- 11,775
- Marin County
The Interiors Thread.
- Thread starter Eunos_Cosmo
- 401 comments
- 46,686 views
- 27,203
- United Kingdom
A twitter discussion reminded me that I have a bit of a soft spot for the 916-generation Alfa Romeo GTV interior.
Pictured are the early and roughly middle iterations of the cabin (1996 and 2001 - the second image is the limited-edition GTV Cup), so you can see how it changed over time - the basic layout was similar, but it got a smoother centre stack, new dials, better-integrated vents, and a more attractive steering wheel. I always found the four-spoke wheel ugly, but less so these days as I find it nostalgic, and for the time the GTV was a big step up in quality for Alfa.
The car was also from the time when it wasn't unusual to find a bit of colour in a car's interior, so Alfa did offer some brighter and more exotic shades.
...which played to the "junior exotic" theme quite nicely - GTVs, particularly the V6s, were frequently described as being a kind of affordable Ferrari, which is ironic considering the current Giulia Quadrifoglio's V6 actually has a fair bit of Ferrari engineering within it.
I've never personally driven a GTV or Spider from that era, but I did poke around one when car hunting many years ago, and the quality really was pretty good. As old Alfas go, GTVs seem to be relatively trouble-free used buys - there are a few commonly-known and easily-rectifiable issues, but nothing likely to take a prepared owner by surprise.
Pictured are the early and roughly middle iterations of the cabin (1996 and 2001 - the second image is the limited-edition GTV Cup), so you can see how it changed over time - the basic layout was similar, but it got a smoother centre stack, new dials, better-integrated vents, and a more attractive steering wheel. I always found the four-spoke wheel ugly, but less so these days as I find it nostalgic, and for the time the GTV was a big step up in quality for Alfa.
The car was also from the time when it wasn't unusual to find a bit of colour in a car's interior, so Alfa did offer some brighter and more exotic shades.
...which played to the "junior exotic" theme quite nicely - GTVs, particularly the V6s, were frequently described as being a kind of affordable Ferrari, which is ironic considering the current Giulia Quadrifoglio's V6 actually has a fair bit of Ferrari engineering within it.
I've never personally driven a GTV or Spider from that era, but I did poke around one when car hunting many years ago, and the quality really was pretty good. As old Alfas go, GTVs seem to be relatively trouble-free used buys - there are a few commonly-known and easily-rectifiable issues, but nothing likely to take a prepared owner by surprise.
- 27,203
- United Kingdom
- 15,370
- TRAPPIST-1g
- ProjectWHaT
I really like the new Taycan interior.
The curved instrument panel is stunning
The curved instrument panel is stunning
- 29,633
- a baby, candy, it's like taking.
- TexRex72
Y'know...I'm quite Taycan with that.I really like the new Taycan interior.
The curved instrument panel is stunning
- 3,712
- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
I'm quite fascinated by the Renault Avantime's interior.
https://jalopnik.com/the-byton-m-bytes-screen-is-so-big-im-still-not-quite-1838024354
That's a lot of screens... Next add the cellphone lol.
- 3,712
- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
The bright, mint-green interior of late-70s Lincoln Continentals with the Givenchy package is a guilty pleasure of mine. What an era!
On another note, here's the '67-'69 Camaro interior in olive green.
On another note, here's the '67-'69 Camaro interior in olive green.
- 4,933
- United States
- Stawookie
That looks very cozy.
- 834
- United States
The print on this particular one is pretty hideous and even though this car is known for being very cramped , the interior looks surprisingly comfortable even though there's probably 0 leg room unless you're 5'5 or shorter.
- 1,626
- DFW Area
- KM964007
- KM9644
When most people think of Ferrari they think they're going to be red over tan. The resale spec. This car, however, REALLY breaks that norm.
This is a 1958 250 GT Series I Cabriolet, chassis 0789GT. Originally built for Italian playboy Prince Alessandro Ruspoli. I had the chance to see it in person in August when Gooding & Co. auctioned it at their Pebble Beach auction, where it fetched $6.8 million.
The interior on a classic Ferrari is just as much art as the exterior. Alot of people who attended and saw this car did not like the combination - I will admit it's not the best and it wouldn't be my first choice, but I like it for how subtle and different it is.
