Top 10 Most Hi-Tech & Funky Automotive Instrument Panels of the 1980s!
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- Опубліковано 16 тра 2024
- Learn more about the funkiest and most hi-tech instrument panels of the 1980s, including offerings from GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru and Nissan! Vote for your favorite in the comments!
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I know it's not an "80's" car but I remember my dad bringing home a 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix. I LOVED it! With the aggressive body style, super dark tinted windows, bright silver exterior and deep burgundy interior, I remember thinking it was a starship like on Star Trek because I thought the Pontiac emblem on the steering wheel was really the Starfleet insignia upside down. Maybe I wasn't the brightest crayon in the box but I had fun going on "missions" with my dad :)
I’m surprised you missed the 1984 C4 Corvette that was produced starting in mid1983. The dash was very cutting edge of the time.
Agreed. I have a '96 Collections Edition Corvette Convertible. The dashboard is an extension of the '84.
I agree… my first thought
Beat me to it.
I saw a ‘84 Corvette that a classmate had and he had it running in parking lot. The thing looked like a spaceship. I actually fast forward to #1 and was surprised it didn’t even make the list.
@@solemandd67your's was the best digital/analog combo in my opinion
Corvettes of this era had pretty snazzy digital clusters. The tachometer was in the shape of the engine power curve.
I have a 1988 Corvette. They are pretty neat regarding the digital dash, but I think they could have done better with the technology available and their premise to be a top of the line sports car. My dad also had a 1992 Lincoln Continental with the digital dash board. Which also was nice, but not as "customable" as the Corvette readouts which can be changed with toggle switches.
I personally like the VFD type displays more than the LCD based ones. Like in the Chrysler Lebarons.
a "digital cluster" is NOT the same as a fully hi-tech digital cluster that were shoe in this video. Because then we would also have to include the Ferrari F50 cluster and MANY MANY more like those. Even MINI VANS...
@@XstonedmonkeyzX but the F50 is from the mid 90's
@@pommunist I realized after I had commented that it was 80s cars only lol... but still, the F50 is a digital gauge rather than a HI TECH Full instrument cluster which is what the video meant. Not just a DIGITAL Gauge or readout.
I had a 1984 Nissan 300 ZX.. It was turbo and also had the complete steering wheel Controls that even controlled the cassette player. It was a great car.
My '85 2+2 had the steering wheel controls as well - along with a factory graphic EQ for the stereo.
My mom had a 1985 Nissan Maxima, and the stereo was very similar to that of a 300ZX of the time. I always loved that. I realize that when car magazines joked about the interior being "Tokyo at night" they may have been joking about Shibuya Crossing.
My current daily driver is an 89 Buick Reatta with the touch CRT. Mine works flawlessly and I love it! Another feature worth mentioning is the hidden "service mode" that can be accessed by holding both the "OFF" and "WARM" softkeys on the climate screen. This allows you to read and clear any diagnostic codes. It also provides you with "snapshot" and realtime readings from all sensors and allows you to override ECM and BCM inputs which can help with troubleshooting issues. I love my Reatta. ❤
I miss the old GM cars that had those hidden gems with the touch of two buttons.Had an 89 grand prix that had an equalizer in the base radio.Just had to hit the right buttons at the same time,lol
We had a Toronado with the digital dash. My dad was always complaining that I was distracted playing with the service mode. Also the digital speedometer in that mode didn’t have a limit on it.
I'll have to check that out. I'll maybe wait till spring before I wind her up that fast.... We've already had wintery weather her in Saskatchewan for about a month now.
Cadillac had that diagnostic feature as well
Cadillac had that diagnostic feature as well
My family had a 1989 Oldsmobile toronado trofeo. It had the vic center. The car kinda reminded of a knockoff knight rider because it was black on black. That car went over 200k miles and the dash still worked.
Magnificent car indeed!
I bought a 1990 Trofeo in 2004 that was like new, everything worked, but it had 180,000 miles on it. The VIC still worked. It was silver with a maroon interior. Great looking car.
i think its more of an age than a mile thing
I had a ‘88 white on red. Your black on black must have looked great. They were really nice cars with a very unique style and character.
@@RayEttler yea well rust is what took it. Rotted the subframe and fuel lines.
Honorable mention perhaps for the first gen Ford Probe.
