Jumbo joyride through the decades

Its light illuminates the streets – and it's been doing that for almost five decades. It's amazing - all the things the Jumbo auxiliary headlamp has seen on its travels over all these years! Absolutely everything is there, starting with cute little cars through the characteristic GDR models right up to the sophisticated, cutting-edge engineering of SUVs.

But it isn't only our Jumbo that has, with the passage of time, morphed as a result of new and ever-changing requirements – changes culminating in the wide, smiling LED light signature that we see in the 2020 model ... During the last 50 years or so, the spirit of the times and consequently the automotive industry have gone through a transformation. Let's look back together.

Come away with us on an exciting road trip through the decades, revelling for a few fascinating moments in that wonderful nostalgic, 'what it was like then' feeling. We'd really like to know what you remember.

The 70s: fat lip and garden gnomes

Let's travel back into a time when cheese and pineapple hedgehogs were certainly not retro but the culinary highlight of every buffet. Bell-bottoms, hairstyles with flowing manes and love, peace and harmony were the order of the day. We played the video game of 'Pong' on our consoles and shared all the thrills with Luke and Leia in the first 'Star Wars' film.

 

And to relax after so much nail-biting excitement, a whole generation calmed down in homes decorated in psychedelic wallpaper by watching the rise and fall of the colourful patterns swirling through their lava lamps. On the streets, too, could be found a vividly colourful feast for the eyes. Flashy, flamboyant hippy buses danced along the road side by side with small, lovingly cared-for cars. I'm sure you worked it out ages ago; We're talking, of course, about the 70s.

 

The car trends in that era were hallmarked quite markedly by the desire to achieve economic efficiency and also by a growing awareness promoting safety on the roads. The result was that affordable, practical and compact vehicles for the normal man on the street turned into big sellers. And so that drivers and passengers could get safely from A to B, the anti blocking system – shortened to ABS – made its grand entrance in cars. But those who loved aerodynamic designs risked getting a fat lip: front and rear spoilers suddenly transformed even the most average car into a sporty missile – at least visually. (Figure 2)

 

Huge freedom on two wheels

High-rise saddle and antler handlebars – do you know what kind of 'vehicle' we're talking about? Of course you do, it's the Bonanza bike. Children and teenagers would cruise around on their chopper-style bicycles, which were often individually decorated, and would cause quite a commotion on many a pavement and footpath.

 

Trucks dramatically changed in the 70s, too - visually and technically. Front axle steering with the cab-over-engine design relentlessly ousted the conventional style of bonnet truck, making the latter's striking protruding bonnet gradually disappear. The once dominant petrol engines and the two-stroke engines gave way to a more powerful successor, the diesel engine.

 

For HELLA, the year 1974 marks an important rime in the company's history: the first Jumbo model saw the light of day. The typical characteristics of the Jumbo 210 were the rectangular design and the clear cover lens. It was also available as a fog lamp or as a high beam headlamp up until 2016. Do you remember?

 

The 1980s: iconic vehicles straight out of the dream factory

There's hardly any other decade that succeeds in polarising opinions as much as the era of the white tennis socks, VHS cassettes and Rubik's cube (Figure 3). While some people cringe when they think of dodgy fashion excesses (hello, aerobic leg warmers and shoulder pads!), others start getting stardust in their eyes and their faces light up, thanks to iconic vehicles that aren't to be forgotten, such as K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider or the whimsical sports car featured in 'Back To The Future'. Not only did 'K.I.T.T.' have artificial intelligence under the bonnet but also David Hasselhoff at the wheel – as Michael Knight, champion of all things good.

 

The only thing to top that was the gull-winged DeLorean converted into a time machine that enabled Doc Brown and Marty McFly to create a huge helping of chaos. When hanging out with our friends, we turned the ghettoblaster up full blast, we used to daydream about Bruce Springsteen's 'Pink Cadillac' and we were always carried along and away by Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car'.

 

Monster-size and gigantically phenomenal

 

In the 80s everything that was a size bigger, more extreme and more flashy was regarded as acceptable. So the giants known as monster trucks fitted the bill perfectly. Perhaps you remember the vehicle called Bigfoot: a converted pickup truck with oversized tyres, which the driver spectacularly drove by thundering along an obstacle course and flattening all old cars in its path. And it was also very acceptable that pickup trucks in the USA gained enormous popularity at this time, enabling the dealers of such vehicles to look forward to soaring sales.

 

A giant truck conquers the big screen: in the dystopian world of Mad Max 2, a heavy duty powerhouse of a truck almost steals the show from Mel Gibson. Incidentally, the sequel 'Fury Road' released in 2015 also had to have a massively high-tech and intimidating truck: the so-called 'War Rig' that went careering through the desert at breakneck speed. A size smaller – but by no means less glorified – was the famous red and black van with the V8 engine from the series 'The A-Team', which Hannibal, Face, Murdock and B.A. drove around in during their fight against injustice.

 

In the 80s, reducing exhaust emissions began to take centre stage: this trend started in the mid-70s in the USA when catalytic converters appeared in new vehicles on a grand scale. In around 1985, Germany followed suit. This technology enabled the toxic pollutants carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons to be chemically converted into less harmful substances. Further development of the two-way catalytic converter gave rise to the three-way catalytic converter and, as opposed to its predecessor, this was also able to filter nitrogen oxides out of the exhaust emissions.

 

In general, the 80s were characterised by a real technology hype: turbochargers, all-wheel drive and innovative-sounding epithets were almost standard.

 

The 1990s: going west with the Trabant

 

Ring, ring Is that a phone ringing? Oh yes, and not any old phone: it's a car phone. In size somewhere between a brick and a coal briquette, this new-fangled state-of-the-art gadget made it possible to phone your shopping list through while still on the road. Those whose pockets weren't quite so deep chose to hang up a fluffy dice or an air freshener in the shape of a vanilla-fragranced tree on the rear-view mirror. (Figure 4).

