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SOWERBY'S ROAD
Automotive wonder-gadgets
From Breezeway windows to cupholders, car gizmos inspire awe
By Garry Sowerby
Thursday, March 4, 2004
I like to peruse option lists on new vehicle spec sheets for performance engines, power convenience items and suspension upgrades. Once in a while a feature will surface that gets my blood flowing. Something new from the factory that makes life worth living; a new gizmo to put on my favourite automotive gadget list.
Rim-blow horns on late '60s and early '70s Ford and Chrysler products came and went. But every time I drove a Grand Marquis or Mustang Cobra Jet equipped with the thumb-ridging device I was on the lookout for a reason to blow, even if it was nothing more than a polite hello to a peripheral neighbour. Ford's steering wheel-mounted cruise control introduced in the late 1960s was something I waited for as well.
Wonderbar, a precursor of seek-scan radio found on some late 1950s upscale General Motors cars, seemed out of this world to me. Although I did not spend any of my youth cruising around in Cadillacs, I would look at people who owned one with awe.
"Hey, there goes a rich person, and they have Wonderbar." Just hit a bar on the radio or a pedal on the floor and the radio would find a station. Very cool.
Breezeway reverse-canted rear windows were introduced on the 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, then on late '50s Lincoln Continentals and 1963 to 1966 Mercury products. My father, Lee, who owned three Breezeway rooflined cars in a row, loved the fact that the rear window was never covered in snow or frost. And by lowering the window (it would slide down behind the rear seat), Dad could carry long strips of metal for his store-front business. With the Breezeway window down, the rumble of the factory dual exhaust was music to my ears.
"C'mon Dad, push on it," I'd beg, waiting to hear the exhaust note change to a deep growl when the auxiliary two barrels of the carburetor opened up.
In recent years, new safety and convenience features have become favoured road gadgets. Driving at night with a Head-up Display (HUD), where speed, fuel and temperature levels are reflected onto the lower inside part of the windshield, is a treat. Back-up warning sensors found on some luxury cars and SUVs bring a new dimension to parking in tight spots.
GM's OnStar system is probably the ultimate multi-purpose automotive gadget. After all, a comforting voice on the end of a telephone line a half-continent away, unlocking your rig by satellite is just what every stranded driver needs. Alerting police and ambulance after an airbag deployment or tracking stolen vehicles are difficult safety features to top, while on-the-fly advice on groovy restaurants and comfy lodging is welcome information when travelling. Seatbelts? I remember when they became standard equipment on North American cars. The driving public were slow to get on board, but every time I drove a car with belts I would dig them out and buckle up. I learned to fly in the military at about this time. One morning while strapping into a CAF Tutor jet I counted 16 connections that were necessary to harness myself into the ejection seat prior to take-off. Since 16 connections were required to 'drive' in three dimensions, I reckoned buckling one simple seatbelt in an automobile was tough to argue with.
The lowly cupholder is a gadget I look for every time I drive a different vehicle. Not because I am constantly in need of a caffeine fix, but because they are good places to keep empty juice cans, stuff sunglasses into when you need to talk to a pesky road-side official or to simply marvel at their opening and closing mechanisms.
I recently drove a 2004 Chevy Malibu for a week. Its fresh new look is complemented by a re-engineered platform, suspension and powertrain. A full range of the convenience features drivers now expect on most mid-level cars provided a comfortable atmosphere during a three-province trip through some very nasty winter weather.
But one of the Malibu's options (standard on the LT model) was quickly nominated as a star addition to my list of favourite automotive gadgets. The remote vehicle starter system, activated by a button on the car's key fob, made me chuckle every time I used it.
Twenty below outside? No problem. Just point the fob out the kitchen window, hit the lock button, hold down the start button for a few seconds and the car is running in the driveway. And since I set the heater to hot-defrost the night before, I knew I'd be crawling into a cozy cockpit, clear windows and all.
Who knows, the advent of the factory-installed remote starter system just might be the stumbling block for any manufacturer bent on bringing back the Breezeway window.
Wonderbar!
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