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Cutting a dash
© LanciaThe dashboard is the part of a car you spend longest looking at – so it might as well be interesting. We’ve rounded up some of the most unusual dashes from motoring history, including the new Tesla Model X and its controversial steering ‘yoke’. Sit down and strap in for clever controls, delightful dials and more weird wheels.
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Tesla Model X and Model S
© TeslaIf you watched Knight Rider in the 1980s, Tesla’s new steering solution might look familiar. We suspect it won’t be legal in the UK, however – and a photo of a conventional steering wheel on Tesla’s online configurator (now removed) suggests a back-up plan. Either way, the latest Model X and Model S offer computing power to take on the Playstation 5 or Xbox Series X, meaning you could play The Witcher 3 while Autopilot drives you home (only joking, please don’t try this).
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Renault 5 Turbo
© RenaultThe original Renault 5 Turbo was designed by Bertone and boasts an interior like something from a children’s cartoon. Or perhaps a magic mushroom trip. That asymmetric steering wheel is a work of genius.
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Lancia Trevi
© LanciaIn August 1981, Autocar described the fascia in the Lancia Trevi as ‘something which could have appeared in the “ideas” section of a mid-1960s Continental motor show’. This wasn’t a compliment, as the same article described it as ‘confusing’ for the driver and ‘plain boring’ for the passenger. Today, Bellini’s creation looks plain cool, although we might not say that if we were forced to use it.
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Citroen GSA
© CitroenTo paraphrase Carly Simon, when it comes to dashboards, nobody does it better than Citroen. Or at least, nobody did, because Citroen’s dashboards aren’t what they used to be. Look at the genius and majesty of this Citroen GSA, complete with PRN (‘Rain, Route, Night’ in French) satellites and a ‘cyclops’ eye speedometer. Note the single-spoke steering wheel, an idea dating back to the DS of 1955.
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Fiat Coupe
© FiatFrom its fuel filler cap to the curvy headlight covers, the Fiat Coupe was one of the most striking cars of the 1990s. But the dare-to-be-different styling wasn’t reserved for the outside, because the cabin was dominated by the body-coloured strip running the entire length of the dashboard. Perfection.
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Subaru XT
© SubaruThe Subaru XT was blessed with styling that still manages to look futuristic, more than three decades after launch. But the cabin was equally otherworldly, complete with bizzare steering wheel design, fist-like telescopic controls and a digital display that was straight out of an arcade game.
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Volvo P1800
© VolvoWhile the dashboard isn’t quite as beautiful as the exterior, there’s a lot to be said for the simplicity and elegance of the layout. Contemporary reviewers were critical of the ‘gimmicky dials’ and the fact that the gauges were difficult to read. Rather this than a touchscreen, eh?
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Renault 25
© RenaultYou can almost hear the creaking plastics from here, while the electrics would be enough to send a sparky reaching for the Nurofen, but just look at the glamour of the Renault 25 Baccara. It’s a cockpit designed for wafting through the French countryside, half-smoked Gauloise perched on the edge of the huge ashtray.
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TVR Cerbera
© Shane K – WikipediaMarvel at the view presented to the individual fortunate enough to be driving a TVR Cerbera. Rather brilliantly, TVR grouped all of the instruments above and below the steering wheel, and included some primary controls on the inside of the rim. This layout could teach a few supercars a lesson in how to be driver-focused.
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BMW i3
© BMWThere’s a common theme threading through this gallery: most of the star cars are from the past. But there’s always an exception to the rule. Witness the class and sophistication of the BMW i3 interior, which features natural fibre-based raw materials in the instrument panel and door trim surfaces.
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KITT
© dav7 – WikipediaThe dashboard in the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT): enough said.
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Toyota Cressida
© ToyotaIn the 1980s, the world’s car manufacturers went into digital overdrive, with analogue dials and instruments suddenly feeling very last decade. This example from the Toyota Cressida isn’t the most outlandish, but it’s certainly reflective of the era. That rev counter is begging to be taken to the redline.
