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Despite what I'm sure is the onset of senility, I remember something about, years ago, being able to tell the model year of a car by looking at the tail light lenses. The model year was molded into the taillight. I know that auto manufacturers have since stopped doing that. Can anybody else shed light on the subject? When did the practice stop?
No, you are definitely not senile.
I discovered the "art" of reading the year on the taillights in the mid-'70s.
I doesn't work for every car; for instance, the '65 and '66 Mustang shows "64" on the taillights.
But it works for most American cars of the '60s and '70s. My '69 Cadillac does say "69" on the taillight and my '95 Lincoln Town Car says "95."
However, on my '76 Cadillac, it says "74" (because the taillights were the same from '74-'76).
It works on some '50s cars and also '80s and '90s. I have no idea if modern cars have the year on the taillight, but I would think so. The main reason is to identify the year if a replacement taillight is needed.
Thanks, Fleet! I'm forever amazed at the breadth of knowledge C-D members have! Hmmm...never thought about a lens having just one year molded in when the particlar lens was used for multiple years. But it sure makes sense. Maybe this is a "Click and Clack, the Tappet Bros." question!
No, you are definitely not senile.
I discovered the "art" of reading the year on the taillights in the mid-'70s.
I doesn't work for every car; for instance, the '65 and '66 Mustang shows "64" on the taillights.
But it works for most American cars of the '60s and '70s. My '69 Cadillac does say "69" on the taillight and my '95 Lincoln Town Car says "95."
However, on my '76 Cadillac, it says "74" (because the taillights were the same from '74-'76).
It works on some '50s cars and also '80s and '90s. I have no idea if modern cars have the year on the taillight, but I would think so. The main reason is to identify the year if a replacement taillight is needed.
LOL I discoved that too only my expertise is pegging any pre-1983 from the front and at a long distance. I just know! I'm glad I paid attention way back then.
my expertise is pegging any pre-1983 from the front and at a long distance
In the early-mid 80s my brother and I used to sit in the front yard in the evenings, where it was dark enough to need headlights on but enough ambient light to see the cars as they passed, and we would make a game out of identifying them. Back then, from 1/4 mile (we lived on an old country highway), we could identify any oncoming car with about 85% accuracy.
It's a shame that these days you have to refer to the badges to distinguish some makes & models from others, even in broad daylight and within feet from them...
I can identify the rear and the front too. Mostly the 70's though.
Now I try to identify the ones in my rear view mirror (at night) when they are on my a**!
sambo
Southern, NH
In the early-mid 80s my brother and I used to sit in the front yard in the evenings, where it was dark enough to need headlights on but enough ambient light to see the cars as they passed, and we would make a game out of identifying them. Back then, from 1/4 mile (we lived on an old country highway), we could identify any oncoming car with about 85% accuracy.
It's a shame that these days you have to refer to the badges to distinguish some makes & models from others, even in broad daylight and within feet from them...
Yeah, it's almost impossible to easily identify modern cars, with their cookie-cutter "styling."
I used to, way back when.
I memorized all the makes and models of the Cadillac from the 50's all the way to the 1970 models, before they started 'shrinking' in size. Then there was the Camaro, from '67 to '69, and the RS vs the SS (mine was the SS model). These days, to me, it seems the Kia looks like the Hyundai looks like the Focus looks like the Saturn....well, you get the picture.
Then if you were to add the rest of the Chevy line
what a line up
used to win a lot of bets on the name game
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