Home » This Is One Of The Weirdest And Cleverest Sorta-Power Window Setups Ever

This Is One Of The Weirdest And Cleverest Sorta-Power Window Setups Ever

Rearhatch Top
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I love driving a car with the windows down. Sure, when it comes to actually being cool in summer heat, air conditioning of course is vastly superior, but when it just comes to visceral enjoyment, give me open windows every time. Of course, for many cars, especially more aerodynamic ones, open windows often create some unpleasant wind buffeting that can get quite strong and annoying. Years ago I actually looked into what makes those annoying thrum thrum thrum sounds when you have a window open, and it’s this complicated thing called Helmholtz Resonance, but we don’t really need to get into that now. All you need to know is that the annoying wind buffeting effects can be eliminated if you give the air a path to escape easier, and that’s at the root of what I want to show you now.

There are at least three cars from the late 1960s – the Alfa Junior Zagato, the Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato, and the Lancia Flavia Sport Zagota – that have a sort of power-window-related feature that’s really clever and I think unique to these cars. These cars didn’t exactly have power windows themselves – they were still hand-cranked – but they did have one powered element that was designed to work in conjunction with the windows.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

It was the hatch. All three of these cars had a rear hatch with a latch that was connected to a motor, and when you pushed a little switch on the dash, which you can see here:

Dashswitch

Actually, you know what? It could be this switch:

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Dashswitch

The truth is I’m not exactly certain. But I do know that the switch – whichever one it is – then actuated the motor which would then open the hatch just a tiny bit. Here’s an Alfa Junior Zagato sporting the slightly opened hatch:

Alfa1
(photo from Curbside Classic)

… and here’s a Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato showing off the same trick:

Lancia1
(photo from Iconic Auctioneers)

…and, here’s a thrilling video of an Alfa Junior Zagato closing the slightly-open hatch:

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So, what was the point of all of this? Look at the size of the motor needed to make that hatch open like an inch or so:

Motorloc

What was the point of it all?

Well, the point was if you were driving around with the windows down, enjoying the wind in your long, luxuriant, flowing locks of hair, pretty soon everything inside the car would start to get all loud and windy and crazy, until you reached just under your speedometer and hit that little switch, opening the rear hatch just enough to give the wind an escape route.

And then, as if by magic, your airy interior would calm down dramatically, and you’d get to enjoy all that fresh air without the atmospheric violence.

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I consider this a form of power windows, or at least power-assisted windows, because the motor is performing a task directly related to the open-window experience. It may be a stretch, but it’s interesting, and that’s good enough for me.

 

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Bob Boxbody
Bob Boxbody
27 days ago

This is a neat detail, as if I didn’t like the Fulvia enough already. I love fresh air when I’m driving, but I tend to not use the windows, in favor of opening the moonroof. I find it’s the perfect amount of airflow to make me comfortable, without being too strong or directional.

Happyscrappy
Happyscrappy
26 days ago
Reply to  Bob Boxbody

I don’t know if it’s all cars with a moonroof, but I learned a trick to lower the rear passenger-side window an inch or two when *venting* the moonroof and it would make a perfect air current through the cabin.

Phuzz
Phuzz
25 days ago
Reply to  Bob Boxbody

I like the fresh air so much that I usually have a window cracked during the winter.
Nothing like driving on a crisp cold day with the window right down, and the heating on full blast pointing at my feet.

Jakob K's Garage
Jakob K's Garage
28 days ago

I guess the Zagato bodywork was just too thin to mount pop-out rear windows, like on old Porsches? (and a lot of other cars)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CuboeXao4kK/?img_index=1

Ffoc01
Ffoc01
28 days ago

As far as oddball power window setups, I can’t think of one that makes less sense than the 4dr and wagon GM G-Body cars. Conventional windows up front, power or manual, but the rear door main glass is fixed. To add insult to injury, the rear vent windows get power open and close.

Was this some sort of wierd child safety feature? Did GM not know how to make a window regulator that would fit in the smaller (relative) rear doors of the G-Body? Did they just expect the AC to work forever?

It’s been a question on my mind since I was a little kid, stuck with hot air only in the back of my parent’s ’82 Regal.

Bob the Hobo
Bob the Hobo
28 days ago
Reply to  Ffoc01

They believed people would be more concerned about interior space when they were downsizing to the G body, so they had to make the doors as thin as possible for maximum interior room width. It was also a cost-cutting measure and they were able to market it as a child safety feature.

