9 cars with glorious quad headlights – Celica, E-Class, BMWs and more!

Though quad headlights don’t get the same love as pop-up lights, we still fancy its set-up. Compared to the nineties, this design is almost disappearing as many cars switched to LED headlights.

Back when LEDs were still in their infancy, however, it’s not surprising to see some models offering four headlights and this was mainly to make room for both low and high beam lights. As the technology improved (i.e. adaptive headlights), the traditional bulbs have to make way for brighter and more efficient LEDs.

Also read: Halogen vs LED headlights: Which is better?

Still, there have been numerous cars that have a distinct style thanks to their bedazzling pairs of headlights. So, here are nine of the most recognisable quad headlights ever fitted on production cars.

Alfa Romeo Alfetta

Though not as ridiculously named as the Ferrari LaFerrari, the Alfa Romeo Alfetta is proof that the Italian language can just get away with anything. The Alfetta name is pretty affectionate in Italian as it meant “little Alfa”.

Available as a 4-door sedan and a cooler-looking 2-door fastback, the Alfetta is recognisable by its distinct grille flanked by two pairs of headlights on either side.

Of course, this being an Italian car, not many survived but they are certainly highly sought after. The Alfetta GTV was even portrayed as a Bond car in the movie Octopussy. The quad headlights were so iconic that it was used in the revived GTV from the 1990s.

1980s BMWs

BMWs have quite a number of famous design elements from the instantly recognisable kidney grilles to the Hofmeister kink on the C-pillar. However, another iconic BMW design hallmark has to be its quad headlights.

It’s difficult to choose a single BMW model for this list. Instead, we would like to feature the entire BMW lineup, specifically the one from the 1980s.

It was a pretty simple time as BMW only had a four-car lineup that consisted of the 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, and 7 Series. This was also considered by many BMW fans as the brand’s peak period with the E30 3 Series, in particular, becoming an instant classic.

1965-1969 Buick Riviera

American cars certainly don’t get enough love in Malaysia unless they’re muscle cars. The Buick Riviera was certainly no buff American despite carrying a V8 engine under its massive hood but it did sport great quad headlights.

We’re focusing on two generations of the Riviera with the first being the first-gen Riviera. Though the entire first-generation Riviera utilised hidden quad headlights, we much prefer the design of the 1965-66 model as its hidden lights are concealed behind a space-age clamshell design.

However, the second-generation Riviera that was sold between 1966 to 1969 deserves more honours for its headlight magic. Just like its predecessor, Buick kept the hidden headlight arrangement but this time they pivot out from the grille. For that, it is deserving of a place in this list.

Cizeta-Moroder V16T

The 1980s was certainly a fever dream period that wasn’t only felt by the Japanese but also Italians too. The Cizeta-Moroder V16T is what you get when you combined a music producer famous for making synthwave music and a group of disgruntled former Lamborghini workers.

It was designed by Marcello Gandini who was also credited as the initial designer for the similar-looking Lamborghini Diablo. But what made it different from the Diablo was its lighting arrangement which incorporated four pop-up headlights!

The V16T was a forgotten symbol of the eighties and production was somewhat limited. Officially, only 12 units were built though if you have around $850,000 (around RM 3.5 million) lying around, you could still commission one today.

Honda Integra

Unlike most of the cars featured in this list, the Honda Integra’s quad headlight set-up caused a little bit of controversy when it was first unveiled.

When it was introduced in 1993, reviews were mixed on its looks even though it was given the cool nickname of “spider eyes”. Perhaps most Japanese are arachnophobes as the design only lasted until 1995 when it was replaced with a more conventional elongated design.

However, while the Japanese mostly rejected the design, it was kept for most of the international markets. Even the potent Type R kept the four-headlight set-up overseas while the JDM Integra Type R kept its post-1995 looks.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Easily one of the most distinctive Mercedes-Benz designs ever, the quad headlight design on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class breathed some classy elegance on an already bulletproof nameplate.

Introduced on the W210 E-Class, the quad headlamps stuck around for three generations and a half. When the W212 E-Class received a facelift that removed the quad headlamps entirely, there were some backlashes by fans on the executive sedan’s most distinguishing features.

Though the quad headlamp elements remained up to the pre-facelift W213 E-Class, it just wasn’t the same. As a result, it’s removed entirely on the facelift W213, much like the famous “gunsight” hood ornament.

Also read: 2021 Mercedes E-Class W213 drops "gunsight" hood ornament, coming to Malaysia next year

Mitsuoka Orochi

If this was a beauty contest, the Mitsuoka Orochi would certainly be not in the running but the self-dubbed “Fashion Super Car” does have a very distinct quad headlight design.

Inspired by the mythical Yamata no Orochi 8-headed dragon, the Orochi has looks that could scare some kids away. But that face certainly makes it very distinct.

Also read: Mitsuoka – The bonkers Japanese car maker with a heart

Whether it should be called the ugliest or the most scary-looking car in the world, the headlights give the Orochi a bit of personality. Like the hypnotic snake from the Jungle Book.

Nissan Cefiro A31

One of the most beautiful regular cars to ever graced Malaysian roads, the first Nissan Cefiro was also one of Nissan’s most advanced models in its line-up.

Also read: What are the prettiest common cars ever sold in Malaysia?

The futuristic design complemented some of the advanced features that were also seen in the headlights. The A31 Cefiro was one of the first Nissan models to be equipped with automatic headlights and even featured projector headlights.

Based on the setup, the outer light is for the low beam while the middle light is for the high beam. The one located closest to the grille works as the fog light.

Toyota Celica

While the sixth-gen Toyota Celica is one of the most recognisable of its generation because of its headlights, it wasn’t the first Celica to come with this arrangement.

In fact, for the first two generations, the Celica utilised a quad headlight layout which was quite common in the 1970s and 1980s. Subsequent generations received a pop-up headlight design which was becoming in trend.

With the sixth-gen, Toyota brought back the quad headlight design on the Celica. Just like its great-grandfathers, the design was becoming a trend with rivals like the Hyundai Coupe and the aforementioned Honda Integra using this design element.

Bonus: Nissan Skyline GT-R

We’re not ending this list just yet because how could we feature a list of amazing quad headlights without an iconic legend in taillight design?

First shown on the Hakosuka Skyline hardtop coupe, eventually the iconic quad taillights were placed on every generation of the Skyline GT-R. It was also shown on regular variants of the Skyline until the R34 generation.

Makes sense if all you’ll be seeing is the infamous taillights of the legendary Godzilla making a run down the highway.

Those are some of the most iconic quad headlights (and one bonus taillight) ever featured on cars. Did we miss out on any? Do share in the comments what you think is also deserving on this list!