Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History has a video that ranks the top-10 “coolest” interiors of Big Three cars from 1955-70. Host Adam Wade’s (2024) list is worth viewing but I would like to offer a somewhat different take.
In the list below I place more emphasis on cars that arguably pioneered new approaches — some of which took hold in the American auto industry and others which did not (but were still interesting experiments). I also focus more on practical features and less on design gimmicks than Wade does.
In coming up with my own rankings, it struck me that judging interiors can be even more subjective than exterior styling. Thus, I present my top-10 list mainly as a way to cultivate discussion.
To be at least somewhat comparable to Wade’s list, I have kept the same year range of 1955-70. However, I have expanded the contestants to include independent automakers.
You may notice that the number of cars listed for each automaker does not correlate with their relative size, e.g., Ford has twice as many entries as General Motors. And while I include two cars from Studebaker, there are none from American Motors. While the latter automaker occasionally offered some memorable interiors, I don’t think that they rose to the level of trendsetting.
Feel free to challenge that assessment. What does your list look like?
10 — 1960-62 Chrysler 300 letter series
What top-10 list isn’t complete without at least an honorable mention given to the 1960-62 Chrysler, with its iconic “Astradome” dashboard?
The 300 letter series also stood out for its relatively early rendition of a four-place sporty car, with a full-length center console and four bucket seats. Chrysler may have been borrowing from the four-place Thunderbird (see No. 6), but Chrysler beat General Motors to the punch with its first generation of personal coupes — the 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix and Oldmobile Starfire.
I took the top photo at the LeMay Collections at Marymount. Wade’s video has a strikingly similar image that he apparently reposted from Indie Auto’s collection on Flickr. He didn’t ask for permission to use the photo despite it being copyrighted — which is not terribly professional.
9 — 1965 Buick Riviera
Wade (2024) lists the 1963-65 Riviera as possessing the No. 1 coolest interior. I would agree that it was one of General Motors best during this time period but consider the first-generation Riviera too derivative for top honors.
Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the car was its clever cost cutting. Many of the dashboard’s parts were shared with the 1963 full-sized Buick line. The Riviera added a center console that was integrated unusually well with the dash.
Also see ‘1963-65 Buick Riviera shows GM’s struggle with personal coupes’
This illustrates a fundamental difference in design approaches with that of the Ford Thunderbird. Whereas the 1961-66 T-Bird was based on a platform only shared with the low-volume Lincoln Continental, the Riviera was essentially a reskinned large GM car — which were produced in large numbers. That presumably made the Riviera more profitable, but it was also less distinctive.
8 — 1957-58 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser
It’s a shame that the 1957-58 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser sold poorly because it was one of the few late-50s cars which emphasized practical innovations.
The roofline was strikingly unusual in having air vents on top of the windshield as well as a roll-down back window. And unlike subsequent Lincoln and Mercury designs, the glass wasn’t slanted backwards — which always struck me as looking more awkward than the Turnpike Cruiser’s forward slant.
The dashboard was also noteworthy for its relatively clean, airy design that was unusually well padded for the time. Go here for further discussion about the Turnpike Cruiser.
7 — 1955 Studebaker President two-door hardtop
In 1953 Studebaker introduced the first postwar American personal coupe with low-slung models designed by Raymond Loewy’s consulting firm. They were as interesting on the inside as the outside, although I don’t think that they reached their design peak until 1955-56.
The 1955 President two-door hardtop shown above is noteworthy for sporting what is arguably the first modern dashboard. It has a strongly horizontal design that is surprisingly clean for the mid-50s (go here for further discussion).
The Loewy coupes also pioneered two-place back seats. The President was rather plain so I have also included photos of a 1956 Golden Hawk, which had fancier trim. However, the redesigned dashboard on the 1956-61 models was arguably a step backwards because it was too plain and retro looking (go here for further discussion).
Indie Auto reader Stewdi mentions in the comments (go here) that the 1955 President’s back seat had a center armrest like the 1956 Golden Hawk but that it was in a retracted position. That’s a noteworthy feature.
