The ridiculously space age instrument panel on the 1961 Chrysler Imperial

Originally published at: The ridiculously space age instrument panel on the 1961 Chrysler Imperial | Boing Boing

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I fuckin love big old Detroit iron.

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The mid century aesthetic has come back in so many places. I really wish it would return in the car industry.

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If’n I had a late 50s imperial, I’m pretty sure I’d actually live in it.

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If you had a late 50s full size car from any of the Big 3, you’d have enough space to actually live in it. The trunks were large enough to use as a living room and the bench seats would be long, narrow beds.

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My father had a 1965 Ford Thunderbird, which also had a very space-age dashboard.

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I love the aesthetics of cars from that time period and wish that the look would return, but on a more modern chassis/platform instead of the ‘variations on a jellybean’ look we currently have.

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Fun fact that you probably already know: Because of their massive size and weight, Imperials are usually banned from demolition derbies.

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SPACE AGE ELECTRONICS

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The simulators in my driver’s ed class had an option for push button gear changing.

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i don’t even LIKE cars and i want one of these.

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Pagani also has some over the top dashboards.

Via: https://www.thedesignofspeed.com/single-post/pagani-huayra-dashboard

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I was just looking on Google Images for pictures of big cars, and was reminded how much I used to enjoy Cannon as a youngster.

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To me, the Imperial’s dash screams oddly charming and understandable innocence. The Pagani? Throw 'em in jail now guilt.

Our parochial school had a bowling league, and every Saturday our team of five (The Hawks!!!) would be driven to the Greenpoint Lanes by Mr. B, our teammate captain’s dad. The car: A 1964 Mercury Monterey. Mr. B loved keeping that old thing up. Me? Even then I was not impressed by the look of most 60’s American builds… but that Mercury had one thing that impressed me and rest of the team: It had a power rear window. We would drive Mr. B crazy, asking him to roll that window down and up, down and up .We theorized that the window’s overhanging frame was slanted to allow the power window’s use on rainy days; one drizzly Saturday put paid to that theory.

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I’m always this guy, and I don’t care. It’s not a Chrysler Imperial. It’s an Imperial. Chrysler’s marketing department didn’t go through all the crap they went through just for these cars to be called Chryslers. And no Continental made in the '50s was a Lincoln, either, and saying “Ford Edsel” is like saying “GM Chevy” or “Volkswagen Bentley.” Do your homework.

It looks like a ridiculous dog’s breakfast. That’s been eaten and then vomited up.

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Yep. A lot cheaper… and easily taken care of. If I had won that car in some deranged contest, I’d instead ask for cash if possible, but – if not – on the auction block it immediately goes. I wouldn’t be caught dead in that thing.

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I think one would become dead in that thing, because while driving I’d be so distracted trying to figure out where the info and controls that I need are.

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They’re just cars.

Angry Harrison Ford GIF

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