Meadow Brook Concours 2009: Let there be light!

Clearly, if a car embodies human traits, its headlamps are the eyes. Over the past century every aspect of automotive design has changed and evolved, but in an odd way, lighting has come full circle. Before standarization took hold, every model had uniquely designed lights, often set within elaborately designed brass housings. As mass production took over and cars became mainstream, the light designs became simpler and integrated into the body work. Eventually, the standard sealed beam light took over and design was largely limited to pop-up or fixed units. In the mid-80s, US regulations were changed allowing halogen bulbs in unique clusters and we've gone back to every car having its own lighting setup. Today, the technology is moving to xenon high intensity and LED lighting, but the clusters are more expressive than ever. Enjoy some of the lights we saw at the Meadowbrook Hall Concours this year.

Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Max Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.