For your point about car speedos starting at the left and working around clockwise - the old ASIs, I only know they were in older Pipers, had the same thing.
Mind you, the gauges themselves were everywhere with a drum type compass.
There may be a reason as to why it changed from that to a uniform, zero up the top - rotate clockwise ASI.
With anything, if you actually use it for long enough it becomes the way it should.