My father had a 1988 Buick with the led speedometer -- nothing like this touch screen. But, we thought it was so hi-tech at the time. He also had a cell phone built into the car -- but we were never allowed to use it because it cost $2+ a minute!
Most touch screens from the 80s were not actually sensing touch; instead they had light beams and sensors in a grid around the screen. Your finger would interrupt the light and the sensors at the x and y axis would determine your finger's placement over the screen.