The 1980’s was such an exciting time for auto enthusiasts who appreciated “tech” advancements. The difference between any 1979 model and any 1989 model was much more vast than any prior decade and any decade since.
HAHA, all ran on gasoline junk. No tech.
@@anthonybha4510 Often the tech was attached to the engine. EFI was a huge game changer in smog engines. When executed right, it greatly improved reliability and helped cars do well on smog tests long term. Also, it removed many of the vacuum operated gizmos on smog carbs, many of which didn't work properly half the time.
I once helped a guy with a 1984 Dtasun truck. He talked about how he replaced numerous vaccum hoses and wondered why they were there. I explained that in 1984, EFI was so expensive, if you owned a Datsun, only a Z-car or Maxima got it. In 1986, the price was finally low enough to put it on basic trucks.
Absolutely true. Very revolutionary and cutting edge in style also reduction of size on top of the fact that early 80's cars were mechanical stamped parts vs. front wheel drive transverse drivetrain powered by wires, connectors and sensors. Best part of late 80's was the introduction of steering wheel airbags.
@@robertdiehl9003 The downside of the transverse drivetrain back then was the number of CV axles that didn't last. Durable ones didn't arrive until years later.
The 88 Cutlass International Edition had a slick gauge package as well.
Heads Up display if i remember correctly. Loved my Olds.
I had an 88 cutlass the speedo lights would cut out sometimes if I tapped on it they would always display speed if I needed to know.😂. I broke the crankshaft in half on it and continued to drive car 30 miles turn it off for few hours then drive it like 4-5 more miles tell I parked it for a tow to shop. When mechanic got it tore apart they couldn’t believe it still ran and how far I drove it that way. They said they never seen anything like it the crank broke where it was perfect both sides same weight it pretty much holding itself together because it had nowhere to go. No way it would of ran much longer the forces being put on the crack point to turn 3 cylinders still is just mind blowing to me. My dad being a master mechanic didn’t believe the guy until he showed us the crank 😂
You missed the Trans Am with the optional digital dash. That thing was WILD!! Looked better than the C4 Corvette's digital dash as well IMO.
Wouldn't it pretty much be the same as the Camaro?
@@drunk_by_noon9231No, the digital dash from the camaro berlineta was too simple.
@@enzanijuin1 It was more like the one KITT from knight rider had right?
@@drunk_by_noon9231 kind of, but if you loook for a video of the Firebird Trans Am GTA 87-89 you would see it
@@drunk_by_noon9231 They definitely got some inspiration from that show. Of all the wacky 80's digital dashes, the Trans Am GTA and Subaru XT are my favorites. Along with anything Citroen, doesn't matter the year, they're all weird/space shippy/fun.
the trofeo is my favorite in this list, vacuum fluorescent displays look amazing
I'll never get tired of you interviewing Bob Lutz. I hope you have more conversations with him
My vote is for the 300ZX dash cluster! I always wanted one. This was a GREAT highlight video for that era. Thanks!
It's even more fun in motion 🤩
I had and 84 anniversary edition with ground effects. Looked like the bat mobile. Awesome cluster panel.
The 300ZX is top dog because it's a very well engineered design with excellent ergonomics. It was the best long distance road trip car I've driven from a driver standpoint. The dual trip odometers made navigation much easier before there was GPS.
@@user-mx3tl3bh9nI had two of them. First one in 1991 and the other in 2012. Still have one of the gold keys.
@@Kgio-2112 I'm old school 89 and older .
The Ford/Lincoln/Mercury control panels have something that persists today. Pushing the buttons results in a soft beep as a response. I remember dating a woman who had a 89 Taurus with the digital dash....which had the beep feedback.....later my parents had a 99 Windstar and the trip computer functions also had the same soft beep.....and I remember a Motorweek test of the 82 Lincoln Continental ....and you can hear the same soft beep when they were demonstrating the various dash functions. Kind of a theme carried through the years.
I would love to find a pristine Olds Trofèo, especially with that red leather interior. That is my pick right there that made it the perfect 80’s car along with hidden headlights.
My parents had a Pontiac 6000 SLE which was a cheaper version of the STE. It had the electronic dash package that my dad called a Christmas tree dash with the green digital readouts and the red backlighting. It was an interesting combo!
Christmas tree dash; that’s great!
My dad had the STE. Such a great dash display.
