Although the first part of a car that meets the eye is the body, the interior is arguably more important as it plays a major part in determining if a car is enjoyable to drive or ride in. Cobbling together an interior is tough because engineers, designers, bean counters, factory workers and even dealers all want to have their say on topics like ergonomics and comfort.
It goes without saying that car interiors have evolved considerably over the past couple of decades – try finding a press release related to the upcoming Geneva Motor Show that doesn’t contain the word “infotainment.” What hasn’t changed is that the cockpit’s overall appearance more often than not reveals the car’s vocation. A Spartan interior with hard plastics is generally associated with an economy car, a full set of gauges is often found in a sports car and a farm’s worth of leather hides on the dash denotes a luxury car.
What is your favorite car interior?
Alfa Romeo Alfetta (116-series)
Audi Quattro
Autobianchi A112
BMW 315 (E21)
Citroën 2CV
Citroën CX
Fiat 127 Sport
Ford Granada
Honda Civic (mk1)
Lada Niva
Lancia Beta Trevi
Land Rover Range Rover (mk1)
Mazda Familia
Mercedes-Benz 230G (460)
Nissan Cedric
Peugeot 305
Renault 4 Bye Bye
Renault 15 TS
Renault-Alpine GTA
Subaru Aclyone
Tatra T613
Triumph TR7
Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Passat (mk2)
Volvo 760 GLE
Autobianchi A112 is very nice and Lancia trevi for its very particular originality.
Many have some very weird particulars, some are stylish some are ankward… but the best to me, by any means, is the Citroen CX. The one in the pic is a mid-range model I guess and it’s one of the firsts. The latter ones (mid of the production) and higher range, are INCREDIBLY fascinating. And it’s not just the cockpit, but the whole feeling of the interior! The seats, the door panels, the dashboard… I mean, google “Citroen CX GTi interiori” or the DIGIT one! It’s like a spaceship dripping with class!