Looks like a terrific driver for $2600. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/d/ford-ltd-brougham/6452674392.html
Thinking a bit on these. This is an LTD Brougham - top-of-the-line for the mid-sized LTD that year. That 'Brougham' interior sure doesn't look very 'brougham-ish' to me. Big jump from the interior here and in the similar Mercury Marquis Brougham to the nice interior in the Lincoln Continental in '85 (the Mercury interior does seem slightly nicer). If i were shopping one of these, I am thinking I might have been a bit underwhelmed.......
I would say because they were, for the most part, more gimmick than an actually useful thing to have. Think about it. How many times do you go around a corner at night now, in a car without cornering lights, and say to yourself "darn, I wish I had cornering lights!" I would guess zero. The light thrown by your headlights is more than enough to see what you need to see as you're making a turn. Someone came up with another option to put on a car and charge people money for. Over time their popularity faded, and manufacturers stopped offering them.
Have you ever had cornering lights? This is a silly comment lol. "More of a gimmick" cars of the fiftys sixties and seventies didn't have anything close to the technology, lighting wise, that they have today. This is why cars got creamed on the sides and behind because side and even rear lights were more of a suggestion. They probably are not on cars today for the simple reason that they are not needed. Our blinkers alone light up where there never used to be light let alone everything else that's being lit by running lights. 60s cars were almost invisible from the side at night until side marker lights were mandated. I've got a 64 Cadillac with cornering lights, but no side marker or much indication from side that im turning. For the 1% of the time that I need them I really need them. There were probably 90% less street lights back in the day also and what seems silly today was very practical for the times. Imagine a dark car making a turn at night, no side marker lights no turning lights and as the car is turning someone can't see them and bang. That's why cars used to have side turning lights. Jesus now I sound like that religious guy. Pmsl
I have a 2001 Cadillac Eldorado with cornering lights. I live in a semi-rural area in Tennessee. When in the city I do not notice if the cornering lights work, but closer to home I certainly do notice. They do provide a function. At further risk of being labeled an old fart, I also miss fiber optic lamp monitors. They also provided information.
Yes I have, including right now as they are on the '78 Toronado I recently restored, on which they are standard equipment. No, I have never found cornering lights to add anything to the quality of the nighttime driving experience. If they are as gosh-darn wonderful as you say they are, why were they never made a requirement the way side-marker lights were in 1968 and high-mount brake lights were in 1986?
They were not the end all or they would have been mandated as you stated. But they definitely added to the driving experience at that time. Just like today with 8.5" in dash monitors with GPS. Gimmicks or something that helps with the experience. When mine come on it's like a small headlight lighting up the sidewalk and corner. I wish I had them on my wagon. The original owner did not order them and the headlights are set back, into the grill, behind the doors. They throw zero side lighting at night. My dodge ram headlights do so without sidelights. They emit light in a broader flatter pattern. I think we all take for granted certain things and don't realise how an automobile has evolved. Fast forward another fifty years and people will be saying the same about our cars being built today. The market will weed out the gimmicky stuff or technology will. I guess we have to agree to one thing, They got weeded out. How about curb feelers, rear defroster that blew cold air and blue dots?
Cadillac turning lights. I added side marker to them for safety. They are invisible during the day. Turning flasher and side marker
Let's remember one thing about this cornering light thing. jwdtenn didn't ask whether or not they are a good idea. He didn't ask whether or not they contribute to safety. He didn't ask if they make the road easier to see. He simply asked why they went out of favor. And I gave him my opinion. OK?
There wasn't a real big jump in luxury between the regular sedan and the Bro-Ham. Not even PW or PL were standard. http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/ford/85ltd/bilder/12.jpg I'm probably one of a few people that actually like this body style, but that vinyl roof doesn't do anything for me for the aesthetics of the car.
Right on I think we should start a new thread on innovations and gimmicks that are no longer around. Now that you brought it up
Tell it to that $@$% "Thirsty Islander." He's the one who called my comments "silly." It still grates.
