When our classics were new, many of them boasted just two accessories, items often added by the dealer: an ashtray and a cigarette lighter. Times have changed, and ashtrays are seen less and less often.
Cigarette lighters, however, have kept up with the times. Just as celebrities and politicians reinvent themselves, so have these contraptions. Now they’re called accessory outlets, and they’ve become ubiquitous. Even though they rarely house a lighter element, these power ports are practically standard equipment in today’s new cars.
Why the need? Look at all of the stuff we take with us on the road. We use these outlets to charge and power our cell phones, iPods, navigation systems, air compressors, camera batteries, USB devices, CB radios and so much more.
Fortunately, just as the dealers easily installed these outlets in the past, so can we. Before taking our Modern Midget project car on the road, we performed a quick tweak to induct the car into the age of pocket-sized electronics.
