These were the strangest car solutions

The 70s and 80s were considered the golden age of the automotive industry, if we look at the engineers were not afraid to incorporate the wildest technical solutions into serial models. It was not those tiny refinements like modern cars that did not try to polish existing things further, but came up with completely new ideas. However, most of these have disappeared by now: but why?

Fall lamp

At that time, there was no real sport (os) car that had no fall lamp. It was so cool that Mazda even installed this in its compact five-door, 323F Toyota CelicaHonda Prelude, or just a Pontiac Trans Am and Chevrloet Camaro, were inconceivable without the hidden headlights that were sliding in the body.

The career of the fall lamps started in 1936, the Cord 810 The first luxury car was the first to get luminaires that could be translated into the body. Purely aesthetic secrets led the designers, who said they would have undermined the beauty of the car if the clumsy headlights were not hidden. There was no engine here, the lamps could be turned from inside by moving mechanical arms. Until Lotus Elan’s release in 1962, the solution was a gentleman’s naughty, but from then on, all the slightly giving sports car got the fall lamp, and by course they were moved by an engine. The solution was very good for air resistance, as it could lower the car’s nose lower. The problem was rather reliability, unfortunately the fall lamps were prone to overwhelming and staying closed over time: when they were broken, a mechanic was needed to work again, and it is difficult to find a mechanic when needed a lamp: at night. However, their final disappearance was caused by a regulation introduced in 1988: the legislation to protect pedestrians virtually impossible the headlights protruding from the body. In America, the fall lamps remained short for a short time, but they also got out of the models.

Hydropneumatic suspension

Many were mistakenly referred to as air suspension of Citroen hydropneumatic suspension, but in which it was not air but liquid and nitrogen to work for the comfort of passengers. The French brand in 2017, the C5 He also said goodbye to the most typical feature of Citroen.

The hydropneumatic suspension was a high -pressure nitrogen was the springing « element » and the motion of the wheels was mediated by liquid. There is no need for shock absorbers in the system, small space requirements and, in addition to spring, brake and steering hydraulics can be solved with the same system. It was also very easy to operate the car level control, so in theory it is almost the perfect suspension itself. The first model of Citroen, which tested the structure, was launched in the 1960s, but they were used by several other brands, such as Rolls Royce and Mercedes. The biggest classic, however, was Citroen DS: it was first fitted with a completely hydropneumatic suspension.

The system is supposed to be reliable, in practice, this is not the case for iron tooth: if you want to buy such a car, examine the amount of hydraulic oil, but also the oil type. Service – the highest level – should be checked and is also suspicious if a hydros Citroen after 1994 is completely depleted, as the engine is still under pressure from the vintage.

The end of the technology was not due to its complexity, but by expensive production, and the brand was a separate plant to produce the suspension parts. So he was the victim of cutting costs.

Wankel-engine

The principle of the rotary piston engine began to be developed by the end of the 19th century, but only by the early 20th century German engineer Felix Wankel could only make it functional. The essence of the gear is that, unlike the Otto engine, pistons do not move up and down, but a triangular disc rotates on the horizontal axis, so that no straight-line movement has to be converted into a rotating movement. For the first time in the series, NSU started to apply in the 50s, but they did not achieve a breakthrough. Although most people today are tied to Mazda, it was used by Citroen and even tried in the Ladas and the Volgas.

However, the basic troubles were the same everywhere: consumed oil, worn bearings and planetary pistons and consumed terribly a lot. Although the Wankel engine was considered extremely unreliable, Mazda stood by the RX-8 model until 2012. Was re-taken out in 2023it is used in the MX-30, but only generates electricity as a generator for the electric drive, it has no direct role in moving the car.

Crook

Renault 25 was the world’s first serial car that could speak: thanks to a sound synthesizer, a female voice gave the driver a constant feedback on what was happening in the car. He said when we forgot the door open, he said if the oil level was low or the headlamps were burning.

Renault made 25 real luxury cars with a dazzling and comfortable passenger compartment that wanted to force the German luxury limousines on their knees. It offered a variety of engine range, from the 2.1 63-horsepower to the V6 2.7-liter 144-horsepower gasoline. The strongest member of the palette was the 2.5-liter V6 turbo with 182 horsepower.

The technology, known as « R25’s Voice », spoke to the driver with a fixed female voice. The system was refined for months before it was launched. When he appeared, he was amazed at the customers, but by now it is so difficult to find a component, or the entire system, that the owners are breaking much more pepper under their noses than it would enjoy.