What’s The Most Beautiful Speedometer Of All Time? Autopian Asks

Bugatti Speedo Aa
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The instrument cluster is a critical piece of equipment in every roadgoing vehicle, and a lot of the time you’ll find it full of basic dials or just an uninspired screen. But it doesn’t have to be that way. An instrument cluster and the speedometer within it can be works of mechanical art. What’s the most beautiful speedometer of all time?

The internet was abuzz yesterday with news about the Bugatti Tourbillon and its hilarious 1,775 horsepower. Admittedly, I wasn’t feeling Bugatti fever like everyone else. At first glance, the Tourbillon just seemed like any other Bugatti. That was until I took a look at the interior. The magnificent trim and the weird steering wheel drew me in at first. Then I saw the instrument cluster.

Did Bugatti need to make a cluster that looks like a fine mechanical watch? Of course not, but golly, I cannot stop looking at this thing in the topshot. I want it on my motorcycles and in my Smart Fortwos. This Autopian Asks is also inspired by a similar question being asked over at Opposite-Lock. I highly recommend joining Oppo if you like great car forums!

C4 Digidash
Chevrolet

This question is hard for me to answer. On one hand, I’m a sucker for the digital gauges of the 1980s. There are lots of them out there, but I’ll highlight the cluster from the 1984 Chevrolet Corvette C4 above. A futuristic wedge needs a futuristic cluster to go with it.

But I wouldn’t call that cluster beautiful. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that in a brief moment. Another favorite cluster of mine is the one I installed in my 2012 Smart Fortwo. Yes, ragefaces are so old and out-of-date, but they were still a thing when I made the backing. How fast am I going? Obama!

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Mercedes Streeter

The answer to most beautiful is a toss-up for me. The first-generation Dodge Charger has quite possibly my favorite instrument cluster of all time. Okay, take a look at these things. They’re sitting in these futuristic, space-age pods:

1966 Dodge Charger 1966 Dodge Ch
Bring A Trailer seller
1966 Dodge Charger Img 7737 3 52
Bring a Trailer Seller

That’s cool all by itself, but these are electroluminescent gauges, so they have a fantastic pop when they light up I’m not much of a Charger woman, but I’d buy one just for that fantastic interior.

Second to that, I love the look of the instrument clusters and dashboards from pre-World War II cars. Just check out the cluster from a 1939 Packard Twelve:

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Park Place LTD

Alright, enough of what I like. Tell me what are the most beautiful instrument clusters of all time. Do you like ’em digital or old-school analog?

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72 thoughts on “What’s The Most Beautiful Speedometer Of All Time? Autopian Asks”

  7. So many seriously cool speedometers out there, including the ribbon speedometers found on early 140 series Volvos https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1969_volvo_144s_1580158255fcd2081969_volvo_144s_158015825498764da1f2eee81-2f08-47a9-91db-21533e346fe9-12GkW0.jpg?resize=620%2C413 but because I’m in the process of fixing up a 1954 Panhard Dyna Z I’m rather partial to its speedometer 🙂
    Since the plastic cover is so fogged and is awaiting refurbishment here are a couple of images from the internet:
    https://img.leboncoin.fr/api/v1/lbcpb1/images/45/47/80/45478076b53fa32228f9a55ccf8129a72cd8854c.jpg?rule=classified-800×533-webp
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Panhard_Dyna_Z16%2C_1958_%283%29.jpg
    Alas, those pictures do not show the needle which is a lovely bit of art deco with an open circle on the end.

  8. So many seriously cool speedometers out there, including the ribbon speedometers found on early 140 series Volvos https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1969_volvo_144s_1580158255fcd2081969_volvo_144s_158015825498764da1f2eee81-2f08-47a9-91db-21533e346fe9-12GkW0.jpg?resize=620%2C413 but because I’m in the process of fixing up a 1954 Panhard Dyna Z I’m rather partial to its speedometer 🙂
    Since the plastic cover is so fogged and is awaiting refurbishment here are a couple of images from the internet:
    https://img.leboncoin.fr/api/v1/lbcpb1/images/45/47/80/45478076b53fa32228f9a55ccf8129a72cd8854c.jpg?rule=classified-800×533-webp
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Panhard_Dyna_Z16%2C_1958_%283%29.jpg
    Alas, those pictures do not show the needle which is a lovely bit of art deco with an open circle on the end.

  11. I don’t have a specific speedometer for this but I greatly miss the red Pontiac ones that I had in my Grand Am GT, Grand Prix GT, and G6 GT Street Edition. Red looks great at night.

    I am pretty partial to the old 80s Chevy trucks speedo’s though.

  12. I don’t have a specific speedometer for this but I greatly miss the red Pontiac ones that I had in my Grand Am GT, Grand Prix GT, and G6 GT Street Edition. Red looks great at night.

    I am pretty partial to the old 80s Chevy trucks speedo’s though.

  13. I saw the headline and immediately thought ‘66 Charger and most especially at night. Then I read through your post and saw you also had mentioned the Charger. I was sad it was gone by the 2nd gen because I had one of those and it would’ve rocked with that electroluminescent instrument panel.

  14. I saw the headline and immediately thought ‘66 Charger and most especially at night. Then I read through your post and saw you also had mentioned the Charger. I was sad it was gone by the 2nd gen because I had one of those and it would’ve rocked with that electroluminescent instrument panel.

  15. Industrial designer jumping in here… for me to find something beautiful it has to function as well as look pretty. The Bugatti display looks impossible to read in a hurry with diagonal elements all over the place and unnecessary technical looking bits in random places distracting from the needles. If you are driving fast you need the information fast. This is just a hot mess.

    1. It is functional? Probably not. Still beatiful, like a watch with too many complications.

      But I understand what you say, and I tend to agree that sometimes if something is extremely functional, it becomes beautiful due its simplicity.

      Still, Bugatti cluster is unnecessarily complicated just for the sake of being beautiful, so, I think that is fine to admire that too.

  16. Industrial designer jumping in here… for me to find something beautiful it has to function as well as look pretty. The Bugatti display looks impossible to read in a hurry with diagonal elements all over the place and unnecessary technical looking bits in random places distracting from the needles. If you are driving fast you need the information fast. This is just a hot mess.

    1. It is functional? Probably not. Still beatiful, like a watch with too many complications.

      But I understand what you say, and I tend to agree that sometimes if something is extremely functional, it becomes beautiful due its simplicity.

      Still, Bugatti cluster is unnecessarily complicated just for the sake of being beautiful, so, I think that is fine to admire that too.

  19. I gotta go with the rather plain units that VW and Audi were using in the 80’s. Simple, clean, and perfectly functional. LED idiot lights are like candy.

  20. I gotta go with the rather plain units that VW and Audi were using in the 80’s. Simple, clean, and perfectly functional. LED idiot lights are like candy.

  23. Personal preference really but the simplicity and style of the black faced Jaeger gauges in the 70-74 Triumph Spitfire are my favorite. Not that they are the most reliable.

  24. Personal preference really but the simplicity and style of the black faced Jaeger gauges in the 70-74 Triumph Spitfire are my favorite. Not that they are the most reliable.

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