Bench Seats in Cars

Here is an item you may have forgotten about, even if you or your parents grew up with ‘bench seats’ in automobiles in the front. You don’t any auto today unless they are 40-60 years old or older with bench seats, it is ‘bucket seats’ now.

Keep in mind, not just cars, but buggies and carriages were all bench seating style.

The bench seats did have many advantages, such as three people could fit in the front, you could slide from one side to the other. Bench seats also helped keep the car price down a little, they were less expensive to make using just one frame. The change to bucket seats came with more European designed cars coming to America by the 1960s and they had front bucket seats. American car manufacturers started making sporty cars and with them smaller, the bench seats would not work.

With more safety devices placed in cars in the 1970s such as lap seat belts, straps across the chest, and airbags, anyone in the middle was not protected. In its place between 2 bucket seats was added a center console, a popular item. Bench seats would still be in SUVs and vans.

So look back at family photos of autos and see that most did have the bench seats. Talk to some family members, see if they have some great stories related to the family car with bucket seats.

Photo: 1950s bench seats.

Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:

What Our Ancestors Had Years Ago.

1920s

Research 1940s-1950s

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