One of the great mysteries of life is why we are drawn to the specific things that fascinate us. This starts at an early age, like 4 or 5. For me, one of these things was car speedometers and gauges of all types. I had to check out the instrument panel of every new car I encountered. At every house I visited, I had to see what kind of heating system thermostat they had, every clock, every thermometer, the radio and TV, etc. Well, because I never grew up, not much has changed. 🙂 So I thought I’d share with you some of the great speedometer designs I remember and have discovered over the years.
When I got my first bike, of course it had to have an accessory speedometer installed on it:
This is the one I had. I typically biked at 15 MPH; the fastest I ever got it up to was 30, down a steep hill. It amazed me that anyone could pedal hard enough to get to 40 MPH!
When it comes to cars, the earliest gauges were very crude and simple, with a kind of “steampunk” look. The individual instruments often resembled pocket watches.
In the 1930s, the golden age of Art Deco, things became more artistically sophisticated. The numerals often resembled radio dials of the period.
Some late pre-war luxury cars featured simulated polished marble made from Bakelite, one of those “World of Tomorrow” new wonder materials. This is a 1942 Chrysler that was for sale near me.
After the war, auto sales boomed, and the manufacturers kept coming up with ever more elaborate, “futuristic” designs. We are now seeing the beginning of what has been called “Gorp”, i.e. overwrought, science fiction movie-based, “dream car” cockpits. Thus the motor vehicle is not just a “car”, but a kind of interstellar rocket ship seemingly capable of traveling light years into space. Gorp will dominate (and escalate) into the 1950s and early 60s. (1953 Pontiac shown).
Mom and her 1953 Pontiac. This car was gone before I came along.
Here’s a truly unique one you may have never seen: the 1954 Kaiser Manhattan. The elegantly stitched padded dashboard was designed for maximum safety.
The 1955 Chevrolet was a landmark design in many respects, and its dashboard is quite beautiful. However, I wouldn’t want that pointy “bullet” in the steering wheel hub aimed at my chest all the time! Talk about “anti-safety”!
Now we’re getting into the era of cars that I have actually owned or personally experienced. The 1958 Cadillac instrument panel had a lot of sparkling chrome (like the rest of the car!) I used Turtle Wax Chrome Polish to make it extra-bright and shiny! A previous owner installed period aftermarket round gauges (lower right) and the purist in me says they’re OK. They’re vintage and they seem to blend in well. Because I like all my gauges to work, I had the original clock restored with a quartz movement. It was tedious to remove and replace the clock, but I was able to do it myself. I really liked glancing at an accurate-running timepiece as I drove.
The 1958 Ford dash is a good-looking design for the era. It’s improved over the previous year, with a textured silver finish instead of the plain painted finish of the ’57. Oddly, the speedometer has no zero. The steering wheel says “Master Guide Power Steering”. Sounds very important!
The 1959 Chevrolet dash is extravagant (like the rest of the car). There’s a slight touch of the Corvette. George Barris incorporated this round speedometer into the 1966 TV Batmobile. Very appropriate!
In 1986, I got to test-drive a 1959 Dodge Royal for sale. I really wanted it, but Dad said no. The horizontal speedo has little rectangles that “fill up” with color as speed increases. There’s a color range: green to yellow to red. I thought that was so cool!
Thirty-five years later, I finally got my space age, Forward Look Dodge–a 1960 Dart Phoenix. It’s hard to say which instrument panel is more “out-of-this-world”, ’59 or ’60. The speedometer lens is translucent see-through, called “Safety-Scope” in Dodge-speak. Dodge was billed as the first “all push-button car”.
This was my favorite dashboard as a kid–Mom’s 1962 Mercury Comet. I also used the chrome polish on this one so it sparkled like a rare jewel!
I later got a 1962 Mercury Monterey–a big step UP from a Comet! I love the pale gold finish and the “lightning bolt” Big M. Sadly, this fragile gold finish is usually faded on the few ’62 Montereys that survive. Mine was in mint condition!
One of the strangest of all time: the 1962 Imperial. This is the car I rescued out of the woods. Story here.