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Aston Martin Lagonda
© Aston MartinIt featured electronics so complex, even the Aston Martin mechanics and engineers were unable to understand it. This dashboard wouldn’t look out of place in Gordon Gekko’s office, and you’d need his deep pockets to pay for the almost inevitable rewiring project.
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Audi TT
© AudiUnveiled in 1998, the Audi TT looked almost identical to the TT Design Study of three years earlier and was blessed with its own unique dashboard and instruments. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, from use of aluminium accents to the exquisitely detailed buttons below the circular vents.
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Citroen Karin
© CitroenLook at this: a three-seater with a centrally-positioned steering wheel, a full 12 years ahead of the McLaren F1. In the Citroen Karin of 1980, all of the controls can be found at the driver’s fingertips, while the dashboard is flanked by two digital displays.
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Alfa Romeo 159
© BonhamsSure, the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class might have been the obvious choices for the high-flying exec with a Wild Bean Cafe loyalty card, but only the Alfa Romeo 159 could offer a cabin as charismatic as this. It also looked devastatingly beautiful on the outside.
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McLaren MP4-12C
© McLarenIf the sight of the McLaren badge wasn’t enough, the dashboard of the MP4-12C is a feast for the eyes. Everything is focused on the driver, from the central rev counter to the heater controls on the left. Proof that supercar manufacturers do get it right.
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Maserati Boomerang
© MaseratiIt was only a matter of time before the Maserati Boomerang concept loomed into view. The one-off concept was the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro – who else? – and was first shown at the 1971 Turin Motor Show. It sold at auction in 2015 for nearly £3 million.
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Range Rover Classic
© Land RoverThere’s something reassuringly simple about the dashboard in the Range Rover Classic, although this later model lacks the purity of the original.
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Fiat Uno Turbo
© FiatThe Fiat Uno Turbo features no fewer than seven dials, providing information on speed, turbocharger boost, revs, fuel, coolant, oil pressure and temperature. It’s such a shame that so few Uno Turbos are left, because this is one of the best displays of all the 80s hot hatches.
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Citroen SM
© CitroenIt’s Citroen again, this time in the shape of the SM, complete with oval-shaped dials, a hooded panel and another single-spoke steering wheel.
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Buick Regal Gran Sport
© BuickThere’s a strange juxtaposition of old and new going on here, but for some reason it seems to work. It’s a bit like seeing an LED TV in a mahogany television cabinet. Do people still use television cabinets?
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Mini
© MiniSir Alec Issigonis left no stone unturned in his quest to utilise every square centimetre of space. The central speedo looks great, but the use of a parcel shelf instead of a conventional dashboard is the work of genius. The door bins were famously designed to house a bottle of Gordon’s gin.
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Honda S2000
© HondaThe digital dashboard fell out of favour in the 1990s, but Honda went back to the future when it developed the S2000. The driver-focused layout should be applauded, but in truth it’s all about the digital instrument cluster. That F1-inspired rev counter is a work of art.
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Oldsmobile Incas
© OldsmobileThe Oldsmobile Incas was a four-seat coupe concept designed by Italdesign in 1986, and it’s no coincidence that the cockpit looks like something straight out of the aerospace industry. “The steering wheel is inspired by an aeronautic cloche and also to some Japanese (Mazda) marketing researches where it comes out that new generation car buyers, grown up with videogame, prefers the cloche instead of traditional steering wheel,” says Italdesign’s website.
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Citroen CX
© CitroenThe Citroen CX had the unenviable task of replacing the DS, but fans of the ‘Goddess’ would have felt right at home in the successor. Once again, all the major controls were grouped around a single-spoke steering wheel.
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Renault Twingo
© RenaultThe original Renault Twingo was a masterclass in engineering and packaging. It was built to deliver low-cost motoring to the masses, but it never felt low-rent. Take the dashboard, which is lifted by aquamarine switches and door handles, along with an eye-level digital instrument panel. Tres chic, Marlene.
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Saab Night Panel
© SaabThe GM-era Saab dashboards were OK, but not what you’d call… cool. But the Saab Black Panel – later called the Night Panel – earns them a place on our list. Press the appropriate button to plunge the instrument panel into darkness, with only the speedometer left illuminated. ‘A good example of our aircraft heritage,’ said Saab.
