Why Don't Cars Have Pop-Up Headlights Anymore?

It’s a stock visual in any 1980s movie montage: A character jumps into a cool sports car, revs the engine, and activates the pop-up headlights. Violating the speed limit inevitably follows.

You might have noticed that pop-up lights aren’t nearly as common as they once were. Some have speculated they’re no longer legal or that automakers have distanced themselves for safety reasons. What’s the truth?

1. The Origin of Pop-Up Headlights
2. The Decline of Pop-Up Headlights

The Origin of Pop-Up Headlights

Pop-up headlights, also known as hidden headlamps, first emerged in 1936 on the Cord 810 automobile. Free from the kerosene-powered headlights of early cars, designers and engineers were able to experiment with these kinds of design choices. However, the hidden headlamps on the Cord were still primitive by today’s standards. To “hide” the headlight, the driver had to use a manual hand crank located under the dash—one for each bulb.

In 1938, GM advanced the feature on a concept car dubbed the Y-Job. Instead of a hand crank, the lights were covered with eyelid-esque horizontal shutters that “blinked” open when the headlamps were turned on.

The feature kept popping up in cars until production halted during World War II. In the 1950s, auto regulations mandating a certain size and shape of the beams motivated automakers to find solutions to obscure them whenever possible.

Later, when auto regulations insisted on headlights being a certain height, designers opting for a sleeker, low-front-end look could use the pop-ups. When lowered, the car maintained a stylish appearance. While popped up, they were in compliance with automotive standards.

Other times, the pop-up lights served a purpose beyond aerodynamics. Oldsmobile’s Toronado would activate the pop-ups when it sensed the radiator needed cooling to help air circulate.

The feature became common in sports and luxury vehicles from the 1960s on. But not everyone was a fan. In 1991, automotive columnist Brooks Peterson celebrated the new 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse for dropping the pop-ups: “Come sunset, up pop the headlights, blasting the carefully worked-out aerodynamics of your vehicle to smithereens and giving your sleek the appearance of having  a pair of telephone booths perched on the front fenders.”

Automakers were opting for that design choice more and more frequently. Then, around the early 2000s, pop-up headlights seemed to disappear almost completely. One of the last models to feature them was the 2004 Chevrolet Corvette C5. What happened?

The Decline of Pop-Up Headlights

There are a few key reasons pop-up headlights fell out of favor. For one, automotive regulations regarding the size and shape of lights loosened in the later part of the 20th century, allowing designers to make more aesthetically pleasing beams. There was less incentive to try and hide them from view.

When they did incorporate the pop-ups, they were also prone to mechanical failure. Imagine a car with one working and one non-working headlight, the latter unable to lower itself back into the chassis.

Finally, carmakers have to contend with pedestrian safety regulations governing protruding elements of cars. A 1998 European Union mandate specified how large such protrusions could be, and hidden headlamps were a casualty. While different countries have different standards, it’s difficult for carmakers to make multiple models to accommodate different mandates. That safety concern is one of the reasons hood ornaments fell out of favor.

In short, pop-up headlights aren’t illegal, and you won’t be ticketed for driving a classic car around. But regulations make them cost-prohibitive. If you miss them, there’s always the ‘80s movie montage.

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