Dad had a 1964 MG 1100. A horizontal “ribbon” speedo like the ’59 Dodge, but without the color changes. There was a beautiful real wood dash on this British economy car. I used to like watching Dad shift gears! (4-speed manual).
My maternal grandmother had a 1966 Plymouth Fury VIP. I thought this speedometer looked really cool too. It’s futuristic, but the mid ’60s aesthetic is somewhat different from the ’50s “gorp”.
Mrs. Alice Connelly and her new 1966 Plymouth VIP. I asked her why her car said “Vip”. She said, “It’s not ‘vip’; it stands for ‘Very Important Person’ because you and I are very important people.” Grandma was Valedictorian of Paterson New Jersey’s East Side High School, Class of 1932. I believe Grandma.
Dad’s next car was a 1970 Opel GT, which I thought was the coolest car in the neighborhood! To 8-year-old me it looked like a race car! I found this rare pristine example at a car show last summer.
Dad’s 1970 Opel GT.
Left to Right: Dad, Mom, and friends about the same time Dad bought the Opel.
My paternal grandfather had a 1971 AMC Matador wagon with a green interior just like this. While the design is unique, the material quality was poor. The sheet aluminum trim panels were held on with what looked like rubber cement, and the flimsy panels peeled off. American Motors (Rambler, Nash, Hudson), once known for their above-average trim quality in the ’50s, had apparently lost it by the ’70s. The automatic transmission dial was labeled SHIFT COMMAND, as if it were something special. Pretty hokey!
My grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Pietro (“Pete”) and Agnes Pellegrino, leading citizens of Millburn NJ. Grandpa had a business upholstering and restoring antique furniture, and he built several commercial buildings in town. Grandma never learned to drive. That’s me at lower right.
My second car was a 1972 Mercedes-Benz 250 sedan. I thought this car just exuded class! Everything in the interior was so well made. Why were the Europeans using real wood on the dash, while the Americans were slapping on cheesy plastic “fake wood”?
My Mercedes, pictured at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown NJ.
I later owned a 1991 Chrysler Imperial. This was a very lush automobile, with a digital dashboard that seemed to convey a sense of fine precision. Yes, the wood was fake, but I thought it was tastefully done. My interior was maroon.
My present car, a 2005 Jaguar S-Type. We now have real wood trim (“Bronze Madrona”) and Italian leather. I added a custom wood and marble inlaid shift knob with Jaguar insignia. The gauges and controls are actually quite simple for such an upscale car. I like that–“classic European simplicity”. I don’t want touch screens or anything else that’s hard to figure out and use. I have the base V-6 engine, but the speedometer goes up to 170 MPH because the optional S-Type R tops out at around 155. This Jag is a gem of a car–it’s distinctive and I get a lot of compliments on it. The body color is “Radiance Red”. As long as no serious problems come up, I’ll keep it.
As I look back on the photos in this post, I am struck by the beauty and creativity of all these dashboard designs. Each one started out as a designer’s dream. And yet they are so ephemeral. Someone buys a car, drives it for a couple of years, then trades it in on something more exciting (or boring). His or her “old friend” is quickly forgotten.
There are so many other dash designs I could have included in this article. Do you have a favorite that wasn’t shown? You can add it in the comment section below.
Stephen, Your mother was beautiful; may I ask how old were you before you were aware of this?
The ’56 Packard dash certainly wins the Jewelry Award!
The oval speedo of my $75 1957 Olds 98 Starfire looked like this. I was surprised when you floored it the needle flew past 120 MPH and went about 1/2 way across the gas gauge separating 120 from 0.
https://images15.fotki.com/v1673/photos/2/20008/35310/1957Oldsmobilespeedometer-vi.jpg
I thought MGs all had round speedos, no flat ribbon ones like that. I was surprised how elaborate the dash of an Opel GT was, expected simple like an MG. After all the elaborate gimmicky and digital speedos, we said we just want a simple round analog dial.
The BMC 1100/1300 (ADO16) had an array of different dashboards depending on model and when and where made. Mum’s Austin 1100 had a ribbon speedo like the one shown, but a simpler dash without a glove box and with aluminium trim.
