Almost from the very beginning, auto manufacturers designed the instrument panels to be beautiful works of art, settings for instruments that looked like expensive time pieces. As a young boy, I was mesmerized by these creations. I remember my Father had a Plymouth, it was a 1939 model, as the speed increased the speedometer changed colors. Low speeds were green, when you reached about 40 mph it changed to yellow, and over 60 mph it turned red. This is from my memory so if someone out there is an expert, they may know this better than myself, but as a youngster, it was a big deal. I used to stand behind my Dad in the back seat area and watch him drive, absolutely fascinated by it all. I had my first chance at 12 years old, my Sunday school teacher took all the boys in the class out on a country road and we took turns driving his 1939 Hudson Terraplane. I have assembled a few pictures of classic instrument panels so you can see why I still love these things all of these years later.
1930’s PACKARD
1932 CHRYSLER
1933 CADILLAC V16
1930’S PACKARD
1949 PLYMOUTH
1941 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL
1956 DeSOTO
There are literally hundreds of examples of beautifully designed instrument panels, that were installed in cars over the past 100 years, that would be worthy of display in the finest art museums. If you have never really considered going to an auto museum, you should, and take a peek inside of these beautiful old cars, it is incredible “eye candy”. Be sure to take your camera.
VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE
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I agree they made cars better back then. I love wooden dashboards. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I need a new car but not a big fan of starting a car without a key. Won’t be able to get used to that.
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This is a true story…a lady that works in our office recently bought a new Toyota with the electronic key fob. She went on a weekend trip, and when she left her room and went to her car the fob wouldn’t open the doors. The battery in the car was dead. She was furious, she couldn’t get in her car to get her phone. The dealer neglected to tell her there was a hidden key in the fob, you push a little button and the key pops out. The whole thing did not go well. I found it a little humorous.
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