Hidden headlamp
Hidden headlamps, also called pop-up headlights, hide the car’s lights when they’re off. They come in different designs: some rotate a housing to sit flush with the front end (examples: Lamborghini Miura, Porsche 928); some retract into the hood or fenders (Chevrolet Corvette from 1963–2004); or hide behind retractable grille panels (Dodge Charger 1966–1970, Mercury Cyclone 1970–1971, Buick Riviera 1965).
They first appeared on the Cord 810 in 1935 and on an Alfa Romeo 8C in 1936. In Cord, you could turn hand cranks on the dashboard to reveal the lamps. Powered hidden headlamps showed up on GM’s Buick Y-Job concept in 1938 and on later concepts like the Le Sabre in 1951. Production cars with power hidden headlamps started in 1962 with the Lotus Elan.
Their popularity grew in the mid-1960s, especially in the US where aerodynamic headlamps were not allowed. Many cars used hidden headlamps through the 1970s–early 2000s, but regulations and practical concerns reduced their use. They were sometimes used to meet headlight height rules, for example the 1983 Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno had higher headlights than the Corolla Levin. Modern headlight rules favor aerodynamic, projector, and LED designs, making hidden headlamps costly, heavier, and less reliable.
The last volume-production cars with pop-up lamps were the 2004 Lotus Esprit and Chevrolet Corvette C5. Since then, hidden headlamps have mostly disappeared, though they aren’t banned and can still be installed on some street-legal cars, such as the Ares Design Project1. A few modern production cars, like the Ferrari Daytona SP3, use retractable eyelids to cover part of the headlight, and some concept cars (like the Mazda Iconic SP) feature hidden lamps. Hidden headlamps have also appeared on motorcycles (Honda Elite 150), some coaches (Pegaso-Obradors), and trains (Keisei AE100).
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:35 (CET).