New or Old?

GRM Editorial Director

When it comes to cool cars, there seems to be two distinct flavors: new and old. We recently did a little editorial exercise for our Classic Motorports magazine where we rounded up and compared some sports cars from then and today. I guess you could say that I play both sides as my garage contains both a classic Mini as well as a Miata.

So, what’s your poison? Do you prefer fuel injection and technology, or is it carburetors and that old-car smell that’s just impossible to duplicate?

Permalink:

Posted at 5:58 pm in Grassroots Motorsports

Comments

kori
Jul 4, 2008 at 2:25 am

the look of the old with the engines of the :slightly: new. id say best looks were 80′s. best engines? mid-late 90′s.
put em together, and youve got a HOT car

cknarf
Jul 4, 2008 at 1:27 am

Ha! smeel….
I mean smell.

cknarf
Jul 4, 2008 at 1:26 am

Old. Sure, pumping it may get old, but you can’t beat the distinctive mildew and exhaust smeel that is stuck in the interior. Yeah, I got mold, but would it be the same without it?

Stewart
Jul 3, 2008 at 11:28 pm

I like ‘em both old and new.
.
If I had to choose between the MG Midget that I used to own,
and my current ’99 Miata, the Miata would win hands down.
Not only does it have more power, better handling, a better
transmission, better brakes, stiffer chassis, better mileage,
etc., it just doesn’t break down. My MG was ALWAYS needing SOMETHING. (It did teach me how to work on cars though…)
.
I do miss my old ’64 Impala and ’66 442. They were great cars,
and I wish I had them back today.
.
That said, I would not trade them for my RoadMonster. My RM
has more power, better handling, better braking, nicer interior,
& options the others could only dream of, and gets great mileage on
the highway.
.
Better still is the fact that I can hook up my Auto X-Ray scan tool
to either the Miata or the RM and check all the systems with live
data, as well as check trouble codes, etc. Try that with an ancient MG or a 60′s GM car.
.
.
My next project will be a blend of both worlds: a ’27 Track-T with
a modern engine & transmission. It’ll have a hood, so it’ll look vintage until you open the hood…
.
.
If I was to build another MG, I’d use a Miata drivetrain. And I’d rewire the damn thing, and replace all the electronics, so I wouldn’t have to deal with Lucas “The Prince of Darkness”.
.
Advancements in technology are a good thing!
.
Just my .02

Dieselabstimmen
Jul 3, 2008 at 9:22 pm

Old and whatever’s between.

Anonymous
Jul 3, 2008 at 6:53 pm

old means carb standard and 3 degrees for the intake valve opening versus the desire for 300psi turbos and more hoses than a time machine, all due to the sloppy imperfected 14 degree delay fuel injection fed the world. Two cams at most on 2 valve heads is to be enjoyed longer than a 1/4 mile and teardown, it is forever. the sound. the tune jobs are sincere. everything done is your unique by micronic natural differences seperating boys from men and tards from mechanics. Uhm. as simple as I can speak: Gimme the “old” perfection anyday, it is Godly autos today more than ever…
Did I tell tell about the twin carbed, turbod porsche 912 I heard one evening? It had a damn screaming soul attached for it was that perfect.3 mains air cooled, full of old maching tactics and screaming like a soul in the movies..holy cow I am babbling.

kap0w
Jul 3, 2008 at 6:21 pm

I don’t think old cars often live up to the performance and certainly not the reliability of new cars, but new cars for some reason just can’t match the styling of old cars in my mind. You could say that the reason is safety, but I only kinda buy it. Either way, there’s ups and downs of both. I’m a new car guy, just because at the end of the day, I need to get from here to there. At the same time, my love for the old Volvo 1800′s is well documented… I’d just never be able to keep one running.