Continuing our look at the history of American dashboards (see part 1 covering 1930-’63 here), we find that stylists were still working hard to turn out attractive, functional designs amid tightening federal safety standards and the realities of changing production materials and methods. Soon, plastics replaced metal and “simulated woodgrain” real wood, but even as interesting corporate quirks like Chrysler’s pushbutton trans controls went the way of the toggle switch, enduring standouts emerged.





The C2 (1963-’67) Corvette was a huge step forward for the brand in both styling and performance, and the car’s twin-cowl cockpit perfectly complemented Larry Shinoda’s exterior design. The “bent” instrument needles of the ’63-’64s were especially cool.

Fourth generation “Flair Bird” Thunderbirds (1964-’66) sported a “Flight Deck” instrument panel meant to evoke a jet plane’s cockpit. Most gauges were mounted in eyeball-like housings beneath a ribbon speedometer, while a well-integrated console with plenty of brightwork swept into the dash, reinforcing the aviation theme.





The dashboard for the Elwood Engel-styled 1964-’66 Imperials was considerably toned down from those of the Exner Era, and featured a clean layout, rectangular instrumentation and genuine walnut veneer. Chrysler’s famed pushbutton transmission controls would still grace the ’64s, but disappeared in ’65.





Early Ford Mustangs had a clean, simple dashboard of twin-cove design that borrowed the Falcon’s instrument cluster (1965 non-GTs only). Air conditioning, when ordered, housed the evaporator in an under-dash unit.





The top of the line 1965 Corvair Corsa’s instrument panel featured more gauges than found on lesser models, including a tach and cylinder head temp. Angled, deeply inset instruments aren’t the most readable, but usually look great and still appear on modern cars.

Cadillac’s new-for-1965 models boasted a redesigned instrument panel with “better located and better illuminated” controls as well as a “coved” area on the passenger side for added knee room. It’s an attractive design with just enough brightwork to add a touch of pizzazz.

Chrysler’s attractive 1965-’66 dashboard, with its curved speedometer and gauge layout seemed like an homage to the marque’s amazing AstraDome dashes of 1960-’62. “Who, but Chrysler, would find a way to make a dash panel this usable, this beautiful?” the brochure asked.

The restyled 1966 Lincoln Continentals sported a driver-centric dash that put symmetrical radio and HVAC controls in a protruding, angled panel beneath a rectangular speedometer. The passenger side was simpler and seemingly more spacious, but the full instrumentation of the ’64-’65s was lost.

The front-wheel-drive Oldsmobile Toronado (1966 shown) was a radical departure for Detroit in both styling and drivetrain. Its Space Age dash, touted by Olds as offering “command pilot” convenience, sported rocker switches and a rolling-drum speedometer that still fascinates today.





The 1967 Pontiac GTO had an asymmetrical dashboard with woodgrain vinyl trim, as well as the usual four-dial gauge layout of earlier models–the previous year, as seen in the bottom image, marked the end of real wood. The passenger-side “grab bar” was a GTO feature with roots going back to the 1958 Bonneville.

As part of a 1967 refresh, Mustangs received a new dash retaining the twin-cove configuration of ’65-’66 models, but featuring two large round instrument housings for speedo and (when ordered) tach, plus three smaller recesses for a clock and other gauges. Integrated outlets for factory A/C were new, though dealer-installed air still used an under-dash evaporator.

The ’67 Dodge Charger featured four dials and full electroluminescent instrumentation. The speedometer and tach were mounted side by side directly in front of the driver, the same arrangement found on many imported sports cars–brochures made a big deal about this, emphasizing that the nacelle on the console housed a clock and not a rev counter.

1967-68 Mercury Cougar XR7 dash (’68 shown) used a simulated walnut overlay, extra gauges and toggle switches to add some Jaguar sports saloon flavor to the Mustang’s more sophisticated sibling.

The new-for-1968 C3 Corvette ditched the twin-cove design of the ’63-’67 C2 in favor of a flatter, more angled dashboard with deep-set gauges. Said the brochure: “Water temperature, oil pressure and fuel gauges along with an ammeter and rally clock are positioned for easy reading.”





By the late 1960’s and the dawning of new federal regulations, safety concerns became more of a consideration for dashboard designers. AMC’s innovative approach on Javelins and AMXs was an injection-molded, all-plastic dash with recessed controls and deeply inset gauges that paved the way for greater use of dashboard plastics by other car makers.

The 1970 Lincoln Continental MkIII dash, like that of the ’69, differed from other Continentals by placing gauges in five separate enclosures shaped vaguely like the Continental star logo. A Cartier clock, described as a “5-jewel electronic chronometer,” was heavily touted in period promotional material.

Twin-cove design language still dominated Mustang dashes for 1969-’70, though gauges were becoming more deeply inset. Brochures emphasized the luxury touches offered by the new Grande trim level.

Second-gen Chevy Camaros had an instrument cluster that angled gauges toward the driver, creating a wraparound effect meant to give the feeling of being in an airplane cockpit. In black, the dash could look pretty austere, reminiscent of a period Opel.

The restyled 1971-’73 Mustangs had a shallower, more angled dash with instruments–now in a three-dial arrangement–more deeply inset than ever. According to Ford’s brochure copywriters, the instrument panel “looks almost like a cockpit.”

Pontiac’s second-generation Firebird went for a less symmetrical dash than found in the Camaro, skipping its cousin’s wraparound gauge cluster in favor of a more spread-out look. “Engine turned” instrument panel trim that recalled classic cars of the 1930’s brightened the interior considerably.

The 1979 Mercury Cougar XR7’s dashboard was just as brougham-ish as the rest of the car, and neatly illustrates where many American interiors had arrived by the end of the decade. More plastic, more fake wood (“walnut woodtone appliques”) more padding, fewer protrusions, and by-now-familiar deeply inset gauges.

Concluding on a more modern note, the 2004 Thunderbird’s dash (borrowed from the Lincoln LS) perfectly sums up the state of the dashboard in the early 2000’s Pre-Tablet Era. The need to accommodate the center stack and passenger airbag apparently left little room for anything distinctive–plastic brightwork helps a little, but all in all this dash is a far cry from the flair exhibited in earlier T-Birds.

Images: Chrysler, Ford, GM, BaT

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