carl3989

I know when the C6 was first introduced that many were horrified that the hidden lights (which had become a vette trademark) were eliminated. Furthermore I know that in order for the C6 to have high intensity discharge headlights it would have to have a static location. I personally prefer this look, perhaps because it makes the C6 look like a Ferrari 575M Maranello in the front. I for one think the Italians do know something about style,eh?

o_town_racer

I had the barn doors on my '99 C5 and really don't miss them. You had to turn on your lights when washing the car to get them up for cleaning. Also it was a serious pain changing the fog lights with the headlight mechanism in the way.

I had them in my '84 Fiero too. That car had a tendency to have the motor solenoids go bad. So your car would be winking at you when you turned on the lights.

My first Miata had them too. Never had any problems with the lights on that car, but in colder climates you could have them frozen shut.

Flame Red

I am in the miss the flip headlights camp. I know I will be flamed for this opinion here. Just seems it is one of the Vette trademarks. Perhaps it is because of prior vette ownership.

But you are indeed correct, I think it was more of a styling decision than an engineering decision - for prior generations had aftermarket HID kits that fit into the flips. I never liked the aftermarket flip HID setups myself because they eventually seemed to go bad for one reason or another where factory ones don't.

KBow_Photo

Good riddance, made the cars looks stupid IMO.

SanDiegoBert

I had flip-ups on my '85 Trans Am. Sometimes, though it would be "flip-up" singular. GM did a lousy engineering job on those things, used plastic gears that would crack and stop working. Great for the aftermarket, though.

This was one of the reasons I didn't ever seriously consider a C5. Or any other car with flip-up headlights. It is no longer necessary to hide the headlights for aerodynamic reasons.

Wayne O

To each their own but I never liked the flip-up ‘bug’ lights. They were aesthetically displeasing (when raised); aerodynamically counter-productive; and, they were mechanically 'gimmicky' and prone to failure. The flip-up Corvette headlamps are passé. The C6 headlamps are superior in design and function….superior in virtually all respects!

j_digi454

I loved the look of my C3 flip-up headlights, never had a problem. I also loved the windshield wiper door that opened when engaging the wipers. You had a separate vacuum switch to open that door and keep it open (for foul weather & ice). It gave a clean look to the lines of the C3.

Keefer07

They would pop up at 120mph from the wind on my 86 Fiero.

After having to rebuild several C4 headlight assemblies for myself and my customers, I don't miss them at all!

mike72

I have never missed them. The first 9 years the Vette was produced, there were only offered with fixed lights.

su8pack1

I like then just as they are.

Keith Tedford

I kept an eye on the C6 Corvette since it was first introduced, never thinking that we would actually ever own one. Staunch Chevelle guys for 42+ years you know. It appeared that GM did everything right with this model. Getting rid of the flip up head lights was one good move as they seemed to always spoil the smooth look of the cars when when up. Having never been a fan of the hidden lights, we are happy that ours doesn't have them. Add to that, it's just one less thing to go wrong.

Vette_DD

No.

3GenVettes

When Corvette did the hidden headlight in '63 they dramatically changed the front of car, and made an incredibly strong styling statement. Later they were copied in many different ways on many different cars. I will acknowledge that the C6s provide superior lighting, but I think while that has been accomplished, some style has been lost. The front of the C6 simply doesn't stand out IMO. What I would love to see is an innovative way of hiding the headlights, that brings back styling distinction and retains the lighting power of the current setup.

JW Motorsports

I still have my 99 with pop ups (of course modified with HID projectors). I love them how they are now, but not from the factory.

Pop ups are really dated. They should stay dead IMO.

BlueOx

I've never owned any vehicle with flip up headlights. The Corvette started with regular headlights and some of the best models had them.

This is still one of my favorite Vettes but I'd never own one!

Joe_Planet

no i do not miss them. they're 40# per on c5, who needs 80# of brackets, motors and mechanisms for something that makes the car look uglier and has the possibility of being problematic?

djpatrick35

You mean 1960's cheesewiz...

I liked them on my old C4's, more for the mechanical sound and the complete near-360 flip they did on the C4s. But after having them fail on BOTH of my C4s, it's nice to never have to worry about that, and they looked like crap when they were up - it really broke up the look of the hood.

torquetube

They do, but flush-mounted headlamps are an obvious idea that companies have been doing since forever.

torquetube

1930s cheesewiz.

joghotrod