Hanover, Germany - Popular rally car drivers in the 1970s and 1980s fitted an array of huge headlights to their front grilles.

But nowadays, additional front-grille lighting tends to be subtler and can also be used for older cars.

"Headlights on older cars are not as efficient as those on the new models," says Helmut Klein from the technical centre of Germany's automobile association (ADAC).

Additional lighting can be especially useful in complementing the range and circumference of standard headlights in these cars, according to Klein.

"I don't see the need for additional lighting on new cars," he says.

But Ulrich Koester from the headlight manufacturer, Hella, argues that many an owner of a new car finds additional lighting useful.

"Not every new car is fitted with curvature and daylight running lights," he says.

The additional lighting measures only a few centimetres in diameter and can be installed on the front skirts of most cars.

"Nobody wants those huge headlights anymore and in most cases it would be difficult to install them as the front skirts are made mainly from plastics," according to Koester.

Hella, however, does make an exception for the new MINI with the extra chrome-framed headlights which gives the car the look of its predecessor of rally fame. SUVs and trucks are proving exceptional as the lighting can be installed on the rollover bar or on the roof.

When installing such additional lighting, motorists should check with authorities whether the roadworthy certificate allows such lighting.

In Germany, for instance, all lighting with a show-effect, often found on tuned-up models, is banned. There are also strict rules on fog lamps and their positioning on the front grille.

When LED daylight running lights are switched on, other lighting must be switched off. As LEDs use far less energy than conventional bulb lighting, motorists also save on fuel. (dpa)