Pre War Car Lighter History

About 1920 auto makers installed lighters in cars. The cars finally started to proceed at a velocity that would extinguish a match. The lighters were open-face clip on units. About 1923 a few makers installed the coiled and spring loaded cord units. This was done because a lot of folks were used to striking a match, and discarding the burned detritus. So occupants, front and rear, had kept the habit, and threw out the lighters. The car makers then installed the cord units.

By 1929 the habit of discarding lighters had waned. Some car makers went back to open face clip-on type. Dashboards became modern, with standard fuel gauges, and some temperature gauges (instead of motometers). Cats eye lighters, with pins to retain the lighter were developed. At the appropriate temperature, the eye would glow. These units were common, mostly in Senior cars until 1936. Casco then invented the pop-out spring loaded lighter. Some of these still had the eye.

GM offered the Casco eye lighters as accessories. After WWII the eye became redundant, and was eliminated. A few English motorcars (Jag 120) kept them. Since the late 1940's cars have had a variety of chrome knob lighters. Quite boring. I think.

The above is true for Pierce-Arrow, Packard, Auburn, Duesenberg, Lincoln, Cadillac, Lasalle, Buick, Marquette, Studebaker, Oldsmobile, Marmon, Franklin, Stutz, Peerless, Hudson, Graham. If you are looking for replacement lighters, email me for pictures at RoyAJudd@aol.com.