Tripping the headlight fantastic

A trip down Opel’s memory lane shows how far automotive lighting has progressed – culminating in their new dazzle-free LED design

A selection of Opel models through the years from 1899 to the present day

It’s easy to overlook it, but lighting was the first safety system that was fitted to cars in the late 1800s. Back then the purpose of lights was to allow people to see you coming rather than lighting the way ahead. After all, on many of the first cars, headlights were nothing more than candles.

The candle was set inside a shaft that had a ‘headlight’ at its top, though this was merely ...