The Cup Holder, Its History At A Glance
When we think of cup holders, the first thing that comes to mind is how utterly helpless we would be without them in our comfy automobiles. Heralded as another non-essential addition to the interior decor of cars at the time of its inception, today imagining a car without a cup holder is well neigh impossible.
During earlier days, having a beverage in a moving vehicle was unheard of. Lack of advanced shock proof suspension systems and pitiable condition of roads precluded any dreams of a cola-sipping long drive on your favorite road.
The creativity of automotive makers was challenged in this direction with the advent of drive-in restaurants and theaters. The earliest and also the crudest cup holders were feeble attempts by restaurant servers to attach a makeshift tray to the side windows of cars. Then a few car makers started providing serrated glove compartments to support the beverage cups. In spite of all this the original problem of enjoying a drink in a moving vehicle was still unsolved. The best such contraptions could do was prevent the sliding of cups. Any attempt to test these holders in moving vehicle resulted in sloshing and spilling of liquid.
The initial cup holders were anything but seamless with the automobile?s interior design. They were devices attached to the inside of car doors which invited the obvious risk of occasional over enthused slamming of doors. Over time however, automotive cup holders have become more sophisticated and convenient with the capacity to hold securely cups of various sizes. A popular design is to employ spring-loaded holders that clasp the cup regardless of its size.
The development path of cup holders has not been constant the world over. European cars were pretty late to catch on to the cup holder mania. The only reason is the stark difference of culture. Drive-ins, the prime catalyst for cup holder development never became that popular in Europe. Of course with today?s shrinking world and globalized markets which cater to international clientele such differences have been reduced in cars.
The development of cup holder design has been an ongoing process and there is still scope for improvement. More often than not the supremacy of a design is a subjective matter but we can safely say that creative think tanks of automobile giants would continue to churn surprises for the masses.
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