Later MG had a three dial dash with real wood, as did the Riley. The Wolseley had a dash like the MG shown. Vanden Plas had different wood, but 2 round dials, Morris mk1 had a larger horizontal speedo with a needle rather than a ribbon.
There were also economy versions with a single dial in the centre on the parcel shelf, a GT version with a matt black three dial dash, and version with two round dials on simulated wood – it was actually metal.
Nicest was the Italian Innocenti version, shaped on the drivers side with full instrumentation.
That ’56 Packard dash is one of my all-time faves. Also like a whole bunch of Mopar dashes from 1960-66, the best being the wonderfully three-dimensional “AstraDome” dashes like that on this ’60 Chrysler 300. While I don’t care for the ’66 Plymouth dash shown, Dodge and Chrysler both had terrific instrument panels on their ’65-66 full-size cars. Just about all the big Mopars from the early ’60s were amazing.
oops, pic:
Now that’s Style!
That three-dimensional “Astra Dome” instrument panel reminds me of Robbie the Robot’s ‘head’ in the 1955 movie “Forbidden Planet”…
The aforementioned AstraDome instrument cluster with its “panelescent” (electroluminescent) lighting needs a night shot to be fully appreciated:
Your Dad’s Opel GT is amazing. Never saw one with a vinyl roof before.
My all time favorite dashboard of all the cars my family ever owned, the 1962 Plymouth.
A paragon of attractiveness, legible readouts for secondary gauges, push-button controls for HVAC and the automatic transmission and a large speedometer that even my sight impaired Mother could read at a glance.
A daylight image of a 1962 Plymouth IP.
1965 Jaguar Mark X (upper) and 1967 Lamborghini Marzal (lower).
One of my favorites- 1959 Buick
The gauge cluster in my daily driver Mercedes 300D has given me quite a lot of trouble, but I do like how mechanical it all feels. However, I have no idea why none of the speedometers these cars came with could indicate less than 10 mph. Mine is very bouncy and inaccurate as well.
Best dash in a car I owned would probably my my former ’66 Pontiac Tempest. Even though it was a “downscale” trim, the dash came across very ‘jewel-like.’
Most unique dash would probably be my former ’76 Cosworth Vega with its gold, engine-turned appliqué.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1976-cosworth-vega-2196-muscle-memory/
For a different perspective, WWI fighter aircraft (and most aircraft from that era and earlier) just stuck the gauges wherever they would fit. Pic is of a replica Nieuport 11 fighter with instrument locations similar to the real thing.
Cockpit instrument/control ergonomics took awhile to improve, presumably because brave young men don’t fuss over such sissy trivialities. Anecdotes: The 5th Air Force moved some B-25 controls to near the dash top so pilots didn’t need to divert their eyes to prepare for bomb drops, important since their doctrine was to fly at tree-top level to ambush Japanese bases! And unusually, Air Corps testers commended the P-51’s layout.
….
Those Spyker interiors are positively glorious. The whole car has so many intricate bespoke details, shame the overall package isn’t just a touch smarter looking.
The dashboard (instrument panel) / interior is the #1 feature I consider in autos. #2 exterior design. #3 performance (how fast do you need to get between stop lights?). Perhaps this started with my parents 1955 Oldsmobile Starfire convertible, first car I drove sitting on Dads lap. Just look at those mid-50s Olds dashboards and tell me they are not beautiful. Personal dashboard favorites are still my past 1963 T-Bird, my past & now present 1966 T-Bird, and to some degree my current 2011 2LT Camaro only because its a little retro and absolutely love the HUD (head up display) that was new on the 2011 model. Yes, clicking this or that I can change the displays but once set, I leave it alone. Nice that clicking something I can change from kilometers to miles but only had to do it 5 times in the last ten years. What really sways me, especially on newer cars: does the dashboard seem integrated with the door panels and integrated with the console if so equipped. Its the dashboard / interior is where you spend your time that is why the design is most important to me. I was even very fond of my 1996 Sebring LXI dash / console. I was attracted to the two door body style but it was the interior that caused me to sign a check on the spot.