6 — 1958-60 Ford Thunderbird
The 1958-60 Thunderbird may not have been the first postwar personal coupe — Studebaker’s Loewy coupes arguably deserve credit for that — but it established a basic template for the genre that was widely followed over the next decade. That included bucket seats, a center console and sculpted back seats.
Subsequent T-Birds may have had more design gimmicks, but I appreciate this generation’s understated styling. Go here for further discussion about the rise and fall of the Thunderbird.
5 — 1968-70 Chevrolet Corvette
Rarely has an American car been given such a radical redesign as the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette. Whereas the 1962-67 models had an old-school quality to their interior styling, the 1968 models looked extravagantly futuristic, with a deeply inset dashboard and unusually sculpted bucket seats and door panels.
The 1968 Corvette was also noteworthy for pioneering the removable T-top, which became popular among American cars in the 1970s.
Also see ‘1953-73 Chevrolet Corvette ads gingerly showed changing gender roles’
I have included images of the 1969-70 models to show the evolutionary changes made to the Corvette’s interior. Whereas the 1968 model had a somewhat austere and plasticky look, by 1970 the addition of wood-grain trim and high-backed bucket seats gave the interior a more luxurious vibe (warmer colors also helped).
4 — 1966-67 Dodge Charger
The 1966-67 Dodge Charger did not sell very well, but it did sport one of the most versatile interiors of that time period. Of course, the Charger was an upsized 1964-69 Plymouth Barracuda, with its fold-down back seat and a door to the trunk that allowed the car to carry exceptionally long cargo.
I have chosen to highlight the Charger because it had more upscale features, such as bucket seats in back, a full-length center console, and a fancier dashboard with full instrumentation.
Although no other U.S. automaker copied Chrysler’s approach, the Charger did vaguely anticipate the hatchback body style of the 1970s — although they only showed up on smaller American cars. The intermediate class would prove to be a size too big for a four-place hatchback coupe. Might the Charger have been more successful as an upscale compact sibling to the Barracuda?
3 — 1964-66 Ford Thunderbird
The 1964-66 Ford Thunderbird’s interior may have had a gimmicky quality, but it still strikes me as one of the most inventive cars of this time period. The jet-cockpit dashboard, wrap-around back seats and hidden convertible top made the T-Bird stand out even among premium-priced cars.
Aside from the tilt-away steering wheel there was very little that was practical about the Thunderbird — it was a flight of stylistic fancy. And it was so iconic precisely because designers were given the latitude to deviate from the standard interiors of the time.
As a point of comparison, I have included a picture of a 1972 Thunderbird’s interior. By then the T-Bird had become so generic that it could have been confused with any number of other luxury cars (go here for further discussion).
2 — 1963-64 Studebaker Avanti
Wade (2024) included in his list the 1969 Ford LTD and Pontiac Grand Prix, noting their wrap-around dashboards. They may have been the first mass-market cars to offer that feature, but the 1963-64 Studebaker Avanti (along with the 1962-64 Hawk) came up with the idea years before.
Studebaker’s approach was arguably more practical because it mostly focused on pointing all gauges at the driver rather than also hoarding other controls, as Ford and Pontiac did. That proved to be a short-lived fad because it made sense for front-seat passengers to have easy access to the likes of the radio and heater.
The Avanti’s interior was chock full of interesting features, such as unusually form-fitting bucket seats, overhead controls, an integrated roll bar, a vanity built into the glove box, and an openable panel behind the back seat that provided access to the trunk. The dashboard was also exceptionally clean looking and safety conscious for its time.
The Avanti was remarkably advanced for a car developed on a shoestring budget. Indeed, this Studebaker arguably had one of the most original interiors of the postwar era from any American automaker.
1 — 1961-63 Lincoln Continental
The exterior design of the 1961-63 Lincoln Continental has been pointed to as highly influential, but I would argue that the interior was as well. Inside and out, this car took the then-radical step of rejecting the “sci-fi” look in favor of a modern take on the brougham look.
