Old cars fun facts

Dogs, books or cars - there's a non-human best friend for everyone. Our pick this time is cars. We use cars every day, they cost us a lot of money, but how much do we actually know about them?

We've put together a list of fun facts about our four-wheel friends and what they were like when they came into being. Some of them are quite surprising! Wakey, wakey!

Are you familiar with the strips put on the edge of some motorways with the sole and very important purpose of waking up a driver who might have dozed off? They will make a loud noise if you accidentally divert from your direction and drive into them. Back in the day, the procedure was much different and, let's say, individually tailored. Drivers would have a small bell or a gong made of metal attached under their chin. If a driver would fall asleep, their own chin or head would ring the bell and wake them up.

The 60's stand for enlightenment of a sort but you'd never guess how it could also apply to cars. Put inflatable tubes, some glass and Goodyear together, and you will get illuminated tyres! With regards to road safety, it was a bad, bad idea and a trend which has luckily never caught on. Regarding the aesthetics of it, we may feel (just a little bit) sorry it hasn't.

Speaking of road safety, there were also times in the USA automobile history when throwing a Martini party in the car was not far from reality. Why would a glove compartment hold gloves when it could also hold a wide selection of alcoholic drinks? For example, Cadillac Eldorade Brougham from the late '50s had a minibar in the glove compartment. Whip up a cocktail and off you go!

If Robins are known to be reliant is hard to tell. There is, however, one nation-wide famous Reliant Robin, both favourite and notorious for its looks. Of course, we're talking about a small, three-wheeled British car icon, small enough to be driven on a motorcycle licence, and big enough to be under the spotlight in a number of shows. Reliant Robins are not produced anymore. Sigh.

A cool dog to go? Dog sacks in 1930's made it possible! Dogs will be dogs, now or then, they like to stick their heads out during a ride. To humour dogs and to spare themselves cleaning the back seat from dog hair, someone came up with an innovative idea. A sack was fastened between the running board and an open window. The dog was put in the sack and ready for a comfortable drive. This cutting edge technology is no longer to be seen.

Although modern times call for modern cars, wouldn't it be cool to have one of those old quirky specimens to flaunt on a motorway?