Hidden headlamps, also commonly known aspop-up headlamps,pop-up headlights,flip-eye headlamps, orhideaway headlights, are a form ofautomotive lighting and anautomotive styling feature that conceals anautomobile'sheadlamps when they are not in use.
Depending on the design, the headlamps may be mounted in a housing that rotates so as to sit flush with the front end as on theLamborghini Miura orPorsche 928, may retract into the hood and/or fenders as on the 1963–2004Chevrolet Corvette, or may be concealed behind retractable or rotating grille panels as on the 1966-1970Dodge Charger, 1970-1971Mercury Cyclone, or the 1965Buick Riviera.
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Hidden headlamps first appeared on theCord 810 in November 1935 at the New York Auto Show[1] and shortly after on a custom example of theAlfa Romeo 8C in 1936.[2] In the Cord, a pair of cranks on either side of the dashboard could be turned by hand to bring out the headlamps when needed.[3] Powered hidden headlamps first appeared onGM'sconcept car in 1938, theBuick Y-Job,[4] and appeared on concept cars for several years after, including the 1951General Motors Le Sabre.[5] However, power hidden headlamps would not appear on a production vehicle until 1962 with theLotus Elan.[6]The popularity of this feature has waxed and waned over time. Hidden headlamps regained popularity in the mid-to-late 1960s, first in Europe but particularly in the US where aerodynamic headlamps were not permitted. A relatively large variety of cars incorporated hidden headlamps in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and up to the early 2000s. Subsequent legislation led to hidden headlamps falling increasingly out of favor.
In the past, manufacturers often used hidden headlamps to circumvent headlight height regulations in the United States. For instance, in 1983,Toyota exported their retractable headlight version of theAE86 (known domestically as theSprinter Trueno) instead of theCorolla Levin, as the former had a higher headlamp height, enough to satisfy US regulations.[7] This prevented them from needing to raise the body height of the car, which would have affected handling.
US laws now permit aerodynamic headlamps, relative to which hidden headlamps represent added cost, weight, and complexity as well as reliability concerns as cars age. InternationalizedECE auto safety regulations have also recently incorporated pedestrian-protection provisions restricting protuberances from car bodies[citation needed],making it more difficult and expensive to design compliant pop-up headlamps[citation needed].
The last time pop-up headlamps appeared on a volume-production car was in 2004, when both theLotus Esprit andChevrolet Corvette (C5) ended production.[8][9] Development of bothprojector beam headlamps such as those on the 1990Nissan 300ZX (Z32), and more efficient, brightLEDheadlamps has in practice, eliminated the need for hidden headlamps altogether.
After 2004, hidden headlamps made an almost complete disappearance from production cars. Despite this, however, hidden headlamps are not outright banned, and as such, they can be still be installed onstreet-legal vehicles today such as theAres Design Project1.[10] One of the few modern production cars to use hidden headlamps is theFerrari Daytona SP3, which features retractable eyelids that cover part of the headlight. Additionally, some modern concept cars, such as theMazda Iconic SP, have also been shown with hidden headlamps.
Although most hidden headlamps are installed on cars, they have also been installed on other types of vehicles. These includemotorcycles such as theHonda Elite 150,[11] some coaches such as Pegaso-Obradors andtrains such as theKeisei AE100.
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