The 5 best dashboards of the muscle-car era
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2023 marks 70 years since the first Corvette rolled off the line in Flint, Michigan. To complement our extensive coverage of America’s sports car, from never-realized prototypes to Barbie partnerships to the future of Corvette Racing, we dug up this 2018 story focusing on interiors and starring the C2 (shown above). Enjoy! — Ed.
When it comes to American performance cars of the 1960s, we tend to focus on style and quarter-mile times. Considering that cars were made to be driven, it is somewhat curious that ergonomics took so long to catch on with designers. Is it any wonder the aftermarket was so successful with accessories like tachometers?
Yet not all performance cars were designed with sweeping needle speedometers and poorly placed tachometers. All it took was one quick glance and vital statistics were easily registered without having to take your eyes off the road.
Who got it right? Here’s a subjective list:
1963–67 Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet’s redesigned Corvette was special for several reasons: Split-window style, four-wheel independent suspension, and great weight distribution, among other things. The 1963 Corvette also had “new conveniences [that] blend Sunday-driving ease with sports car function,” thanks to its functional instrument grouping: speedometer, tachometer, ammeter, oil pressure, and fuel and temperature gauges were grouped in a “single smart-looking cluster,” all within easy eyeshot. There were few changes through 1967, and for good reason—it followed a standard that was appropriate for a sports car and set one that should have been emulated by Detroit but rarely was.
1963–64 Studebaker Avanti
20180815155244 "1963 Studebaker Avanti steering wheel")
The Avanti was a make-or-break model for Studebaker, which at the time was America’s oldest automotive manufacturer. With fiberglass construction and exotic, Euro-inspired style, this 2+2 from South Bend, Indiana, was unique in so many ways. The interior kept the unique which included “aircraft throttle-like controls” and functional instrumentation that included 160-mph speedometer, tachometer, ammeter, oil pressure, water temperature, manifold pressure, gas gauge, and clock. All this was illuminated by red backlighting that seems to have picked up in popularity in recent years.
1966–67 Dodge Charger
20180815155550 "1966 Dodge Charger dash")
The 1966 Charger’s “four easy-to-read hooded circles” (150-mph speedometer, 6000-rpm tachometer, alternator, water temperature, oil pressure, and fuel) stood in contrast to the regular Coronet dashboard, which was a generic horizontal needle design with an optional tach only available on the console for the Coronet 500 trim level. While the Charger’s chrome bezels could be prone to glare, the dials themselves were large, legible, and illuminated by nifty electroluminescent lighting. Chrysler had previously used electroluminescence in 1960–62 which, at night, provided a gray-green glow with the added effect of depth as if it was rendered in 3D—something that is mimicked by today’s electronic dashboards.
1967–68 Mercury Cougar XR-7
20180815161013 "1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7")
Only the base Cougar was available when Mercury’s pony car was introduced in the fall of 1966. The Cougar received a boost of European style with the XR-7 model, an upscale trim level introduced in the middle of the model year. Included in the XR-7’s standard features were “supple, glove-soft leathers” combined with vinyl for both front and rear seats, toggle switches, overhead console with dual map lights and warning lights, and map pockets and door assist straps, plus several other features. But it was the simulated walnut instrument panel, complete with “competition-type” gauges consisting of oil pressure, temperature, ammeter, tachometer, and fuel gauge, that gave the XR-7 its characteristic flavor. Add the GT package or, for 1968, the GT-E package, and you’d have yourself an American-style gran turismo.
1969–70 Pontiac Grand Prix
20180815161045 "1969 Pontiac Grand Prix")
For 1967, buyers had the option to accent the GTO’s wood-grained dashboard with an all-new hood tachometer. When combined with the Rally cluster, the driver could grasp all major vitals while keeping tabs of the engine’s heartbeat without removing his/her eyes from the road. Now imagine that with a “cockpit-style instrument panel that almost lays every gauge, control, and switch in your lap.” That would look like the 1969–70 Grand Prix, a driver’s car with an instrument panel that curved around the driver (shades of the Studebaker Avanti). Sure, the hood tach mechanism didn’t take too kindly to hood-slamming, and the lighting has been described as done by overworked fireflies, but this was Pontiac at the top of its game, especially when equipped with the 428 HO and four-speed.
