About
- Cars
- Makers
- Photos
- Elements
- Lineages
- Years
A car is one generation of a model, such as the BMW 7 Series (E32), with its record and all its photographs.
Photos can be filtered by what they show: the photo type (cockpit, instrument cluster, centre display, controls or a detail) and the interface elements tagged on them, such as analog dials, a rotary controller or a touchscreen. Each element has a page with every photograph that shows it.
A lineage follows one model line generation by generation. A system follows one interface family, such as an infotainment system, across the cars fitted with it. An era groups cars by the interface technology they share.
The archive is independent and not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by any vehicle manufacturer. Makers’ names and logos identify their cars.
How the archive is counted
Statuses
| Status | What it means | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| Documented | Cockpit written up with photos and sources. A few details may still be open. | 48 |
| In progress | Cockpit written up from sources. Photos or some details are still missing. | 50 |
| Basic record | Name, years and basic facts only. Not yet written up. | 1,049 |
Basic records come from Wikidata, an open database published under CC0, so that every generation has a record from the start: its name, its production years and its model line. Editors write the Documented and In progress records.
Lineages
A lineage is a model line with two or more generations in the archive. The Lineages index opens on the lines with at least two photographed generations; Show all lineages lists the others.
Elements
Each photo is tagged with the interface elements it shows, most prominent first, from a fixed list in which every element has a one-sentence definition. A car’s elements are those tagged on its photos, and an element’s count is the number of photos tagged with it.
Eras
Editors choose the cars of an era. Eras overlap, and a car can belong to more than one. On the timeline an era still running ends at the latest year in the archive. An era’s shared features are the values that at least a third of its cars have in their cockpit records.
Systems and platforms
A system’s years run from its first version to its latest. Its input is the controls recorded on the cars fitted with it, and a version’s display size is the size recorded on those cars. Platforms group operating systems by name, so “QNX (BlackBerry)” and “QNX” count as one; a version that runs on two, such as QNX for the driver display and Linux for infotainment, is listed under both.
Photo sources
| Source | Terms | Photos |
|---|---|---|
| Wikimedia Commons | Open licences: Creative Commons or public domain | 960 |
| Flickr | Open licences: Creative Commons | 18 |
| BMW Group Newsroom | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 53 |
| Volkswagen Newsroom | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 53 |
| Audi Media Center | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 29 |
| Volvo Cars Press & Media | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 22 |
| Mazda UK Press Packs | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 18 |
| Ford From the Road | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 12 |
| Mercedes-Benz Media | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 12 |
| Hyundai Newsroom Europe | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 11 |
| Toyota Global Newsroom | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 9 |
| JLR Media | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 7 |
| Lexus Global Newsroom | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 5 |
| Mazda Newsroom | Maker’s press photograph, editorial use | 4 |
Close-ups cut from wider open-licence photographs carry the original’s credit and say that they are cut from it.
Photo credits
Photographs under open licences, from Wikimedia Commons and Flickr, are shown with their author, their licence and a link to the original file, as the licence requires.
Makers’ press photographs are shown under each maker’s terms or licence, with the maker’s credit line. They are never cropped, graded or overlaid. Whether one may be reused is up to the maker’s own terms, linked from each photo; the archive grants no rights in them and adds no conditions.
Photographs sent by contributors appear only after an editor has reviewed them, credited to the contributor under the contributor licence. Contributors keep their copyright.
Each photograph is credited next to it on its photo page or in the page’s photo credits; reuse it only under its licence. A photograph shown without a credit line is an error: report it at the address below.
Records and sources
Editors write the Documented and In progress records from published sources. The ones they look for first are owner’s manuals, brochures, press releases, magazine tests and makers’ archives. Some facts cite Wikipedia: 201 of the 602 references on those records today. These are being replaced by primary sources.
Each fact carries a numbered reference to its source, and questions that are still open are listed on the record.
Corrections and photographs from contributors are checked by an editor against a source before a record changes. Brochures, manuals and video walkthroughs are cited and linked to.
The display recreations are the archive’s own drawings of how a display technology worked. They are labelled as unofficial and carry no makers’ logos.
Errors and takedown
Rights holders can ask for material to be removed through the copyright and takedown process. A maker that wants a press photograph removed can write to the address below; no formal notice is needed. Photographs that show a face, a number plate or personal data are removed on request.
Corrections, contributions, press questions and copyright notices go to one address: 3877957@gmail.com