Quote:Logan Darklighter wrote:I especially like how he describes the transmission in the vehicle he recently acquired. No linkages, no wires. The shift lever goes straight into the transmission.
Wonderful article from Wired that underscores my opinion on older cars.
Nothing Beats an Old, Crappy Car
Quote:I write about cars for a living. The job is nothing if not surreal. Last year, I lapped Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Porsche 962C that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I spent the better part of a day last fall drifting six-figure exotics on a closed-off airport runway for a photographer. I have driven every new car on the American market and more supercars than I care to remember. I’ve been lucky enough to meet many of my heroes, the racers and artists and engineers who spend their lives pursuing speed, beauty, and genius. As with any job, there are bad days, but the best of them provide a glimpse of how humanity works and thinks and dreams.
And at the end of those magical days, I come home to my piles of crap.
Of the seven cars I own, five move under their own power. Just one was built in the last decade, and only two—a 1965 Ford Mustang fastback and a 1968 Alexis Formula Ford race car—could be said to have any real value. Lest you become envious, my entire collection, a term I use loosely, is worth less than a new pickup. I’ve always been this way. I’m 34 years old, and I have owned almost 40 cars. (I’d also note that I can’t stop, but my wife might read this, so let’s just say I can. Any time I want.)
Read the whole thing. Very much worth it.
Something I like to do with my truck is let my right hand's fingertips rest on the knob of my gear shifter.... and through that I can feel the teeth of the gears running together.
Now that's what I call feedback.
I do not need some over-engineered (and I do not use that term in the good way) hunk of metal to decide for me what gear I should be in. I can do it by the sound of my little 2.5L four-banger and the feel of the road through the chassis.