Porsche Gauges

So, it's all over the web that Porsche will now have digital gauges. Now I know I'm old because I still like the old school VDO gauges of yore, even better than mine. But compared to digital? It's another thing to love about my 987.2 and the list keeps growing. What do you owners think? You like the progress or analog retro? I'm sure the speedo shops in Cali aren't partying with the news. Is it just my age? Do other members like the new change?

We (SWMBO and I) have digital gauges in the utility vehicle ('24 Genesis GV70 3.5L) - I'm kind of "meh.." about them. The Genny changes the design depending on the drive mode you're in (placid for economy, normal for normal, reddish and sorta Porsche like for Sport, and I don't remember Sport-Plus..) That's OK I guess, but I'd prefer a more customizable dash, sort of like the launcher we're all using on the 987 cars that we've switched to Android. One plus the GV70 dash has - it has speedo and tach - round gauges - a MPH indicator between them and a lot of other bells and whistle lights - which is OK. What it does right - if you get the Prestige model with 4-way surround parking cameras* when you tap the turnsignal - the side of the dash corresponding to the side turnsignal you actived switches to a very clear and useful view of the adjoining lane right next to the vehicle. EXCELLENT blind-spot detection and a good reminder (for us older folk) that the blinker is on.. * the 4-way cameras amaze me at how good the image is and how useable it is. It makes backing into parking spaces my preferred mode of parking (always sort of has been - an old Bell Labs safety requirement..) What I can't understand is how you can't see or hear the drone that's launched over the car.. when I ask other people to check for it - they do all cran their heads and look up through the pano sunroof.. they've never spotted it.

I've thought about adding a backup camera to my old DD, I see the logic completely. It's integration of screen into a dash not designed for it that slows my roll. Good for you on the new whip. It's probably me but I saw so many different gauges from different manufacturers at the gas station. Vegila made some cool stuff, jaeger were nice, Porsche of course. Opel had one that was horizontal and emulated a thermometer, never saw another one quite the same. The Datsun Z cars were nice too and I liked the angle toward the driver.

Volvo beat Opal to the punch - started with the 544 back around 1957 or so.. It has a red horizontal band that moves across below the numbers as the speed increased.

Nice, look at the extra detail too. I guess that's what I miss. All the manufacturers made cool stuff in house like the OG cabled heater controls and many kinds of ash trays. I have a mercury switch which was used on the trunk lid for on / off, might be from an old caddy I don't recall. Dangerous? Yeah it was a glass tube. Cool? 100%. The Opel unit functioned similarly, likely also VDO. Zero to sixty? Hey you in some kind of hurry sonny boy? Relax! 120? Yeah if you accidentally go off a cliff.

I’m definitely an analog guy. And that includes the gauges. I will likely keep my 987.2 forever. I can honestly say it’s the best car I’ve ever owned. Every time I work on it I like it even more. The simplistic engineering is perfect. As cars have gotten more digital and less connected to the driving experience I’ve gotten a couple new ones which are still naturally aspirated and old school. A 982 GTS 4.0 as well as a Lexus GX460. Hopefully last the next 20 years. I turn off many driver nanny’s like lane departure warning. The only modern feature I like is the backup camera. And only for judging distance as I get close to objects.

I'm with you Boris - Analog. I know it sounds strange, but watching a physical needle sweep is more satisfying and provides a more connected feeling to the machine. At least for me anyway.

My grandfather had an early '60's Dodge or Plymouth that had a speedometer divided into columns that filled with liquid sequentially as you sped up. Terrible design but fascinating for little boys.

It doesn't sound strange to me it sounds correct! Same with the clocks. I know they are a triviality at this point but at one time they were unique, like car jewelry. I much prefer the 944 clock over the 986 and forward where the clock looks like a cheap after thought.

My dad, pre Esso explosion and third degree burns, doing it "old school" before he had his own shop. I'm still a fan of old school.

