Extras, Extras, Read All About It!

How about fitted luggage, a child seat that mounted over the center armrest, and leopard-skin seat covers?

by Gary Anderson

"Comes equipped with clock, luggage rack, driving lights, detachable hard top, AM/FM radio, and air conditioning.”

That’s pretty typical equipment for any new sports car today, and in the 1960s, high-end Jaguars and Aston Martins offered similar options, but did you know that you could have bought all that equipment for your MG B, Triumph, or Austin-Healey in 1967?

When you looked at a new car at the dealer—few customers special-ordered their cars—you were likely to find a standard set of upgrades already in place.

To keep down the advertised price (on which British taxes were based), most British cars were advertised as Plain Janes, with disc wheels, no radio, no heater, and no overdrive. So how come so many cars on British registries these days have wire wheels, heater, and overdrive?

The answer is dealer-supplied (and sometimes dealer-installed) accessories. If you wanted custom touches, like fashionable outside fender mirrors...