Nah, it's no big deal. The same half-dozen members basically talking to each about nothing really...

...because you didn't know what an ashtray was.

 

all is good. Just socializing.

Interesting note. Cigarette lighters in the 1940/50s protruded from top of the dash. Many folks were injured by them in accidents (recall, no seatbelts back then), so they were outlawed in that location and moved to a spot lower on the dash.

 

I didn't know that. Cool.

I remember when I smoked on airplanes. It was just... normal. Today it would be hair-on-fire crazy.

When I was a kid, my "winter car" was my Grandfather's '67 Plymouth Fury II. I'm trying to remember where the cigarette lighter was. The car looked like this, bench seats and all, with the high beam switch there on the floor behind the e-brake.

 

bet it's IN the ashtray, which I think is the panel to the left of the center vents.

 

Pretty sure by the 60s most were in the ashtray.

 

My 94 Stealth still had a factory lighter and ash tray. Of course my 91 3000GT has the same set up. I keep a phone charger in the lighter port now. I'll eventually make it cleaner as a built in USB charger set up.

The ash tray I'll mod into a cup holder. Some people put a gauge there, but I feel like its awfully awkward to have to look that far down to look at a gauge.

 

My 2023 Ford escape work car has the plug, but no lighter and no ashtray. 2024 Audi Q5 has no plug but USB ports, no ashtray.

I'm not a fan of a gauge in the ashtray area since you have to look so far down... it's an accident waiting to happen. So, you put switches there LOL. If you're feeling aerospacey or <track> ish, make each switch a different type/shape so you can manipulate by feel only.