Does anybody have definite info (like a car magazine from the '90's) that states which car was the first to introduce projector headlights, HID headlights and Navigation? Thanks

- I know I've seen some E34 5 Series with what look to be really old stock projectors, and of course the Lexus SC, GS and ES had projectors in '92.

- I've read that BMW in the 7 Series was the first to have HID's in the early '90's but I've never seen any pictures of them.

- Apart from that weird Honda box that sat on the dash that revolved a piece of a map that worked with a gyroscope in the '80's, I've read Buick (maybe it was Oldsmobile) had Nav in one of their models in '96, again though I can't find any pictures.

 

Hid-I remember seeing them on early 90's S-class not sure
Projectors-I think 90s 5 series did not sure also but I know for sure 300zx came out with projectors in 89
Navigation-no idea... 7series?

 

When in doubt, guess the Mercedes Benz S-Class.

 

'89 Celsiors (JDM LS400s) had an option for navigation.

 

I remember the Lincoln Mark (very first one) in the 80s? had reflector hid.

 

I just remembered 2nd gen acura legend had navigation

 

86 7 series for projectors, 95 olds for navi, and 91(93 us) bimmer for HID's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automot...igation_system

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlam..._light_sources.

 

Yeah I've read many of the same things you guys posted, but I can't find any pictures. Does anyone have any pictures of these innovations?

 

I think Lincoln Mark VIII is the first with HIDs, at least in the US market.

 

1995 Lincoln Mark VIII was the first American car to use HID. 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII was the first production car to offer standard HID's IIRC.

 

90-94 Celsior .

 

Great Thread, always love a good, interesting history lesson. I remember the mid, late 90's Mark VIII's with HID's

 

From Wikipedia
Navigation System
-The Japan Domestic Market version of the 1990 Legend (second generation) was the first vehicle offered with a navigation system, although it was not satellite-based and instead relied on a gas gyroscope.

Honda claims[4] to have created the first navigation system starting in 1983, and culminating with general availability in the 1990 Acura Legend. The original analog Electro Gyrocator system used an accelerometer to navigate using inertial navigation, as the GPS system was not yet generally available. However, it appears from Honda's concessions in their own account of the Electro Gyrocator project that Etak actually trumped Honda's analog effort with a truly practical digital system, albeit one whose effective range of operation was limited by the availability of appropriately digitized street map data.
http://world.honda.com/history/chall.../photo/01.html
http://world.honda.com/history/chall...igationsystem/

-90-95 Eunos/Mazda Cosmo was the first production car in the world to get a GPS option & the first in Japan to use the "Palmnet" serial data comms system for ECU-to-ECAT operation. It was the first Japanese car to receive a sequential turbo, the 959 predated it.
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Projector Headlight

The version of the 1986 BMW 7 Series sold outside North America was the first volume-production auto to use polyellipsoidal low beam headlamps.
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HID

Xenon headlamps were introduced as an option on the BMW 7-series in 1991 for Europe, and in 1993 for US models.

The first American-made effort at HID headlamps was on the 1996-98 Lincoln Mark VIII, which used reflector headlamps with an unmasked, integral-ignitor burner made by Sylvania and designated Type 9500.
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LED headlights

The first series-production LED headlamps were factory-installed on the Lexus LS 600h / LS 600h L starting with the 2008 models.

Audi R8 is one of the firsts for LED headlights

 

I thought the first nav was on the S class.

 

Thanks LiCelsior. That Nav looks really similar to the 98-00 LS's. So you're saying that they were installing that all the way back in 1990 over in Japan, was there even a civilian GPS signal available for them to use? That's pretty impressive, I'd love to see a picture or better yet video of it in action if you know of one. And what is that second picture of? At first I thought it was an armrest or center console piece but not sure.