I had a 86 and 89 Riveras and I loved the CCT. I think the negative critiques were mostly from people who didn't own the car - or maybe older drivers (I was in my 20s). Once you got the hang of it's use - you can do it without taking your eyes off the road. Passengers loved the moving fan animation and you'd always have to turn it up and watch the graphic go quicker. Very cool instrument panel way ahead of it's time.
Loved my first car..Chevrolet Cavalier Z-24 hatchback..perhaps not as an advanced digital set up..but it was surprisingly fast and nimble, and with the spoiler I put on, coupled with the display, and it's semi aggressive look..it was super cool.
Good sounding exhaust too!
The one thousand buttons on the steering wheel was always mind boggling
I owned an '84 Camaro Berlinetta, and that electronic dashboard, adjustable switch pods, radio pod setup was awesome! Cool during the day, and 10 times cooler at night all lit up. It drew a lot of attention!
Wait, what?! I had an 85 Sommerset. I didn’t know the radio swiveled. Now you tell me…
Seriously though, to this day, that car had the best sounding stereo of any that I have ever owned.
The AWD 6000 STE was reportedly an attempt to compete with the AWD Audi 5000 of the era. IIRC both the Pontiac and Audi were on the Car and Driver top 10 list multiple years.
I think the Camaro Berlinetta interior, as a whole, is number 1 on your list. For quality of instrumentation, the 300Z is tops.
My wife had a 1987 Dodge Daytona Pacifica with a terrific digital dash and trip computer. Loved that car!!!
I had a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass International Series that was my first experience with a digital dash. It was very well done, The car had a great overall interior. Very comfortable seats with lots of power adjustments.
I had a 1986 Toyota Celica GT with a really cool digital green speedometer and a wrap around red tachometer. The contrasting colors really popped at night.
I had a long-term rental while my car was being repaired back in '84, and it was a brand new 6000STE. I grew to really like that car a lot, and I thought the inline foglamps were so cool, making it look like it had six headlights. I knew it was just a dressed up Chevy Celebrity, but it was a lot of fun to drive. Granted, 80's vehicles expectations were kind of low, but it seemed quick and it handled quite well. It was fun to toss onto freeway entrance ramps and just nail it, watching that digital tach climb up. Several years later, my mom bought a used '84 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with the same 2.8 Liter Chevy V-6 in it and I was blown away by how incredibly gutless it felt, even with a 5-speed manual. It sure wasn't what I remembered from that 6000STE, which seemed so quick to me at the time. Anyway, nice look back to my early days of cars and driving. Thanks for the memories.
I remember driving along side cars with digital speedometers add being able to see their displays from the adjacent Lane. So cool.
Beautiful 89 Toronado Trofeo. That was a one year only offering...steering wheel controls in that body style. I own a 1991 Cutlass Supreme International coupe. It has a beautiful digital display as well and optioned with HUD. The Supreme was the first domestic offering for HUD starting in 1988.
My Dad bought a new 1986 Toronado. Seemed very sophisticated with its digital dash. I do remember Automobile magazine, of which we had a subscription at the time, took every opportunity to pan digital dash boards.
I bought a 86 Chrysler LeBaron GTS with a electronic dashboard, loved that car and drove it 12 years without a problem.
Awesome to see Bob Lutz with you and that he's still doing great!
Great watch, the best thing about the "High Tech" dashboards was driving at night, they looked great. Although as the years passed mini under-dash analog gage sets did start to appear. I'll go with the Camaro because of the "swivel radio." Thanks for posting.....
I ordered a 84 Pontiac 6000 STE in the fall of 83. I was told that these were the first digital dashes from GM.
Therefore, this car came with a 3 year bumper to bumper warranty because of that. The rack and pinion steering had to be recalled. I sold it to a friend, at 189k it gave up. I took those special to the STE pallex cloth seats and they now sit in my 65 Chevy C10. The V6 engine different ftom the other 6000s had a lot of power. I would love to have that car back.
GM Offered Digital gauges in the Cadillac in the 70S
I came of age with these cars. No matter that my current car’s dash is all screens, radar controlled, surround cameras. To me, these. Dashes are so cool! It’s hell to get old.
300ZX versus Camaro Berlinetta: Not even close. I rode in an '84 300ZX back when it was new and the quality of that dashboard was astounding! The Camaro's plastic interior looks like genuine Chinesium straight from the Dollar Tree in comparison....
