What I like about classic cars . . . and why?
Discussion
A few months ago I was asked to thank the local Rotary Club at the featured Classic car Rally event: Go!Wheels Geldermalsem. They donated Eu 6K to the Dutch Cystic Fibrosis Fund. How could I refuse being a father of a daughter suffering from CF who likes both classic cars and entertaining the crowds. Gimme da mike! The morning - I had other plans for the afternoon - turned out to be a fantastic turn up of glorious machinery. A typical Dutch classic car event with both rare and common cars side by side - here - on the Geldermalsem marketplace.
I think I know why I love them classics, it's all my fathers fault who had a '67 Wolseley 16/60 as a first car. Also the sounds these cars produced were like nothing else compared with todays euroboxes. And hey, if you like an Alfa Junior in the 70s why ditch that liking along the way further in time?
As I arrived that early and was informed about the programme by the kind lady organiser I realised I had well over two hours to do some snapping. A bit generous for the amount of cars at display here . . . Time for some thoughts. What do I really like about classic cars . . . and why?
Why not add some thoughts as captions here . . . instead of the usual semi-anorak tech-specs and building numbers, owners trivia and other useless chitchat.
Easy here: an early C3 Corvette in 427 vert-guise. Carefully and passionately maintained by the senior owner this car is one helluvah showstopper.
Everything is big, no huge, about this car: the 7 litre engine with ditto performance, the overwhelming Calif. tidal wavery curves breathing pure sex, the mamoth size of the whole thing and the sound, oh the sound. Buckets full of entertainment here. For both driver and spectators. As for a tiny-car-enthusiast like me - Abarth and MGA's for me - this is a car that has it all . . . and in huge amounts!
Most will point at the C2 as the must-have Vette but it's early C3 for me.
As a kid I was attracted by the typical Jaguar-badge, Flying Lady and the Masers trident that showed just one thing: the bigger that badge, the more expensive the car . . . and the wealthier the driver. I ate books featuring Isotta-Franchini, Deusenberg and the likes. Cars with art up front their radiators.
This 403 Peugeot is far away from topmarket but look at the Wolverine mascot here. Glorious detail on a superb cared for car. Now that shows.
I have a weak spot for a well-looking office. Especially when matching coloured metal is involved. This piece of Pork Speedster - an excellent 1.6 356 - is owned by two enthusiast guys who bring it out as much as possible. This is a genuine car, no restauration needed and everything is original. Check the handle bar on the right, the lovely steering wheel, the shifter . . . Pork is not for me but stuff like this touches me on the weak spot.
I guess this is an MG TF and how glorious does this look. Again a proper office with all the bits in place. A perfect choice for a spring run.
As is the Pinninfarina Spider! As a kid it was this car over the more loved Alfa Spider. But why? Secretly I loved the 70s FIAT soundbyte more compared to the lighter pitched (balanced) Lancias and the more brute (masculin) Alfas. The Alfa is way more elegant compared to the more American looking FIAT. Could it be the rally-ish aura? You see these a lot over here in Holland. Lots of Calif cars I guess . . . Want one.
Yeah well . . . I had to take a snap of this engine-less F1. It does absolutely nothing for me. And when you don't have a clue, go check some 70s car to get the full picture.
More.
I think I know why I love them classics, it's all my fathers fault who had a '67 Wolseley 16/60 as a first car. Also the sounds these cars produced were like nothing else compared with todays euroboxes. And hey, if you like an Alfa Junior in the 70s why ditch that liking along the way further in time?
As I arrived that early and was informed about the programme by the kind lady organiser I realised I had well over two hours to do some snapping. A bit generous for the amount of cars at display here . . . Time for some thoughts. What do I really like about classic cars . . . and why?
Why not add some thoughts as captions here . . . instead of the usual semi-anorak tech-specs and building numbers, owners trivia and other useless chitchat.
