Weird/unique driver aids and conveniences

[cros]

Auntie also has a switch to enable the driver to turn on the rear curtsy lights. On mine there is a very Roverish version of the dealers sticker above

Just below the lamp are the passenger's stirrups, and just above a repair my Mrs had to make after some creature ate through the headlining. Whatever it was must have been inside at the time as later it knawed its way back out again. She then had to mend a larger hole on the other side.

I don't know if this is a normal thing, but the door pockets have a press-fastenered flap for when it's time to muck out the rubbish that accumulates in the bottom. Rover always tried their hardest to make simple things complicated.

Those interior lights were only switched by the rear doors, there was nothing at the front except a small bulb to illuminate the ignition key hole and starter button. It comes on when you open the front doors and also has its own little chrome switch but as an interior light is useless.

[MorrisItalSLX]

The ignition key slot on the DS23 is lit by a fibre optic cable from the instrument lights. Way ahead of its time.

Jaguar also used fibre optics to illuminate the heater/air con controls on the SII and SIII XJ. Trouble is they get very brittle, so when you take the panel out the tend to shear off. Ask me how I know.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Shiter delivers!

 

Only now after a bazillion years of wondering why Jag put them on the seatbacks does this now make sense to me thanks to the above...so obvious now.

Those lights in the back of the headrests in XJ40s were useless, in 1987 my boss changed from an S3 to an XJ40 and moaned all the way home , the first time I drove him in it. With the passenger seat right forward all that was lit up were his feet, next went straight back to Jag dealer and they fitted two of those chrome map reading lamps on a bendy stalk to the parcel shelf. All the jags we had after that had them fitted before delivery.

[timolloyd]

What about 80s Fords that all seemed to allow you to choose 1 of 4 speakers, regardless of spec

[Tamworthbay]

What about 80s Fords that all seemed to allow you to choose 1 of 4 speakers, regardless of spec

With that little joystick thing? I had a couple with those.

[Guest Hooli]

What about 80s Fords that all seemed to allow you to choose 1 of 4 speakers, regardless of spec

 

Oh aye the wee joystick that you had to disconnect to fit a proper stereo as the front & rear speakers shared the earth on each side.

[Noel Tidybeard]

Renault 25 had that too!

 

as did mk 3 granadanada

[Noel Tidybeard]

 current CRV is the only car I've owned with a separate button for the headlamp washers - they operate automatically with the screen washers too, but in case that's not enough there is a separate button.

 

quite the opposite- the headlight washers will only work once for every so many cycles of windscreen washers to avoid using all the water, the buttons if you need to do lights sooner

 

this was something that got introduced on the spaceship at 2009 facelift- my 2007 will wash lights every time i do window if headlights are on

[clayts450]

As well as having a face only its mother would love, the PT Cruiser has a nice touch with its multi-purpose horizontal parcel shelf which can also serve as a vertical parcel shelf (more useful than you might think, esp if ferrying large TVs around, which I've done once), a boot liner, but more critically with the large tailgate, a covered picnic area replete with steel parasol...

 

Pic not mine, obvs. There's no beer for starters, the lightweights. And I don't have a dog. Or a burd. Or a life.

 

[Vince70]

My E34 525 would illuminate the interior when the drivers door handle was operated. It did this even when locked - presumably so scumbags could check for stuff worth stealing

The weird thing is my E36 cabriolet does the same yet my E36 compact doesn’t neither does the Z3 which have the same door handles so it must be a posh spec thing.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Those lights in the back of the headrests in XJ40s were useless, in 1987 my boss changed from an S3 to an XJ40 and moaned all the way home , the first time I drove him in it. With the passenger seat right forward all that was lit up were his feet, next went straight back to Jag dealer and they fitted two of those chrome map reading lamps on a bendy stalk to the parcel shelf. All the jags we had after that had them fitted before delivery.

The lights in the SIII are in a much better position for reading, being on the roof and also positionable so you can point them directly at the finance section.

[LostnotFound]

 

anyone ever had one of these?  I have never seen one, it must have been a rarely ticked option

 

 

I remember the advert coming out and being well impressed given the ropey bike carrier I was using at the time.

 

Didn't it cost a fair bit and rob the spare wheel though? There wasn't much reason to get that rather than a tow bar and carrier itself, let alone have to drive a Vauxhall.

[cros]

The solid-tyred Trojan Utility Vehicle had a handle which you pulled to start it as the specification didn't run to an electric one.

Thats it lurking next to the handbrake. The driver was further pampered by an audible reminder which sounded if they failed to set the ignition timing correctly- Commercial Motor described it thus:

 

"and a starting lever. . The latter has a pawl with a pin projecting into a slot in a friction plate. When the lever is drawn back, the pawl pin runs along the slot and directs the spawl into the ratchet, thus rotating the cearikehaft. When the lever is pushed down it draws the pawl out of the ratchet and moves the friction plate down, at the same time advancing the spark, which was automatically retarded when he lever was pulled back. If the lever is not Tight down and the spark is consequently not fully 'advanced, a light, spring drives the pawl against the ratchet and gives a sharp ringing noise to attract the driver's attention."

 

As tested by Stanley Unwin.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Lot of Italian cars had hand throttles Ladas too, the fiat 126 has one.

[DSdriver]

Lot of Italian cars had hand throttles Ladas too, the fiat 126 has one.

But why?

[puddlethumper]

I had an Austin Champ with 5 reverse gears. Don't know if that's an aid or a convenience really.

30/40 mph backwards was, erm, interesting.

[SierraMikeHotel]

I had an Austin Champ with 5 reverse gears. Don't know if that's an aid or a convenience really.

30/40 mph backwards was, erm, interesting.

I've driven one of those, they're great fun! Didn't have the balls to test the full reverse speed though.

[anonymous user]

I had an Austin Champ with 5 reverse gears.

Was it Italian military spec?

 

 

 

Sorry

[sheffcortinacentre]

No idea

[omegod]

Was it Italian military spec?

 

 

 

Sorry

 

Massive LOL

[Alusilber]

I've always liked the small central sunvisor that 605s and XMs have. Driving round here, where there's virtually no features for the sun to hide behind, it saves your eyes a lot in Summer and Winter. Really wish that more cars had it.

 

My old A3 had a mini centre sunvisor too. Quite a handy thing to have.

[Steve79]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA4HaKthwcs

 

anyone ever had one of these? I have never seen one, it must have been a rarely ticked option

Pre-requesite option if you were a terrifying puppet who liked the hotties. Like the way in 2009 Vauxhall's marketing dept were still ok with casual sexism - 21 sec mark

 

https://youtu.be/t5erA6DqDwI

[puddlethumper]

Was it Italian military spec?

 

 

 

Sorry

The Italian spec was only one forward gear, I believe.

[Guest Hooli]

Lincs Police have some  as  dedicated PCSO cars  -  to allow them todrop off a colleague + bike  before heading out in the  ever further wilds 

 

That actually makes sense, which is unusual for anything plod does.

[Ghosty]

Binis have a side-facing sunvisor for the driver as well as a normal front facing one.

[Guest Hooli]

Saabs have that too & probably had it first.

[DSdriver]

Citroen DS visors can be swivelled around to the side which is OK on a straight road or as a wind deflector with the window slightly open

[SierraMikeHotel]

Saabs have that too & probably had it first.

Took me ages to figure out why there were two. Good idea when you've figured it out though.

[Guest Hooli]

Took me ages to figure out why there were two. Good idea when you've figured it out though.

 

I saw it, thought 'thats handy' then never used it in almost two years.

[SierraMikeHotel]

That's also very true - and I had mine through the hottest summer we've ever seen.