Great video Adam!
I owned a Berlinetta camaro in the 90s. It was
pretty cool. Also worked for nissan and those 300zx's were a nightmare to work on. Camaro FTW on this one for me. Wish i had kept it, they seem pretty rare now. Most of those 300zx's caught fire and died before the fuel injector recalls.
I owned a 89 GMC Jimmy with the digital instrument panel and I thought it was the coolest thing at the time (2001-03) Fast forward 20 years and my 2020 Nissan doesn't even have a temperature gauge. Just speedometer and a tach. sometimes simpler is better, but they are cutting corners everywhere these days to save money on cars.
I owned a Chrysler New Yorker just like the one in your video. I have never had an automobile, before or since, with such comfortable seats.
I remember a friend's dad bought a new Chrysler New Yorker, and while we didn't think it was very impressive as far as size or power, I remember very distinctly as a 18 year old sitting in those seats and remembering that they were the most comfortable seats I had ever sat in or have sat in since.
And I grew up in a family with large nice cars like Buick Lesabres Chevy Caprices Oldsmobile Delta etc.
Yet this little Chrysler's seats were far beyond all of them.
Adam used the word "sumptuous" and I would agree, they were the softest button tufted leather that you possibly could feel and in a car that wasn't that large , and of course didn't come with a V8 or many other luxury features, no other seat has ever came close, and I have been in many many cars because the same friend's dad took pictures of cars for the local newspaper and always let us drive the new cars
Even the nicest cadillac, although definitely comfortable just weren't the same as those Chrysler New Yorker seats!
I vote for the 300ZX's instrument panel...it appears to have less "blank" areas around the instruments, and to be constructed of higher-quality materials. The Berlinetta's was a good effort, though, IMHO.
In the 80s, I worked at a GM dealership and the switch pods on the Berlinetta were junk ad would quickly stop working. GM being GM didn't supply replacements but instead found and electronics rebuilder to fix them, some dealers didnt know about this and would tell customers 'sorry no longer available,' leading to lots of grief. We did know how to order them and were able to help a few folks keep driving their cars. Funny thing about the hated Buick graphic interface....guess what we all drive now!
You didn't mention that wacky turn signal switch on the Berlinetta!
I have an affinity for the 1988-1989 Oldsmobile Toronado Trofeo. I'm my opinion, Oldsmobile exterior and interior designers got that right. The dashboards are great and the multi functional front bucket seats look great and are extremely comfortable. If I found a clean low mileage one, in Black or the rare Navy Blue, with the moonroof, I'd take it. They are uniquely handsome and reasonably affordable, collectible daily drivers.
Although I appreciate extra information, I've never cared for anything except horn buttons on a cars steering wheel. If cruise control buttons are there, I can live with it. Radio and HVAC buttons belong on their units. For that reason I'd prefer the '88 Trofeo.
My hands are large and I find it difficult to touch the right buttons while driving. I usually set everything before I take off and load CD's using repeat frequently.
Great video.
The 1989 Ford Probe was available with a digital dashboard also. I had a 1990 and thought it was so cool.
But what a well-made video!
Complete and never monotonous, ever!
Thank you and congratulations!
I had a 1984 Chevrolet Camaro T-Top Berlinetta with that space age dashboard as a company car for a while, it was a medium periwinkle blue metallic with blue interior... It was a good car that was enjoyable to drive. I also had one of the Pontiac 6000 STE vehicles that lit up like a space shuttle while driving at night. Very cool. Thanks for this one, Adam !
I loved the high tech and digital advances that were made in the 80s. However the car magazines were stuck in the past and mocked anything that didn't have analog gages. Gm, ford, chrysler, subaru, and Nissan had some awesome tech and interiors bit they ultimately bowed to the magazine purists. We are just now finally catching up to what we had in the 80s
Back in the day my godfather he had a late 80’s Chysler New Yorker. As a 6 year old I found his dash to be quite futuristic. But that car as a whole had a lot bells and whistles that were ahead of its time.
It was like a poor man’s Cadillac.
Continued excellent automotive content, with your technical perspective, ownership experience, and corporate context combine to create a unique YT experience. Tops 100%.
I like the high tech 8 track tape player in the Chrysler!!
I once drove a Camero mid nighties, z28. The care was a rocket on wheels. Without a doubt, the poor mans answer to the Corvette.
