Ashtray light question

Headlights have to be on for any of the ash tray lights or engine and trunk compartment lights to turn on. Also the headlights have to be on for the reverse light to come on.

I restored a complete wiring harness from scratch wire by wire so I am MOST sure of this information

 

The lid of the ashtray supplies the ground as it opens...

 

Here's how my USA 72 246 GTS works. I just tested it 5 minutes ago and the wires have never been touched.

The headlights have to be on for the ashtray light to go on when the ashtray is opened. If the ashtray is closed the ashtray light goes off even with the headlights on.

The headlights do not have to be on for the back up light to go on when the car is placed in reverse. The ignition, of course, has to be on though. I know this to be true because my wife told me so as she was standing behind the car, headlights off, ignition on, car in reverse and she said, "That little light under the license plate just went on".

 

This above is how my USA Dino works,
while the Euro is not dependent on the headlights for the aux lights to be on

 

I learn something new on every Dino. I've always just assumed the ashtray light went on with the headlights, with my incorrect belief that because I ofter saw the fiberglass melted in this area. I have even made my own wiring harness, touching every wire but never really examined how the light came on. That was until the owner came out and I told him I didn't like hooking up the Rheostat because of how hot it gets and I couldn't imaging anyone wanting dimmer lights than they already are. Needless to say the Rheostat is now hooked back up. I then studied the ashtray light and learned it does in fact come on only with the headlights on and the ashtray lid open. Thanks everybody for a new nugget of knowledge!!
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Greetings All,
You motivated me to check out these heretofore inop lights on my late '72 Euro GT (Italian market). Well, when the proper switches are moved to the proper positions (at least for my car) they actually do work! As we all have learned by now, standardization is not the norm with Dinos. My 'variant' functions in a slightly different fashion:

The ignition switch does not have to be on.
The headlights do not have to be on.
The light stalk does, however, have to be rotated one click to energize the light circuit.

Quoting the Angelo Wallace translation of the factory Repair and Workshop Manual, page 176:
Electrical Circuits Independent of Ignition Switch

--Lights. (Side, dip beam, main beam, reverse, instrument lights, auxiliary lights).
--Front, internal, and rear compartment lights.
--Horn.
--Cigarette lighter.
--Clock.

'trust this sheds a little more light on the subject.
Cheers
Coop

 

And one more tidbit of information: The ashtray light does not come on with the ashtray open and the headlights flashed from the off position.