Dashboards

[carlo]

Some of my very favourite dashboards ..

 

Citroen GS, probably because I had one but even then I much preferred the earlier, English version to the French and later GSA style.

 

 

Toyota Celica 1980 vintage. One of the many cars which passed through my trader dad's hands; but I'll always remember the great interior and dashboard.

 

 

Any Facel Vega, here's an HK500:

 

 

Always liked the SD1 Rovers:

 

 

How about a Colt Sapporo for another eighties Japanese smorgas dashboard:

 

 

Not forgetting the ultimate, never seen one in the flesh unfortunately,

 

 

And finally, if I had to have a modern car, how's this for how it should be done. Must be the best incorporation of an airbag into a great looking steering wheel. Audi A6 2007:

 

[155V6]

I haven't got any pictures,but my favourite is the early Mk 3 Cortina GT/GXL with the 4 small dials down in the centre console That Lancia Beta/Trevi is amazing :)Fiat Coupes are nice too,but the yellow ones might be a bit much after a heavy night

[andrew e]

What about the early Visa? Or the original mark3 Cortina jobbie?

[j-j]

CX dash!

 

GSA

 

BX dash

 

Ford Sierra Mk1

 

R25 awesome dash

 

Fiat Tipo digi dash

 

Honda Prelude

 

Just some classics off the top of my head - all fine dashboards!

[Jason A]

Dashes aside, what fabulous steering wheels on some of those cars!

[Vin]

Ah, the Tipo digi dash. Used to love the 'economy and power' gauge on the petrol. The turbo boost on the diseasel was alaways good too.The two examples I had, and my Sister's Tempra, that had the dash all zero'd the milometers at about 125k miles. Around the 200k KM mark I think. Strange

[Albert Ross]

That's a pre '85 Sierra dash.......black foglamp switch, but cheap crappy seat trim, two spoke wheel...............L or GL ?

[Richard]

It's got to be a Ghia or XR4i if it has a rev counter.

[j-j]

Indeed! but the 'wheel is part of the dash style no?

 

Funnily, I'm a dashboards fanatic and if I don't like the dash, I wouldn't own the car! it's why I love the Fiat X 1/9 but wouldn't like to own one due to the disappointing dashboard

 

Also find this appealing in a disgustingly delicious kind of way

 

And

 

There are plenty of old American 50s/60s tanks with ace dashes

[Ratdat]

One of my favourite dash designs is the Datsun 160J SSS 710 model...

 

[shite_meister]

I am getting rather fond of 1980s and '90s Hondas these days so I nominate the Prelude:

 

 

BMW E34 five series, maybe a bit dull in the company of Citroens but it just feels so right, like a larger much better built E30 where everything is where you want it and alot nicer than most other beemers

 

Simple and effective

[pogweasel]

 

Worst. dash. ever.

(1) surely the first car since 1988 not to have a rev-counter?

(2) completely impossible to decipher if outside conditions exceed 'mildly sunny'

(3) miles away from the driver's field of view. Constant re-adjustment of focus to see how fast [slow] you are going = v.irritating.

[pogweasel]

 

BMW E34 five series, maybe a bit dull in the company of Citroens but it just feels so right, like a larger much better built E30 where everything is where you want it and alot nicer than most other beemers

 

 

BMW may make cars with unduly hard seats and that make 99% of other road users make 'nescafe' gestures at you for no apparent reason, but by christ do they know how to make a decent dash / driver layout.

I've had 5 E30's and an E36 and they are absolutely perfect when it comes to layout of dials, switches etc. Then add to that perfect driving position and it's easy to see the appeal.

[gallondrunk]

.

[Guest]

 

I love all the rectangular lights on the Charmant dashboard, it makes it feel futuristic and fancy. Plus the obligatory green-LED digital clock.

[Pillock]

I might be mistaken, but isnt this the MK II Fiesta povo spec dash design? I'm assuming its the poverty spec since it seems to have no space at all for a radio

Yes it is, the Popular model I would guess.As well as absolutely no provision for a radio, check out the number of blanking plates in the dash. The lower round one is for a cigarette lighter, and the upper one a clock I believe. You get NEITHER.

[Milford Cubicle]

 

SAAB 900 - No gimmicks, just clearly laid out with all the switches at easy reach. Actually being inside a 900 is a bit coffin-like though

[Richard]

 

Worst. dash. ever.

(1) surely the first car since 1988 not to have a rev-counter?

(2) completely impossible to decipher if outside conditions exceed 'mildly sunny'

(3) miles away from the driver's field of view. Constant re-adjustment of focus to see how fast [slow] you are going = v.irritating.

This must be a close second.

 

 

I must confess I've never actually driven one but what possible justification could there be for putting the instruments there?

[Milford Cubicle]

I have driven one, it's a dreadful layout. Especially the heater controls, you have to gaze down at the panel to use them, if I recall correctly there's even a menu system for them. What's so wrong with simple slider or rotary controls where just a quick glance would tell you what the settings are?I don't know if it's the same with other cars with central instrument panels, but I found it a distraction to look over at the instruments.

[Guest]

 

Worst. dash. ever.

(1) surely the first car since 1988 not to have a rev-counter?

(2) completely impossible to decipher if outside conditions exceed 'mildly sunny'

(3) miles away from the driver's field of view. Constant re-adjustment of focus to see how fast [slow] you are going = v.irritating.

