I used to have a 1967 Volvo P1800S. I loved that car — absolutely lovely, not really fast, but plenty of fun to drive, easy to work on — it was a great car. But it did have a few Achilles’ Tires: SU carbs that dripped gas onto the exhaust manifold, gas filler drain that clogged all the time, and no glove box. No good interior storage at all, really. It drove me batshit.
You don’t realize how important it is to have compartments and little nooks to hold all the crap that ends up with you in the car — registration, extra bulbs, fuses, pens, stacks and stacks of condoms, your phone, and so on — until you’re faced with a car that has almost none. My P1800 had a tiny side pocket with blown elastic that felt and looked more like an elephant’s vagina and a small, almost useless shallow plastic tray in between the seats.
It was always maddening trying to find or store anything in there, a problem which came up more than you’d think. I eventually traded the car for my Scimitar, which has a nice big glovebox and a center cubby. It’s nice.
They’re not exciting, storage cubbies, but they sure are handy. And I’m sure there’s many more unsung car feature heroes out there — what do you think deserves some much-needed praise?
Contact the author at jason@jalopnik.com.