly as often as Challengers, Mustangs, and Chargers from that era. Even these fantastic headlight covers couldn’t help it enough.

Related: Ford Galaxie 500 Vs Chevy Impala: Comparing The Classic 1969 Models

4 1942 DeSoto

Green 1942 DeSoto
Via: Bring a Trailer

The DeSoto is one of the first, if not the first, mass-produced automobile with hidden headlamps. Remember, pop-up lights are different, and the Cord was the first to do it six years before, but the DeSoto was more daring and futuristic than most other vehicles from that time.

Let's focus on its looks because the thing looks spectacular when the lights are out of sight. It really shows that presentation matters very much when creating an impression. The body-painted headlamp cover blends in so well that we can’t set them apart from a distance.

3 Jaguar XJ220

1993 Jaguar XJ220: The Supercar Flop
Via: Mecum Auctions

The story of Jaguar Xj220 is a fascinating one at the very least. It and Bugatti’s EB110 are two of the best and most unfortunate supercars. They came at such a wrong time that no one bought them and most of us remained oblivious to them. These two may give each other a run for the money on a racetrack, but the Jag would clearly win the beauty contest.

Those oval headlight covers might fool you into thinking they’re pop-ups. But they’d instead drop down to reveal the fixed headlights instead. It's such an interesting and out-of-the-box choice, but then again, the whole car was full of those.

2 Alfa Romeo Montreal

Alfa Romeo Montreal came with a cool headlamp cover
Via: Petrolicious.com

Now, some may say that the Montreal’s headlights are not completely hidden, but we think it qualifies because it’s an obscured headlight design. Also, the car looks so badass that we really wanted to put this classic Italian muscle car in the list anyway.

Alfa Romeo has always made some of the most appealing cars the industry has ever seen. The eyelid design of headlight covers gives this car a very strong personality. Today, amidst the rise in popularity of SUVs and EVs, we seriously want the Montreal to make a comeback.

Related: Awesome Facts About Alfa Romeo And Its Cars

1 1965 Buick Riviera

Buick Riviera parked in a parking log
Via: Wikipedia Commons

The 1965 Buick Riviera is an amazing classic car in of itself, but if you see the reveal first, the car becomes something else in our minds. It’s one of the few cars to feature clamshell headlights. They reveal the lights by parting ways from the middle.

The top and bottom halves go and hide in either direction. Kind of like a stage curtain in the theater except vertical, or like a blinking eye of a human. A feature like that gives so much character to the car that it’s bonkers.