The Continental didn’t just help to kick off a new era in Detroit car design — it also had some refreshingly original touches for its time. As a case in point, the 1961-63 models were the first U.S. “coupe sedans.” Interior dimensions were unusually intimate for an American luxury car — more for four passengers rather than six. The front seat backs were curved, which gave them a semi-bucket quality, and the dashboard had two deeply recessed pods. Meanwhile, the exceptionally thick C-pillars emphasized the privacy of rear passengers.
Also see ‘1961-63 Lincoln Continental was not as iconic as often described’
Of course, the most memorable part of the so-called “Kennedy” Continentals were their clam-shell doors and four-door convertible body style, both of which harkened back to the classic era of American cars. These features were not subsequently picked up by any other U.S. automaker, but that just gave the Continental more cachet.
The Ford Motor Company would continue to pioneer the brougham look as the 1960s wore on, such as with the 1967-68 Mercury Marquis and 1969 Ford LTD, both of which Wade (2024) put on his top-10 list. However, the 1961-63 Continental was arguably the touchstone for all of those cars.
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Wade, Adam; 2024. “Top 10 Most Beautiful Car Interiors of All Time – Which is Your Favorite (GM/Ford/Chrysler)?” Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History. Accessed June 4.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- autohistorypreservationsociety.org: Ford Thunderbird (1958)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Chevrolet Corvette (1968, 1969, 1970); Chrysler 300G (1961); Dodge Charger (1966, 1967), Ford Thunderbird (1958, 1964, 1972); Lincoln Continental (1962); Studebaker Avanti (1963, 1964)
Mid – ’50s DeSotos (to ’56?) have a cool, advanced, split-design dashboard, and ’56 Packard Caribbeans also have a very cool dash AND reversible seat cushions. The ’65 and ’66 full-sized Pontiacs were especially nice, and the ’69-’70 Grand Prixs had an upscale interior with a driver-oriented dash (emulating the ’62-’64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk dash).
So many ’55-’70 interiors were cool (which is not quite the same as notable or well done). You’ve given us a hard task!
Your ’55-’56 Studebaker notes need some tweaking: the ’55 President rear seat HAS a centre armrest as well – just like the ’56. It is retractable. Your ’55 picture shows it in the down position. In the ’56 Golden Hawk picture, it is up. In the ’53’s the rear armrest was fixed in position. In ’54 it became removable, and from ’55 it became retractable.
I wonder why you didn’t show the ’55 Speedster model with its advanced fibreglass dash and standard spectacular diamond tufted leather interior?
By the way, the right side of the ’53-’54 “Loewy Coupe” dash horizontal layout was exactly the same as you show in the ’55. The praise you give to the ’55 as the first modern dash should perhaps be given instead to the ’53 – especially the Champion which had better designed instrumentation than the Commander. The ’53’s also had a 40/60 split in the front seat backs which added a touch of sportiness.
Yes, l know your article date starts at ’55, but in Studebaker’s case, their ’55 car (and truck) designs were, basically, as you know, modified ’53s.
Can the ’63 Lark dash design be given honorable mention? The Avanti (and some later years of Larks) also had red no-glare instrument lighting. And later Larks also offered optional fold-down seats and beautiful broadcloth fabric.
Thank you for the information on the 1955 President’s retractable armrest. I’ve changed the text.
I thought about using the 1955 Speedster because of its even better dashboard but didn’t have decent pictures . . . and am not a big fan of the car’s rather loud, diamond-shaped seat upholstery. I agree that the 1953-54 Champion’s dashboard was similar to the 1955 President’s, although the pictures I have access to suggest that the latter has a bit more upscale and modern look.
The other cars you mention sound worthy. I have a pile of pictures on my computer’s desktop of cars that fit in the category of interesting but didn’t make my final cut for some reason. It is hard picking only 10 but that also forces decisions about what designs had the biggest impact.
I remember was a young boy how incredible the detailing was on the Tri-Five Chevrolet dashboards. The little bowties on the Bel Air dashes were incredible.
I agree: The interiors of the 1960-1962 Chrysler 300s, the 1964-1966 Thunderbirds, the 1962-1964 Studebaker Avantis and Gran Turismo Hawks were the best of the best. Oh yes, and make certain that the upholstery is leather !