Studebaker 'Racing Trivia' Question #89

[SN-60]

What might be considered two 'drawbacks' of a '55 President Speedster dashboard?

[studegary]

No glovebox and too reflective.

[r1lark]

Gary's answers are pretty good. I'll try something a little different........no glovebox, and the dash material was not as 'stable' as the '57 thru '64 Hawk dashes so it tended to warp quickly.

[SN-60]

To: r1lark,-----Your right...Gary's answers are good.....but I believe Your both missing an important 'omission'....HINT...Study that dash!

[r1lark]

No glovebox, and the passenger side of the dash was so 'short' that it showed too much of the ugly firewall..............??

[DEEPNHOCK]

[DEEPNHOCK]

Dash too shiny.
No radio speaker.
No cup holder.
No GPS.
No Bluetooth.

[mbstude]

The first time I drove a Speedster, I realized how inconvenient it is that none of the switches are labeled.

[SN-60]

To r1lark & DEEPNHOCK,---------- All Your answers are true......But the one MAJOR omission (In My opinion) is what mbstude mentioned....the complete LACK of labeling of
the dashboard lights, inst lights, heater, and defroster switches. Corrected in '56, Matt is CORRECT on this question. (The other MAJOR drawback would be, of course, the omission
of the customary glovebox).

[SN-60]

To: DEEPNHOCK,-------Thank You for posting those GREAT photos of a '55 President Speedster dash!

[SN-60]

In DEEPNHOCK's dashboard photos, I thought at first that I was looking at the same dash from different angles.....but check the original gauges in the first photo....and 'modern'
gauges in the second photo.....two different President Speedsters!

[plwindish]

In the Speedster, gauge placement of the speedometer and tachometer are on the outside of the 4 smaller gauges, actually reversed from later Hawk(56-61) and Avanti models having the speedo and tach being directly in the center of the dash in front of the steering wheel along with the smaller gauges being on the outside of the speedo and tach.

[comatus]

Unlabeled switches were a "sports car thing." Some E Jags had a confounding row of identical toggles to the driver's right (or left, if you had the RHD model), including a fuel pump or two that had to be switched on before attempting a start. Chicks dug it, and it daunted thieves. Never mind that no tech inspector would allow such a thing on a real race car. There it was.

Gauge size and placement have a branch of industrial psychology devoted to them, and if nothing else they make a statement about how you see yourself as a driver. LJK Setright wrote an inspiring article about the RAF's research in fighter planes that pretty much put paid to digital readouts, except it didn't. I was attracted by the layout of Alfa's Alfetta GT, which had Just.The.Tach.in front of you, and everything else in the center, where presumably one's rallye co-pilot would help monitor them. Sadly for me, I liked the sedan's handling better, and it had a nice but conventional dash layout.

Of course I never complain about the Avanti to "civilians," but just 'twixt thee-all and me, the dash pod looks great from alongside the car, but from the driver's seat, a couple of gauges I'd kind of like to see all the time manage to hide behind the wheel. I'm pretty sure a Momo would remedy this, but I'm so worried that the hub wouldn't match my interior...you know how it is.

[SN-60]

To: comatus,-----Unlabeled switches a 'sports car thing'? Now that You mention it, I kind of remember that.

[studegary]

To Comatus - Yes, I read that part (edit), but it doesn't show up when I use the "reply with quote" function.