The automotive technologies we all enjoy today are evolutions of similar equipment first tested in vintage automobiles. Before LED, HID, and halogen headlights became standard fare, the earliest automobiles had carbide or acetylene headlamps that needed to be lit by matches to produce light. And while almost all new cars, trucks, and SUVs have touchscreen infotainment systems nowadays, Chrysler unveiled an in-car turntable system called the Highway Hi-Fi in 1956 — though having a vinyl record player in a car didn't work as planned, as the damn thing skipped more than it played tunes, and needed special records that spun at half the normal 33⅓ rpm.
In the same way, before electrically powered windows became mainstream, roll-up windows were first in the fray, and you had to manually hand crank them to raise or lower the glass. Everything changed when Packard unveiled the first power-operated windows in its 1941 model-year Custom Super Eight 180 touring sedan.
Then again, the Packard's power windows had hydraulic drive systems with an amazingly complex web of electric-driven pumps, pressure cylinders inside the doors, and hydraulic lines that were initially conceived to operate the power-folding hardtops and power seats of convertibles and sedans.
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Ford wasn't far behind Packard in the race for button-operated windows. It introduced standard power windows for the 1941 Lincoln Custom limousine and seven-seat sedan. However, the real headline-grabber was the car's gigantic 292-cubic-inch 120-horsepower V12 engine and extended wheelbase, making it the pinnacle of luxury and prestige in Ford's growing stable.
Cadillac wasn't left in the dark, either, since it was the first to install a power-operated glass window divider to prevent the chauffeur from eavesdropping on the conversations of its deep-pocketed rear passengers. Unlike Ford's electric-hydraulic windows that operated similarly to Packard's system, Cadillac's window divider was all-electric, but didn't raise or lower the side windows.
As with many innovations, the Packard's electric-hydraulic windows were far from perfect. Fluid leaks were commonplace, and the complicated assembly meant the system was finicky and unreliable at best. The first proper electric power windows made their debut in the 1951 Chrysler Imperial, which also boasted innovations like Hydraguide power steering, an optional Fluid-Matic Drive automatic transmission on some models, and a kickass FirePower Hemi V8 engine that produced 180 horsepower.
Crank windows are making a comeback in the Amazon-backed Slate electric pickup truck, and certain Jeep vehicles like the Wrangler and Gladiator held onto them until the 2025 model year. But power-operated windows are here to stay, and we can thank Packard, Chrysler, Ford, Cadillac, and other vintage automakers for testing and refining the high-tech features prevalent in modern cars.
