I believe that we can all appreciate the romance of hidden headlights, the perfect car design in exchange for hidden headlights, no matter in which era can satisfy every most paranoid Virgo designer; but have you ever wondered which car was the first to invent hidden headlights?
The earliest known hidden headlamps were the Cord 810 released in 1935, which was originally planned to be electrically flipped, but eventually had to be opened manually by a set of connecting rods due to cost considerations. 1930s was an important watershed in car aerodynamics, and car designers noticed that wind resistance would be reduced if cars were not designed in the shape of a teardrop. After the devolution of aviation wind tunnel technology to the automobile industry, designers also began to rack their brains to reduce the so-called "air resistance".
So when the avant-garde Cord 810 was unveiled at the New York Auto Show in November 1935, it was easy to imagine the American crowd standing on the roofs of other cars just to get a glimpse of the coffin-shaped front end and hidden headlights designed by Gordon Buehrig - who also abandoned the frontal water tank cover design.
In fact, Cord's innovation was not just the first car with hidden headlights; the 810/812 was the second car designed with a front-drive chassis by brand founder E.L. Cord, and the four-speed automatic transmission in the car was one of the origins of the American attempt to free the left foot.
The second American car with hidden headlights is still an American car, the first ever concept car, the 1938 Buick Y-Job concept car, created by renowned designer Harriet Earle. If Harry Earl is not a time traveler, he is a geek with clairvoyant powers.
Another "hidden headlight" design worth mentioning is the 1935 Peugeot 402, whose headlights were not avant-garde flip-up designs, but were quite cleverly moved from the front fender to the inside of the tank cover, achieving another "hidden "hidden" effect.
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