JumboG
JumboG
27 days ago
Reply to  Bob the Hobo

I think the rear wheel wells cut too far into the window space as well, plus if you look at the shape of the rear window it’s kinda like a trapezoid, which I’m guessing makes rolling it down difficult.

I drive a boring SUV
I drive a boring SUV
28 days ago

They should put that in the Supra

Nate Stanley
Nate Stanley
28 days ago

I commuted 9 years in my 1984 W123 turbodiesel, most of those years the A/C was kaput.
Best solution was to drop the rear passenger glass about 2″, crack the sunroof about the same amount and drop the driver’s window a couple of inches. That eliminated all the buffeting and delivered copious amounts of fresh air. The sunroof had a nifty air deflector that popped up when open, so the cabin remained pretty quiet.

TOSSABL
TOSSABL
28 days ago
Reply to  Nate Stanley

I loved the hand-cranked sunroof in my 300TD: crank it back until the deflector raised fully, then I was safe from buffeting.

Scone Muncher
Scone Muncher
28 days ago

A smart person on Thingiverse made a spacer that allowed the rear window of the smart fortwo to be propped open while fooling the car that it was closed. It’s a brilliant little piece of kit that I keep meaning to replicate for use in my other car.

Joke #119!
Joke #119!
28 days ago

Is that where the exhaust comes in?
My Matrix sucks that in when I open the window portion of the hatch.
So, cool, clever. Killer, one might say.

Lucas Van Wonterghem
Lucas Van Wonterghem
28 days ago
Reply to  Joke #119!

This!
I know someone with a Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato.
The rear hatch does little more than let exhaust fumes into the cabin—completely impractical.
However, it would make for a great piece on how flawed this design is.
Of course, it would require some due diligence.
Writing from a purely aesthetic point of view, without real-world experience, wouldn’t do it justice. But it’s interesting, and that’s good enough for you, Jason.

Last edited 28 days ago by Lucas Van Wonterghem
CanyonCarver
CanyonCarver
28 days ago
Reply to  Joke #119!

I had a 2006 4Runner and when I would drive with the back hatch window down, would definitely get exhaust fumes. Basically had to make sure all windows were down to be able to breath. Really sucked as it is/was a great feature

McLovin
McLovin
28 days ago

Yep it is the second switch. Used to have one.

Parsko
Parsko
28 days ago
Reply to  McLovin

ANNNNND?????

Did you like it? Did yours work? Did it work as described here? Please elaborate!!!!

McLovin
McLovin
28 days ago
Reply to  Parsko

Lol, yes it was great. Worked as intended and I couldn’t believe in a 48 year old (at the time) Italian car it worked every time.

Ottomottopean
Ottomottopean
28 days ago
Reply to  McLovin

What was the other switch for?

Inthemikelane
Inthemikelane
28 days ago

That’s a nifty option I wish more would do. The Impulse I had back in the day had pop out rear windows and used it all the time. The Dodge minivan had powered pop outs, very nice.

To alleviate the buffeting, I’ve found if I roll down the passenger front window a few inches, then the driver side rear window a few inches, I get a nice cross breeze that isn’t blasting in the face. Well, for the driver at least. It’s good to about 60 mph, but above that it just too much noise and air.

PaysOutAllNight
PaysOutAllNight
28 days ago

I love the air flap windows on Chrysler minivans. (The rear side windows look fixed in place, but they’re hinged at the front. Early models opened manually, later ones were powered individually, and the latest are powered, but only operate as a pair.)

I wish all my vehicles had either those or rear hatch/door glass that opens like the Lancias. It’s such a simple improvement that makes a huge difference in daily life.

Both versions are awesome at getting the hot air out before starting the air conditioning. They’re so good that for me, they reduce the times I’ll actually use my AC by about half.

Cerberus
Cerberus
28 days ago

I always thought it was a solution for pre flow-through ventilation, but it makes sense that, even with FTV, you’d still get the buffeting that this would solve. Especially important with the weedy European car engines of the day and famously bad AC, if equipped. One of the reasons I like sunroofs is that cracking them open has a similar effect of mitigating the resonance.

