Small car show fun

I agree the full clamshell setup is useful. The forward hinged hood was always just a pain to me. I had a 61 Continental like that and that hood and very wide fenders made all engine service impossible without climbing into the engine compartment and sitting on the cowl or the radiator. Maybe if I was 6’ 6" tall it would have been better, but fundamentally it was a bad idea.

And I’ll bet the hood would have gone up enough to block your vision when the car was moving anyway.

How about the hood Buicks had about 1950 that opened sideways, and depending on which side cable you pulled, it would swing up left or right, and if you pulled both it could be lifted off? Now, there’s a mechanic friendly design.