In most cases on my Internet search, the original sources of images were not possible to find. I note them below, where known. Cars are arranged by parent company and in ascending luxury rank where appropriate.
The large dial on the left is the speedometer. To its left are four gauges. The circular dial at the right is the clock.
Here too, speedometer left, clock right. Supplemental gauges are in the rectangular panels by the speedometer. The large central unit is the radio and speaker. Keep in mind that this was pre-transistor, and the radio had to have vacuum tubes (thermionic valves), so it was large.
Similar instrument layout to the Pontiac. Plenty of chrome, which might have created glare if the sun was at the proper angle.
Instruments are clean and well-located provided the steering wheel hub didn't block their view for a short driver. Huge radio.
The instrument layout is similar to that of 1936 (see previous dashboard post) aside from the large radio in the center.
Ford opted for a slit-like instrument panel as part of the thin, horizontal dashboard theme.
Mercury's arrangement was similar to Ford's.
But Lincoln retained the circular instrument cluster used since the Zephyr model was introduced. One change is the the instruments are not at the center of the dashboard.
Plymouth's dashboard features a rectangular theme.
Dodge also is angular. Note the horizontal instrument strip at the left -- something of a fad.
Again, angularity, but no gauge strip.
Chrysler instruments are housed in that rectangular panel.
Another strip arrangement, this extending across the width of the dashboard.
Yet another instance of rectangular gauges positioned to the left of a circular speedometer.
More rectangles and a large, though almost too-clean radio design.
Instrument strips were indeed a styling fad in those days -- here's another that extends across the dashboard. An interesting touch is the concave radio speaker grille.
3 comments:
The 1941 Lincoln pictured is an extended wheelbase 7 passenger model. It has air vents where the radio controls should be. Nothing had dashboard air vents then - the B-J summary doesn't mention it but maybe AC installation?
You can see the turn signal clicker bit at the steering column end of the stalk on several cars instead of being under the dashboard somewhere. This is also seen, along with a few other archaic features, in the 1947 - 52 Studebakers.
Oh wait - you can also see the round AC vents at each end of the Lincoln dashboard. AC on a flathead V8 - hope it has an alternator, electric fans, and a bigger and better radiator.
Love the deco designs of most of these. There have been a few cars in modern times with a bit of deco feeling, if with less than jewellike details. One is (seriously) the last Sebring before it was facelifted (very well I thought) into the 200:
https://carbuzz.com/cars/chrysler/sebring-convertible/2008/photos-interior#2
Another is (again, seriously) the first Nissan Versa:
https://carbuzz.com/cars/nissan/versa-sedan/2010/photos-interior#2
Not the dash, but check out the door hardware:
https://carbuzz.com/cars/nissan/versa-sedan/2010/photos-interior#4
That Versa was from the clearly Frenchy design oriented Nissan period. A French guy was actually in charge of design around then.
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