Online car retailer Cazoo surveyed 2,000 youngsters about retro features that were once common in vehicles – and the results are bound to make people feel old
Young drivers will be winding motorists up — because they have no idea what car window levers are. This is just one of the many car parts that newbies on the road are seemingly unaware of as they get behind the wheel.
Most people can remember manually rolling the window down and popping a cassette into the car radio. But findings have revealed only a third of Gen Z can identify a car aerial, whilst 40% confessed they didn’t know what a window winder was.
Findings also revealed only a third recognise car ashtrays and only 41% can identify cigarette lighters. And even more concerning was that 27% didn’t have a clue what a traditional pull up handbrake was.
The feature that caused the most confusion was the choke — a feature common in cars made up until the early nineties. Some 92% of Gen Z said they couldn’t identify one, while only 28% could identify a manual aerial – used to pick up AM and FM radio frequencies.
The new research, commissioned by online car marketplace Cazoo, has highlighted the death of traditional car accessories. Charlie Harvey, motoring expert at Cazoo said: “Car design has evolved massively in the last 20 years, and it’s interesting to see how quickly knowledge of obsolete car features has faded.
“Some features such as the choke are better left in the past, given how much better refined modern engines with fuel injection are. But there are other features that are sorely missed, such as physical tactile buttons and eye-catching pop-up headlights.
“There’s a sweet spot on the used car market for everyone, be that a car with the latest cutting-edge tech or classic retro design.” But despite growing up surrounded by technology, 36% of Gen Z say they would like physical buttons and knobs to return, with many citing the ease of use as a key reason.
Interestingly, 21% of the Gen Zers who recognised pop-up headlights are nostalgic for them to make a comeback. The lights became synonymous with ‘effortlessly cool’ 1980s icons like the Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Countach — the quintessential supercars of bedroom-wall posters.
It comes a previous study found that many Brits are big fans of their old cars, so much so that these thoughts can even follow them to the bedroom. In one bizarre revelation, it was found that some drivers love their car so much they get turned on by them.
According to figures from Which Bingo, just under a quarter of Brits dream about their first car as a way to get their motor running. And it is not just one car that seems to rub Brits the right way, as vintage wheels like the Vauxhall Viva and Ford Fiesta topped the list of cars people fantasise about.
The study also revealed that 19% of respondents said the car evoked memories of an important moment in their life, like their first romp, a new job or a marriage proposal. But another 19% said they felt their old car soon became a part of the family as they had gone through so much together.
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