Every time we open the car door and slide behind the steering wheel, we face the most important automotive focal point of all--the dashboard. This is where we make our most essential and intimate contact with the car. Arrayed before us, often in a bewildering array of instrumentation, the dashboard offers vital controls and crucial information for the driver. From the most basic functionality of steering and throttle control to an astonishing array of navigation, safety, communication and entertainment features that existed only in science fiction a generation ago, the dashboard truly is the nerve center of the automobile.
The dashboard alludes to humanity's mastery over machines, but at its finest, the dash expresses the emotional and stylistic essence of the particular car. Whether conveying the austere functionality of the original Model T, or the exotic, high-speed thrills of a 1960s Ferrari, the dashboard embodies the emotion and soul of the automobile, communicating to the driver "this is a very special car!"
Spanning the last 100 years of automotive history, The Dashboard, gives us a privileged glimpse from behind the wheel of some of the most fabulous and important cars of all time. The Dashboard invites the viewer to savor these automotive masterpieces from an unusual, personal perspective, while offering eye-popping exterior images as well. This interior/exterior perspective provides the viewer with the crucial stylistic context in which to place the classic dashboard.
Truly great cars have always managed to marry bold exterior design with harmonious, functional and exciting interiors. The Dashboard captures this remarkable synergy, allowing us to experience the automobile in all its glory.
Hopkins, John: - John Hopkins is a writer based in Los Angeles. Besides being a certified car nut (as well as screenwriter), Hopkins has written for the highly regarded Car Culture Calendars, as well as the critically praised book Shrek: From Swamp to Screen.
Lewis, Lucinda: - A childhood fascination with cars (and anything else that moves--airplanes, helicopters, motorcycles), has resulted in Lucinda Lewis becoming one of the world's premier automotive photographers. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, and her automotive books include American Cars, Power Behind the Wheel, Porsche: The Fine Art of the Sports Car, and Roadside America: The Automobile and the American Dream. Lewis, who is committed to preserving car culture on film, presides over carculture.com one of the largest automotive content libraries in the world. Find her on Twitter at @carculture.
Matano, Tom: - Tom Matano has thirty years automotive design experience beginning his career at GM in Detroit. In 1983, he joined Mazda, eventually working at Mazda HQ in Japan as Executive Designer. Her oversaw design for the MX 5, RX 7, and Miata 'M-Coupe' concept car. Mr. Matano is the Executive Director of the Industrial Design program at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California.
