Original Bugeye taillight lens

[TulsaFred]

Were the original taillight lenses made of glass (like the beehive lenses are)?
I've never seen one made of glass, but I don't believe plastic, other than bakelite, was available/used at the time.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Cars much older than Sprites had plastic tail lights.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I suspect they were plastic.
On US cars that I'm familiar with it seems that most transitioned to plastic lenses in the late forties, but I know my dad had a 39 Buick that had some plastic lenses.

 

[Rut]

Fred,
The original tail lights on the Bugeye, TR3, et al were plastic...the beehives were always glass.
Rut

 

[TulsaFred]

OK, thanks. Seems odd to me that bakelite would be used on steering wheel and other components, and glass on the beehive lenses, if regular plastic (like in the taillight lenses) was available.

 

[nomad]

Well, all British lighting was bought from a catalog that went back many decades. I imagine the glass bee hive lens dated from long before the BE and they never saw a reason to change them.

 

[Gerard]

Some early cars like the MG TD and early Morris Minor had glass taillight lenses, but the Bugeye taillights were always plastic.