Cupholder Kings
As a youngster, this author always got a kick out of vehicle reviewers mentioning the number of cupholders in a particular car. Whether it was a notation of the sheer number of the things in some models or a particularly innovative (or, on the other end of the spectrum, totally tacked on) addition to a car which wasn’t due for an interior refresh for a few years, a mention of cupholder count was entertaining.
Back then, the things showed up in all shapes and sizes. Some of the Big Three, as they were known at the time, would simply stamp extremely shallow circles on an anterior side of the glovebox lid; anyone who has ridden in the new-for-’88 GM pickup trucks knows exactly what we’re on about. Same goes for the useless things included as part of a token floor console in the mid-’90s Ford Aerostar; one sudden turn and yer coffee was in the footwell.
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Those so-called Dustbuster minivans were often called out for their cupholder prowess thanks to the presence of at least a dozen of the things. Beancounters at Ren Cen had managed to copy/paste the style of folding seat around the van’s interior, meaning the back of each seat had two cupholders each. Of course, they were useless when the seat was occupied by actual humans - an occurrence which happened more often than not since minivans are typically designed to ferry people. Having all 10 or 12 cupholders in action meant there would be a maximum of two people aboard, residing in the front row. Still, six cupholders per occupant must be some sort of record.
More than a few vehicles either designed or heavily influenced by suits in Japan often launched back then with few cupholders or none at all, leading to hurried additions for this market as stopgap solutions until the next wholesale interior redesign. The popular compact Toyota Truck and associated 4Runner of the day were sans any places to place a coffee or can of soda.
Until, that is, a pop-out solution was wedged in between the ventilation registers and HVAC controls. Of course, this placement had the unique ability of not only blocking the levers meant to adjust cabin comfort but also put them in the direct line of fire of whatever air was blasting out of the dash vents. At least yer bottle of water would remain cold in the summer thanks to a relentless assault by the truck’s air conditioning.
Lincoln’s mighty Mark VII two-door coupe, a Mustang in a well-tailored suit, had a similarly janky solution for just about its entire run. This, despite being crafted by hearty Americans who were intimately familiar with a Big Gulp from their local 7-Eleven. Like the Toyota mentioned above, these things were also of the ‘spring forth’ variety except they emerged horizontally from the lid of the centre console armrest.
This was convenient for drink placement but terrible for the power window and mirror switches located directly below the cupholders when they were deployed. Why? Condensation from drinks often dripped on the switches, causing electrical problems in the long term. This author is speaking from experience; those buttons on his ‘89 LSC never worked right the entire time he had it.
