Glazing shite - weird and wonderful windows

[rantingYoof]

The other day I saw a new Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake, and I quite liked the overall look of it if I'm honest.

 

 

However, my main thought - concern rather - was with the comfort of the rear passengers. Specifically, the letter boxes afforded to them and referred to as 'windows'. I'm a lanky sod, so I would find seeing out better than most, but for kids who've outgrown car seats I would imagine travel sickness is going to become a 'thing' given the limited view available if you are of a smaller stature.

 

The tiny letterboxes trend are not gonna be a modern-exclusive thing, although the penchant for 'coupe' style saloons, estates and even crossovers probably means the excessive bodywork - > glazing ratio is more prolific in modern cars.

 

Anyway, this got me thinking about all cars and shite that has gone before with interesting* windows.

 

For me there's an obvious choice of batshit glazing arrangement...

 

 

Obviously, those smaller windows at the back are for the benefit of the rearmost passengers.

 

Then you get the reverse of the above; a window - > bodywork ratio which is biased towards the former...

 

 

Any other worthwhile or notable examples of cars which have crazy glazing?

[davocano]

Tinted vastness with a wiper slapped in the middle of it...

 

 

Impressive fastness of the tailgate...

 

 

Straight lines and curvy curves...

 

 

Portholes...

 

 

Rear screen that goes up and down (would like to see more modern vehicles with this feature, kids and dogs would love it plus the aircon gets turned off).

 

[Asimo]

Too many bits of glass in these GTAs: 13 pieces of glass; 4 each side, screen, rear window, internal rear window and the glass covers over the headlights.

 

Everything opens at one touch of one button.

 

Pointless tiny window at the rear of the rear door, prone to leaking too! The triangle of glass at the front of the front door isn't much use either.

[Supernaut]

Quasar Unipower!

 

[mercrocker]

I always loved these things....

 

 

 

 

And these, although perhaps not in Arizona....

 

 

 

 

Wish these had been more of a thing than a Corgi Toy, too...

 

 

 

 

 

All that roof glazing, though, bound to regret it 10 years later when all the paint / vinyl starts to bubble... 

 

I like the structural stuff, too, particularly this...

 

 

 

 

But my prize for sheer all-round vision (if a trifle distorted) are the GM flat-tops of 1959/60.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[robinmasters]

What the fuck were these for? Pillars so thick you couldn't see out of them at an angle (ie from anywhere in the front of the car), heavily tinted so they didn't let much light in, and made of plastic so they were scratched to buggery within five minutes losing any useful transparency.

 

Oh, and they looked shit too.

 

[Zelandeth]

Seat Altea from memory has tiny little windows in the rear quarters with an indent in for the door handle. Bet they cost a packet to replace!

 

Saab 900 windscreen has to get a mention. Only replaced one, and it was nerve wracking to say the least! Honestly expected it to snap clean down the middle.

 

Always wished the massive sunroof that featured on the Jurassic Park Ford Explorers were a production option!

[Aston Martin]

Dunno if this counts.

[Junkman]

Leave it to the professionals.

 

 

 

 

[Junkman]

Having said that, winning this thread was easier than I initially thought.

 

[Junkman]

And why go that far?

Did any of you ever appreciate the wonderful rear window of the Dauphine?

 

[Aston Martin]

The fishbowl

[JeeExEll]

I'd buy one of these. Pity the DatsunNissan dealership is full of ModernShite.

 

Pohrcschahh 924

 

What was the story with these gorgeous GTVs, did the rear side windows wind down?

(For some reason I don't think they did, cause Alfa).

They went home early in the factory on Friday when doing the door windows too. But that's ok.

 

 

[MorrisItalSLX]

Holden in the early 60's.

 

 

 

 

[MorrisItalSLX]

And lets not forget the Goggomobil TS Coupe

 

 

Or the Saab 96

 

[coalnotdole]

Ogle Design had a bit of a track record of cars with funky glass...
 

 

How about the OGLE Triplex GTS From 1965?

 

 

Or the OGLE Scimitar GTE, From 1968,

 

 

Lets have a look inside:

 

 

Bit of a shame Reliant used the Coupé / consul capri screens on the production cars.

 

They had another go in 1972 with the sotheby Special Aston Martin.

 

 

Look how funky it is inside...

 

 

 There was another incarnation in 1978 with the 10:20 Austin Princess Special
 

[dave21478]

 

 

Driving that would be like wearing somebody elses glasses.

[mercrocker]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwFcGXpMmYw

[mercrocker]

More weird and wonderful windows, guaranteed to test Auto Windscreens. 

 

 

The sublime original Barracuda...

 

 

 

Studebaker Starlight Coupe....

 

 

  

 

 

Wartburg Camping Limousine...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And another Antipodean delight.....

 

 

[somewhatfoolish]

Wish these had been more of a thing than a Corgi Toy, too...

 

31920773_130863271108298_454397137506009088_n.jpg

 

I can remember reading a magazine article about some P6 fondler who recreated one of these; without aircon it would be pretty unusable even in the UK.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Have we had the Boat-tail Buick Riviera yet?

 

[anonymous user]

I can remember reading a magazine article about some P6 fondler who recreated one of these; without aircon it would be pretty unusable even in the UK.

It was an option, you had a zip in headlining; unsurprisingly few, if any chose it

[Spottedlaurel]

Bluebird Coupe featured a little kink in the rear screen:

 

1982 Datsun Bluebird 1.8SSS Coupe (910) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Somehow makes it more like a coupe than just a 2dr saloon, and I like this model A Lot.

 

Saloon, estate and hardtop versions of the 430- and Y30-series Cedric/Gloria models all had their own peculiarities:

 

1980-84 Datsun 280C Diesel (430) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Titchy opera windows on the saloon.

 

1984 Nissan Gloria Hardtop (Y30) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

What looks to a 3-piece rear screen on the hardtop.

 

1983 Datsun 280C estate (430) c.2002 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

And the rear side window split, so the main piece could go up and down.

 

1992 Toyota Camry V6 Estate - Dilemma! by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Allegro estate-esque upswept window line on these.

 

1997 Renault Laguna 2.0 RT Estate by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Always found the rear windows on these a bit awkward.

 

19?? Ford Taurus GL Wagon by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

All sorts going on here.

[Asimo]

What was the story with these gorgeous GTVs, did the rear side windows wind down? ]

Yes the front part did open, I can't remember if they wound down all the way or just a bit.

 

 

The knob was very hard to turn, and very awkward when jammed into the rear seats. (Memories of an unhappy holiday, confined together with a very pregnant wife, in the back of a friends GTV)

[Asimo]

Still never seen one of these "panoramic " Astras.

 

 

Did they ever happen outside of a few press cars? Were they too expensive?

 

I like the idea of the 'screen going back to behind the driver's head. But probably not enough to buy a modern hatchback like an Astra.

 

Ford seem to be going the other way, with all manner of junk glued to the windscreen behind "tasteful" (and irremovable) black areas.

 

 

[Junkman]

[Junkman]

[Junkman]

[Junkman]

[Junkman]