[masraum]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

So, if a long line of small gauges is wrong, yet a small cluster between the speedo and tach is is wrong, what do you consider right? Seems like the two most logical layouts to me.

As far as gauges themselves...for ease of reading, I think the old Stewart-Warner scheme of black round faces with white needles can't be topped. High contrast...
That's why my wristwatch is the same...black face, white hands and numbers.

Porsche nailed another thing well with the early 911...the auxillary gauges laid out so needles were horizontal when everything in the normal zone while driving. Just a glance would tell the driver all was okay.

I think his point is that the gauges shouldn't stretch over half way across the dash like in the XKE.

In the 911, the tach is central with the other gauges in fairly close proximity to either side, so still central to the driver, in theory with the less important gauges farther away from the driver's centerline.

In the XKE, the gauges stretch almost into the passenger's side of the dash.