Hidden headlamps are an automotive styling feature that conceals an automobile's headlamps when they are not in use. Depending on the design, the headlamps may be mounted in a housing that rotates so as to sit flush with the front end as on the Porsche 928, may retract into the hood and/or fenders as on the 1968 - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette, or may be concealed behind retractable or rotating grille panels as on the 1966 Dodge Charger.
Hidden headlamps first appeared on the Cord 810 in 1936. US laws now permit aerodynamic headlamps, relative to which hidden headlamps represent added cost, weight, and complexity as well as reliability concerns as cars age.
The last time pop-up headlamps appeared on a volume-production car was in 2004 when both the Lotus Esprit and C5 Corvette ended production.