Now that General Motors and Chrysler have emerged from bankruptcy and Ford stayed in business, let's hope the Big Three find their way back into our driveways.

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We all want them to prosper, but I think they would have a better chance if they built in the features their vehicles had in the days when all was rosy and Detroit was truly the Motor City.

Here are some things our cars have lost over the years that I would like to see again. What can you add to the list?

Vent windows. Remember those little windows on the front doors? When swiveled open, these triangles of glass shielded passengers from the buffeting of wind when the other windows were down. They pulled stale air and smoke from the vehicle, and, opened all the way, shot a stream of fresh air into the cabin that worked fine in the days before air conditioning. They were deleted because they cost money and because cars looked sleeker without them, but to me they are worth every penny.

Roll-down windows. Even rear windows in two-door cars used to roll down. Now they don't. It's hard for a kid to hang his arm or head outside a closed window, or a dog to bark at roadside cats and expect to be heard.

Spare tires. Real, full-size tires, not those dinky little doughnuts that go for only a few miles and at slow speeds. In the past, you could rotate your tires, including the spare into the mix, to let them all wear the same.

Real bumpers. "Bumper" isn't even accurate anymore. A tiny tap, at slow speed, costs thousands of dollars in damage to new cars and their bumpers, which are mostly plastic and air. Bring back chrome-plated bumpers, which could survive teenagers backing into walls, could be used with a chain to pull cars from a ditch and kept protecting even when dented and scratched.

Horn rings. A chrome ring on the steering wheel made it possible to sound the horn with a finger without removing your hand from the wheel. Today, you have to search for a tiny horn symbol and hit it precisely, all while dodging that guy running the red light in front of you. Sure, there's an air bag under there somewhere, but that's for the crash; a usable horn helps head off the crash.

Taller cabins. Do you remember, or have you seen the ads, for cars from the 1940s? They showed motorists wearing hats. Not ball caps, but genuine fedoras and women's hats. Car roofs were tall enough to accommodate them. I can't even sit in the back seat of my wife's car without cocking my head to the side and risking a crick in my neck.

Vertical windshields. Not as vertical as on the Model T, but less laid back than they are today. Modern windshields encroach on passenger space by making the roof lower (see previous request), and they give only a slit to see the road. They are made that way for aerodynamics, but I'm not flying to the moon, just puttering to the supermarket.

Hoods that stay up. Today you have to prop your hood open with a metal rod, but in days gone by, cars had elaborate springs that held them up. A stick is cheaper than springs, so that's what the automakers gave us.

The reliability, safety and endurance of modern cars are great, but the Big Three might win back some much-needed customers if they gave today's cars some of the features of yesterday.

Are you listening, Detroit?

Reach Glynn Moore at (706) 823-3419 or glynn.moore@augustachronicle.com.