This is a 1958 250 GT Series I Cabriolet, chassis 0789GT. Originally built for Italian playboy Prince Alessandro Ruspoli. I had the chance to see it in person in August when Gooding & Co. auctioned it at their Pebble Beach auction, where it fetched $6.8 million.
The interior on a classic Ferrari is just as much art as the exterior. Alot of people who attended and saw this car did not like the combination - I will admit it's not the best and it wouldn't be my first choice, but I like it for how subtle and different it is.
- 27,203
- United Kingdom
Often have some kind of Smart in my eBay watchlist, and it struck me that as a model it's consistently had one of my favourite "affordable car" interiors.
The design has changed quite significantly over the years, not least because while the concept of a two-seat city car has remained the same, each generation has changed in size and in its mechanicals. Long product cycles also mean that design trends in the industry itself have usually changed quite a bit from one model to the next.
But they also have several things in common. The biggest one being a general sense of fun that's often missing from cheaper cars. Cheap usually means relatively simple and understated designs, and often a lack of colour and personality, but it's always been a core part of Smart's brand image.
This in turn means lots of ideas carry across from one gen to the next. Things in pods, for one - dials, air vents etc. They're part of the architecture of the interior rather than incorporated meekly into the dash. Widespread use of fabric or leather on the dashboard is another common theme, rather than large expanses of plastic. It's an easy way of incorporating colour (and presumably cheaper than forming huge coloured plastic panels, so leads to more variety) and feels more tactile and high-quality than large plastic parts. Finally, for small cars they've always been pretty hot on storage - Smart has never been mean with the space set aside for the bits and pieces of daily life.
Above all, all these touches have always made me feel like the people who've worked on Smarts care about making interesting cars, and not just churning out the bare minimum. Even considering the quirky concept and exterior styling, I think the interiors are a good example of this attitude within the brand.
The design has changed quite significantly over the years, not least because while the concept of a two-seat city car has remained the same, each generation has changed in size and in its mechanicals. Long product cycles also mean that design trends in the industry itself have usually changed quite a bit from one model to the next.
But they also have several things in common. The biggest one being a general sense of fun that's often missing from cheaper cars. Cheap usually means relatively simple and understated designs, and often a lack of colour and personality, but it's always been a core part of Smart's brand image.
This in turn means lots of ideas carry across from one gen to the next. Things in pods, for one - dials, air vents etc. They're part of the architecture of the interior rather than incorporated meekly into the dash. Widespread use of fabric or leather on the dashboard is another common theme, rather than large expanses of plastic. It's an easy way of incorporating colour (and presumably cheaper than forming huge coloured plastic panels, so leads to more variety) and feels more tactile and high-quality than large plastic parts. Finally, for small cars they've always been pretty hot on storage - Smart has never been mean with the space set aside for the bits and pieces of daily life.
Above all, all these touches have always made me feel like the people who've worked on Smarts care about making interesting cars, and not just churning out the bare minimum. Even considering the quirky concept and exterior styling, I think the interiors are a good example of this attitude within the brand.
- 23,882
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
- 29,633
- a baby, candy, it's like taking.
- TexRex72
Oh, sure, it was by no means inexpensive, but I simply don't feel its elegance was matched by its contemporaries. I'll grant you that the Merc had an edge when it came to material quality, but the company lost a bit in terms of graceful, elegant design in just a few years' time.
What confounds me most is that the SM manages to simultaneously be a product of its time and transcend time.
- 27,203
- United Kingdom
The second-gen is the one I'm most familiar with, so I quite like it. It matched the squarer exterior styling too.
The one big issue with that particular interior is that I've found the rear-view mirror actually obstructs a fair amount of the forward view at some angles. I'm not a tall person, but you do sit fairly high in Smarts so tend to look through the top half of the windscreen.
I do like the current interior though. It almost feels too conventional, thanks to that full centre console and more substantial dashboard architecture, but the traditional Smart touches pull it back.
- 758
- Alabama
- Horobi-Scorpion
Two of my current favorite cars. 2018-Current Lincoln Navigator, and a 2017-Current Aston Martin DB11.
Hopefully one day soon, I'll have them both in my garage.
Hopefully one day soon, I'll have them both in my garage.