The Riviera didn’t change its body style in 90 like the Toronado. The Riviera changed its rear end in 89. It did change its interior in 90. The Toronado changed in 90 and the Eldorado changed in 92.
The Eldorado did change a bit in '88 with a revised rear that made the car look longer. And of course they enlarged the engine from the horrible 4100. You are correct that the big change came in '92.
Great job! As a career wrench back in those days, I worked on all those.... Back in the 80s my parents were a Subaru family... The 4 cyl turbo XT was just a XT. The other model which my parents actually owned in 89 was the XT 6 which had the flat 6 cyl. Funky car and enjoyed ripping up the mountain twisties in it as an older teen. There was never a XT 5 (thats a Cadillac).
Having owned a 1988 Subaru XT, I can relate to funky and unusual IPs and switch placement. The fan speed switch was on the center console behind the gear shifter. I give my vote for the Camaro. That swivel radio sealed it.
An acquaintence in high school was the stereotypical "rich kid" whose parents bought him a new Camaro for his 16th birthday - a Berlinetta wih the digital dash and swivel pod radio. It was really cool to ride in. He got ragged on by several other kids at school whose parents gave them new Z-28s or IROC Zs.
@@stevevarholy2011
I must have been from a poorer section of town. We were all driving 10 year old Camaros and Chevelles.
Adam my 1988 C4 Corvette had the upgrade from the 1984 launch version and it was really good. Also didn't have any reliability issues in 7 years and 89k miles.
Even though all dash instruments have been largely computer-controlled for the last 20 years, nothing beats a simple analog gauge even if there is digital data behind it.
Agreed. They're impressive in technological way, but just wait until there's an electronic gremlin. Instead of only pulling and repairing one single functioning thing, you must possess the skills to perform intricate tests that can become very expensive.
@@solemandd67 Quite often they aren't that intricate. Many times it only takes a wiring diagram and a voltmeter to solve a problem, but most shops seem unable to do that.
I prefer true analog dash like speedo on my 68 camaro uses a cable to transmission.
The 1992 Honda prelude is my favorite
I had an 87 Buick Skylark with a digital dash. The RPM, temp, etc. gauges were bar graphs. I though that was pretty high tech back then. Of course, today my 2023 Silverado has an instrument cluster is just an LCD.
I had a 88 Buick Reatta with the touch CRT. I loved this car and it was definitely ahead of its time.
I remember my dad had the New Yorker. I always thought it was so cool to hear the "Dashboard" talk! as a kid.
I gotta go with the Nissan 300ZX over the Camaro Berlinetta but both were neat in their own ways--though what I really dreamed of owning back then was the 300ZX with the analog gauges which to me were more attractive and easy to read. Also as others have mentioned I'm surprised you didn't mention the C4 Corvette! The first version from '84-'89 was really something in its time, I owned a '96 Collector Edition myself with the later dash design that combined analog tach and minor gauges with digital speedometer and other functions. Turning the key felt like not just starting a car but a major event I never got tired of seeing, though if certain warning lights on a panel I called the "threat board" lit up, you knew you were in for a trip to the dealer and paying $$$! :D
The '89 Chevrolet S-10 Blazers had a digital dash option that was very noteworthy. I was working in "make ready" at the time, and those always gave us a thrill. The second gen Cavalier Z24 had a nice one as well.
My buddy, who owned an '86 Jimmy, swings by one day in June '89, and drags me to the Chevy dealer to show me the "sexy" new digital dash. A few months later I bought one. Yeah, dash was "sexy". Had to replace it (the dash) 8 years later, but that beast made it 20 years!
Not sure if the same, my brother-in-law had a cousin who had an early 90's GMC Sonoma (same as S-10) that had a really cool dash, but, he told me that it was very problematic and that they had actually had to warranty out the whole thing.
From 1985 - 1994 I worked @ Valley Oldsmobile west in Bakersfield ca .
Drove these cars .
The Trofeo was great. I owed a 1998 98 Fe3 touring sedan absolutely LOVED that car.