What I dislike most on newer cars are the flat screens that look like a tacked on afterthought. I admit I am old school, because I am old. But I prefer knobs and a few buttons that are natural to operate without taking your eyes off the road. I will be long gone when the younger generation might be buying 25 year old classics in 2050. Without the owners manual they are not going to know how to change a radio station. In 2050 are there even going to be radio stations? In 2050 lets hope everything is going to be voice command and delete buttons, knobs, touch screens all together.
FYI: As previously stated I am old, old school. I still buy books and read books. Would love a high quality coffee table book of auto interiors from the 1930s -1960s. Suggest a title “The Golden Age of Automobile Interior Design”. About 300-325 color pages should cover the subject. I always pay extra for hardback. I wrote a textbook on interior design and it made some good bucks for about ten years. You could author the book on automotive interiors.
Don’t you know the amount of internet connectivity is the #1 consideration when buying a vehicle? LOL! I mentioned my ’57 Olds speedo in a comment above.
I read the Don Quixote book (1605) (1800s English translation), 2,300 pages, but didn’t buy the book, read it online… I had seen the Man of La Mancha movie (made from the play) first, wondered how they would compare.
The 1970-1980’s Pontiac instrument panels were really impressive compared to the tacked on look panels that Chevy was using. Chevy did use the Pontiac dash for their Mexico 1984 Monte Carlo SS which also had a Chevy 350″ V8 and 4 speed manual, all 3 items not available in the USA model.
I learned to drive in 1950s in the wooden Jeep with Maytag washing machine engine that my WWII veteran father made for my older WWII born brother. Then graduated to the ‘doodlebug’ tractor he made from ’28 Chevy 4 banger engine / 3 speed manual tranny backed up by 4 speed truck tranny for my poor Depression Era grandfather/Family. It gave 13 speeds forward and 7 in reverse. Next was driving around the yard in the ’53 Cadillac that my brother had abandoned. Wish I still had that yellow/black/green interior creampuff as Dad called it. My father and brother would get really irritated with me when they discovered I had siphoned all the gas out of their cars for the old Caddy and they had run out of gas down the street…
One of my favorites: Opel Commodore B dashboard from 1972 to 1977. Complete instrumentation with easy-to-read lettering in (Bauhaus-inspired) BRAUN design. The wood trim takes away the Teutonic rigidity, the separate clock on the side is giving even a slightly frivolous touch.
All in all, an appealing synthesis of practicality and homelyness.
(Image: Adam Opel AG)
The clock way off to the right for passenger enjoyment/readout reminds me of the “two-handed” digital watches we wore in the 1970s… watch on left arm, needed right hand finger to push the button bringing up the red clock time readout…
It kind of says “Never mind the time, you’ll get there when you get there!”
A great combination of German and GM.
’59 Chevy is my all time favorite, so clean. We had a ’59 Brookwood wagon with that steering wheel/horn button. Impala one did look better.
All excellent examples. My favorites include 73 GrandAm – nice crossfire mahogany with airplane dial gauges, 67 full size Buick and Ponitac, and the Avanti.
The 59 Mercury is one of my all time favs, lots of things going on….ribbon speedometer, optional speed reminder on the left, different chromey textures in true 50s fashion. The absolute best part is the control on the left for optional power seat – labeled Up/Down and Fore/Aft!!! What a hilarious reference to nautical terms in a car….love it. I did at one time own a rusty 59 Montclair 4 door sedan with that optional power seat.
The first dash I was drawn to was a 56 chevy. I loved the fan shape. There was a junk 56 behind my grandfathers farm. I grabbed the dash and the passenger side fan that had a clock in it. I proudly kept and displayed those all polished up on a shelf in my bedroom. I think those were what drove me to be attracted to 55 chevys. I had 2 over the years.
The person who ended up with that classic ’56 Chevy is still looking for the instrument panel and clock modules! … LOL!
