I Generally Hate Screens In Cars, Unless It’s Period-Correct Navigation In A ’90s Civic SiR

Screens have their place in modern cars. I’d be remiss not to praise their usefulness in displaying the dozens of functions and various multimedia that manufacturers stuff into their vehicles. But on the whole, I’m not a fan. They ruin the look of most dashboards, and oftentimes, they’re a cause of dangerous driver distraction. Don’t get me started on carmakers that use screens for stuff like climate control or headlights.

Whenever I buy a car, I try to avoid having to deal with a screen. Thankfully, my tastes skew cheaper and older, so usually, I’m able to steer clear of anything that already has a screen installed. I do have one exception, however: 1990s-era navigation systems.

I was inspired to write this post while perusing online auction site Bring a Trailer, when this incredibly well-specced 1997 Honda Civic SiR popped up on my screen. The perfect purple paint and confetti-themed cloth interior caught my eye, but it was the period-correct, factory-installed navigation system that really drew me in.

Japanese manufacturers were the forerunners of in-car navigation systems. Honda was the first company to introduce such a system, bringing the Electro Gyrocator to market as a dealer-installed option in 1981. This was long before civilian vehicles had access to Transit, the world’s first global satellite navigation system. Instead, the Gyrocator used what’s known as a “dead reckoning” method to geolocate the car. Using a helium gas-powered onboard gyroscope, the system could determine a vehicle’s path of travel through acceleration, braking, and turning inputs. It only needed to know where it started to plot an accurate route.

It wouldn’t be until 1990 when Mazda introduced the first true, GPS-guided navigation system for civilian use, in the wonderfully weird, tri-rotor-powered Eunos Cosmo. That same year, Honda would introduce a GPS system of its own in the second-generation Legend. The system you see here is an evolved version of that concept. Interestingly, it still uses gyro sensors—not for geolocating the car, but to sense lane wandering to warn the driver. Neat stuff.

Just look at this thing! I’ll admit, I had no idea the Civic could be optioned with factory nav back in ’97. But knowing that Honda was the first to bring automotive navigation systems to market, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Seeing such an advanced piece of tech paired with what’s traditionally known as a lightweight, barebones performance car elevates a sense of joy in me. As the listing notes, the system “works until it becomes overheated, causing the screen to malfunction until it cools down.” Somehow, that makes it even more endearing.

Here’s a video of this working:

Even if the system functioned correctly, I’d probably have a hard time finding a corresponding DVD disc to work with North American roads. And even if I did find such a disc, it’s likely so outdated that roads no longer match what’s on the disc. While this nav has fully morphed into a novelty, I can’t help but smile every time I look at it.

The ’97 SiR in question sold for just over $16,000 last week. Considering the cool color and the fact it has just 12,000 kilometers on the clock, I’d say someone got a great deal. Whether they’ll appreciate that now-useless screen in the dash as much as I will, well, who knows.

Top photo: Bring a Trailer