The vents did just that, vented the interior making A/C not necessary. The ONLY reason vents went away was to increase sales of A/C.

A couple less parts was also an excuse.

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I very clearly remember the back seat of my mom's car "smoking" as we returned from the grocery store (post her ejecting a butt out the vent). I was standing up in the back (pre seat belts - we used to stand on the floor of the backseat and hang over the front seat so we wouldn't be left out of the conversation or the view). After mentioning to my mom that the back seat was on fire she whipped the Dodge into the fire station where they took the backseat out of the car and extinguished it. What a great thrill for a 5 year old! I still yearn for vent windows - especially when it rains. I love having some fresh air while not getting my left arm soaked. Ah well....if a car with vent windows were offered on the current market I would put it on my purchase list.

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My personal opinion is that the auto manufacturers made a mistake by getting rid of the vent windows for several reasons 1. you didnt get rained on through a vent window.2 it cleared the windshield better than now.3. it didn't put so much cold air on rear seat passengers.These are just a few thoughts Thanks for asking.

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I thought I was the only one who missed those vents. I had them in my first car, a 1968 Chevelle that I purchased for 75.00, lol. Best car and my favorite thing was the vents or "wings" as my mother called them in her 65 Ford Galaxy 500. Did you ever sit in the back seat when the person in the front "cracks" their window to smoke or cool down? It stinks. You get the ashes and wind in your face.

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I think vent windows are a great thing to have and I use them on my 53.

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I loved my vent windows in my 1990 Isuzu Amigo--no A/C, black with grey interior...it would get hot, but all I had to do was open my vent windows and the back and it was better than any A/C, plus no loss of power or gas mileage. BRING THEM BACK!

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YES!!!!!! Bring back the vent windows!!!! They were so perfect for so many times!

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I used to love the small vent windows. I don't like to drive with my windows up all the time. I like to have some fresh air sometimes.This makes you use the a/c all the time.

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The writer of this column has a good idea with the online petition he mentioned. Unfortunately those don't normally do any good, but I'd sure sign onto it just in the slight chance that it might!

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I worked for a Tailor shop and had to repair an exclusive, brand new, Trench coat that was brought in, still in the protective cover. It seems the lady had just purchased it, draped it carefully over the back seat, and burned a hole in it, on her way home, by flicking her cigarette ash out the vent window. See, cigarette smoking it hazardous, to anything in the back seat, as well.
I liked the vent windows, because you could direct the airflow right at you. It was a stiff breeze to say the least. With many cars, the "vent" barely circulates the air. The fans wear out and push very little air. A vent window always had air flow, unless you were stopped in a traffic jam.

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HECK YEAH! I have wanted a truck with vent windows but dont want to get some old clunker that gets like 11 miles to the gal.!

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Often the family would spend weekends on "the farm", always returning Sunday afternoon so Daddy could work Monday. I would frequently get sleepy on the journey on US 41A from Shelbyville to Nashville & crawl up onto the shelf behind the back seat of our 4-door '54 Buick Special & nap as Daddy never drove over 50mph before Interstate Highways. What a very snug place for me! The world was a very safe place back then.

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I had a '73 Volvo that had vent windows, and what I loved most about that car was the vent windows, or wing windows as my parents called them. You could open the wing just enough to clear the 'fog' off the windshield, add fresh air without blowing your hair all over the place, or open all the way for a nice cool down.
The only problem was the wing made it easy to break into the car since they didn't make as much noise as a big window being broken (happened to mine), and which is why you now see that little quarter window in the back door - just as easy to break, and it doesn't even open for fresh air! They've taken away our wings and given us a quarter window in back (on some models) that doesn't even open - what were they thinking??

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Vent windows! Heck yeah!! Where do i sign? My '67 fastback Mustang would not have been the same without them.
I've worked in the auto design business, and I'll tell you ... anything can be developed and designed, and vent windows are no exception. There are certainly ways to creatively get around all the practical downsides of these windows. Plus ... "retro" is in. If the automakers believe it will sell their products, there is no reason that they can't be brought back. A petition isn't a bad idea!!
If only we can sell the younger generation on them (I'm 45), and make them think it's their idea, or even a new kewl idea! I can't count the number of times I've had to chuckle after overhearing conversations between teens or 20somethings praising some awesome "new" feature, or song, or clothing style, etc., when in actuality it was something commonplace 20 or 30 years ago :)

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I wonder if there is only one designer employed. At one time each car was distinctive and you could tell at a glance if it was a Ford, Chevy or Plymouth - etc. Now they all look alike. One designer or a bunch of copy cats. Case in point was the elimination of wing vents. My 1988 F-150 is getting pretty worn but it has wing vents and I hate thinking of losing them.

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Count me in - I would sign a petition in a instant - Loved the wind wings on our cars - I remember turning the wind right on my face to keep awake after an overnight shift.

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