For a generation, pop-up headlights were the epitome of cool, giving sports cars an aggressively sleek and wedge-like profile when they were 'down'. Cars like the Mazda Miata and the classic Corvette looked like spaceships. However, they were ridiculously impractical. They were complex mechanical systems prone to failure, often failing to open or close smoothly, especially in cold weather. More critically, modern pedestrian safety regulations—which mandate a smooth, non-snagging hood profile—made them virtually impossible to implement, sending this stylish but flawed feature to the design graveyard.
