Little details that make you Smile!

My Pajero does a similar thing. The sidelight and indicator are in one unit, when you indicate, the sidelight on that side dims so the indicator is more visible. 90s tech that I'd say is still only common in premium cars!

Pillarless doors on my Lancia:

The Rover SD1 was released in 1976 when the 'hatch' was still an alien concept. The load-space with the seats folded down was comparable with an average estate car. I found myself shoehorning a fridge-freezer, washing machine, etc. into the back of my 3500. Take the rear seats out altogether and the space was even greater.


Another thing that made me smile about my SD1, even as an elderly high mileage car with a full load of adult passengers and luggage I could pull away from a standstill at a junction, count to 9 and know I'd be doing 70mph.

MODERN CONTENT...

The Italian writing is still on the UK Spec Alfa Romeo 147 Dials...

I love cars that are so full of their own idiosyncrasies that most people wouldn't be able to drive them. OK, we've all had cars with strange quirks & habits but I mean cars that 95% of people wouldn't be able to drive straight off. e.g. my Dad's Lotus VI;
Lotus VI dashboard detail by Chris, on Flickr

It has a very peculiar start up sequence, if you fluff it you've had it as the engine will have flooded.
If you've managed to get it fired up on the starter button and ticking over, the drivers footwell is very narrow which means that all three pedals are incredibly close together. If you have a wide shoe you can depress all 3 pedals at once so you need to learn car pedal ballet, operating the pedals with the slimmest side of your foot.
It's a crash gearbox with little in the way of functional synchromesh, crunch it into the top left slot, that's first gear right? Nope it's a Ford 3-speed box so that's actually reverse. First is where 2nd should be, by the time you're in third gear you'll be fishing to find a fourth gear that doesn't exist.
Before you pull off you have to release the handbrake, pressing the button has no effect, it's a fly-off handbrake so you just pull it towards you and let go to release the parking brake. To park you need to pull it on then press the button in.
You learn that double-declutching is safer than trusting to old synchromesh which wasn't that hot when it was new.
This was a much lower revving (sidevalve) engine which didn't usually soak up particularly high miles so you need to keep the revvs at sensible levels. The lightness of the car means the engine pulls well considering it was originally rated 10 horsepower.
Instruments and switches are easily learned but the brakes take a bit more getting used to, no fancy hydraulics here just rod & cable operation and they're definitely not anti-lock.
Cornering at speed; feels a bit hairy with the rudimentary suspension and the skinny Ford wheels but this was meant to go around a track at speed so the roadholding isn't bad.
Master all the above and you feel that you're in a special 'old car' club.

Sort of the reverse of overdrive, the 'intermediate speed hold' switch that was optional on 60's automatic Jags. It stopped the auto box selecting 3rd, (which I think you could do with the gear selector anyway so it seems a bit redundant). I think it was intended to hold the car in 2nd gear if, for example, you were towing up a hill and didn't want the engine changing up then labouring.

You can just make out the switch top right on the dash;
Jaguar Mark X : The Colossus of Roads by Chris, on Flickr

It did mean if you were accelerating away from lights you could lock it in 2nd gear until you red lined the excellent XK straight-6 then flick the switch to allow it to select 3rd.

I was just going to post that too!!! love that because the MOT guy always says:

First  he cant start the car .
2nd  The horn doesnt work.

so its the outside ring not the center for the horn and push the key in to start it.
Its a bit like Biff's car in Back to the future I'm the only one who knows how to start it. Hehehe. At least the ignition key is the only key that does work unlike my old Wolseley that any of the keys you fancy would start it infact even a screwdriver would do.

The single 'panoramic' windscreen wiper on Mercedes W124, 190E, SL etc...

The twin sunvisors in my 9-5, one for the door glass and one for the windscreen - genius.