Analog all the way. Born in the mid 80s, first car was a NB Miata . No traction control. It didn't even have cruise control and "modern" options were ABS brakes and power steering. I remember the satisfaction I got when I upgraded the gauges from black to white ones in the front yard on a hot southern US day. Painted the tip of the RPM needle red to stand out against the white gauge. My 987.1 is the perfect "analog" car. The problem I have with "the screens" is they act like its a high tech upgrade to the car when in fact it is a cheap cost cutting measure and then they jack the prices up more and more. What people want but don't know they want is gauges like in the Pagani cars, swiss watch level of beauty. The massive size of all new cars/trucks is ridiculous (thanks to dumb CAFE regulations). If any big auto maker made the following it would sell like hotcakes; small (90s size vehicle) car or truck (if truck, single cab short bed) manual trans I4 or I6 N/A rear wheel drive limited slip diff rack & pinion power steer disc brakes some form of "pop up" style headlights , whether in the grille that rotation like old 60s cars or 80's pop ups (yes I know they couldn't be like the 80s entirely because of pedestrian safety laws) No screens, only buttons ability to turn TC completely off Basically, if they built a brand new late 80s/early 90s japanese sports car or pickup.

Well stated, cruise control? The OG 124 Fiat Spider had a twist lock throttle, there's your "temporary" cruise control albeit a bit dangerous if not carefully deployed. Speaking of whuch and to dovetail on your post? Why the Fiatta at all guys? They should have done everything you said and paid Pininfarina to update the design. Fiat coming back has been lifeless due to some of the same issues of yore. Poor dealer service leads to bad juju car stories. Also, poor choices in export models? The 500L? Really guys? Also Nissan could have made a way cool 240Z model update instead of what they did. New Z =3,486 lbs.

Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but I don’t know how to DM someone. But concerning the pic of your Father, you mention pre-Esso explosion. By any chance are you referring to the Linden, NJ refinery that exploded in 1970?

Yikes. Can you imagine having your car in the shop for a routine oil change and this happens. I'm trying to figure out what make/model car that is? Three pieces of glass to form that huge rear window.

I mean yeah but I'm confident that ironically Esso covered that with insurance. My dad was wrapped like the mummy in Abbott & Costello, he could have easily died. I figured that out by the photo last year by the rear fender word which is easy to see in the print but not here. He was such a good wrench that a group of lawyers wanted to make it possible for him to become a Porsche dealer. Now imagine my brother and I hearing that! He turned it down immediately. Years later he said to me " I had autonomy and my own business. I didn't want to be beholding to a group of lawyers or wrench on their Porsche 's free all day". If all this happened in more modern times, he wouldn't have needed to work or their cash to be a Porsche dealer. They paid his medical but he should have been instantly rich albeit via the worst mechanism possible. No matter he was the most upbeat guy I even knew.

Does a round readout w/ a needle really mean analog? I've had both 987 Caymans and now a 981 and the water temp "gauge" has numbers but we know that they are bogus. Are they really any different than idiot lights that say COOL, NORMAL, HOT?

I couldn't agree more. I'd wager if they offered a full suite of good old analog guages as an option the uptake would be huge! We spend more than enough time looking at compter screens as it is. Heritage is part of Porsche -"ness".

Having both a 967.2 and a 981 Cayman , I must confess that I look at the digital speed readout rather than the analog. As much as I like analog, and definitely prefer the analog tachometer, I find the digital readout for speed, temp, oil pressure, volts, etc. to be more reassuring. It must be the perception of the digital information being precise. Or maybe it is the rapid fluctuation of rpms compared to the gradual change of temp, pressure, etc.

Hate to burst the bubble, but we don't even have a dipstick... Recalling the VDO gauges of the 1960s, as well as the Opel dash (similar to the Volvo above) that rolled from green to yellow to red, as you went faster... Much less - the Chrysler AstraDome of 1960! Those were the days, my friend - we will likely never see them again, as even Porsche doesn't offer a stick shift in the new 911 ...

VDO? Analog? Retro? All right up my touge ... I always liked my elfenbein weiß 356 gauge faces. Including the green zone on tach and speedmeter. Ditching the Comic Sans font on my 987.2 Cayman was an easy decision. Looks great at night too. VDO clock, 356-style gauge faces, and we're done...

Analog, Although the digital are better than "idiot lights" . You can watch a analog tach moving up or down with ease, tying that to the revs you hear.