Hey I've ranted on this for pretty much the same reasons, I think a car of that size and price not having a rev counter is utterly feeble, but putting it outside of the field of vision is just ludicrous.

 

I would also like to say that I think the switches are in stupid places too.

[mk1_4dr]

I haven't got any pictures,but my favourite is the early Mk 3 Cortina GT/GXL with the 4 small dials down in the centre console

quote]

 

like this??

 

From this,

 

Quite like these myself,

 

Big cadilliac ('55 if Im not mistaken)

 

 

Corvette, '57 off the top of my head.

 

'Cuda. Just like it says on the back

 

Mid 50s' Dodge?

 

How about an under bonnet dash? Check the dials and readouts. Those Krazy Kustoms...

 

D

[55bloke]

Natch, I love the R25 dash too! Also a big fan of most '50s big Yanks (think that 'Vettes earlier than '57). Gotta love early E types as well. Think my faves though are post-airflow Mk 1 Lotus Cortinas, and 1600E Mk 2s.

[155V6]

I haven't got any pictures,but my favourite is the early Mk 3 Cortina GT/GXL with the 4 small dials down in the centre console

quote]

 

like this??

 

 

That's the one,I preferred the GT though as it didn't have the fake wood.And of course,mine would of had an Astrali leather wheel & a skull gearknob .I also remember these having a foot-operated windscreen washer which never worked properly.

[j-j]

 

Also find this appealing in a disgustingly delicious kind of way

 

I might be mistaken, but isnt this the MK II Fiesta povo spec dash design? I'm assuming its the poverty spec since it seems to have no space at all for a radio

-think you're right there. There's just something about this that appeals to me

[mouseflakes]

...what possible justification could there be for putting the instruments there?

My guess is that it makes it cheaper to provide them for both RHD and LHD markets?

[dollywobbler]

I have driven one, it's a dreadful layout. Especially the heater controls, you have to gaze down at the panel to use them, if I recall correctly there's even a menu system for them. What's so wrong with simple slider or rotary controls where just a quick glance would tell you what the settings are?I don't know if it's the same with other cars with central instrument panels, but I found it a distraction to look over at the instruments.

You've just reminded me how awful those Poo-meras are. You are quite correct- you do end up having to use a menu system for the heating. Drove me mad when I borrowed one, as well as the stupidly placed dials.

[Guest]

 

Also find this appealing in a disgustingly delicious kind of way

 

I might be mistaken, but isnt this the MK II Fiesta povo spec dash design? I'm assuming its the poverty spec since it seems to have no space at all for a radio

-think you're right there. There's just something about this that appeals to me

The dash was pretty similar in the higher spec ones as well, although the glove box might have a lid. The radio would go in a centre console (I remember buying one from the Ford dealer so I could fit a radio in my Fiesta Popular back in 1984)

Yep, this is the inside of my last XR2 while I had the seating out

 

 

the cheaper trim levels had various consoles to house the stereo with my favourite being this type found only in the Festival limited edition of 1987, nice big storage tray and seemingly only produced so as Ford could fit the cheapskate dash but still offer optional automatic transmission

 

 

I wanted to fill the DIN slot with one of these but never did anything about tracking one down

 

 

Certainly wouldn't describe Fiesta dashboards as remarkable, not compared to some of the genius designs so far. How about some contemporary futureshite?

 

 

Or old concept cars... I'm sure this one had the steering wheel mounted at the end of a centrally-pivoted swingarm so that, on releasing a lever, it could change to be LHD or RHD as and when required!

 

[seth]

This is always my favourite dash to post in such threads. It looks even more outlandish in real life!

 

 

Maserati Boomerang.

[pompei]

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/?q ... 1vcGVucQ--

 

[AnthonyG]

On ergonomic reasons - ease of access to controls etc - I always found the Mondeo Mk1/2 dash very good. Maybe this is because I've driven so many I instinctively know where everything is. I love the little short indicator/wiper stalks which you can operate with a finger with both hands still on the wheel.An Autocar tester said that the designer of the Vectra dash should have been locked in a Mondeo for 48 hours to learn how do it properly.Another recent car dash I really liked was the Rover 75 - which put the Jaguar S & X type ones to shame. I agree on central placed instruments - that's why my father rejected an Nissan X trail out of hand, and who can blame him? Why is it a french/french inspired thing - do they not bother with knowing what speed they are going etc?I love American dashs of the 50s/60s, but many are probably quite hard to get on with. Lots of chrome and glass in a often sunny environment + reflections = no clue what you're doing! IIRC this is why matt black plastic became so popular in the 1970s for safety reasons.For their time, and compared to the rest of the plastic/fantastic competition, Triumph wood dashs in the 1300/1500/Dolomite series of cars were really nice. How a BL dealer managed to sell any Allegros if there was a Toledo/1300/1500/Dolomite in the showroom I will never know. Ford dashs of the mid/late 1970s were nice and simple, with a good quality feel. I think the later (late MK3 onwards) Cortina dash won a design council award.I nominate the Allegro dash as the worst - quality, ergonomics, everything was shit - and that's with a round wheel!P.S. There is a coffee table book devoted to dashboards, can't remember the title. It was pretty expensive for what it was.