June 7: A moment of silence, please

A moment of silence, please. We've just lost something that has been with us for decades and it is with a shed tear, that I say good-bye to this old friend of my youth. Let me explain.........

With the 2013 Chev Impala ending production, something that many of you are not familar with has passed into history........

......the bench seat. Now that the Impala has been completely redesigned for 2014, the bench that was available in certain trim levels, has been replaced with what most cars have been using for years........

.........the front bucket seats. The bench seat has taken a long time to finally die off, since the first bucket seat was put into anything but a sportscar and that car was the 1958 Thunderbird........

This personal luxury car dropped the traditional full front seat in favor of individual bucket seats separated by a console. American cars were well known for being able to seat six comfortably and the only way to do this was with the bench. But starting with personal luxury cars, like the T-Bird, buckets became more common. The first move into a mainstream sedan was, I believe, the '63 Ford Galaxie 500 XL 4 door hardtop (how is that for memory?). I'm sure that my friend, JK, will correct me if I'm wrong.

Gradually and I really mean gradually, the front bench was replaced by individual seats. The smaller cars started the trend first and then it moved into the larger cars, until finally all that was left was the Impala, which had a bench seat option. And now that has taken its place in history.

Buckets are so much more comfortable and hold one much better while cornering, so why do I shed a tear? SEX, pure and simple. In my youth, one could slide across the seat to easily engage the fairer sex. Try that now with a console and a floor shift and be cool at the same time. Might rip some clothes, might injure oneself, might look like a fool. It just won't work.

So my friends, I shed a tear for those never to experience the fun of having a bench front seat, it served us so very well..........

Until next time........