Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[lowdrag]

A question that has bugged me for years. I believe the Buick range in 1939 all had indicators as opposed to semaphore arms, but I can't seem to find much on the internet about the history nor the implementation of these. Anyone know anything?

[Rick]

Elsewhere the subject of the traffic light indicators fitted to some Morris cars, c1936 from memory, has been discussed - do they count?

Rick
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[Bengt Axel]

I don't know what the first car to have the modern 'flashing light' type of indicators was, but do know that the first car to have the box-type direction indicators either side of the number plate was the British 14/45hp Talbot in 1926.

The Morris three colour 'traffic light' type indicators were launched at the 1932 London Motor Show, but were subsequently declared illegal and replaced by semaphor type. Whether any actually reached the public, I don't know

[Keith D]

I always thought the first British flashing indicators were on the Ford Mk 1 Consul and Zephyrs. About 1950??

Keith

[Bengt Axel]

Flashing indicators weren't legal in Britain until 1954, mandatory on new cars in 1965 and part of the MOT test from 1977.

As what was subsequently known as the 'MK1' Consul/Zephyr/Zodiac range was current in 1954, then I guess they could have been the first in Britain.

[Bengt Axel]

There seem to be several authoritative sources on the net to confirm the belief that Buick were indeed the first with indicators in 1939.

Amongst others;

http://www.friendsofbuick.com/Default.aspx?mode=ergo
http://www.bsmotoring.com/bsm/wcms/en/home/classic-drive/39buickroadmaster-060920.html
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z5910/Buick-40-Special.aspx

[Phil - Nottingham]

Whilst it is correct that flashers were not legal in the UK till 1954 and indeed no direction warning were required anyway, many conversions were made and even offered by manufacturers to convert to the US blinkers using the rear red brake lights or spare holes in the lamp unit, fitted for export versions of British cars.

Rover sold the export version for its P4 75 until it did a proper job using orange lights but most European & British car just used white fronts (using double filament sidelamps and either orange rear lamps or red rears using the brake lights right until 1964 till the White/reds were made illegal on new cars. Immediate post war a lot of British cars did not even have separate front sidelights & twin dip head lamps or two brake lights until an earlier change in law in 1950

Hand signals were still a mandatory part of the UK driving test until well after I passed my full car test in 1975 whether or not fitted with indicators
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Rover P2
Rover P4
Rover P5 & P5B
Land Rover S2 & S3
Morris Mini Traveller Mk2

[lowdrag]

Thanks Bengt for that link. It proves unequivocally that it was the Buicks that had the first flashers as opposed to semaphores which is what I thought but disn't know for certain. I believe they were actually invented by a woman, a starlet in Hollywood no less!

[Bengt Axel]

[Phil - Nottingham]

I have some pre-war US Popular Mechanix mags which always have at least one road test of that months new model - I will look out these to see if the the flashers were mentioned then - the production fully automatic gerabox came out that year as well although well before that there were several assisted semi automatic clutches with electric speed changes (not the UK preselectors) - and we think modern electronics are complex and will get unreliable
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Rover P2
Rover P4
Rover P5 & P5B
Land Rover S2 & S3
Morris Mini Traveller Mk2