An opera window is a small fixed window usually behind the rear side window of an automobile. [1] They are typically mounted in the C-pillar of some cars. [2] The design feature was popular during the 1970s and early 1980s and adopted by domestic U.S. manufacturers, most often with a vinyl roof. [2]
The origin was from "opera" vehicles of around 1915 with occasional collapsible seating for extra passengers. [3] The opera window was also a feature on "formal roof" and limousine models with higher than a normal roof to accommodate passengers with top hats. [3]
The design element of a distinct, fixed, centered opera window was borrowed from such windows in horse-drawn carriages and used during the classical era of automobile styling. For example, "the Elcar in 1924 was good looking ... and even a fabric top in the style of a brougham with oval opera windows framed by landau bars". [4] Opera windows saw their demise in the 1930s.
Perhaps the most notable return was the "porthole" in the 1956–1957 Ford Thunderbird. It was provided as an option to improve rear-quarter visibility with the removable hardtop in place. "The hottest thing going was the 'porthole' window in the rear side pillar – called 'opera windows' – that came in during the horse and buggy [era]". [5]
Opera windows began reappearing in the early 1970s in such vehicles as the 1972 Continental Mark IV. Almost all personal luxury cars would adopt opera windows, usually framed by a vinyl roof. [6] Most often, opera window variants were applied on two-door hardtop or coupé models, spanning all types of vehicles from economy compacts to flagship personal luxury cars, in which latter exploding realm they became "recognition elements" seeking to add a vintage element to their styling. [7] General Motors introduced an all-new line of mid-sized "Colonade" models for the 1973 model year. Standard on all the coupes was a fixed triangular rear quarter window while higher trim versions used a rectangular vertical opera window. [8]
In some cars, an additional feature was the so-called opera light that was mounted on the outside of the B-pillar or C-pillar and illuminated when the exterior lights were switched on.
The windows were intended to offset the significant blind spots created by wide C-pillars that were characteristic of many American cars produced at this time. [9] In an age of decreasing dimensions and increasingly common use of non-opening rear side windows on 2-door models, a variety of shapes of rear windows may have helped passengers there to feel somewhat less claustrophobic.[ citation needed ]
These windows were usually non-functional; however, in the case of the AMC Matador coupe NASCAR racers, the standard roll-down quarter windows were causing aerodynamic drag. [10] [11] Penske racing requested AMC a small "porthole" to smooth the airflow when open to the wind under racing conditions. [12] To qualify as a stock item for use on the tracks, NASCAR required 500 units must be available to the public. [11] The small opera window was first an optional "D/L Formal Window Package" on the Brougham models and then a standard feature on the Barcelona II trim package. [11] [13] [14]
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to the main interior of the car as a cargo area rather than just to a separated trunk. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second-row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume.
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Two-doors get a gimmicky 'Twin-dow', a split opera window.
choice of vertically louvered rear quarter windows or rear quarter opera window
opera windows were added to the thick C-pillars to enhance rear visibility and give the model a distinctive design feature