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There’s no one design to rule them all, but here are 15 interiors that aspire to.
What makes a car interior great is how well it aligns with the car’s intended purpose. In a high-performance car, there shouldn’t be any distractions or excess — nothing to take away from the task at hand or slow the car down. Conversely, a plush luxury car should be adorned with every creature comfort imaginable, to help the passengers forget the outside world as they’re whisked away to their destination. There’s no one design to rule them all, but here are 15 interiors that aspire to.
1953 Corvette
The C1 Corvette perfectly embodies the bold style of mid-century America. Its molded dash, chrome-trimmed gauges and seats integrated into the rear deck make later ‘Vettes almost low-rent.
1953 Citroën DS
The crown jewel of Flaminio Bertoni’s DS interior design is, of course, the elegant single-spoke steering wheel. Pair the steering wheel with that woderful dash and overstuffed seats make the Citroen a woderful place to spend time.
1963 Mercedes 600
Between the rear facing seats, wood trim, carpet and TV, the 600’s interior was more like a well-designed living room than a back seat.
1978 Cadillac El Dorado Biarritz
You get the sense that Cadillac was inspired by a smoking lounge more than anything else when desgining the ’78 El Dorado Biarritz. If only they still made seats this plush.
2018 Mercedes-Maybach S650
Mercedes does an outstanding job of making all of its cars seem luxurious no matter the pricepoint. However, the level of modern luxury found in the current run of Maybachs is on another level.
2016 Spyker C8 Preliator
The Preliator showcases an incredible level of detail throughout, but the craftwork of the switch gear on the center dash is second to none.
2006 Toyota Century V12
You can’t say no to wool seats.
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
A crisp, straightforward dash design paired with tartan seats, all capped off by iconic gullwing doors, is certainly a package befitting of what’s considered the world’s first supercar.
1934 Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic
The Type 57 Antlantic may have been Jean Bugatti’s crowning achievement. The wood dash and massive, thin steering wheel wouldn’t be out of place on a luxury yacht.
1987 Ferrari F40
The F40 had one job: to go fast around any track. The spartan, focused interior isn’t luxurious, but its unhindered purposefullness is where the car’s charm lies.
2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom
Rolls-Royce isn’t known for cutting corners. And whether you’re driving the Phantom or being driven in it, you’re witness to a cocoon of absolute luxury.
2018 Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet
The G650 Landaulet might be the modern equivalent of the Mercedes 600. It’s one of the biggest G Wagens Mercedes makes, the rear cabin only has two fully reclining seats and two TVs fitted a under a retractable convertible roof. It’s over the top in every way.
1992 McLaren F1
Like the F40, the McLaren F1 was designed to be the ultimate supercar. Unlike the F40, though, the F1 had a wafer-thin center-mounted carbon fiber driver’s seat flanked by two passenger seats. So you could say thet McLaren is the more practical of the two.
2017 Bentley Bentayga
As the brand’s first SUV, it beautifully translates Bentley’s passion for driver pampering with passenger creature comforts and ritzy appointments. However, the $160,000 Breitling Mulliner Tourbillon dash clock takes the cake.
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale
Born as a race car first, the Tipo 33 Stradale finds itself in the same group as the McLaren and Ferrari F40. But even with outright performance as the main goal, Alfa still went out of its way to make the Stradale’s interior gorgeous. You could run your hand across the textured metal dash all day; its center-mounted Jaeger clock is most certainly the crown jewel.
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