Of course bench seats are by no means exclusive to the 1980s; vehicles such as rickshaws and horse-drawn carriages had them centuries before. But these billiard table-flat accommodations were extremely popular during Ronald Regan’s two terms in the White House, though not because of it.
Vehicles from pickup trucks to SUVs to family wagons had bench seats. They were designed to carry a maximum number of passengers in minimum comfort; side bolstering was nonexistent and hopefully you liked the people you were sitting next to. Additionally these chairs were often trimmed in velour that had been dyed in an obnoxious color. Fold-down armrests were a mark of true luxury; they were like Korea’s DMZ for squabbling siblings.
No automotive seating technology is better for transporting a family… or starting one! The unobstructed breadth of a bench seat practically encourages heavy petting and other licentious acts.