Easy here: an early C3 Corvette in 427 vert-guise. Carefully and passionately maintained by the senior owner this car is one helluvah showstopper.
Everything is big, no huge, about this car: the 7 litre engine with ditto performance, the overwhelming Calif. tidal wavery curves breathing pure sex, the mamoth size of the whole thing and the sound, oh the sound. Buckets full of entertainment here. For both driver and spectators. As for a tiny-car-enthusiast like me - Abarth and MGA's for me - this is a car that has it all . . . and in huge amounts!
Most will point at the C2 as the must-have Vette but it's early C3 for me.
As a kid I was attracted by the typical Jaguar-badge, Flying Lady and the Masers trident that showed just one thing: the bigger that badge, the more expensive the car . . . and the wealthier the driver. I ate books featuring Isotta-Franchini, Deusenberg and the likes. Cars with art up front their radiators.
This 403 Peugeot is far away from topmarket but look at the Wolverine mascot here. Glorious detail on a superb cared for car. Now that shows.
I have a weak spot for a well-looking office. Especially when matching coloured metal is involved. This piece of Pork Speedster - an excellent 1.6 356 - is owned by two enthusiast guys who bring it out as much as possible. This is a genuine car, no restauration needed and everything is original. Check the handle bar on the right, the lovely steering wheel, the shifter . . . Pork is not for me but stuff like this touches me on the weak spot.
I guess this is an MG TF and how glorious does this look. Again a proper office with all the bits in place. A perfect choice for a spring run.
As is the Pinninfarina Spider! As a kid it was this car over the more loved Alfa Spider. But why? Secretly I loved the 70s FIAT soundbyte more compared to the lighter pitched (balanced) Lancias and the more brute (masculin) Alfas. The Alfa is way more elegant compared to the more American looking FIAT. Could it be the rally-ish aura? You see these a lot over here in Holland. Lots of Calif cars I guess . . . Want one.
Yeah well . . . I had to take a snap of this engine-less F1. It does absolutely nothing for me. And when you don't have a clue, go check some 70s car to get the full picture.
More.
- ie. not the smell of cheap plastic!
There are always one or two big Healeys on events like this:
Check the Volvo PV 544 in rally guise. Though as nails these cars. This one was completely stripped and equiped for the Paris-Beijing trip.
Over here they are also reffered to as 'Cats backs'.
I'm a 100/6 fan although I'm told they drive like trucks.
Classic roadster material here. Maybe a bit too pretty for my liking . . .
. . . and that's were this one comes in: race and rally prepped Healeys are it big time.
I'd like to know some more details about this one. It appeared to be a famous car but the owner was away or busy talking so I failed to get the details.
Check the Volvo PV 544 in rally guise. Though as nails these cars. This one was completely stripped and equiped for the Paris-Beijing trip.
Over here they are also reffered to as 'Cats backs'.
I'm a 100/6 fan although I'm told they drive like trucks.
Classic roadster material here. Maybe a bit too pretty for my liking . . .
. . . and that's were this one comes in: race and rally prepped Healeys are it big time.
I'd like to know some more details about this one. It appeared to be a famous car but the owner was away or busy talking so I failed to get the details.
Edited by dinkel on Monday 29th June 19:53
What do I like about classic cars
Well where to start?
The looks, curves in all the right places.
The noise, that mixture of induction and exhaust as the car breaths.
The smell, old leather, hot engine oil, petrol, grease, it's an intoxicating combination, in the mechanical world, only bettered by the smell of a steam engine.
Then there is the driving.
Let's face it you don't drive a classic to get in the car at point A and fall out at point B. Classics aren't really a mode of transport. Points A & B just mark the start and end of the fun, the journey is the thing.
I love the feel of the car, it pure mechanical interface with the driver. There is no computer sitting between me and the wheels. It is ME driving it. When I screw up, the car lets me know. But when I get something right that feels so good and natural.
I love the feel of the un-assisted steering.