There’s a stunning ’57 Chevy convertible at 34:10 in this ad. Of course, almost no one had color TV back then so to see this in color was prolly at a theater. (even the Dentist next door to us watched a round 9″ oscilliscope-looking BW TV)
2 of my favorites, 1st up 1957 Oldsmobile:
and the cool 1961 Oldsmobile:
The ’66/67 Riviera is another favorite, posted it yesterday under the ’68 Riv post.
Your first pic is a ’58 Olds. This is a ’57:
Both are in the pantheon of the great ones!
’57 Olds has a wild look about it!
I had an ’82 Citroen GSA with this dashboard – wish I still had it.
The digital dash in my ’87 Pontiac TransAm GTA looks like something from a child’s kiddycar… but… at least… it gives off a Night Rider TV Show glow at night…
Most impressive dash for me has always been ’63 – ’67 Corvette:
https://c7.alamy.com/comp/PJBKTM/matthews-nc-usa-september-3-2018-dashboard-of-a-1967-chevy-corvette-on-display-at-the-28th-annual-matthews-auto-reunion-motorcycle-show-PJBKTM.jpg
For my tastes, it’s a toss up between that Opel GT and the ’65 and ‘6 Starfire. I once had the latter with a white interior
I have always had a thing for good instrument clusters. The best one I have ever experienced was on my 1990 Cutlass Ciera. It had a complete set of gauges in four round dials. It did exactly what it was supposed to do and it was very easy to read.
I also like the instrument panel on my 2018 Golf. It is two simple dials with a digital speedometer in the middle. It is very easy to read but it only has a temperature gauge. I can set up the digital display to show oil temperatures but I use it as a digital speedo. In fact I like the digital speedo so much I rarely look at the speedo gauge!
We spend over 99% of our time with our cars looking at the dash and instrument panel. The way it looks should be an important factor in making our choice of car. I have had a couple of ’50’s Cadillacs and loved all the chrome and detailing. One of my recent favorites was in my ’97 Jaguar XJ6, it was biscuit (grey) colored with a wood and leather steering wheel. I loved the expansive panels of glossy wood and padded leather surfaces in the interior.
Looking back, I fondly remember the dash in my Dad’s ’63 Lincoln. The gauges were set into rectangular pods and the a/c vents were housed in the center, in a bay window looking structure. Boy did that a/c blow cold! The twin nacelle dash design would later be resurrected for use in 2000 era Lincoln designs. That Lincoln was a great car to drive, very plush with a surprisingly “personal car” feel.
I found that the design and luxury of the ’63 Lincoln, was blended with the beauty of the Jaguar XJ6 in my current ’05 Lincoln Navigator. It’s twin nacelle dash pays homage to the older Lincoln, and features shiny wood paneling with electro luminescent speedo and tach dials. I love the shield like design of the steering wheel hub, of the wood and leather steering wheel. It’s a very nice place to spend time.
I have a 1989 Cutlass Cruiser with the full gauges. Attempting to attach a picture. I also added a CD changer in the glove box, and made a bracket to mount the controller module in place of the broken ashtray. Down below is a multi power port, which I rewired to tie the backlight to the dash lights.
My most favorite was either of my Pontiac 6000 wagons. This picture is the closest thing I can find online. I swapped the steering wheel radio controls into both cars, which added to the cockpit feel. Also my 1990 was an SE with power seat controls in the console where the coin holder would be. It wasn’t originally backlit, but I carved out enough plastic under the label to expose the icons, and wired a red orange bulb in a socket to illuminate them. I miss both of them, excellent cars, but Michigan rust got the best of them. I only drive the Cruiser in the summer.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQU3XXdmqQeMrVC1YOXaCv_u-7hLgBDlDaZjQ&usqp=CAU
As a kid I fell in love with the dash design of my grandma’s 1955 DeSoto. As a rule, I always thought Chrysler’s dash designs were consistently great. GM often had more chrome and flash, but Chrysler combined style with better instrumentation.
I will say that my 61 Thunderbird had one of Ford’s best.
Wow, absolutely beautiful and inspirational work Stephen. Thank you!
Packard went out on a high note! This closeup answers something I was wondering about. Did Ultramatic have a Park? Yes.
