By Peter Tanshanomi
Car designers (usually) work hard to arrange the driver’s cockpit an orderly, coherent, attractive manner. The understandable result is that the overwhelming majority of instrument panels are laid out symmetrically. Sure, the actual gauges will differ from one side to the other, but in general, one side of the instrument panel will be mirrored by the other. But sometimes, a design team deliberately mixes things up, not only arranging the components asymmetrically, but actually giving the dash panel an asymmetrical binnacle. How many? Good question, if I do say so myself. How many cars can the Hooniverse Hivemind come up with?
The Caveats (there are always caveats):
- It should be obvious, not subtle. We want noticeably and deliberately asymmetrical examples.
- We’re talking about the overall shape of the instrument panel, not just the arrangement of the instruments within it. An odd number of idiot lights or squeezing the gas gauge into the bottom of the tach on one side won’t cut it.
Difficulty: Neither super easy nor particularly difficult. So moderate it’s the Joe Lieberman of Hoonatica entries.
How This Works: Read the comments first and don’t post duplicates. Bonus points for adding photos. Remember, you can simply paste in the raw image URL now, thanks to the magic of Disqus.
Image Source: ExtremeTech.com (It’s an attractively cropped version of a GM interior press photo.)
Robert Crespo 
Jeff Glucker 
Kamil Kaluski
http://images.thecarconnection.com/med/2003-saturn-ion-ion-2-4-door-sedan-manual-dashboard_100261877_m.jpg
I submit for clarity. When it’s canted like this. Symmetrical? Because the half arch obviously is, but it’s not as a overall design.
Saturn Ion.
Which the calls into question the Toyota Echo (We had customers call then the “EE-ChO” from time to time)
http://images.thecarconnection.com/med/2003-toyota-echo-4-door-sedan-manual-natl-dashboard_100280519_m.jpg
Whenever this topic arises, I think of Ferrari for some reason. Here’s a 612 Scaglietti.
http://www.ferraris-online.com/cars/FE-F430-146696/images/P031Web.jpg
The Mini Cooper…it’s either asymmetrical or overly symetrical.
http://www.truedelta.com/images/mk_reviews/1385349270-JCW-Clubman-instrument-panel.JPG
I would go with overly, kind of like the 06+ civic dash.
http://paultan.org/images.paultan.org/interior_front.jpg
It was part of the appeal for my purchase of a 2009 Civic. I find it easier to read large numbers.
Asymmetrical in that one cluster is rotary, the other buttons.
Screw it- I saw this on googlepics and had to share…
http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/zig_zag63/31876142/68218/68218_original.jpg
http://www.sportscarmarket.com/images/stories/images/stories/alex_martin-banzer-2010-chevrolet-camaro-ss-transformers-edition2.jpg/1978%20alfa%20romeo%20alfetta%20gt%205%20custom.jpg
The Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT delighted in putting the tach in front of the driver, because what else do you need to know? And the speedo in front of the passenger, to impress them I guess.
Asymmetrical barnacles? They all form somewhat randomly.
http://archive.wtsp.com/images/640/360/2/assetpool/photogallery/358153/Submerged-car-hcso.jpg
What the heck was that? Lexus? Old Toyota Soarer?
1969 fullsize Ford.
Lada (VAZ 2106)
http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/russian_cars/1975_Lada_VAZ_2106-a.jpg
Assuming that Disqus doesn’t reorder things, this strikes me as the first to actually satisfy the post. The Alfa is close, but is more two separate binnacles rather than a single, asymmetric binnacle. The others seem pretty much symmetric.
Instrument binnacle which is asymmetrical if you only compare upper half to lower half.
1972 Maserati Boomerang
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3711/10296932925_0a7951724e_b.jpg
An earlier (?) version of the concept had an even more batshit-crazy interior
http://i.wheelsage.org/pictures/m/maserati/boomerang/maserati_boomerang_12.jpg
Low-hanging fruit:
http://www.cobracountry.com/GT40s-forsale/GT40-agnew-ga-cockpit.jpg
(In better keeping with the spirit of question, I suppose I should have posted the production/street-car Ford GT cockpit, but…)
When switching from a Mopar E body standard cluster (pictured) to the symmetrical Rally instrument cluster, it also requires a change to the HVAC controls and lower trim, unless you don’t mind a hole where the speedometer used to hang.
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h332/Mickm33/Cuda/CUDA%20DASH/PHOTOSHOPPREVIEW_zps8b635667.jpg
When the question is “Wierd?” the answer is alway Fiat Multipla.
I agree. But the binnacle itself isn’t actually asymmetrical…
https://pbsboards.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/rick-chen-interior-designer.jpg
Ha- those vents to the right look like a man with a bad combover.
Suzuki Alto. They obviously forgot something and stuck it on when they remembered what it was.
http://www.suzukispecial.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/CMH-Suzuki-Alto-Interior-Instrument-Binnacle.jpg
I dig that!
One-eyed Renault Twingo asks: Who woke me up?
http://www.autosmotor.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/comp_2012400042_0027.jpg
Hood tachometers are not even inside the car, and typically offset on the hood to be in front of the driver.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yEehv7J8uEs/TQIocw0mbgI/AAAAAAAACys/RQnrfeV650Q/s1600/Picture+%252814%2529.JPG
This thing needs to make a comeback.
I never even knew this was a thing. Freaktastically wasteful!
Citroen GS
The photo is the post is the Chevy Sonic, the Spark is similarly asymmetric (2013 pictured):
http://www.conceptcarz.com/images/Chevrolet/2013-Chevrolet-Spark-Image-i01-1024.jpg
As was the prior version (2011 pictured):
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000zcrGNthUue8/s/900/2011-chevrolet-spark-hatchback-photo-223.jpg
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–kbWsW_Gu–/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/18v3845x2vcuhjpg.jpg
The Maurader was probably the better example of the asymmetrical Ford design. It was a smooth sweeping line, but it fell away at the passenger airbag, not rounding down to form symmetry.
In that case, the Audi Typ44:
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/1991-audi-200-20v-turbo-quattro-find-of-the-day-86.jpg
The Ford F1 was pretty deliberately asymmetrical. Picture from a 1948 one.
https://img.mecum.com/auctions/FL0111/FL0111-102071/images/FL0111-102071_4.jpg
Alfa 2600 – strip dials with an off-center round tach.
Someone pointed out to me once that the Sonic dash almost perfectly draws a penis. The Tach is the balls and um, goes up from there (left to right). Once you see it you cannot un-see it!
Trying again, because my original attempt got eaten…the Scaglietti reminded me that I’ve always liked the RX-7 (FC and FD) dash layouts, as well:
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SMtn7ZidZq8/hqdefault.jpg
http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2012/10/15/21/18/1993_mazda_rx-7_2_dr_turbo_hatchback-pic-4463169950673459108.jpeg
er…”We’re talking about the overall shape of the instrument panel, not just the arrangement of the instruments within it.”
…my bad.
Toyota seemed to get most adventurous with their minivans, here’s the oddly shaped second gen Estima interior.
http://gthighperformance.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ID332-TOYOTA-ESTIMA-2.4L-2002-12.jpeg
Every time these get mentioned, I’m sad we don’t get to buy updated versions here.
Since it’s Tuesday in some parts of the world, and roughly the 10th anniversary of the day I bought the one I used to ride: Kawasaki KLR650 (’87-’07).