MyStarCollectorCar ran out of room in a hurry when we dove into the deep end of an article about hideaway headlight cars built in North America during the 1960s.
Mainly because so many domestic car models offered this feature during that time span.
Jim Sutherland
Consequently, we decided to add five more examples of hidden headlight cars built by the Motor City boys during the Sensational Sixties. We believe hideaway headlights made cars built in the 1960s even cooler…if that is even possible.
The first addition to our second hideaway headlight list is the 1967 Ford Thunderbird, an iconic brand in the domestic car market that experienced an enormous growth spurt from its early days as a two-seater sports car into a full-sized road machine.
The evolution of the T-Bird into a large luxury barge continued into the 1967 production year and Ford marked the occasion with a radical new body design, complete with hideaway headlights on the T-Bird’s bow section. The result was a very clean front end that really enhanced the overall look of the ‘67 Ford Thunderbird.
The second car on our second hideaway headlight list is the 1966 Dodge Charger, a mid-sized car that shared most of its DNA with the Dodge Coronet that year, albeit with a few major differences.
The ’66 Charger’s elongated C-pillar (rear roof pillar) was one of the differences, while the other major style difference was the hideaway headlights on the car’s front end. The net result was a car that answered the “What if we made a Dodge Coronet very cool?” question. We at MyStarCollectorCar salute the Dodge Boys for their contribution to the hideaway headlight movement of the 1960s.
The 1968 Chevy Caprice is the third member in good standing of our second list of 1960s-era domestic cars with hidden headlights. The Caprice was essentially an upscale Chevy model designed to capture the hearts and minds of Bowtie brand loyalists who wanted a more luxurious car choice. The ‘68 Caprice gave them a strong reason to remain loyal because buyers could choose the hideaway headlight option and own one of the coolest big cars ever built by the General.
The ’68 Caprice also looked large-and-in-charge when dressed up with hideaway headlights that enhanced the car’s front end in a big way. Throw in a monster big block option and other drivers could understand why that intimidating front end looked much closer in the rear-view mirror.
Another big domestic car from the Sixties that made MyStarCollectorCar’s second list is the 1969 Mercury Marauder, our fourth hideaway headlight addition. The name itself suggests a sense of menace and the car’s hideaway headlights helped maintain that image.
A 1969 Mercury Marauder shared much of its overall style with the Marquis, but its unique fastback roof design on its rear end was a natural fit with its hideaway headlights on its front end. The net result was a large car with a strong sporty vibe that made the ’69 Marauder a legend in the late 1960s.
The fifth and final to MyStarCollectorCar’s second round of Sixties-era hidden headlight domestic list is the 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix, a big car that also underwent a major style change from its 1966 predecessor.
For example, the ’67 Grand Prix had horizontal headlights that could be hidden behind a front grille camouflage, a nod to a new era in domestic car design from the Pontiac team. The Poncho’s overall style included a prominent nose section that divided the hidden headlights in the grille, a bold design decision that separated the 1967 models from the 1966 Grand Prix models in a stunning way.
It was a style change that we at MyStarCollectorCar view as an excellent example of the cool factor found during the Sixties-era of hideaway headlights on domestic cars. We just needed more space to add to our list.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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