My first car was a Pontiac 6000, That dashboard was amazing. My friend bought the car from me when I got rid of it just for the powered captains seats. It also had a neat feature called ERC or Electronic Ride Control. Basically it would add air to the rear shocks to compensate for weight in the backseat or trunk. I remember getting 4 or 5 friends to sit on the trunk and listen to the car react by pumping up the rear. Then they would all jump off and the car would have a crazy nose-forward stance until the air released. The hood of the car was also the heaviest I have EVER experienced. that thing could have removed fingers it slammed down so hard.
I remember the 1994 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi and its massive amount of seat adjustment buttons on the center console, I think there were 10 buttons just for the seats lol. These old cars were pretty impressive with experimental features sometimes. That Bonneville was also supercharged from the factory.
My favorite is the gauges in the Chevy Berettas. I have an '89 Beretta GT and they still work great. Kinda like the display in the toronado but orange and reorganized
I had a 88 beretta gt with the digital dash! It was a hoot putting it in kilometers per hour and mashing the gas. Remind me of KITT from knight rider. 😮
I still want that car😱
Comment from Australia.
We bought a 1987 Mitsubishi Magna Elite (Diamente) brand new. I loved the digital instrument cluster and so did all of our friends, including a Toyota Salesperson and a Honda Salesperson.
We had the car for 13 years and it never missed a beat.
What fun! I owned both the 1984 6000STE and the 1986 Mercury Sable.......owing to the planetary gears in the Pontiac doing a Three Mile Island Self-Destruction at 44,000 miles. The Sable went 86,000 miles with the electronic fuel pump being replaced twice and the water pump failing before I traded it on a 1992 Mercury Marquis which I hated the seats and promptly bought a 1994 Chevy Caprice! Thanks for the memories!
I loved the digital dash in my 87 LeBaron coupe, and, actually, the entire car overall. (I didn’t opt for the voice alert.) I test drove a 1990 Trofeo and was impressed, although I felt it should’ve had the supercharged engine, and, since the dealer didn’t really want to play nice, I kept the LeBaron a few more years.
I had the 1985 and a half Chrysler laser XT turbo talking car everything was digital it was amazing
I still prefer old school knobs and dials. I hate the new cars with nothing but a big iPad in the middle of the dash to control everything. UGGGGG. I would have to vote for the Z car for number one on this list
Thank you Adam. I enjoyed this video. You covered them all. You gave great attention to each car and why. My 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado look inside just like you showed. It has the VIC and it does more than what you stated. It can go into diagnostic mode too. I swapped the analog cluster out and put the digital in from my former Toronado. It looks just like you shared. The issues with the GCC is why I did not buy a upsized 1989 Buick Riviera. They had taken it out by 1990 model year. The commercial for that Riviera is here on You Tube. The downsized Ninety Eight and Eighty Eight model years1985-1990 offered a voice control like Chrysler also. There is a video of it here on You Tube in action. You could get digital gauges back then those cars as well. My 1996 Ninety Eight has full digital gauges. I recall the Pontiac 6000 STE being loaded like that. The steering controls came in 1986 model year at Pontiac. You could get a Pontiac 6000 LE loaded like that if I not mistaken. Oldsmobile got steering wheel controls after that in 1988-1990 time frame. As far a Lincoln I recall the Continental having the things you said in both of those generations. The 1988-1994 was indeed high tech. I know you could get full digital on Mark VI, Town Car with a early cd player, the Mercury Cougar XR7, the Ford Thunderbird as well. Buick offered them on the downsized 1985-1990 model years Park Avenue and LeSabre. I agree with you on the Taurus and Sable. I preferred Mercury Sable over Taurus for looks. You forget about the 1988 W Body Pontiac Grand Prix and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Buick Regal. They all came with digital gauges standard. By the early 1990's they were gone. They offered digital gauges on the A Body Oldsmobile Ciera and Buick Century. There is a commercial of a 1984 Oldsmobile Ciera with them. The Camaro was not the only one to offer them. You could get them in Pontiac Trans Am too. All this digital cluster and high tech interior started because of the television series Knight Rider. The 1979-1985 E/K Bodies( Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado and Seville offered them as well. The N Bodies ( Grand Am, Calais, Skylark)offered them, the J Cars( Cadillac and Chevrolet) did as well. The Chevrolet Beretta offered them as well. The only G Body that did was the Buick Regal. The Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis did not offer them until the 1990's. The Chrysler New Yorker and New Yorker Fifth Avenue and Imperial offered them in the 1990's. Cadillac Brougham got them in 1990 and Fleetwood and Deville offered them 1985-1992 and 1993-1999. 1991-1996 Chevrolet Caprice offered them but the other gauges were analog. Thank you Adam.
