With the exception of some luxury vehicles and optional "smoker's packages," you'd be hard pressed to find any new car equipped with an ashtray. However, things weren't always that way. In fact, for most of automotive history, ashtrays (and lighters) were standard fare in vehicle cabins. Some automakers and aftermarket manufacturers even went to great lengths to come up with … [Read more...]
Photo: Car Ashtray Turned Radio Control
Modernizing the interior of a hot rod is no easy task. Auto upholsterers have to carefully balance the desire for contemporary features with the need to stay as period correct as possible, so as not to lose too much of a vehicle's classic appeal. In the search for that sweet spot, Sculpt Garage in San Marcos, Texas, came up with a clever way to hide radio controls in plain … [Read more...]
Whatever Happened to Car Ashtrays?
When was the last time you worked on a new car that came equipped with a stock lighter and ashtray? If you're anything like me, you don't even know. That's because automakers started to silently phase them out sometime in the mid 90's. By the 2000's, most cars only offered them as optional features. Today, many cars don't even do that. In the course of researching why that … [Read more...]