In praise of old cars

In my first entry on this blog I described how my love of cars comes in part from the feeling of oneness with road and machine that you get from driving a good car. Today I shall delve a little into what makes a good car, for me.

A good car should be pretty, reliable, economical, and many other things. But, in my opinion, the key component is exactly that connection between man and machine. This connection, in its essence, stems from three principles: driving-oriented design, precision manufacturing, and lack of filters between the different mechanical systems and the driver.

All of these factors should make modern sports cars the epitome of driving enjoyment. In reality, that is true, but also not, in some ways. Sports cars are designed with driving taking precedence over comfort and practicality. Their suspensions have sophisticated geometries, they use lightweight components, high performance engines, sharp steering racks, and reduced amounts of insulation. Moreover, the industry keeps evolving, so we'd expect the latest car to be the best to drive. As Enzo Ferrari famously said: "the greatest Ferrari ever is the one we have yet to build: the next one".

Alas, there are some things that, in the real world, end up conspiring against modern sports cars. First, we have that sports cars must obey the same regulations that other cars do. And regulations continuously tighten over time. Safety regulations especially, important as they are, have some significant negative side effects. Hood lines have been raised for pedestrian safety, pillars have been made thicker to better absorb impact energy, and your hands are no longer sufficient to count the number of airbags surrounding you. All of this has led to larger, heavier cars, with worse visibility and higher seating positions. If you want the car to disappear around you as you drive, none of this is helpful.

Another point is that sports cars have gotten so capable that they can no longer be explored properly on public roads. A brief few seconds of open throttle are enough to get you deep into license-loosing territory. And even forgetting that "small" issue, the grip provided by today's large soft-compound tires is so high that if you really want to work the car you'll be going so fast that a small mistake could easily result in a deadly crash, airbags notwithstanding.

Finally, there is the issue of price. All the regulations along with increased customer expectations mean that developing a new car is now more expensive than ever before. Combine that with the fact that sports cars sales are down and it's no surprise that there are precious few affordable sports cars on the market today. It's basic arithmetic: slow sales means unit prices need to increase to offset development costs. And it's a vicious cycle: slower sales lead to high unit prices, high unit prices lead to slower sales. On top of that, since you can't really explore a high end sports car on the street, you need to rent a race track to fully enjoy it. Which costs money as well. A lot of it, actually, when you account for consumables and the extra maintenance required. So what is a regular middle class car lover to do?

I'd like to make an argument for older cars. Old cars can give you that raw feeling of connection. Even normal "econobox"-type cars. Not necessarily because they were designed with that purpose in mind, but as a side effect of their limitations. Older B- and C-segment cars didn't have power steering. This meant you could really feel the road through the wheel. They didn't have a lot of insulation, as it would have been too costly, so you can hear and feel everything. They didn't have automatic gearboxes, so you shifted yourself, with pleasure. They didn't have AC or much crash protection, so they were small and lightweight. And if you have the most cursory of interests in vehicle dynamics, you'll know mass is the biggest enemy: it shows up in every equation as an undesirable factor.

Furthermore, because of their lack of sophistication and small tires, their limits were much lower, allowing you to have fun on the road without loosing your license or putting anyone in real danger. Of course, the mechanical precision of newer cars wasn't there. But today, with some care, you'll be able to find a vehicle that you can upgrade in key areas such as suspension and brakes without too much trouble. Just don't pick a big luxury land yacht and expect it to handle like a racer.

Now, don't get me wrong. Old cars are not necessarily cheap. Specially if you want to keep them looking good. And they can be a pain, needing frequent repairs and parts that are no longer available, depending on the model you go with. Also passive safety wasn't really a serious consideration. And there isn't much comfort to be had either. I'm definitely not suggesting you use one as your only car. But at the end of the day you can take a mildly prepped small old car on a run and come back grinning just as much, if not more, than you would had you been driving the latest and greatest sports car. And isn't that something?

2018 AACA Hershey Fall Meet

I’ve seen the Antique Automobile Club of America’s (AACA) Hershey Fall Meet described as the largest automotive flea market in the world. And this is why, finding myself within striking distance of it, I decided to attend and see what it is all about.

