When showing pictures of vintage cars we are mostly showing the outside.

The lines and shape of the car take center stage. The bonnet, the back and the sides are studied and looked at from all angles. The interior of the car most often comes secondary which is to a certain degree understandable. Unless your the owner of the car, the outside is usually of more interest.

We are going to reverse this. And put the interior in focus.

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Over the years we have seen some incredibly beautiful interiors which we want to share.

As a result we have  a collection of shots of the interior of cars – mostly steering wheels and dashboards. So sit back and enjoy while we take you on a journey of steering wheels and dashboards. Part I will be dedicated to Ferrari only and Part II all other brands.

All pictures were taken by Le Monde Edmond.

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Lets start off with one of the most simple steering wheels and interior layouts that exist.

It also happens to be one of our favorite.

Not the most elegant – I admit – but certainly one of the purest and most functional – that of the Ferrari 250 SWB California spyder. Only the bare minimum of necessary instruments aimed towards the driver.

Here is another shot of the interior from a different angle. Notice how the doorline evolves.  A perfect masterpiece from Scaglietti.

Because the 250 Ferrari California spyders are so pure in layout and simply but yet so functional – here is another dream color combination. I especially like the light blue exterior color.

One of my favourite interiors for Ferrari is a deep red color especially when the exterior is grey.

This looks like a 250 California but it is not. It is a very rare and beautiful 250 S1 Pininfarina Cabriolet. The interior is just a dream. Notice that the key ignition is near the centre console instead of under the steering wheel. Leaves more leg room for the driver.

 Below another red interior of a beautiful 400 Superamerica belonging to a US based collector. The red matches the dark blue outside perfectly.

Continuing with Ferrari but moving on towards more elegant interiors.

This is from Vignale – the master of elegance. This is a very rare car, a 212 vignale. The Interior of this car is a dream. This is the pinnacle of 1950s elegance. Not even Bentley or Aston Martin could match it. Notice the steering wheel with the mother of pearl inlay -this is rather unusual for Ferrari although a few cars are known to have this layout.

This mother of pearl is more often found in Aston Martin – for example DB4 and DB5.

Another view of the same car. This is elegance. The pinnacle of Ferrari 1950s elegance!

Lets stick with Vignale a while longer and show a stunning Vignale bodied Ferrari also from the 1950s. This is one of the most beautiful interiors I have ever seen. The gear lever alone is a work of art. I like the green color to.

Maybe we should take a closer look at this clock. It is a piece of art. A Jaeger designed dual time zone watch together with a 60 minute counter. This is what luxury is about.

This level of detail is unthinkable today.

Vignale was the ultimate master of luxury and elegance in my view. Just notice the door handle on this car. This is art my friends.

To show you I am not exaggerating – here the last example of Vignale. Warning: Everything else I will show you will seem less elegant afterwards – he was the ultimate master in details.

This Ferrari Vignale 250 Speciale was made especially for the princess of Belgium. Indeed this interior is so elegant – no wonder royalty commissioned this.

The next Ferrari we will show as the owned by none other than the playboy par excellence and soon owner of Ferrari – Mr Gianni Agnelli and his barchetta.

Another close-up of this car reveals that this is also a Jaeger instrument car.

Staying with rather more sporty Ferrari than elegant, next we show the interior of a beautiful 250 Tour de France or TDF – one of my personal favorite cars.

Notice the ‘bucket’ type seats- indicating that this car was meant for one thing only – racing. The 250 TDF is one of the most successful race cars for Ferrari.

This TDF is a 14 louvre version and is owned by a German collector.

For the second last picture we show one of the most original interiors ever seen on a TDF and on a 1950s Ferrari. This interior is completely original from the 1960s when it was redone once.

This car has 50 years of honest Patina. Simply outstanding.

Lets return one last time to the 250 California spyder layout. Why is this dashboard so legendary? It is so simple but perfect.

Nothing superfluous here. Just what is necessary for the driver to know what is going on with oil temp, water, oil pressure and benzin levels.

Nothing more and nothing less. This is perfection.