For mid-1970s American cars, opera windows were small windows placed on C-pillars so that distinguished back-seat passengers on their way to cultural events presumably could discretely peek out at the unwashed masses along the way. Actually, I doubt that was ever the intent; the real intent was to add a bit of retro-sophistication to certain car models.
One thing I find a little puzzling is that they appeared in classical form on 1973 Lincolns while in the same model year some General Motors cars introduced somethings fairly similar in spirit. Those were small rear-quarter windows that could be interpreted as large opera windows. I suspect the reason for this same-year introduction by two different firms had to do with the usual auto industry grapevine along with reports from stylists hired from competing companies.
By the late 1970s every American car maker was selling some models with some sort of opera window feature. And opera windows rapidly disappeared on 1980s models.
Below is a gallery showing some of those opera windows.
An early instance on Ford's luxury brand. The small oval window can be seen on the C-pillar.
Five years later there is one on a Lincoln four-door sedan. Most cars featuring opera windows or something similar were two-door models.
Here is a squared-off opera window.
An unusual variation is the small window on this Thunderbird's B-pillar.
And then there are the louvered slit windows on this small Ford.
The same year as the Lincoln in the top photo General Motors placed small quarter windows on this body used by several of its brands.
Five years later we find a smallish quarter window surrounded by vinyl.
Chrysler did the same thing for its Cordoba.
An interesting variation on this New Yorker. Note the unusual shape of the roof vinyl covering and the large C-pillar zone.
This Dodge has slotted opera windows. Stylists seemed to be working overtime to come up with distinctive variations on the concept, as these images indicate.
Chrysler's entry-level brand got a scaled-down version of opera window and vinyl shape as compared to the New Yorker shown earlier.
Even American Motors, the smallest car maker, felt the need to join the opera window rush.
Opera windows were far from non-functional. Back then many cars had thick C and/or D pillars creating massive blind spots and opera windows aided in visibility. There was also the threat of rollover crash standards in the 1970s that never materialized at the time. Thick B pillars replaced frameless glass rear quarter windows on hardtops and opera windows help with outward visibility.
ReplyDeleteOne of the famous earlier examples of the opera window were the round porthole windows added to 1956-57 Thunderbirds to address customer concerns of rearward visibility.
I remember when cars of the 70s were new and there were indeed quite fashionable in addition to being functional.
My favorite design will always be the 1977-79 Thunderbird wrap-over B-pillar design with the small opera window.
Ford almost took opera windows too far though by mocking up a Mustang II Ghia 2+2 hatchback with a vinyl roof with opera windows which fortunately never reached production.
The 1971 Cadillac Eldorado was the first car of the 1970s to feauture "opera windows" marketed as such installed in what they called their "Cabriolet" padded vinyl roof.
ReplyDeleteThat white Ford Granada is NOT a 1977 Sports competition. That's a 1979 Granada ESS coupe. All 75 - 77 Granadas had round headlights.
ReplyDeleteSteve -- Thanks for the correction. I know 1950s cars best, so sometimes over-rely on (sometimes) inaccurate captions on Web pix for later years when annual model changes were less obvious. That said, I do have a pretty good reference library that might have allowed me to catch the error. Had I made the effort.
ReplyDeleteAt least at that time the vision was only blocked at the rear. Now it's all around with thick a,b,c pillars and with the very high body lines '' à la '' Camaro where slit windows make you feel like you're driving a submarine .
ReplyDeleteCan anyone think of a car that had 3 stacked circular opera windows on each c-pillar? A car was described to me as having that feature and a continental spare, and I can't think of what car it could be to save my life. It's driving me crazy!
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