Silly fads or forward-looking trends?
01/18/2017
Anyone who reads old (historical) vehicle tests occasionally smiles at what the editors of the time considered to be sensible or just a fad. We noticed the following passage in the test of the Alfa Romeo Giulia TI from 1962, published in the magazine 'hobby':
"We would have welcomed it if the Giulia, as a sporty car, had departed from the silly fashion of the horizontal speedometer and instead shown the round shape that would allow a rev counter to be placed next to the speedometer. The engine, which is as high revving as it is long-stroke, could very well do with careful monitoring by the driver, and it also looks far sportier .
Unfortunately, the Giulia adopts a fashion that is fortunately on the wane in the 1963 American models, namely the four-headlamp fashion. On the Giulia, as on the Fiat 1300/1500, the headlights clutter up the entire grille without being of much use, as only two headlights are ever used when dipping the headlights. Where and when can you still drive with the headlights on? This question is certainly not just a platonic one."
The tester was therefore annoyed by the speedometer and the twin headlights. However, the latter in particular have held up very well, practically into modern times. And they serve as a design statement for sporty cars in particular.
In addition, the Giuia was also equipped with a bench seat and steering wheel gearshift, something that a few years later was considered decidedly unsporting. In retrospect, this was also a fad with a short lifespan, but was also criticized in the Giulia, especially with regard to the seat.
Different times, different views? In any case, in the published article, readers are already eagerly discussing whether twin headlights would really provide worse light ...
