[Brydo]

When the glassworks in the small Swedish town of Kosta was founded, its owners didn’t foresee it would one day make gear selectors. It was 1742, after all, when demand for car parts was somewhat limited.

Yet 277 years later, Kosta’s hot shop is an unlikely hotspot for the production of Volvo gear selectors. Not regular gear selectors, of course: Orrefors Crystal Eye units are handmade from crystal glass, forged and shaped using tools and techniques that are near identical to those employed in the 18th century.

They’re beautiful, terribly fancy and, of course, entirely unnecessary: swapping a regular selector for a glass one doesn’t improve the shift times of an XC90 Inscription at all. But they’re increasingly popular and Volvo is widening their availability in its range.

“I loved the idea of taking something from outside the industry and bringing it into a car,” says Anders Bergström, Volvo’s colour and materials designer. “We wanted to build on our Scandinavian heritage, which gave me the idea to use crystal glass.”

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/how-volvo-makes-its-crystal-glass-gearsticks

Topic

[ChrisK]

My other half would love it if my car had a Swarovski gear shift though it would need to be removable so she can put it in her Swarovski display cabinet when not need in the car. ?

[Dragonfly]

You could always move your other half’s Swarovski collection into the garage, it would would save having to remove the crystal from the gearstick.

 

Important Notice

I do not accept any responsibility for any physical injuries that you may incur when suggesting the above????

[Colin]

Dude, are you TRYING to get this poor guy into trouble??? lol

"Man is born in freedom, but he soon becomes a slave, in cages of convention, from the cradle, to the grave."

[Dragonfly]

Just a trying to point out a practical solution to a problem.

Perhaps  not a solution that I would ever dare propose to my other half for her crystal collection ??????

[Author]

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