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My first car was a 1974 Pontiac Trans Am. The “gunmetal” look was one thing I really liked about that dash.
Agreed 👍 1 generation Charger has the coolest dash. Any brand loyalist has to give Chrysler credit, no one else did the elctro luminescent. It’s a must see in person, pictures don’t do it justice.
All nice, but the Cougar is the most attractive to me.
Owning a ’71 Avanti II, I’m a bit biased. It’s my favorite. But, the other 4 shown are great too. The Avanti Steering Wheel pictured just has the center “Avanti” logo cap indexed 180 out. When driving an Avanti, the 2 side attach spokes are angled downward to give a full view of the instrument layout.
All good choices. Never liked the tick toc tach in some of the muscle cars. Cougar as I recall had the oil pressure gauge by the glove box
I thought the 69 Mach1 dash was excellent I can’t believe it was left out
Agree. Beautiful!
Ma Mopar made some of the coolest dash clusters on the planet in the late 50’s early 60’s and the 66-67 Charger was a continuation of that coolness. The Charger dash with its electroluminescent lighting wins in my book, hands down. Too bad the cars themselves don’t get the love of the ’68 and up Chargers.
My brother in law had a XR7 as did a fellow employee. Both bought them as new cars and both had issues with crooks stealing the instruments. That was a problem back than. As I recall the XR7 also had an overhead switch or instrument panel that was a favorite of the thieves in Caifornia. The fellow employee had his stolen twice and finally sold the car in disgust. As to the most advanced cars with the best layout of instruments. The Avanti is my vote. They also were a fast car with the top Paxton supercharged version (was it R-3) but not around corners dude to heavy front weight ballance. They held several land speed records for years at Bonneyville. Studebaker was a very old company and wish it would have survived. I know a Studebaker descendant here in Michigan. She is in her 90s and does the maintenance on her pristine Lark herself and takes it to Cars and Coffees. Now THAT is a real car nut…..much respect!
Do not forget Pontiacs with the hood tach. 1967 Firebird 400 with hood tach looks awesome.
Had a ‘70 Grand Prix and the dash was one of its best features. Felt like a true cockpit. Well designed for a driver.
In my opinion Best Dash by far is the 67/68 Cougar XR7 . . . still looks great today.
Used to drive an XR7 GT belonging to a friend back in the early 70s . . . was the first car I drove with Michelin Radial Tires . . .
If you want a dozen and a half instruments plus toggle switches and levers get yourself an old Beech Bonanza
These look like Instrument panels , dashboards were wooden boards to keep the mud and dirt the horse kicked up from hitting your face !
Thanks for pointing out the difference Harold. Words matter, and CLEARLY stating (what should be an obvious distinction) discourages current enthusiasts from lazily evolving technical terminology into incorrect versions. Instrument Cluster and Instrument Panel (more often used as aircraft terminology) make up only a portion of a vehicle’s Dash. I love it when you talk ‘literally’!
Shall we begin the conversation regarding ‘Tailshaft’, when actually referring to a NON-rotating component? It isn’t that difficult to correctly call that part an Extension HOUSING, fastened to the rear of the Transmission Case. Maybe that discussion is for another time . . .
1 and 2 are close: Avanti (you need to see tha Lady glovebox at the right side), and Carger
3: Corvette
4: Mercury
5: Pontiac
Some good choices and comments. However —- take a look at the 1956-67 Continental MKII instruments. While this was an expensive personal luxury car, four round instrument housing were arranged in a pod on top of the sloping dashboard and it included a TACHOMETER! All elegant, but readable.