The meet takes place in early October every year. It’s a 3 day event, Thursday through Saturday. The first couple of days are dedicated to transactions: there is a huge parts flea market, a car corral full of cars to buy, and an RM auction. The final day is mostly dedicated to a car show.

Due to work obligations and an unexpected traffic jam, I arrived in Hershey Friday mid-afternoon. Figuring the chances of finding anything for my 90s Hondas at the flea market were slim to none, I dedicated myself to the car corral on Friday and to the car show on Saturday.

My first impression was that Hershey Park is a huge venue, and it is utilized to the fullest. It is so large you really need to attend all 3 days if you want to see everything.

Strolling through the car corral I see a huge variety of cars. Mostly American but from all eras, from Model Ts to C4 Corvettes and everything in between. A few European cars as well. Porsches, MGs, Jaguars. But very few Japanese ones.

Another thing that strikes me is that the attendants skew older. Which makes sense. You need some disposable income to be able to afford a hobby like this. And almost everything here is quite original, while younger folks might prefer modified cars.

This is actually a misconception that a lot of foreigners have about the US. They see all the TV shows and movies and think this is the country of the rat rod, painted flames and resto mods. It is, but it is also much more than that. It’s such a big country that there is space for everything and everyone.

After a good night’s sleep in a nearby motel I wake up to a rainy Saturday, which is typical of October in Pennsylvania. I arrived at Hershey park around 9 am. The last cars were entering the show grounds. Inside, owners were busy wiping their cars down in preparation for judging. Fortunately the rain eventually stopped, making for a much better experience for everyone involved.

I’ve never seen so many pre-war cars together. Marques I never knew existed. I always consider it worth to attend a meet if I see at least one car I’ve never seen before. By that measure, this was an outstanding success. I can’t relate to the earlier cars in the same way I can relate to later ones, but I still appreciate them. And there were a lot of younger cars as well. Again, predominantly American in origin.

There were many pristine low-mile time-capsule examples as well as well-used unrestored cars. These were part of the HPOF (Historic Preservation of Original Features) class. Patina was alive and well at Hershey 2018!

I strolled through the field, taking pictures until my battery died. At 3 PM came the best part: all the cars rolled out of the field by their own means and I just watched and listened, taking it all in. Have you ever seen a steam car rolling down the street? It sounds exactly like a small train! It was very memorable.

Please find a few of my highlights below. A full picture gallery can be found here. Please forgive the quality. I have many excuses: i) I’m not a professional photographer; ii) my “camera” is an iPhone; iii) it is extremely hard to take photos in shows as people get in the way and there is often precious little space between cars.

With that out of the way, here they are:

Arguably the star of the show was this beautiful 1938 Reo tractor and Curtiss Aerocar combination. This is late thirties streamlining at its finest. The trailer, aptly nicknamed “Vagabond”, was one of the earliest fifth-wheel trailers. The tractor was custom built by Standard Carriage Works of Los Angeles. It currently features a Cummins 6-cylinder diesel engine, fitted in 1953 after the original V12 died after more than 250K miles of use! It was really hard to photograph as, understandably, people flocked to it like bears to honey.

“It’s such a comfort to take the bus… and leave the driving to us”. It’s a 1950s GMC PD-4501 Scenic Cruiser in what I assume to be period livery. The very definition of Americana. I believe it is powered by a Detroit Diesel Series 71 2-stroke V8, but I could be wrong.

There were so many Ford Model Ts that they had multiple classes dedicated to them.

The exposed mechanicals is my favorite part of the brass-era cars. This is a late 1910s Scripps-Booth, a Detroit-based manufacturer I've never heard about before. It features an overhead valve 6 cylinder engine. Note the exposed push rods, rocker arms and valve springs.

I had never seen a Checker Cab before and had no idea of how big they are. Look how huge it looks next to a W108 Mercedes S-Class. It's crazy to think these used to be all over NYC only a few decades ago.

This 1993 Mustang Cobra was one of the youngest cars at the show, leading me to believe the cutoff was 25 years old. If I remember correctly the car had less than 400 miles on the clock. Original owner. It even has the window sticker still on it! I hope the person bought two, one to show and one to drive. Otherwise it's a little sad...