I love the way the cross plies hunt over road imperfections.
I love the throttle response.
I love the fact that it is up to me to control it.
My classic feels alive in a way that no modern I've ever driven feels.
I love the torque curve that classic engines tend to have. Multi valve engines should be capable of giving better low down response. But they never do (OK the AJ16 is pretty good).
That's all before you get to the romance, the nostalgia. The feeling I'm doing this in a car that is older than me but is still better than quite a few moderns I've had as rentals. I loved the cars as a kid and now I've had a chance to play.
The modern world is so isolating and sterile.
My everyday car is a modern, although as a 1994, I guess it's not that modern. I'll acknowledge that the newer X350 XJs are "better" cars than my X300, but I still prefer mine. In some ways it's halfway between my XK150 and the latest moderns. It still feels more alive.
Well where to start?
The looks, curves in all the right places.
The noise, that mixture of induction and exhaust as the car breaths.
The smell, old leather, hot engine oil, petrol, grease, it's an intoxicating combination, in the mechanical world, only bettered by the smell of a steam engine.
Then there is the driving.
Let's face it you don't drive a classic to get in the car at point A and fall out at point B. Classics aren't really a mode of transport. Points A & B just mark the start and end of the fun, the journey is the thing.
I love the feel of the car, it pure mechanical interface with the driver. There is no computer sitting between me and the wheels. It is ME driving it. When I screw up, the car lets me know. But when I get something right that feels so good and natural.
I love the feel of the un-assisted steering.
I love the way the cross plies hunt over road imperfections.
I love the throttle response.
I love the fact that it is up to me to control it.
My classic feels alive in a way that no modern I've ever driven feels.
I love the torque curve that classic engines tend to have. Multi valve engines should be capable of giving better low down response. But they never do (OK the AJ16 is pretty good).
That's all before you get to the romance, the nostalgia. The feeling I'm doing this in a car that is older than me but is still better than quite a few moderns I've had as rentals. I loved the cars as a kid and now I've had a chance to play.
The modern world is so isolating and sterile.
My everyday car is a modern, although as a 1994, I guess it's not that modern. I'll acknowledge that the newer X350 XJs are "better" cars than my X300, but I still prefer mine. In some ways it's halfway between my XK150 and the latest moderns. It still feels more alive.
Of course there were Jaguars at this event Ken!
Check this Fixed Head Coupe. Not sure about the colour.
Looked and sounded like a driver.
Great write up Ken, really sums it up for me. The early 90s produced some of the last cars with feel. Cars you could drive - and still can really - without being driven. The 80s introduced some safety features but the 90s spoilt it . . .
More Jags to come.
Check this Fixed Head Coupe. Not sure about the colour.
Looked and sounded like a driver.
Great write up Ken, really sums it up for me. The early 90s produced some of the last cars with feel. Cars you could drive - and still can really - without being driven. The 80s introduced some safety features but the 90s spoilt it . . .
More Jags to come.
A bit of useless chitchat related to one of your photos, as requested:
My best mate, (Mike Foulds RIP) died aged 52 of a heart attack. His widow wanted me to lead his funeral cortege in his white XK150 drophead.
It needed an MOT and the dynamo wasn't charging so I took it another friend's
garage to get it sorted. As I drove in he said that the XK was his all-time favourite car, but he had never had one in his garage in 20 years of business, and so had never driven his dream. With the dynamo fixed and a new MOT issued at no charge, I had to let him fulfil his life-time ambition and take the XK for a drive.
He returned 15 minutes later and to my surprise called me "a utter f***ing B**stard". He was so used to modern cars that the jarring ride, the heavy steering, the difficult gearbox had completely destroyed his dream and he never wanted to drive one again!
Over fifty classic cars came to Mike's funeral and so we had to have three Police motorbikes to escort us and even close the A127 to let us cross on the way to the crematorium.
