by waaytoomuchintothis » Sat Aug 25, 2018 6:24 pm
If you go back far enough, a lot of American cars either didn't have side mirrors at all or they were "luxury" options. My 1941 Ford Tudor Deluxe had a tiny side mirror that was utterly useless, and I always wondered if it was just there to make the car seem more sophisticated. Until the 1950s, a spotlight was a more popular option in that spot by the driver's window, although some cars had both in a rather crowded arrangement. I remember the first VW Beetle I saw had a side mirror as well as semaphore turn signals, and we all stood around it staring. That was the day we learned an engine could be in the rear and a gas inlet could be inside the "trunk".