 

And what was that?! All of a sudden strange car models appeared on the streets and shook up the landscape on West German roads. When the Berlin Wall fell and the border was opened in 1989, the world was suddenly open to former GDR citizens: they breathed in the air of freedom and explored West German routes with their GDR cars, called the Trabant.

 

The difference between east and west vehicles was incredibly striking. The typical East German model showed up with its two-stroke engine and a body comprising a metal frame covered in plastic panels – and consequently was the victim of much ridicule. It was hopelessly inferior to the impressive horsepower output of the West German models. So it didn't last long before the owners exchanged their GDR models for up-to-date vehicles. The irony of the story is that, today, some East German models are recognised by a larger number of people than other vehicles from this period.

 

Being compact is what counts

 

What else was going on? Youngsters either mourned the passing of Kurt Cobain, the front singer with the band Nirvana, or they nurtured a virtual chick as a pet or then again, depending on their preferences, they raved about the Backstreet Boys or the Spice Girls.

 

The first automated transmissions in trucks made the life of long-distance lorry drivers much easier. Moreover, trucks were featuring more and more in the world of freight transport and, together with rail transport, the role they played in logistics grew significantly. Today, without the transport of goods by truck, not only would many of our supermarkets have empty shelves but also we could wait in vain for any parcels that we might have ordered ...

 

Going from large to small: in the 90s small cars enjoyed a boom once again and were valued for their compactness. Parking at right angles to the pavement? No problem for some of the smart mini models. Compact SUVs, too, celebrated their market launch. The feeling of freedom, of fresh air and of sunshine on your skin was thoroughly enjoyed by convertible drivers – 'going topless' was a real attention-grabber in the 90s. Speaking of attention-grabbers... for some, there was no such thing as too much colour: Multicoloured bodies in all the colours of the rainbow vied for the public's attention.

 

HELLA's 1996 release of the Jumbo 220 was also full of colour: the light miracle was based on the predecessor model's angular design. It hit the streets not only with the classic, clear cover lens but also with a more distinctive and striking blue one.

 

The noughties: expensive exclusivity versus cheap mass-produced goods

 

The 2000s gave us back tattoos, the Euro and the football World Cup in Germany. We all diligently subscribed to a variety of ringtones, 'Crazy Frog' blared out from our mobiles and generally speaking everybody was pleased that, contrary to expectations, the world hadn't stopped turning in the night from 31 December 1999 to 1 January 2000. Music burnt on CDs passed the baton to the modern MP3 player. (Figure 5). Casting shows experienced their heyday – as did Britney Spears. And what's more, the 2000s are the years when social networks like Facebook and Twitter were born.

 

At that time the car markets went through a revival with models appearing in retro designs. It was primarily the styles of the 50s and 60s that were emulated. But a mega trend was also that of the off-road vehicle, which wasn't conceived for use in challenging rough terrain but much more for the smooth asphalt streets of the city.

Hybrid drives: it's all about the mix

 

The 2000s saw the foundation stone being laid for a pioneering brand of technology: hybrid drives. The vehicles fitted with this kind of technology had an internal combustion engine married together with an electric drive.

 

The Jumbo also made an evolutionary leap: HELLA used halogen for the first time in the 320 FF model. In addition, the modeI with the transparent cover lens was equipped with a halogen position light. The Jumbo 320 FF was also available with a blue-tinted lens. The new design signalled HELLA's departure from the well-established angular shape and featured a gently curving structure.

 

Today, alternative drives are spelling out the future

 

And today? What enables us to move around – and how do we want to move in future? A major trend which is defining 2020 and indeed the years still to come is the concept of alternative drives. Triggers for this development are, on the one hand, increasing environmental pollution caused by car exhaust emissions and, on the other, diminishing fossil resources. The 'green lifestyle' can be felt in all areas of our lives. The origin of foodstuffs is being questioned critically, pupils are voicing their concerns about the climate and striking in protest and products are being evaluated on the grounds of their sustainability. The car has also moved into sharp focus in the quest for an energy revolution. (Figure 6)

 

Up until now, our mobility had been dependent on oil. However, for some time, alternative drive technologies such as electricity or hydrogen have also been gaining in importance. Manufacturers are also experimenting with fuel cells in the commercial vehicle sector. It can be expected that as soon as such vehicles can increase their distance range, demand for them will rise. It's very probably just a matter of time before the first truck powered by fuel cells makes it onto the road.

 

And are we soon going to give up the steering wheel?

 

The subject of autonomous cars has been a source of fascination for us since the 1950s. But now we've reached a point where driverless driving no longer remains in the realms of science fiction. The technologies necessary for this are available. It's just the appropriate infrastructure that we still lack. Furthermore, there are legal and ethical issues which have yet to be clarified. The question of where technological advancement will lead in the years ahead remains an exciting one. Watch this space!

 

This year Jumbo is also making another significant evolutionary leap: thanks to its LED position light, the Jumbo 320 FF provides maximum output, with its clear cover lens guaranteeing unobstructed visibility on the roads. At the same time, the use of LED technology is most definitely in tune with our times – it saves energy.  

 

After this trip is before the next trip

 

So how did you like our nostalgic trip down memory lane from the 70s right up to today? Which cars do you associate with this time window? We'd love to hear from you: on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. We're looking forward to your memories and your comments. Oh, you're curious to know why we're calling our new Jumbo "The new street smile"? Then you should just take a look at it! This way please:

 

We really wonder what we'll be able to write in 30 years' time about the 2020s, the 2030s and indeed the 2050s ...