My best mate, (Mike Foulds RIP) died aged 52 of a heart attack. His widow wanted me to lead his funeral cortege in his white XK150 drophead.
It needed an MOT and the dynamo wasn't charging so I took it another friend's
garage to get it sorted. As I drove in he said that the XK was his all-time favourite car, but he had never had one in his garage in 20 years of business, and so had never driven his dream. With the dynamo fixed and a new MOT issued at no charge, I had to let him fulfil his life-time ambition and take the XK for a drive.
He returned 15 minutes later and to my surprise called me "a utter f***ing B**stard". He was so used to modern cars that the jarring ride, the heavy steering, the difficult gearbox had completely destroyed his dream and he never wanted to drive one again!
Over fifty classic cars came to Mike's funeral and so we had to have three Police motorbikes to escort us and even close the A127 to let us cross on the way to the crematorium.
Some great stories guys, keep 'em coming. The more details the better.
XK 150 in all its glory. On the road with this owner since 2003.
XK 140 Drophead Coupe in a more suiteable shade of green, imo.
I love the coupes - any car - but driving with the top down is absolutely preffered. Even slight rain blows over and with a head 'n scarf there's little to worry about.
Contemporary convertibles are no fun to drive . . . Where's the fresh air there?
Lovely split window as most 50s cars had. The sound - and the smell - of this beauty was fab. Jag sixpots are hard to beat in that category.
Pininfarina elegance in this 403 cabrio. Can't remember if this was a 2 or a 4-door car. Handsome coloured French bred like this one will set you back well over 30K these days. And yes, you read that well.
More of that lovely endurance Healey: big fueltank! Vent in the ceiling, hot cam as it wasn't very willing at idle.
Next: microcar anyone?
XK 150 in all its glory. On the road with this owner since 2003.
XK 140 Drophead Coupe in a more suiteable shade of green, imo.
I love the coupes - any car - but driving with the top down is absolutely preffered. Even slight rain blows over and with a head 'n scarf there's little to worry about.
Contemporary convertibles are no fun to drive . . . Where's the fresh air there?
Lovely split window as most 50s cars had. The sound - and the smell - of this beauty was fab. Jag sixpots are hard to beat in that category.
Pininfarina elegance in this 403 cabrio. Can't remember if this was a 2 or a 4-door car. Handsome coloured French bred like this one will set you back well over 30K these days. And yes, you read that well.
More of that lovely endurance Healey: big fueltank! Vent in the ceiling, hot cam as it wasn't very willing at idle.
Next: microcar anyone?
A roadworthy classic car is an amazing survivor.
I am reminded of all those new skills I learned in bodywork repairs, auto-electrics and mechanical bits and pieces.
A self-maintained car from the sixties and seventies became an old friend, a constantly re-visited workplace and a familiar engineering landscape where battles with 'intermittent' faults had been won and lost, the tangle of machinery a mental catalogue of individual adventures, a place where hours and days became melded into the determined pursuit of mechanical fulfillment.
Then there was the war to end all wars...RUST...that arch enemy always lurking.
The Plague and the Black Death are by comparison quite benign.
How many dear friends have we seen consigned to that great oily and muddy pile in the sky...taken by the dreaded red death ? The dreams we had of growing old together. That recon engine we were going to fit...those wider wheels,and one of those new cartridge players with STEREO speakers.
I am reminded of all those new skills I learned in bodywork repairs, auto-electrics and mechanical bits and pieces.
A self-maintained car from the sixties and seventies became an old friend, a constantly re-visited workplace and a familiar engineering landscape where battles with 'intermittent' faults had been won and lost, the tangle of machinery a mental catalogue of individual adventures, a place where hours and days became melded into the determined pursuit of mechanical fulfillment.
Then there was the war to end all wars...RUST...that arch enemy always lurking.
The Plague and the Black Death are by comparison quite benign.
