C4 Corvette Start-Up Procedure Demonstrates How Impressive Digital Dashboards Used to Be

C4 Corvette Start-Up Procedure Demonstrates How Impressive Digital Dashboards Used to Be

      Bob Aughey via YouTube

      The trend of screens taking over cars is a divisive topic among fans, but it wasn't always so. I’ll take a chance here and suggest that most people would find it hard to watch the video below featuring a 1987 C4 Chevy Corvette's digital dash illuminate on ignition without being captivated.

      There was a period when these digital clock-like displays and bar-graph speedometers added to a car’s appeal rather than complicating it. My girlfriend and I have been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation recently (she's the expert, and I'm the novice), and I feel a similar sense of fascination when looking at the LCARS interfaces in that show or the NERV systems in Neon Genesis Evangelion, as I do when viewing this Corvette’s dashboard. The blend of colors, Eurostile font, and a focus on words rather than just symbols work together beautifully. It may appear busy, yet it doesn't reach a level of complexity that makes it difficult to comprehend.

      Despite this, it can be quite challenging to read in bright sunlight, and that’s one reason I value this video. It provides one of the clearest views of this instrument cluster that most people are likely to encounter, for several reasons. Even with the panel's matte finish, reading it in direct sunlight can be tough. Interestingly, Gran Turismo 7 captures this issue perfectly; the C4’s dashboard is nearly unreadable in bright conditions in that game. (It’s also slow to react, exhibiting typical old LCD ghosting. The level of detail in GT7 often amazes me, which you can witness in the embedded video around the 4:30 mark.)

      Additionally, there’s a historical significance to this footage. How many C4 Corvettes still exist in the wild with fully functional digital instrument clusters and no burnt pixels? Over time, sunlight deteriorates the polarizing film GM applied over the displays, and the connections between printed circuit boards eventually corrode. Restoring one of these units isn't an easy endeavor, as highlighted by an informative article from Chevy Hardcore.

      Therefore, seeing one of these operational in full HD is a rare delight. The only thing that could surpass this would be watching those bars rise with the RPMs. I can’t help but chuckle that GM still opted for an analog odometer, though. This specific C4 apparently has more than 111,000 miles on it, which is quite impressive for a car nearing 40 years old. Perhaps this owner has succeeded in maintaining their vehicle's original instrument cluster in excellent shape, but I would suspect they’ve performed the necessary work to keep it looking like new. In any case, credit is due where it’s warranted.

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C4 Corvette Start-Up Procedure Demonstrates How Impressive Digital Dashboards Used to Be C4 Corvette Start-Up Procedure Demonstrates How Impressive Digital Dashboards Used to Be C4 Corvette Start-Up Procedure Demonstrates How Impressive Digital Dashboards Used to Be

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C4 Corvette Start-Up Procedure Demonstrates How Impressive Digital Dashboards Used to Be

This is one of the most distinct views of an old 'Vette's digital instrument cluster that many of us are probably ever going to encounter.