![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IVPn6WRPN7BWzgy0RVqm1GpvxGvZjH6J8ZUYKExIxgaIyLFPx3di74maOcOOqI9HGOjSu7dTtpdYzDspJFjw58LgQATPacGfRcxx4T418VYE_TofP-SckkpsMJH5bkLdTDD4Xt0gJ3vf/s320/hotpoint+1960.png)
The cantilevered control panel on this 1960 laundry pair is positively wacky. Called the 'Free Span' design, it purports to conveniently center the controls for easy operation, but such a claim seems to be, if anything, out of line. Maybe the electronics [Did those even exist in 1960?] that stored all the fabric-care formulae in use during the Age of Acrilan were too big for a single housing, and had to expand. In any case, the angular design is a far cry from the bloodless digital displays found on machines today.