There are a lot of car features that have fallen to the wayside over the years. Some, frankly, are outdated, while others were discounted for safety reasons. Among them are pop-up headlights. As the name implies, for years, cars had the headlights hidden in the hood and then coming up at the flick of a switch. It was a constant sight through the 1980s and '90s but slowly faded away. The key issue were the concerns over the lights failing to pop up and their safety in case of a crash.
The last pop-up headlight cars came in 2005, but they can be found in classic models. Some may be wary, but it adds something special to a car. It just looks so cool for the lights to slide up and makes a regular fast vehicle look like an exotic machine. Here are ten cars that make one long for the glory days of pop-up lights to shine so well.
10 DeTomaso Pantera
DeTomaso has sadly long died out, but at least they gave us this masterpiece. Over its twenty-year span, 7000 Panteras (Italian for "Panther") were sold and thus rarer than most supercars. It mixed elements of Ferrari and Lamborghini but with a style of its own.
The engine options ranged from 4.9 to 5.08L V8, good for up to 330 hp. The headlights were a nice touch as they weren't as common back in the 1970s and helped the car stand out. It's no longer produced yet one of the best affordable supercars of its time.
9 Jaguar XJ220
For a car that only lasted two years, the Jaguar XJ220 had a significant impact. Designed with Tom Walkinshaw Racing, the XJ220 has been slammed for looking more like a Japanese car than a Jaguar. But it also had cutting edge anti-lock braking, improved four-wheel drive, and then there was the performance.
With a 3.5-liter, 542 horse, twin-turbo V6, the XJ220 could get zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds, astounding for 1992. The pop-ups added to a car that was a bit rough but gorgeous to look at.
8 Mazda Miata
The first-generation MA may not be that fast (1.6-liter, 116 horsepower four-cylinder engine, and a top speed of 116 miles per hour), but it made up for it in style. The lightweight platform and excellent handling made it a fine tourer, and the pop-up headlights were a mainstay until 2002.
A recent revival is good, but the original MA stands out for being a fine cheap car for modders with those cool headlights.
7 Corvette C5
The Corvette C5 is essential on this list as the 2004 model was the last vehicle ever to have pop-up headlights built in production. While past Corvettes had used pop-ups before, the C5 married them to a box frame as well as a 5.7L V8 capable of 345 hp and could be improved to nearly 360 in later models.
It was still a Corvette, one of the most stylish cars ever made, and proved how amazing a pop-up headlight style could be.
6 Plymouth Superbird
The 1970 Superbird is more appreciated for its performance than its looks. With either 426 Hemi or 440 Super Commando powerplants, the Superbird lived up to its name as a monster on the road.
It didn't need pop-ups, but they added a touch of awesome to an already terrific car. The lights rising over that sharp nose was an incredible sight to let this Bird take flight nicely.
5 Lotus Esprit
The Lotus Esprit became famous for being featured in a couple of James Bond movies. While a real model can't turn into a submarine, it did boast gorgeous pop-up headlights for most of its run.
In fact, the 2004 model was among the last to boast pop-ups at all. That 3.5L V8 was good for 350 hp and excellent handling. Really, any Esprit model was amazing as the pop-ups added a touch that 007 had to admire.
4 Vector W8
Every now and then, there's a terrific car that falls through the cracks. The Vector W8 only lasted a few years in the early '90s but deserved far better. For 1989, a car boasting a 6.0l V8 with 625 hp not coming from Ferrari or Lamborghini seemed impossible.
It also just looked amazingly cool with a futuristic vibe prepared for a new decade, and the pop-ups just made it look cooler. It was a car ahead of its time yet still a retro ride.
3 Ferrari Testarossa (1984)
There has to be at least one Ferrari on this list, but it's tricky to figure out which. The 308 may be iconic but not that good in retrospect. But the 1984 Testarossa is a fine machine, and the pop-ups make an already gorgeous design look better.
The side intakes and design were striking, and the engine was also fine with a V12 capable of 390 hp. The pop-up headlights were just the icing on one of the best automotive cakes the company put out.
2 Acura NSX
As iconic as any car on this list, the Acura NSX was a gorgeous effort from Honda. It came as close as any offering to beating Ferrari with a 3.0-liter V6 that produced 250 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque. For 1991, that was fantastic, and little wonder it took off nicely.
The pop-up headlights add another great touch, making this classic machine look even better. While the later remodel was better for the engine, losing the pop-ups robbed it of some old fun.
1 Third Generation Pontiac Firebird
The Firebird is usually one of the best cars Pontiac can offer, but this third-generation remains a beauty. It's famous for inspiring KITT in Knight Rider, but a regular Firebird boasted an excellent variety of V6 or V8 engines that could get up to 250 hp.
It also looked gorgeous, and the pop-up headlights added to its fine appeal. The Firebird ranks among the best offerings the company has ever put out, and the pop-ups add another reason for classic car buffs to track down even the early '90s offerings.
Sources: Jalopnik.com, motor1.com, hemmings.com, autowise.com