The last car with pop up headlights?

[Chassis 33]

We were having a discussion about this last night at the White Hart Classic Car meet, what was the last car to be fitted with pop up headlights?
The general consensus was possibly MX5, Elan or NSX, anything more recent?

Also have they just gone out of fashion as over complicated unnecessary contraptions or has legislation banned them?
Regards
Iain

[Moley RUFC]

Probably the MX-5

[VetteG]

C5 Corvette

[744ti]

Wikipedia says "The last time pop-up headlamps appeared on a volume-production car was in 2004 when both the Lotus Esprit and C5 Corvette ended production."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_headlamps

Edited by 744ti on Wednesday 5th November 08:35

[G'kar]

Esprit in production untill 2004.

[plasticpig]

I think its the Corvette. EU safety legislation did for them in europe.

Edited by plasticpig on Wednesday 5th November 08:35

Edited by plasticpig on Wednesday 5th November 08:35

[Promised Land]

This was done on top gear years ago when the esprit was stopped and Clarkson said the only car left was the 456.

IIRC the esprit was last produced in 2002 for the UK, maybe a bit later for the US

Edited by Promised Land on Wednesday 5th November 08:39

[Hot_Stu]

Duplicate

Edited by Hot_Stu on Wednesday 5th November 08:37

[Hot_Stu]

Duplicate

Edited by Hot_Stu on Wednesday 5th November 08:38

[TIGA84]

456 GTAM

[littlemidgetgem]

Are pop up lights banned now?

[RobCrezz]

littlemidgetgem said:

Are pop up lights banned now?

On new cars, yes.

[Alex]

I don't know what the statistics are for pedestrians injured by pop-up headlamps, but I can guess. Zero.

[Munter]

RobCrezz said:

littlemidgetgem said:

Are pop up lights banned now?

On new cars, yes.

Just incase you hit a pedestrian. Mind you. Why a pedestrian is standing in the road at night and not moving out of the way of a car with it's lights on. Who knows.

[Chassis 33]

Reading around I don't think they are explicitly banned more its really difficult to meet things like pedestrian impact ratings with pop up lights.
Regards
Iain

[RobCrezz]

Chassis 33 said:

Reading around I don't think they are explicitly banned more its really difficult to meet things like pedestrian impact ratings with pop up lights.
Regards
Iain

That is correct, I was just trying to keep it simple

[Hot_Stu]

Presumably kit cars and replicas can still have them ?

[RobCrezz]

Munter said:

RobCrezz said:

littlemidgetgem said:

Are pop up lights banned now?

On new cars, yes.

Just incase you hit a pedestrian. Mind you. Why a pedestrian is standing in the road at night and not moving out of the way of a car with it's lights on. Who knows.

Exactly. My last 2 cars have had pop up headlights, they better keep out of the road!

[Galsia]

I seem to recall that the Spirit of Ectasy bonnet ornament on Rolls Royce cars was going to be banned for the same reason but Rolls Royce got around it by adding a mechanism that makes it rapidly retract into the bodywork in a collision. I suppose manufacturers could design pop up lights to do the same thing if they wish.

[LuS1fer]

Definitely the Corvette. I loved pop-up headlamps. I hate fixed lamps, they're so boring and the reason the Corvette C6 looks so crap.