How many dear friends have we seen consigned to that great oily and muddy pile in the sky...taken by the dreaded red death ? The dreams we had of growing old together. That recon engine we were going to fit...those wider wheels,and one of those new cartridge players with STEREO speakers.
Brian_M said:
A bit of useless chitchat related to one of your photos, as requested:
My best mate, (Mike Foulds RIP) died aged 52 of a heart attack. His widow wanted me to lead his funeral cortege in his white XK150 drophead.
It needed an MOT and the dynamo wasn't charging so I took it another friend's
garage to get it sorted. As I drove in he said that the XK was his all-time favourite car, but he had never had one in his garage in 20 years of business, and so had never driven his dream. With the dynamo fixed and a new MOT issued at no charge, I had to let him fulfil his life-time ambition and take the XK for a drive.
He returned 15 minutes later and to my surprise called me "a utter f***ing B**stard". He was so used to modern cars that the jarring ride, the heavy steering, the difficult gearbox had completely destroyed his dream and he never wanted to drive one again!
While I'd accept that the Moss box isn't as easy to live with as your typical modern manual, I wouldn't recognise "jarring ride, the heavy steering" as being defining features of my XK150. The steering is heavy at parking speeds, but is fine once on the move. What tyres are you running? I've got mine on cross plies.My best mate, (Mike Foulds RIP) died aged 52 of a heart attack. His widow wanted me to lead his funeral cortege in his white XK150 drophead.
It needed an MOT and the dynamo wasn't charging so I took it another friend's
garage to get it sorted. As I drove in he said that the XK was his all-time favourite car, but he had never had one in his garage in 20 years of business, and so had never driven his dream. With the dynamo fixed and a new MOT issued at no charge, I had to let him fulfil his life-time ambition and take the XK for a drive.
He returned 15 minutes later and to my surprise called me "a utter f***ing B**stard". He was so used to modern cars that the jarring ride, the heavy steering, the difficult gearbox had completely destroyed his dream and he never wanted to drive one again!
Let's see what we have here:
The regular microcar-entry.
It's a bloody Beemer for crying out loud! A 13 brake '56 Isetta 300 to be precise.
The getting-out-procedure:
Opening the front of the car.
Steering wheel getting out . . .
. . . and the missus getting out.
More small stuff:
Simca 1000 (1961-1978) was a Simca-bestseller.
Old neighbour had a Rally. Woke me up every morning!
Healey Sprite Mk2 1100. Love those little gems. I prefer these lines and proportions to the MGBs.
Next: Italian stuff.
The regular microcar-entry.
It's a bloody Beemer for crying out loud! A 13 brake '56 Isetta 300 to be precise.
The getting-out-procedure:
Opening the front of the car.
Steering wheel getting out . . .
. . . and the missus getting out.
More small stuff:
Simca 1000 (1961-1978) was a Simca-bestseller.
Old neighbour had a Rally. Woke me up every morning!
Healey Sprite Mk2 1100. Love those little gems. I prefer these lines and proportions to the MGBs.
Next: Italian stuff.
I think this is my favourite thread in quite a while. Comfy slippers is how I see my car too 
I've now got a Panda as my daily driver but home will always be the Dax. I've so many good memories of lovely journeys, sometimes ripping along, sometimes just wombling. You just feel so connected to the world around you, even with the roof on. Having the Dax as a daily driver has been an amazing experience. Each time I sit in my car I feel all is right with the world again. I don't seem to get that sense of being "home" with the Panda or other modern cars
Nice photos and anecdotes - keep 'em coming guys
I've now got a Panda as my daily driver but home will always be the Dax. I've so many good memories of lovely journeys, sometimes ripping along, sometimes just wombling. You just feel so connected to the world around you, even with the roof on. Having the Dax as a daily driver has been an amazing experience. Each time I sit in my car I feel all is right with the world again. I don't seem to get that sense of being "home" with the Panda or other modern carsNice photos and anecdotes - keep 'em coming guys
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