Disappearing Auto Trends and Form Factors
I read with some interest Roman Mica’s two articles on the Top Ten List of Endangered Automotive Trends and Features for the Dallas Examiner. (Read part one here and part two here.)
In descending order, the items Mica chose are:
- the key (to lock and unlock the car)
- a key to start the car
- the CD player and changer
- small sunroofs
- instant engine shut off/start
- incandescent light bulbs
- full-sized spare tire
- cigarette lighter
- the internal combustion engine
- the unwired car
As I looked over the items, I couldn’t help but remember:
- cars without power anything
- eight-track tape decks
- vent windows instead of AC
- the choke
- sticking your hand out the window
- the Coke bottle opener on the dash of my Dad’s 1954 Ford truck
- AM radios
Compare my list to his and the difference between available vehicles in roughly 1969 versus 2009 is readily apparent. To me, push button start, Internet onboard, a hard drive in the dash, and anything but a gas guzzling engine under the hood are nothing short of magic. Makes you wonder what we’ll be saying about transportation innovations in 2049. I’ll be 86 then and assuming the Internet has not itself become a Neanderthal construct, I’ll let you know.