Early 90s sports cars, got to love them. These two were both pristine examples with less than 12K miles. I think the Miata's design aged much better than the Elan's. Do you agree?

It's hard to believe only 20 years (give or take one or two) separate these two Fords. The changes between late 20s and late 40s cars were very large. Now picture a 1998 and a 2018 car of the same segment side by side. They wouldn't look all that different. It's normal, industries evolve faster in the beginning.

This somewhat early Porsche 356 looked amazing. Makes later 356s look busy and ugly. It made me realize I really like clean, unadorned cars.

This 2nd generation 1965 Chevrolet Corvair features one of the first automobile turbocharger applications (the first one appeared in the 1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire). I find the accessory drive belt's path super interesting. Apparently it caused a few problems back in the day.

This 2nd generation 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Fastback looked gorgeous. In my opinion these are much better looking than the more popular 3rd generation cars.

This beautiful and well-worn 1949 MG Y belonged to the HPOF (Historic Preservation of Original Features) class.

Watching and hearing cars like this 4th generation Pontiac Bonneville drive by was one of my favorite things about the show.

I simply adored this 1991 Efini MS-9 for sale in the car corral. Efini was Mazda's failed attempt at a (Japan-only) luxury brand but it produced some fine automobiles. This is the earliest example of a car with a fully integrated (blinker and main headlight in one) composite headlight I've ever seen. I believe the MS-9 was sold in the US as the Mazda 929. By the way, that weird looking Mitsubishi 3000GT in the background is actually a Dodge Stealth...

Also for sale was this delicious Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2. Exotic GTs are typically under appreciated when compared with their sports cars brethren. Sometimes undeservedly so, as this car demonstrates.

This 1.1 liter, supercharged 1933 MG L-Type Roadster was full of exquisite details, like the preselect gearbox.

The first Chevrolet Corvette was crude but oh so pure...

And last but not least, we have what I believe to be a 1960 Chrysler Windsor. The excesses of the jet age... The contrast against the Fiat 124 in the background is stark.

Why cars?

Since this is a car blog, I decided my first post should be about why I love cars.

For most, cars are but a means of transportation. For me, they’re so much more. I’ve loved them basically since birth, so it’s something very deep and emotional, without any basis in reason. But today, as an adult, I can try to rationalize why.

In short, cars are the most sophisticated consumer product ever. They are, to me, the perfect mix of art and science.

As we approach a vehicle, art will manifest itself first. And in particular, sculpture. In the early days, just getting a car to work properly was enough. But soon, fierce competition made it so that buyers demanded more. And hence styling became the ultimate product differentiator, something that lasts to this day.

Getting closer, we open the door and slip inside. The textures, the smells, the combination of materials and colors, don't they elicit an emotional response? Isn’t that what art is all about?

Cars are designed to be functional but also appeal to the senses. Some cars are so pretty you wouldn’t even mind if they didn’t move at all.

But hopefully move they do, and this is how we get to another art: music. Some growl, some sing, but one thing is for sure, the best internal combustion engines produce an inebriating sound that competes with the best symphonies man has ever written in terms of how much they stir your soul.

We are now rolling along and a corner approaches. As we move the wheel the final art shows reveals itself: dance. You drive a good car like you wear a comfortable pair of glasses: after a while you forget you’re wearing them, they’re part of you. Your hands can feel the front tire’s grip through the wheel. The rear end, you feel through the seat, and the engine is telepathically connected to your right foot. You are now one with the car, a cyborg, part human, part machine, and you dance together on the stage that is the road.

Smiling, you drive back home and park. Maybe you should do some maintenance now, you reckon. And this is where science comes in. Chemistry and physics applied through engineering are at the heart of cars. As you rebuild an engine you appreciate the intricacy and precision of its design. For instance how timing and quality of combustion affect power. As you play with the suspension settings you realize how small geometry changes can have a big impact on ride and handling. It’s a whole new world.

Whether you’re just looking at them, driving them, or working on them, cars are fascinating. And this is why I love them.