There’s been a lot of activity at all the local Taillight Community gathering spots, the bars, workshops, bath houses, abattoirs, gyms, studios and other taillight culture staples, and not all of it has been good. Rumors of DOT raids cracking down on allegedly illegal taillight lumen output and color temperature have put everyone on edge, and even what would normally be considered normal taillight-related discussion has taken on ominous tones. There’s just something in the air.
That’s the only way I can explain why a discussion of a change in taillight design of the legendary Toyota Land Cruiser 70, specifically the fourth major facelifted version, released in late 2023. This machine has been out for quite a while now, and I’m not clear why it’s only now I’m encountering people so invested in its taillight decisions, but holy crap, I’m encountering them.
A whole group took over the banquet room at the Crimson Candela just to discuss these taillights, which were being said to be an example of “taillight erasure,” which struck me as odd, because the Land Cruiser 70 still has taillights. So what is everyone on about?
Just so we are all on the same page, here’s what the taillights on these Land Cruisers look like:
Okay, so at first glance, we just seem to be working with a pair of likely parts-bin, simple rectangular tri-color taillights, inset into the bumper. They’re not particularly inspired, but they get the job done, and remain visible even if the doors are open and aren’t obscured by the large externally-mounted spare tire. They’re a bit vulnerable to impacts, being on the bumper, but they’re also likely fairly inexpensive. Look – here’s one for just $10!
But wait; something’s not right here. What’s going on that corner? Specifically, here:
See that strange corner panel with the weird louvers? Why does that look so familiar, yet strange? Wait – could it be? No! But it seems to be – look, look at this:
Holy crap. So, for reasons I’m deeply unclear about, the older setup, which included taillights mounted at the corners, have now been replaced with those odd body-colored corner caps? With weird, superfluous louvers, even, to, what, vent out all of that former taillight bulb-area air?
What was the thinking here? The old Land Cruiser 70 had bumper-mounted lights as well, incorporating what I suspect are redundant stop/tail/and turn signals, I suppose because the corner units may be obscured if the doors are open? The reverse lamp isn’t required to be visible at all times, so it’s fine only existing on the corner lamp. But maybe it’s to improve taillight visibility in situations like this:
Was this just cost-cutting on Toyota’s part? Why bother with redundant bumper lamp units when you could really just only have the bumper-mounted taillights? I mean, I suppose that makes a sort of cold, rational sense, but the act of replacing a substantial taillight unit – one that once carried, it seems, all functions (though I can’t quite discern if there is an amber turn signal area)–with a blanking panel feels, I don’t know, wrong somehow.
Let’s look at two similar pictures of the Land Cruiser 70 with the corner-mounted taillights and without. First with:
…and now without:
I mean, you can see why the word “erasure” is being thrown around. It’s weird.
I was trying to think of other examples of this – where a car had its existing, integrated taillights blanked out with some sort of body-colored cover and replaced with more tacked-on-looking units, and all I could think of immediately was how old Volkswagen Type 2 Microbuses were adapted to railroad work:
See what I mean there? The actual lights are blanked out. But on a mainstream production car? I can’t think of an example. I mean, a number of Euro-spec cars have blanked out side marker lamps in some silly ways, like these:
…but a full taillight blanked out? I’m drawing a, you know, blank.
Maybe I’m not thinking of something here, and if so, I’m hoping you’ll school me in the comments.
Until then, I think we may be looking at something strange and unique in taillight history; a taillight forcibly removed and relocated to a bumper, with its original dwelling place covered, guiltily, with a body-colored panel.
It’s sort of unsettling. No wonder everyone is acting so weird.
(Thanks for the tip, Dmanww!)
The post I’m Not Sure I’ve Ever Seen This Type Of Taillight Erasure On A Mass-Produced Car And It Needs Addressing appeared first on The Autopian.