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MG Maestro
© MGThe MG Maestro broke new ground, with a voice synthesiser programmed to speak on fifteen different topics, from suggesting you wear your seatbelt to warning that you’ve left your lights on. Today, the synthesised voice of Nicolette McKenzie sounds so dated, but it was otherworldly in the early 80s.
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Porsche 356A Speedster
© PorscheEffortlessly elegant or delightfully simple: the dashboard in the Porsche 356A Speedster just looks so right. We’ve got another 20 cool dashboards in our gallery, so keep clicking. We promise to keep the words to a minimum and allow the images to do the talking.
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Alfa Romeo 164
© Alfa RomeoIt’s a tale of two halves in the Alfa Romeo 164. The six gauges are clear, but the multitude of buttons are anything but. The 164 wasn’t known for the quality of its plastics, but you can’t question the architecture.
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Fiat Panda
© FiatProof that building something to a budget needn’t result in dull and dreary. The driver has everything he or she needs in front of them, while the rest of the dashboard is given room to breathe.
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Citroen Visa
© CitroenThe single-spoke steering wheel and PRN are the biggest giveaways: this is another Citroen. The satellite control in the Visa puts the horn, lights, indicators and wash/wipe functions at the driver’s fingertips, while the wheel provides an uninterrupted view of the dials and instruments.
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Range Rover L322
© Land RoverThis might be a controversial choice, but we think the L322 is the last truly elegant Range Rover. Witness the charm and sophistication of the dashboard – it’s the automotive equivalent of a Barbour jacket and a pair of Hunter boots.
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Fiat Tipo SX
© Fiat“The digital dashboard of higher end models proved to be controversial and unreliable,” says Wikipedia. That might be true, but just look at it. It’s almost enough to balance the use of horribly cheap plastics. Almost.
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Citroen C4 Cactus
© CitroenOnce again, the Citroen C4 Cactus dashboard is proof that low-cost needn’t look low-rent. From the luggage-style ‘Top Box’ to the retro display, the dashboard is pure class.
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Alfa Romeo 90
© Alfa RomeoMotor described the electronic instrument pack as ‘disastrous’, complaining that the ‘LED bar graphs are slow to respond and the information they portray is difficult to assimilate’. More damning is the fact that the two speedometers didn’t agree with each other. Looks cool, mind.
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Fiat Multipla
© FiatGod bless the Italians for the Fiat Multipla. If only all MPVs were this desirable.
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Citroen BX
© CitroenYet another Citroen, this time in the form of the BX.
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Lancia Delta Integrale
© LanciaWe offer no apology for the number of Italian cars featured in this gallery. This is the Lancia Delta Integrale…
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Lancia Medusa
© Lancia…and this is the Lancia Medusa concept of 1980.
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Lancia Dedra
© Pawel Litwinski ©2014 Courtesy of RM AuctionsHeck, even the relatively mundane Lancia Dedra featured a cool dashboard.
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Porsche 911
© PorscheThe dashboard in the classic Porsche 911 is almost as iconic as the shape of the car itself. A reproduction of the dashboard in the 1969-1975 Porsche 911 can be ordered from any Porsche centre.
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Vector W8
© PixnioIt might look terribly dated today, but in its day, the dashboard in the Vector W8 was worthy of a car with hypercar-levels of performance. This particular example sold at a 2014 RM Sotheby’s auction for $275,000.
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Nissan CUE-X
© NissanThis might be one of the best dashboards of all-time. Note the single-spoke steering wheel, the well-integrated touchscreen, the digital dials and the clear and unfussy layout. The Nissan CUE-X: what a thing.
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Citroen DS
© CitroenThe Citroen DS: art.
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McLaren P1 GTR
© McLarenA view very few of us will ever get to experience: the cockpit in the McLaren P1 GTR.
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BMW E21
© BMWTrue class doesn’t shout, it merely whispers. Or something.
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McLaren F1
© McLarenIf you’ve made it this far, congratulations. Have a photo of the instrument panel in the McLaren F1.
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Citroen C6
© CitroenWe conclude with the C6. Why? Because Citroen.