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Posted by Lisa at 3:03 pm (PDT) on Fri March 29, 2019
Side vents were actually installed so your parents' cigarette smoke could be drawn from the car. If not, then when your parent slammed on the brakes and stopped you from going through the windshield with their arm, they could find you before you hit the dashboard...remember it well.
Posted by Thegimpman at 9:15 am (PST) on Sun February 3, 2013
Makes sense! Thanks Alan! :-)
Posted by Alan at 7:44 am (PST) on Sun February 3, 2013
Vent windows disappeared for a couple of reasons. One is for better wind flow for better gas mileage. When opened, they hurt airflow, so one way to improve gas mileage was to eliminate them. The bigger reason though is simply air conditioning. As AC became standard, such ventilation was no longer needed.
Posted by Thegimpman at 11:23 pm (PST) on Fri January 25, 2013
From what I understand, they disappeared due to the cost. Anybody know why for sure?
Posted by GlenEllyn at 3:37 pm (PDT) on Sat June 16, 2012
I loved the vent windows because you could angle them to bring fresh air into the car without blowing out your backseat passengers. It was also a comfortable place to grab when you rode with your arm resting on the open window - open the vent window and hold onto the frame. Does anyone know why they went away?
Posted by Alan at 11:29 am (PST) on Tue February 7, 2012
It wasn't Chrysler that had the vent window cranks; it was GM. The first modern era car to eliminate vent windows, other than limited production two seaters like the early Corvettes or the Kaiser Darrin, was the Olds Toronado for '66.
Posted by SUBSURF at 8:21 pm (PDT) on Fri June 24, 2011
VENT windows started their disappearance on 1969 full sized GM cars (IMPALA,BONNEVILLE,LeSABRE, ELECTRA, De Ville etc, ) it affected the whole line by 1971. First appeared on the 1968 corvette, GM called it ASTRO VENTILATION and proclaimed as much in script where the vent windows used to be. My parents always called them fly windows. I laughed my ass off when high end cars such as Lincoln brought it back in the 90s but as a small segment of the window that lowered separately. Do you remember the early 60s Chrysler products that had a little window crank to open the fly window?
Posted by paktype at 4:32 pm (PDT) on Fri June 24, 2011
My friend's father had a '65 Dodge Polara with these windows. I think my uncle's '67 Pontiac Catalina had them too.

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