I absolutely love your videos I find myself binge watching them! Please keep making the videos that you make. There’s a lot of us out here that really enjoy them!!! Thanks again brother for all you do!
My vote for the number one is the Nissan 300 ZX all the way! 😎
Very cool picks. My personal favorite is the 89 Dodge Daytona digital dash (was also in the Lebaron). For the time the display was huge, bright as all hell, the rising graph tach, digital speed front and center, and other instruments selectable along the bottom. Coupled with the digital trip computer in the center stack and overhead digital console, it was a lot of VFD going on!
An honorable mention should be the Isuzu Impulse. The Turbo model from 1988 had the movable pods and a great turbo gauge. The radio also had a graphic equalizer. Fun RWD car with a suspension by Lotus. Good times.
Winner 300 ZX that dash was beautiful, we all felt in love with the Gs gauge and the tach plus it was a talking car, lights are on , key is on the ignition, whatt a great car
My dad had an '85 300zx when I was a kid. And I remember that instrument panel very well. As a kid, I was fascinated by it. I agree, the tach was the most interesting part of the instrument panel. But it didn't go up and down with RPM. It went up and down with engine load. It referenced a Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor on the engine. You could tell this because when you first turn on the ignition, the tach display when all the way to the top. But when you start the engine and vacuum is present while the engine is idling, the tach bar graph is all the at the bottom. When you blip the throttle, you see the graph go up and down with manifold pressure fluctuations. There was a segment in that display that was brighter than the rest that move from side to side to indicate engine speed. It was by far the coolest dash of the 80's if not of all time. (IMO)
Came here to say this as I own an ‘85 Turbo, the vertical axis is not displaying RPMs but rather a crude throttle position sensor.
I'm a big fan of the Toronado interior as well as other high tech Olds interiors from the era. I think they look really good and organized, attractive to the eye and has physical buttons to support the touch screen and they add to the high tech look as well. I think they're better than the other high tech GM interiors and leaps and bounds better than the Ford and Chrysler electronic clusters.
The Toronado was a very nice car and the dash was excellent.
Another cool feature of the Subaru 4wd Turbo XT, was that when you engaged 4wd with a shift lever button, the electropneumatic suspension would raise the ride height. At the same time the vehicle graphic in the horizon display would show the body rising above the wheels. The XT also had the temp control slider down in the console between the seats. Super neat car!
Yep, I owned one of these at the time. Coolest dash I ever had.
Nice review Adam. Sorry, I vote for the Subaru! Back in 1993 I drove a drive away car from Chicago to Sarasota FL (1225 miles 1971 km), a 1988 Cadillac Seville with electronic dash. The dash went completely dark after 3 miles, reappearing a couple times in Tennessee then miraculously it worked when I got to my destination - not a fan of that feature. Something I did like was the radio controls on the steering wheel on a ‘91 Olds 98 that I’ld drive occasionally.
I have always been smitten with those Olds Trofeos. When i was in high school one of my teachers had one that was bright red and he always kept it so clean. At the time i hadn't a different view of Oldsmobile but i loved the Trofeo.
I'm surprised you didn't mentioned the (year?) hi-tech Corvette instrument cluster? ;-)
Of the two, I'd go with the 300ZX, due to the Camaro looks like someone ordered too much plastic sheeting.
Hi Adam, My vote is for the Berlinetta. I had no idea this model had such a dash. I lived in Van Nuys, CA at the time where they built the Camaro and Firebird. A co-worker's partner even worked there. You really know your material. I thought of myself as kinda informed until I started listening to your channel. I'm very impressed that you like the 70's/80's cars even though you look like you weren't born until after that. Thanks, Paul
My friends dad had a Chrysler New Yorker. "The door is ajare" was one thing I could never forget about that car.
Late model Olds Cutlass Supreme used the Trofeo dash in the higher trim models. I had two of them over the years and loved those cars.
My brother had an '89 Trofeo, and the first time I saw it he said, "Watch this!" and pressed a button. That dashboard lit up like the 4th of July as every bit of tech strutted its stuff. Impressive light show, to say the least.
