Amber front turn signals were voluntarily adopted industry-wide on most American cars around September 1962 for the 1963 model year. Prior to this, front turn signals were typically white or clear. Amber lights were later federally mandated on all new vehicles starting with the 1968 model year under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108.I

n late 1958, I bought a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible which was painted Sierra Gold, with a white top. It was a beautiful car, and at age 18, I had to make some period correct modifications

This is the only original color photo with amber parking lights

Those included removing the logo and ornaments from the hood and truck, lowering the car a few inches by torching the front springs, adding lowering blocks to the rear springs, and stainless exhaust tips,. I also added what we called :”Spinner Hubcaps” as used on the 1956 Oldsmobile.

The result was a beautiful, and unique, common Chevrolet, that was probably the best looking one in the town of Saint Clair Shores, MI, a suburb just north of Grosse Pointe and Detroit.

In the mid to late 1950s, “bubble skirts” were very popular and I had a set that covered the whole lower portion of the rear quarter panel. I would periodically change the look of the car.

As a final touch, I painted the inside of the parking lights to match the same color of the car, Sierra Gold, which was basically an amber color when the light shown through it. In fact I was ahead of my time with this innovation, but the result wasn’t so good. Here is how it played out.

In early 1959, my mother and I were going somewhere when the police pulled me over. Looking through his green sunglass lenses, the officer informed me that red parking lights were reserved for emergency vehicles only. I tried to explain that the lights were amber, but the cop wasn’t interested in an 18 year old hot rodder’s opinion.

Fortunately, probably because mom was in the car, he didn’t give me a ticket, but I realized that I had to do something. I tried using Ace Of Spades parking lights, but that just didn’t do it for me.

Finally, I placed a piece of tin foil between the bulb and the lens, so no light shone through at all. This wasn’t really a problem because the hand signals used to warn other drivers of upcoming turns, were still regularly used.

This went on for over three years, with no other incidents. Good thing, because my mother drove the car regularly, doing her version of The Little Old Lady From Pasadena.

However, in mid 1962, I sold the car, but before the transaction was complete, I removed the tin foil. Sure enough, when making a left turn, the cop in the unmarked police car facing me, turning left in the opposite direction, saw red, through those damn green sunglass lenses.

I saw him whip around and come back heading toward me. Since I was on a dead end street, I had nowhere to hide. You can’t hide a car like this in someone’s driveway. When the cop arrived, I was sitting on the front fender, knowing what was coming next. This time, I did get a ticket, and to this day, I feel it was one that was not deserved.

Why? When the 1963 models were introduced, all of them had amber parking lights. I’m guessing that not a single one of them got pulled over or received a ticket. Maybe the cops stopped using green sunglass lenses, or they just simply didn’t bother non hot rodders.

They didn’t know I was ahead of my time! Nearly Seven decades later. I’m still peeved about this!