1965 AMC Ambassador detail of vent window

1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo - Blackberry with Crimson interior 15

Quarter glass (or quarter light) on automobiles and closed carriages may be a side window in the front door or located on each side of the car just forward of the rear-facing rear window of the vehicle. Only some cars have them. In some cases, the fixed quarter glass may set in the corner or "C-

pillar A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

" of the vehicle. Quarter glass is also sometimes called a valence window.(AKA quarter lite) This window may be set on hinges and is then also known as a vent window, wing window, wing vent window, or a fly window. Most often found on older vehicles on the front doors, it is a small roughly triangular glass in front of and separate from the main window that rotates inward (see top right image) for ventilation.

Designs

Many early closed cars, such as the 1933 Pontiac Economy Eight had front and rear vent windows called "ventiplanes" and were installed on all GM products that year. It has hinges and a latch, so it can be opened for additional ventilation. 1933 was the first year all GM vehicles were installed with optional vent windows which were initially called "No Draft Individually Controlled Ventilation" later renamed "Ventiplanes" which the patent application was filed on 28 Nov. 1932. It was assigned to the Ternstedt Manufacturing Company, a GM subsidiary that manufactured components for Fisher Body. Most vehicles since the 1960s have removed this feature for cleaner styling known as "ventless" windows. Some automakers continued to offer vent windows with the

American Motors American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...

made

AMC Pacer The AMC Pacer is a two-door compact car produced in the United States by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from the 1975 through the 1980 model years. The Pacer was also made in Mexico by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) from 1976 until ...

having optional front vent windows for increased flow-through ventilation. Although the front venting windows "provide unmatched ventilation, air turbulence and leakage outweigh the benefits". As

automobile air conditioning Automobile air conditioning systems use air conditioning to cool the air in a vehicle. History A company in New York City in the United States first offered installation of air conditioning for cars in 1933. Most of their customers operated l ...

became more popular, front window vents disappeared by the 1980s. Some vehicles also have glass that rolls down like a regular window or have hinged opening vent quarter windows for rear seat passengers. During the 1980s, the

Lincoln Town Car The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 to ...

had a version where the vent window would retract into the door separately from the primary side window, so that the vent window would always drop down first and was the last to return after the main window was rolled back up. The

Toyota Century The is a limousine produced mainly for the Japanese market, serving as Toyota's flagship car within Japan; globally the unrelated Lexus LS series is Toyota's flagship luxury model. Production of the Century began in 1967, and the model received ...

had vent windows that would pivot out, and were operated with a dedicated electric switch for the front and a separate vent window in the rear doors. This may be a side window between the B-

and the C-pillar, and in the case of US

minivans Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe i ...

between the C and D-pillars (examples include the Chrysler Town and Country power-operated venting glass). A quarter glass can be found set in the body or A-

ahead of the front door opening (examples include the

Buick Encore The Buick Encore is a subcompact crossover SUV built by General Motors since 2012. It is subcompact crossover SUV marketed by Buick and its fourth SUV overall after the Rendezvous, Rainier, and Enclave. The "Encore" designation was previ ...

Chevrolet Lumina APV The Chevrolet Lumina APV is a minivan that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The first front-wheel drive minivan sold by Chevrolet, the Lumina APV was sold in a single generation from the 1990 to 1996 model years. Marke ...

Toyota Prius The is a car built by Toyota which has a hybrid drivetrain, combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Initially offered as a four-door sedan, it has been produced only as a five-door liftback since 2003. In 2007, ...

, Opel Astra J,

Mitsubishi Endeavor The Mitsubishi Endeavor is a mid-size crossover SUV built by Mitsubishi Motors at their manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois from 2003 until 2011. Based on the PS platform, it was the first vehicle built under Mitsubishi's "Project America ...

Fiat Grande Punto The Fiat Punto is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1993 to 2018, spanning over three generations. The third generation of the car was marketed between 2005 and 2009 as the Grande Punto, and between 2009 ...

, Suzuki SX4 sedan, and the 8th-generation Honda Civic sedan). They are non-movable and mounted in the door itself because that section of the rear side glass would not be able to slide down because of the cut-out in the rear doors required to clear the rear wheel housings. The fixed portion of the glass is separated from the main window that rolls down by a slim opaque vertical bar (see top left image of a close-up of rear door). In some automobiles the fixed quarter glass may set in the corner or "C-

" of the vehicle. There are also designs that incorporate two quarter windows (see bottom left image) one that is part of the door and the second mounted in the roof pillar. This arrangement may help to increase

driver visibility A blind spot in a vehicle or vehicle blind spot is an area around the vehicle that cannot be directly seen by the driver while at the controls, under existing circumstances. In transport, driver visibility is the maximum distance at which the dr ...

. In this case, the quarter glass in the C-pillar would not be called an "

opera window An opera window is a small fixed window usually behind the rear side window of an automobile. They are typically mounted in the C-pillar of some cars. The design feature was popular during the 1970s and early 1980s and adopted by domestic U.S. ...

". Non-opening, fixed quarter windows are installed like

windshield The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. ...

s in that they are bonded to the

body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...

with urethane. File:Two quarter glass windows.jpg, Two non-movable quarter windows of a Volvo 940, one as part of door and a second mounted in the C-pillar File:Quarter glass venting Chrysler minivan.JPG, Interior view of a venting quarter glass in the rear of an American

minivan Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...

between the C-pillars and the D-pillars File:Prius2004DSide.JPG, The

has both front and back quarter glass (non-venting) File:MHV MB W189 300d 1959 02.jpg, The

Mercedes-Benz 300d : ''See Mercedes-Benz S-Class for a complete overview of all S-Class models.'' The Mercedes-Benz W189 model 300 was a four-door luxury tourer produced by Mercedes-Benz between 1957 and 1962. It was the company's flagship model at the time, equiv ...

is a rare example of a vehicle with a fully removable rear quarter window. Called a "parade limousine", removal of its final triangular pane created an unbroken expanse to the rear of the car, allowing crowds to see dignitaries seated in the back.

References

{{CarDesign nav Automotive styling features Car windows

Designs

See also

References