Seatbelts WAS: The 8008

I seem to remember lapbelts arrival in the US (mbutt) market as "standard" on '56 Fords (and other Ford marques), much trumpeted asa safety feature and with some fanfare including video of Ford Execs including McNamara and Edsel Ford, father of "You guessed it! The Mighty Chromemobile of the same name," another car with "button" gear selector.

Operable rear seat window vents were a feature of many "fourdor sedans" throughout the 50s. Much of their usage had to do with smokers of which the percentages among drivers and pax must have been extraordinarily high in those fast times.

Complicating front vent widows and increasing their expense was GMs move to "wraparound" windshields about 1954 or so. The trend formed with mbutt market AC the precursors of the operable vents extinction by the bean counters.

I think my '64, '68KG "HT" and '72 convertible VWs all must have had both batteries and voltage regulators under the rear seats, certainly a "plus" keeping road dirt and foreign objects away from them (as well as dealing with no room aft). The '64 was the first year with a fuel gauge, replacing the rotatable emergency jug.. Mine was bought in Europe for less than $1,000., and delivered in the pier in JAX for about $1,100 total.

TM "Beautiful Dreamer" Oliver