1979 Cadillac Trip Computer - Tripmaster

The Cadillac Trip Computer “Tripmaster“ was a unique optional feature available midyear during the 1978 and also the 1979 model years at a cost of US$920. This option replaced the two standard needle-type gauges with an electronic digital readout for the speedometer and remaining fuel. It also replaced the quartz digital clock with an LED display clock. The trip computer also included numerous calculations at the touch of a button on a small panel located to the right of the steering wheel. These included miles to empty, miles per gallon, and a destination arrival time (which needed to be programmed by the driver, to estimate arrival time based on miles remaining). Though preceded by the British 1976 Aston Martin Lagonda sedan, Seville was the first American automobile to offer full electronic instrumentation. This system predated Lincoln’s system by one year, although the 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V was available with a “Miles-To-Empty“ feature (i.e., an LED readout of miles left to travel based on the fuel remaining). A digital instrument cluster was not available on the Seville and Eldorado again until their 1981 through 1985 configurations, though the “Trip Computer“ itself was no longer available.