Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

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single frame: 1972 Lincoln dashboard

Jim Grey
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Continental dash

1972 Lincoln dashboard
Canon TLb, 50mm f/1.8 Canon FD S.C.
Kodak Gold 200 (at EI 100)
2018

Notice how the turn-signal and gear-selector stalks have no buttons or switches on them? They do just the one thing each. I can’t remember the last car I owned where that was the case.

This whole dashboard seems so strange now, with its strip speedometer and gauges in individual binnacles, rather than big, round gauges in a pod mounted high. Heck, even gauges are going away, replaced with screens that simulate gauges.

And when was the last time you saw a car with a blue interior? They all seem to be black, gray, or beige now.

As a kid I remember thinking how primitive and strange cars from before World War II were. But now this car is that old to a kid today. What is a modern youngster’s impression of such a machine? Do kids even dream of cars anymore?

Comments

8 responses to “single frame: 1972 Lincoln dashboard”

  1. Nancy Stewart Avatar
    Nancy Stewart

    I sure remember cars with interiors like this …. and I liked them very much. Dashboards now have way too much on them. If it has a good radio, I’m happy …. and if they still made them with crank windows, that would be fine too. I know …. old fogey, right ??

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I remember a big silver Mercury Marquis you guys used to have. I rode in it a few times. It was such a serene ride.

      Reply
  2. eppaar Avatar
    eppaar

    For that matter when was the last time you saw the gear shift on the steering column or a bench front seat?

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I think column shift is still available on a car or two, but it’s rare. But bench seats are gone and will never come back thanks to three-point belts and airbags. The only thing I miss about bench seats is the ability for my wife to slide over and snuggle in on a long trip. But if we were in an accident while like that, it wouldn’t go well for us.

      Reply
  3. bodegabayf2 Avatar
    bodegabayf2

    As an automotive marketing person with nearly 30 years in the seat, I will tell you that millennials are far less interested in cars than we were at that age. I don’t have to tell you that this worries the auto manufacturers very much.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Seismic shifts are coming in the auto industry, to be sure.

      Reply
  4. Marcus Avatar
    Marcus

    When I see the electronic dashboards I always think, “Well, there’s something else that can develop a fault.” Pretty, though.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Yeah….me too, actually. The more analog and mechanical a car is, the more comfortable I feel. But every car is stuffed full of electronics now.

      Reply

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