I remember the Berlinettas, a strange, but neat departure for a Camaro. A couple of cars not mentioned were the original Pontiac Bonneville SSE in ‘88 (cool seats and tons of buttons in the console, similar to the (awesome sounding) Pontiac 6000STE steering wheels; and the original Cadillac Allante’, a convertible which didn’t have quite the digital interior, but there were 70+ buttons available to the driver - a cool look in 1987. The Olds Toronados had so many incandescent dome light bulbs in the interior that GM had a sensor to allow them to turn on only when needed - at night!
This Berlinetta is as if they were working on Knight Rider edition of Firebird and accidentally put it in the Camaro. Especially the pods.
I had a Buick Sommerset with a digital display in the 80's. Had a Manuel transmission a lot of fun to drive!
Hey Adam, I vote for the Camaro Berlinetta for #1 instrument panel!!! Great video!!! 👍👍🦃
Excellent idea for a video. Great job.
Excellent video as always. There's just too many vehicles in the day with hi tech dashes to narrow down to just 10. I was surprised you skipped the 84-89 Corvette dash!! Another neat one was the digital dashes in the Beretta GT, Oldsmobile cutless and Z24 cavaliers.
My first thought was the late 80’s Beretta and Cutless Supreme Digital clusters.
The Cutlass Supreme of that era was also available with head up display that projected vehicle speed and engine rpm onto the windshield. I think it was also available on the Grand Prix.
As a woman who has always been fascinated with gauges and dashes since i was little this is a cool video ❤thanks
The c4 had a crazy digital dash and no mention of GMs fancy HUD. My 89 SSEi was loaded with high tech and HUD.
My brother had a brand new 1988 Pontiac Grand Prix with a all digital dashboard and it gave him nothing but trouble, I remember him bringing the car to the dealership several times to have it repaired for not working properly ..
Great list Adam. One other Chrysler model I would have added was the 1985-1989 H-body Lancer and LeBaron GTS models. I owned an ‘88 GTS Turbo with the full digital dash, and the bottom center of the dash included a comprehensive trip computer.
The crystal laser XT turbo 1985 and a half was a talking car completely digital it was amazing
1988-89 Pontiac Trans Am GTA. That Dash Always Stood Out as High Tech , Visually Exciting, and Ahead of it's time. (There was a digital Dash option) It's the first car that came to mind when I read the title of the video. Anyone who's not familiar with the GTA should have a look online. IMO it definitely deserves a spot on the list. Thanks for the Video. Good job with the unique topic 👍
Adam, I love watching your videos! Some of the best info on all of UA-cam. I especially love your enthusiasm for ordinary cars. One of the few channels not saturated by the same 5 or 6 performance cars. Keep the pedestrian-trim daily drivers coming! Thanks for what you do!
You missed Mitsubishis, specially the Starion; and it’s Dodge and Eagle cousins; worked as valet in the late 80s; definitely many strange designs; the XT5s shifter also complemented the instrument cluster in its arcade video game vibe.
Mitsubishi certainly had some wild dashes, I remember my friend would drive his parents' mid 80s Gallant and not only was it all digital but multicolored, normally there is a color scheme that tends towards blue or red but this had every color of the rainbow spread all across the dash, with lots of quirky buttons and lit up and stuck on pods, it was a really cool car for a family car!
I worked for Guy Laney Lincoln-Mercury in Denton, Texas during the '84 & '85 model years. Some of you may remember the Von Erich family of "professional" wresters, who were long time customers of the dealership. I think it's safe to say that David Von Erich was no fan of the high-tech controls in his '84 bustle-back Continental: he punched the middle portion of the dash about 3 inches closer to the headlights on at least one occasion! Great content, looking forward to the next one 😊
Didn't they also have some of their rivals attack one with a chain at one of their "events"? Maybe it was the one David had already damaged. Reminds me of how Frank Sinatra abandoned his Imperial on the side of the road after it died on him, then demanded they stop using his name to sell it.
I worked for King Charlie Hillard Ford in Fort Worth back then. Grew up watching the Von Erich's.
what's a "wrester" ?
@@gurutimes2 I'm guessing someone who has too much time on his hands. I rest my case.
Amazingly concise and well researched… not to mention your extremely professional presentation! I’m hooked!
In high school and college I detailed cars for a living and I drove and saw all of these dashes and more. I owned a 1988 Tornado Trofeo with controls way ahead of its time. great car loved them all!