The 2025 Porsche 911 Isn't Even Pretending to Be Analog Anymore The new 911 loses two little interior quirks that made it unique. www.thedrive.com

Sounds much like my '86 MR2.

When I was racing and I was forced to go to digital I felt like you but after using digital that is all I want now. Reading gauges is much faster and easier.

Today vinyl records are big hit. Snap crackle pop even with a discwasher; in that situation I prefer digital. But not anywhere else except imaging.

I've locked in my Analog choices and hope they will keep me going for the rest of my life. Near 60 so I figure 20 years? My 987.2 manual 2.9 and my last of the good straight six BMW 's 128i sport should do it. As well as the 62 year old sailboat (although it does have a sweet GPS / autohelm system!) and my fascination with spring driven timepieces. The flat panel dash boards are horrendous....but I am old and I am NOT their market. My 356 style gauge face is in production. I found I hardly ever use the speedo needle so I had the space from 50 -75 marked with the gray lines (that will backlight at with lights on) and now it should be easier to pick up and read.

As I read some of the comments, I realize that it’s actually an involved topic. You can have an analog dial type gauge like the coolant temp that is getting digitally massaged data so it’s not accurate. You can have numbers in combination with a dial the way we do with a speedo dial but also a digital speed indicator at the bottom of our tach gauge. So numbers versus dials. And the source info being accurate. On my 987.2 , I’ve replaced my sport Chrono gauge with an oil and coolant temp gauge which is directly tied to the CAN bus for accurate readings. The gauge is digital and it displays numbers as well as a dial of sorts which even changes to different colors at different temps. This gauge has immense utility. I know exactly when my coolant and oil are up to the right temp before driving hard. And I know if my car is getting too hot when I’m driving on the track in high ambient temps. If Porsche had given us accurate gauges for oil and coolant, I wouldn’t need it, but I think the information is critical to the health of the car.

Saab had a feature that blacked out the panel except for the Speedo and only lit up a gauge that was out of a safe range. Like if your fuel got low then the fuel gauge would illuminate. They brought that over from their aircraft panels.

One of the most interesting posts I've read! For the record I'm analog all the way. Starting with a 1956 Chevy with a 265 without an oil filter which was optional that year.

I've had a digital speedo readout since around 2011. Kind of grown used to it. My wife's BMW actually has HUD, which can be nice, unless I'm wearing my sunglasses because it's incompatible with polarization, which is a PITA. When I drive my second-to-youngest son's Mazda with only an analog speedo, it's a bit jarring to have to interpret the needle point vs. text, but doable and my brain "remembers" after a couple of minutes. That being said, I haven't paid much attention to the speedo in the CS much at all, whether the digital readout or the analog gauge. Probably setting a bad example for whomever is riding with me. Or, worse, courting a pricey ticket.

WSJ paywall...I bet I know what it says though. As an insurance agent they are incredibly expensive to fix too!!!

Totally agree. The science of the presentation and interpretation of real-time data about systems is primarily "Human Factors and Ergonomics". It's probably reached a peak in commercial aircraft cockpit design although its importance is evident in many applications. In relation to this I find that terminology is often misused e.g. analog and digital . Many of the comments here should refer instead to mechanical and electronic, I think, in combination with analog and digital. Briefly and roughly speaking, analog displays are perceived to move continuously through a range of values (e.g. old-school sound level VU meters, speedos and tachos) while digital displays use numeric values (or discrete graphics) that change abruptly from one value to another (these can also be mechanically driven). Hence, the speedometer and tachometer in the latest incarnations of flat panel dashboards are electronic analogue in contrast to the older mechanical analogue. On another level, many electronic digital and analogue displays also need to translate and reassemble data from a signal source or sensor. There are exceptions of course - older fuel level sensors used an analog voltage from a mechanical sensor and an analog display. Personally, I love the mechanical analogue speedometer and tachometer of my 981 from an aesthetic perspective. Having said that, I actually look at the speedometer dial extremely rarely, usually out of curiosity to see how it compares to the digital speed display. I find the digital speed display far easier to use. I also like the flexibility of the small TFT dial. So for me it's not one or the other but a combination of the best of both, both aesthetically and functionally.