The weird, weird world of forgotten car accessories

Slide of Motorists take safety, comfort and reliability for granted nowadays. The modern car is an incredibly complicated piece of machinery, but it wasn't always like that. Decades ago we were expected to spend our cash on an array of accessories to make our lives easier and more comfortable – although how useful many of these products were is debatable. We've been delving into our archives to bring you some of the best gadgets and accessories from years gone by – and what we found was fascinating… Slide of Berkeley Caravette (1955) Berkeley made full-size caravans as well as plastic-bodied microcars. This precursor to the modern teardrop caravan looks intriguing and horrifying in equal measure. Perfect for towing behind your Mini, the Caravette was quite costly for something so basic; at current prices this would cost around £2500. Slide of Brexton Minitable Brexton made high-quality picnic sets, but the company also offered this clip-on table which allowed you to sip tea from fine bone china cups while you waited for the traffic to clear. Just the thing for your commute. Slide of Auster sun visor Why bother with cumbersome sun glasses or tinted glass when you could just bolt a massive wing to the leading edge of your car's roof? Not only did it keep the sun out of your eyes but it had the added benefit of giving your Austin A35 some extra downforce. Slide of Nenette duster Could you imagine Lewis Hamilton promoting car cleaning products? Probably not, but back in the day Stirling Moss endorsed all sorts of products from oil and fuel to clothing and this – a duster to keep your car clean. It was so good that it was top of his Christmas present list. Hmmm… Slide of Monsall holdall Struggling to fit everything into your car? No problem thanks to this device which was the predecessor of today's roof boxes. Available in an array of colours, you could buy a Monsall holdall for pretty much any car on the market. Slide of Moseley Float-On-Air Post-war cars were renowned for having softly sprung seats, but Manchester company Mosely allowed you to go even further – inflatable cushions for the ultimate in comfort. Perfect until your darts fall out of your back pocket. Slide of KL Sit-Rite Who needs Recaro bucket seats when you could just clip one of these into the factory-fit front seat? Perfect for those trans-continental drives. Slide of Bowmonk Dynometer Not sure whether or not your brakes are working? A Bowmonk Dynometer will tell you. We're not sure how accurate the fuel consumption meter is, bearing in mind the Dynometer is just stuck to the top of the dash. Slide of Delaney Galley seatbelts If you've removed the driver's door from your Triumph Herald there's every chance that you'll fall out under hard cornering. The secret is to invest in some Delaney Galley safety belts to hold you in place. Slide of Lake & Elliott hydraulic jack Jacking up a car can be quite stressful, but not with the help of Lake & Elliott, which has the perfect tool to make your life that much easier. Slide of Sparkrite computer By the 1980s you didn't need a Bowmonk Dynometer – instead you could buy the latest digital trip computer. Nowadays you don't need a Sparkrite Voyager of course – all of its capabilities are built into the most basic of city cars. Slide of Regency seat covers If you needed a hose-down interior in your Wolseley it wasn't a problem thanks to Regency. Just fit a set of its seat covers and the muckiest kids or pets were no problem… Slide of Drok lubricator The idea of buying a car that needed an aftermarket accessory to protect its engine seems like utter madness nowadays, but it wasn't always like that… Slide of Mini accessories In the 1960s an entire industry sprang up to cater for Mini owners. One of the biggest accessories brands was Cosmic, which offered an array of delights for the wondrous small car from BMC, including rear-wheel spats and a grille that appeared to stop air-flow into the engine bay. Slide of Granville Petro Patch Whether your battery, gearbox, fuel tank or roof is leaking, it seemed that the answer was to bodge it with a Granville Petro Patch. We're seriously intrigued that a Petro Patch can fix a problematic crankcase… Slide of Radiator blind In an age of climate control, heated seats and steering wheels plus electrified windscreens, the idea of fitting a radiator cover to speed up the rate at which your engine gets up to temperature must seem like madness. But it used to be a thing – and a common one at that. Slide of Li-Lo canoe It's the accessory that every motorist needs – an inflatable canoe that you can carry in the boot in case you need to traverse a river at any time. This advert is from 1960, and if you buy the full kit at £25, that works out at £565 in today's money, so

The weird, weird world of forgotten car accessories
Publicidade (DT/EN)
Publicidade (DT/EN)
Slide of Motorists take safety, comfort and reliability for granted nowadays. The modern car is an incredibly complicated piece of machinery, but it wasn't always like that. Decades ago we were expected to spend our cash on an array of accessor >>>

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