Cars? I've owned a few
Cars? I've owned a few
28 days ago
Reply to  Cerberus

Completely agree, particularly re: sunroofs/moonroofs. On my Accord, putting the moonroof in the tilt position completely eliminates buffeting even at freeway speeds and the only noticeable increase in sound levels is being able to hear road noise and other stuff going on outside the cabin. Despite a pop-up wind deflector, fully open there’s some buffeting at higher speeds, but it’s nice around town and on slower secondary roads to get the additional circulation and environmental sounds.

Cerberus
Cerberus
28 days ago

My Subaru GL and Legacy had aftermarket sunroofs with no deflectors and, with the panels out, the buffeting could be brutal unless the windows were open. So, IME, the wind deflectors are a help. They don’t solve the problem, but they move up the speed where the buffeting gets annoying.

Cars? I've owned a few
Cars? I've owned a few
28 days ago
Reply to  Cerberus

At certain speeds, the deflectors on both my ’01 Jetta and ’17 Accord create more noise and turbulence up than when you hold it down. I’m sure testing was performed, and compromises were made.

Cerberus
Cerberus
28 days ago

I would get the hissing noise, but less buffeting. Playing with the height of the deflector while driving, there were times where lower was optimal, but yeah, without becoming an overcomplicated mess to make it variable height, they had to pick a compromise position.

JumboG
JumboG
27 days ago

Same on my X3 BMW – more noise with the deflector up.

James Carson
James Carson
28 days ago

My 2018 is about the same. At highway speeds the noise levels become annoying. The cross flow solution – passenger front, driver rear and vice-versa also works. Too bad Honda couldn’t have put in some pop out window vents on the vestigal rear rear windowlets, you know, like make them useful instead of styling fillips.

Last edited 28 days ago by James Carson
Canopysaurus
Canopysaurus
28 days ago

Didn’t you recently write about a similar feature on the Matra Djet? Don’t recall if it was powered or not, but I’m pretty sure it had a pop up boot to smooth turbulence.

Art of the Bodge
Art of the Bodge
28 days ago

The silver knob on the Fulvia is the trip reset.

D0nut
D0nut
28 days ago

Damn it. Why don’t new cars have this feature. This fantastic AND looks kind of cool.

ExAutoJourno
ExAutoJourno
28 days ago
Reply to  D0nut

If new cars had this, how many screens do you think you’d have to scroll through before finding the touch-sensitive icon that operates it?

Plus, you’d probably have to buy a subscription to be able to use it.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
28 days ago

That’s awesome.

The rear windows on my EF hatch pop out about an inch, and man, it’s just so pleasant most days to have those open.

EVDesigner
EVDesigner
28 days ago

Are there any drainage holes on the lower part of the window/hatch(?)/d ring where the flanges are? Curious to know if water pools in there or not since the bottom part is closed off.

Jatkat
Jatkat
28 days ago

Man that part about more aerodynamic cars having the problem worse is no joke. In my Volt, having the fronts open, or all four, is no problem. But if you open the rears, while leaving the fronts closed? Absolutely unbearable. Sounds like somebody strapped subwoofers to your head.

Cerberus
Cerberus
28 days ago
Reply to  Jatkat

Opening the rear windows only did the opposite on my hatches and wagons Front windows alone were much worse, though cracking the sunroof usually solved it. Rears only not only avoided the resonance, but had less wind noise. The wagon was not great aerodynamically, but the Focus was .26, I think, which is pretty good.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
28 days ago
Reply to  Jatkat

Most cars get the Helmholtz resonance worst with just one rear window open. This makes a lot of sense when you consider how a whistle(a Helmholtz resonator) works and that by opening just one rear window you are creating the best possible approximation of a whistle geometry.

JumboG
JumboG
27 days ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Yes, a 10Hz whistle.

Shooting Brake
Shooting Brake
28 days ago

Love this type of thing, my old Impala was always great windows down being a hardtop and probably having so many rust spots for air to escape out of, no buffeting ever, haha.

NewBalanceExtraWide
NewBalanceExtraWide
28 days ago

Every time my ex wife opened the window on her side, I would crack open the back window and she thought it was stupid… apparently she was impervious to that buffeting sensation. It led to many fights. I’m not saying this is why we divorced, but it would have been a valid reason.

Chronometric
Chronometric
28 days ago

My old Toyota truck has rear pop-out windows. Since the latches are broken they automatically open when the front windows are down over 40mph. No motor required!

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