Now thanks to the internet you can see the same details while sitting in your livingroom as the Homie who stole it barrels down some freeway at 110mph.
This looks like one of those things that was way ahead of its time but less than perfect due to the technology not being fully developed. The UK had the Aston Martin Lagonda which had a similar set up and was not considered to be too brilliant.
think texting and driving is bad wait until everyone is screwing around with their monitors. Funny watching people walking around with their heads buried ass deep in their phones and gadgets.
I own two with that setup, both 1988 models. They are great road cars, ride very comfortably and quite well put together (especially for a GM product) owing to having been hand assembled in a special plant in Lansing, MI (the EV1 and Chevy SSR were later built there as well, though the building has since been demolished) rather than on a conventional assembly line. It was a plum gig, and supposedly only given to UAW crew with excellent work history. The fact they kept out the flunkies certainly made the Reatta a cut above any other GM offering then in overall build quality, fit and finish.
The touchscreen is a surprisingly stout unit, built by Zenith for Delco Electronics, and can still be repaired. Most common failure is a loss of horizontal hold, followed by deflection issues (it is a CRT monitor, being 1988 tech).
The other unseen part is the computer module that drives it. It is an Intel 8088 (as in the original IBM PC) based embedded system that runs a custom 64K ROM based program for all the screen displays and inferfacing with the in vehicle network, which was identical to that used by contemporary Cadillac models. Full user accessible diagnostics among other features.
Very forward thinking for 1988. A bit too ahead of the curve as it happened, since GM reworked the instrumentation in 1990 models to be more conventional in design, when too many 1988 and 89 buyers conveyed they weren't ready for that kind of tech.
Had an 84 vette with a digital dash. Worked ok but the bulbs were expensive and it was fluky sometimes. Would have preferred steam (analog) gauges to be quite honest.
Meanwhile people drove off the road trying to change the fanspeed or heat...
ReplyDeleteWonder how much it costs to replace, when it takes a dump.
ReplyDelete"Awesome", said the guy who's last ride was a '62 Falcon.
ReplyDeleteUsed to have that sort of thing on an old Cutlass Supreme. Nice to look at, but not overly functional.
ReplyDeleteNow thanks to the internet you can see the same details while sitting in your livingroom as the Homie who stole it barrels down some freeway at 110mph.
ReplyDeleteWait until the chips fail and he has to get them replaced. Wonder how 'awesome' that will be when he has to pay for it.
ReplyDelete$150 - $300 on ebay.
DeleteThis looks like one of those things that was way ahead of its time but less than perfect due to the technology not being fully developed. The UK had the Aston Martin Lagonda which had a similar set up and was not considered to be too brilliant.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor has one, sweet little car
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'll stick with my readable analog gauges in my '74 Chevy pickup.
ReplyDeleteNever failed me.
think texting and driving is bad wait until everyone is screwing around with their monitors. Funny watching people walking around with their heads buried ass deep in their phones and gadgets.
ReplyDeleteIf it's important I want to see it with a glance. If it's not important, QED.
ReplyDeleteWas teamster car hauler. When they first came out, I don't think I ever delivered one that didn't require towing off the truck. Same as the Toronado.
ReplyDeleteI own two with that setup, both 1988 models. They are great road cars, ride very comfortably and quite well put together (especially for a GM product) owing to having been hand assembled in a special plant in Lansing, MI (the EV1 and Chevy SSR were later built there as well, though the building has since been demolished) rather than on a conventional assembly line. It was a plum gig, and supposedly only given to UAW crew with excellent work history. The fact they kept out the flunkies certainly made the Reatta a cut above any other GM offering then in overall build quality, fit and finish.
ReplyDeleteThe touchscreen is a surprisingly stout unit, built by Zenith for Delco Electronics, and can still be repaired. Most common failure is a loss of horizontal hold, followed by deflection issues (it is a CRT monitor, being 1988 tech).
The other unseen part is the computer module that drives it. It is an Intel 8088 (as in the original IBM PC) based embedded system that runs a custom 64K ROM based program for all the screen displays and inferfacing with the in vehicle network, which was identical to that used by contemporary Cadillac models. Full user accessible diagnostics among other features.
Very forward thinking for 1988. A bit too ahead of the curve as it happened, since GM reworked the instrumentation in 1990 models to be more conventional in design, when too many 1988 and 89 buyers conveyed they weren't ready for that kind of tech.
Had an 84 vette with a digital dash. Worked ok but the bulbs were expensive and it was fluky sometimes. Would have preferred steam (analog) gauges to be quite honest.
ReplyDeleteThat "awesome" computer dependent auto could never be hacked into a lifeless and immobile hunk of metal now could it?! Ohio Guy
ReplyDelete