The ’59 Merc seat control is simpler than the “computer memory” gadget in ’57-58, but this joystick was probably more reliable and easier to use than the conglomeration of relays in the “computer”.
That dash on the ’62 Imperial looks as if it would be more at home in a ’58 Lincoln.
Great writeup.
Great essay and comments by everyone. I am now driving a 2024 GMC Acadia Denali. I am pleased that it has wood trim on the dash. the console which has a cover over the area where one charges one’s phone, and all four door panels. Instead of high gloss, the wood trim is highly grained and a dark shade. The leather-wrapped steering wheel and soft panels above the wood trim are matching dark brown. GM did a fine job on this. Gauges are east to read and – OOPS – we have the centrally located electronic touch pad of large proportion which is easy to read but requires learning how to operate. I see that the ’42 Chrysler ende4avored to incorporate the dash with the side panels. GM did a far better job in their postwar new models for the Olds, Buick and Cadillac.
Love the 1961 Plymouth Fury instrument panel, with turn signals that look like robot eyebrows. 1960 Dodge clock reminds me of the Unisphere at the NY World’s Fair. The 1961 Oldsmobile cleverly hid the blinker lights at the corners of the gauges above the steering wheel.
amon many, the first picture of the 59 mercury. learned to drive in the 59 colony park, black woody on red. stunning.
I always liked the 1959-60 Chevy dash panel. My aunt had a ’61 Olds with the ribbon speedometer (shown above by Randerson). The indicator was green up to 35 mph, then orange up to 70 mph, at which point it turned red.
Our next door neighbor back in the day had a 1961 Plymouth Belvedere that had a speedometer like the one Stephen cited for the ’59 Dodge, except that it didn’t change colors but always showed red.
My favorite dash among cars I’ve driven is the 1961 Buick LeSabre with its linear mirror speedometer and the clock in its own space-age pod.
So many gloriously over the top dashes ! .
-Nate
The ’66 Pontiac Grand Prix had one of the best looking dashes around and I think the previous two years had some handsome dashes as well, but Pontiac was one of the best dash layouts around.
’66-’67 Dodge Charger. Electroluminescence never looked so good. And functional too!
Charger gauges.
My brother had a 1960ish Buick, maybe Electra, that had 2 cool features. 1.) You could set a speed limitation with a dial. If you exceeded that limit a buzzer went off.
2.) The speedometer was set in reverse in the dash facing the windshield. An adjustable mirrored bar would reflect it to the driver. You could adjust the mirrored bar up or down depending on the height of the driver.
Very nice car.
Pete
I always liked 60’s Jaguar dashes and those prominent chrome ringed VDO gauges. Also 70’s BMWs, your Mercedes, and the forever Porsche 911 panels. Practical and purposeful.
My Dad had a ’60 Matador with the exact same dash/steering wheel, and I had a ’66 Sport Fury with the pictured dash. Thanks for the memories!! 🙂
My votes for the 58-60 thunderbird
Now THAT is cool.
Steve, I totally mirror your sentiment and pleasantly surprised others feel the same way. Very parallel., Notice the speedo on my bike! Mine went to 50, 30 was all I ever saw downhill.
I had one of these Stewart-Warner bike speedometers, got it the second year I had my Murray cruiser bike in 1964. IIRC, the fastest I ever achieved was 30 mph down the steep hill from the elementary school near me to my house.
Pic from eBay:
The Rambler American dashboard bucked the space age theme of so many ’50s dashboards. It was retro before retro became a thing. This dashboard was a familiar sight in my teenage years. It was my parents’ car when I was learning to drive. Ours had the optional heater. Nothing else. Not even a radio. It was the very definition of basic.
My favorite remains the ’63-4 Chrysler dash. Clean, purposeful and elegant. On one of Exner’s last designs he and his interior designers went back to his European touring car inspiration.
Number 2 is the ’62-3 Plymouth B-Body Dash. My Dad had a ’63.
I fell in love with the instrument panel in my oldest brother’s brand new ’84 Corvette, so much so that I’ve owned 2 of them (’85 and ’87) since he first showed it to me.
Love the old stuff, Great tour.. Here my 63 comet s22 convertble