Arrangement of instruments and column stalks

[tim hunt]

Looking idly through my owner's handbook I note that the  LHD 4A has the tacho on the left and speedo on right, the opposite way round to a UK car. Similarly, on a LHD car the lighting switch is on the right of the column cowl and the indicator on the left - again the opposite way round to the UK version. Does anyone know the reasoning behind this, if there even was any?

Oddly the positions of the four minor gauges does not change from L to RHD. I always thought that the oil pressure and temperature gauges were fitted on the left on my car so that these critical instruments were not masked by the driver's left hand at 'ten to two'. However, the fact that they remain on the left for LHD vehicles blows my theory since they are now masked by a US driver's right hand! I should have known better than to impute such thoughtful ergonomics to ST engineers of the '60s.

Tim  

Edited April 23 by tim hunt

[stuart]

The tacho/speedo position stems from the early rally days of TR2 as when first introduced in R/hand drive form they had tacho on the left speedo on the right but navigators couldnt read the speed/mileages when rallying so they were swapped over very early on in production and have remained that way ever since. The placing of the centre instruments just means left to right hand looms are pretty much the same and its an easier route for the oil gauge supply pipe.

Stuart.

[tim hunt]

Thanks Stuart, that makes sense. However it's odd that TS2 has speedo on left and tacho on right - maybe a lack of attention to detail when the car was restored. I would have assumed the very first RHD cars built would have carried over the arrangement from TS2.

Any thoughts on reason for different disposition of the lighting and indicator stalks positions on the L and RHD cars?

Tim 

[stuart]

16 hours ago, tim hunt said:

Thanks Stuart, that makes sense. However it's odd that TS2 has speedo on left and tacho on right - maybe a lack of attention to detail when the car was restored. I would have assumed the very first RHD cars built would have carried over the arrangement from TS2.

Any thoughts on reason for different disposition of the lighting and indicator stalks positions on the L and RHD cars?

Tim 

I expect TS2 was done like that for the same reason the later cars were as it has been rallied.

In the US it was standard at the time (1960`s) for the indicator stalk to be on the left (as are all moderns now) 

Stuart.

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

4 hours ago, stuart said:

I expect TS2 was done like that for the same reason the later cars were as it has been rallied.

In the US it was standard at the time (1960`s) for the indicator stalk to be on the left (as are all moderns now) 

Stuart.

An MG owning American once insisted to me that the indicator stalk of his MGB  must be on the left side so he, as an US driver, could shift and indicate simultanously. 

 

[stuart]

22 minutes ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

An MG owning American once insisted to me that the indicator stalk of his MGB  must be on the left side so he, as an US driver, could shift and indicate simultanously. 

 

"Look Ma no hands!"😉😄😄

Stuart.

[RobH]

1 hour ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

An MG owning American once insisted to me that the indicator stalk of his MGB  must be on the left side so he, as an US driver, could shift and indicate simultanously.

I seem to recall It wasn't until the early 1980s that I first had a car with the indicators on the left - and even later than that that I had a new Honda with the indicators on the right.   It was easy to indicate by flicking the stalk with your fingertips, with no need to take your right  hand off the wheel so it was indeed possible - though maybe not advisable - to change down and indicate at the same time.