Car manufacturers spend countless hours and millions of dollars in designing the look of their product. From huge intakes and bulging hoods, to fancy opening doors to sunroofs, each is a way to make the car stand out or look extraordinary. In several cases, this unique feature was a set of pop-up headlights.
Throughout the decades, several manufacturers have chosen to install pop-up headlights in some of their models, as the visual appeal of having a dramatic, striking way to open and use the headlights adds to the coolness factor of their cars.
In this article, we look at several classic cars whose identity, and overall image was influenced or defined by having this cool feature on the hood. Cars from Europe, Cars from Japan and the US had at one point or another put had these on and people remember it looked good, now look at 15 cars that remind us why we miss pop-up headlights.
15 Mitsubishi GTO
This car was a technological marvel by Mitsubishi in the 1990s. The 3000GT or Mitsubishi GTO was a showcase of the engineering and build prowess of the 3 diamond carmaker. Active aero, 4-wheel-steering, 4WD. This car was ahead of its time and best of all, its first version had the nice pop up headlights.
14 Toyota MR2
Toyota had eyes on the European supercar market for a long time and had in its history made cars rivaling the euro exotics. The MR2 was a different take, instead of competing head-on, the MR2 was a cheaper, daily driver friendly exotic. While not as fast or powerful, its dynamic and sporty styling was a hit with the public.
13 BMW M1
The M1 was an attempt by BMW to create a homologated racecar and tapped Lamborghini to help them in its build. Problems encountered midway through the project forced BMW to go at it alone and the result is a gorgeous wedge sports car now valued as a sought after, must-have for collectors BMW.
12 Mazda RX-7
Despite already being superseded by the newer RX-8, Mazda fans tend to go with the classic RX-7 as the better car for reasons including a better, more reliable engine, better handling, and sexier body style. With a production run that lasted ten years and 377,000 plus cars sold in the US, the reverence of the RX-7 is undoubtedly justified.
11 Corvette C5
A true American sports car, the Corvette is an automotive icon that has a long and proud history. The C5 is one of the best examples of this, with a V8 engine giving it 345 HP and a redesigned more svelte body, this was a true 2000s Corvette. As a further plus to the car, based on consumer reviews, it ranks as one of the most reliable Corvettes ever made.
10 Lotus Esprit
1976 up to 2004, the years which the awesome Lotus Esprit was made. From movies like "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Pretty Woman", this gorgeous sports car was ingrained in our collective memory as "the car to have". Despite getting outdated compared to its rivals in the '90s, Lotus released its final most powerful version, the V8 in 1996.
9 Porsche 944
A front-engined rear-wheel-drive Porsche, the 944 was one of the most successful Porsches ever made, selling over 160,000 units. While not as legendary and powerful as its more popular sibling the 911, this boxy, wedge sports car from Stuttgart holds its own.
8 Ford Probe
Designated as a "Liftback Coupe" the Ford probe did not receive the audience appeal Ford was hoping for. A joint program between Ford and Mazda, the reasons behind its failure have been variously attributed to its styling, name, front-wheel-drive layout, and the fact that it was not a 100 percent American car.
7 BMW E31 8 Series
A grand tourer in the "grandest" sense of the term. The first-generation BMW 8 series was a powerful and fast car as a result of its V12 powerplant, giving the big car a quick 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds. It was also technologically advanced for its time, with auto-dim rearview mirrors, electric steering adjustments and an onboard computer as standard.
6 Nissan 180SX
The 180SX was the outside of the US version of the 240SX that was a US exclusive nameplate. A small, fast, and nimble Nissan, the 180SX is also the sister model to the Silvia in Japan. Already renowned for its good performance specs, the 180SX gained further acclaim as one of the best drift cars, due to its excellent handling capabilities.
5 DeTomaso Pantera
One of the rare and beautiful exotics is the DeTomaso Pantera, a true blue Italian to rival the Prancing Horse, in name but not in heart, as its mid-engined 355Hp powerplant came from Ford. No longer in production, as DeTomaso has long closed down, the Pantera is still held in high regard for its focused driving dynamics and brilliant but limited lifetime.
4 Ferrari F40
Constantly named as the best Ferrari, Best Italian Supercar, and Best Supercar, the Ferrari F40 is a legend among the many legendary models of Ferrari. Built to be the best car in the world by Enzo Ferrari himself, Ferrari was successful and decades after its debut, motorists and critics alike agree that this is the ultimate Ferrari.
3 Mazda Miata
Small in size, huge in numbers - an accurate description of the Mazda Miata, which as of 2016 is the best-selling convertible sports car in the world, with over a million units sold. By perfecting the concept the likes of British brands such as Triumph, Lotus and TVR established, Mazda created a fun, practical, and enjoyable car that caused its worldwide success.
2 Jaguar XJ220
While a bit old compared to today's supercars, the achievements of the Jaguar XJ220 in its heyday were amazing, as these include being the fastest production car, capable of reaching 217 Mph. In the same period it also logged the fastest time in the Nürburgring, at a little over 7 mins 3 seconds, making it a true legend among the prestigious Jaguar lineup.
1 Lamborghini Diablo
It is difficult to top a highly acclaimed car as the Countach, but when Lamborghini brought out the Diablo, top it they did. With a 5.7L V12 churning out 592HP, the Diablo was more powerful than the Ferrari F40. Considered as the last "True" Lamborghini, the tech and developments pioneered in this car is still used in modern Lamborghini's today.