I’ve been in southeast Asia for the past 10 days or so, celebrating my brother’s wedding, and spending time with my entire immediate family for the first time in seven years. As such, I’ve been neglecting some car things, but not completely. That would be impossible. I told you what you needed to know about how Japan and Toyota worked together to create the world’s greatest taxi cab, and now I’m here to alert you of a new trend that I’d never seen before: Transparent fuel doors. Have you ever seen these?
The truth is that part of the reason for this blog is that I needed a reason to show you this amazing Suzuki Hustler, a 658cc Kei Car also badged as a Mazda Flair:
By itself, the tiny boxy machine is cool, but this Hustler adds lots of fun aftermarket touches. The red three-spoke wheels are amazing, those white flairs rule, the dual center exhaust pipes look mean, and the graphics are incredible. But even cooler than those is the fleet of Hustlers on the dashboard:
Oh, and check out this “neon” sign on the rear right window:
Unrelated to the mods: Is the antenna foldable?
Anyway, back to the main topic at hand: Look at this fuel cap:
There’s a window in it! Normally I wouldn’t let a car that has had every Auto Zone aftermarket part thrown at it define what is and isn’t trendy, but I’d actually seen this mod on multiple other cars in Hong Kong, and when I did a bit of research, I found that these transparent fuel doors are legitimately “a thing.” Here’s one for sale for a Kia Optima (via Korean Auto Imports):
Here’s a Suzuki Jimny transparent fuel door being advertised through a southeast Asian eCommerce site called Lazada as: “Transparent Fuel Tank Cover Replacement Fuel Filler Tank Gas Cap Jimny Decoration Accessory”:
Here’s a transparent fuel door for a Toyota Estima via Singaporean marketplace Carousell:
Looks like this trend isn’t limited to southeast Asia, as an apparently Florida-based Instagrammer named autoboxb has shown off his transparent fuel door build:
View this post on Instagram
Maybe I’m late to this trend, but it’s … interesting! Install a nice anodized gas cap, and show it off via a plexiglass window in your filler door — pointless? Sure. But the best things in life are pointless.
I worked with a stamping supplier who made the fuel doors for a Japanese OEM. The fuel doors were notorious for the tight tolerances and a-class requirements. After seeing how much work went into making the OEM doors correctly, I couldn’t imagine chopping mine up or replacing it.
For some reason, it works for me on that hustler. I think that particular car has achieved the rare “so overwrought and corny, it goes right back around to bring awesome” feat. See the Maryland state flag for a non automotive example. The last gen civic R fell just short of this accomplishment.
On normal cars it just looks weird, but still makes me smile. I tend to like car mods, even when they are not too my personal taste. It shows someone cares enough about their vehicle to adapt it to their own taste. Exception for things that adversely affect safety e.g. overly “stanced” cars with the contract patch of a bike tire, “Carolina squat” trucks that greatly reduces forward visibility, etc.
Why would you make it easier for people to siphon your gas?
Did I miss something, or how does that make it easier?
Unfortunately Fix It Again Tony has bird brain syndrome and thinks that a clear pane of glass is just open air, poor guy’s been walking through big windows his whole life
Turns out a majority of Asia has respect for other peoples belongings and they don’t steal everything.
As a longtime R53 owner, Mini gave you an exposed fancy chrome cap (door) with the real cap under. I think folks just long for a time when we saw the cap, without some boring body colored panel covering it up. Aero (and theft) is the reason its behind a door, but lets go back in time and have exposed caps, its a good look.
BMW MINI cap
https://assets.turnermotorsport.com/static_tms/image/projectcars/R53%20MINI/resized%20for%20project%20car%20web%20lightbox/untitled-5%20resized.jpg
Classic Mini cap
https://www.flickr.com/photos/todddunning/13371839735/in/photostream/
I just finished putting my dad’s fartory five coupe together and it came with a 60’s style racing cap with a regular modern cap underneath. I laughed when we got that part out of the box because it is the same concept as my r53.
Probably a better seal with a modern cap. Honestly, I have no idea whats under the classic mini cap, could be a semi modern plastic cap as well.
That one looks to be an original race cap so it should have a big spring with a plate on it that seals against a rubber o ring on the filler neck, they’re held in place by a thick over-center type latch so they come open quickly but still seal enough for sloshing when you go around a corner at speed.
In Asian cars, it is social etiquette, not aero or theft, that has created the fuel-filler door. It was explained to me long ago that the European method of having the fuel door unlock with the passenger doors is not acceptable in Asia, where a door with a driver-operated release is preferred. With a European-style centrally-locked flap, the fuel pump attendant could access the fuel filler without the driver’s explicit permission. A locking fuel cap is worse, no driver would give their keys to the hired-hand who is pumping the fuel. A flap with an internal release allows the driver to permit the pump attendant to access the filler, without giving the attendant more access than necessary.
Kind of like if you are a safe driver but want to look like you aren’t this gives the appearance of a idiot driver who lost his fuel door by driving of at the pump.
Predict next move will be to stick short and curly hair around the filler….
I prefer the gas cap arrangement on my old TR3B.
https://www.sportsandclassics.com/parts/triumph/triumph-tr3/fuel-system-triumph-tr3/triumph-tr3a-tr3b-tr4-tr4a-chrome-gas-cap-flip-type/
Reminds you to ask yourself before attempting to siphon or contaminate someone’s fuel. “Are you HONEST ?”
As the world drifts slowly to electrons is this some weird “look at my petro-mobile” flex?
I was expecting a Swarovski gas cap, which would go kind of hard honestly.
Looks like a fistulated cow:
https://modernfarmer.com/2014/09/holey-cow-wonderful-world-fistulated-cow/
Thanks – I’ll no doubt be using that line in the future, once these take off in the US.
I remember seeing this on one of the earlier seasons of Dirty Jobs. It has been a thing for a long while.