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Sajeev's write up of the Lingenfelter-modded Corvette ZR-1 got my blood pumping. As almost every commenter has pointed out, it opens up TTAC to a whole new level of car-geekdom. After all, the sign doesn't say "The Truth About New Cars," does it? After my great Corvette adventure my heart is all aflutter at the prospect of spilling virtual ink all over vintage metal. But where to even start? Well, if you're me, the 1960s are the decade. Specifically the cars that ran at Le Mans. E-types, Ferrari GTOs, Daytona Coupes, GT40 and of course Bizzarinni and the Breadvan. Even the non racers were seven types of magnificent. Alfa Romeo 2600 anyone? What a magic, special time. You?
49 Comments on “Question of the Day: What’s Your Favorite Era?...”
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1896 – 1969.
The Bill Mitchell era.
Mid nineties when we had Supra, RX-7, 300GT VR-4, Eclipse GSX, etc etc. before SUVs killed the sports cars. Better styling than the 80s squares but before flame surfacing and fender vents of today.
Yes, the 60’s was the golden era. But when did it start? And when did it end?
The starting point is an easy one, 1955. The Citroen DS was the first car of the 60’s, with a five year head start. I took the rest of the 50’s for the others to catch up.
The end of the golden era must be somewhere in between 1973/74, with the clash of the titans, The Daytona and Countach. The Ferrari Daytona was the last of the true 60’s breed, and it clashed with the first true 70’s car, the Lamborghini Countach. Not to mention the start of true mediocracy in car designing, with the Pinto, the Vega, the demise of the english car industry, and rustbucket Fiats all over the place.
1961-1967—endless list of really cool cars from The Lincoln Continental to the Ford Mustang to the Buick Wildcat…..and many, many others
i feel torn to both sides, like that monkey, that had to choose which way to turn- to the right, where the beautiful animals go, or to the left, where the clever go. So the monkey fell in despair and said that he can`t go both ways simultaneously.
From one hand, vintage era cars have their merits, abundance of chrome, simplicity, manhood, the taste of gentleman. At least you know the one who drives a Ferrari Dino, does it for the love of the cars, not economy, lateral Gs or bang for the buck.
yet I was not born then, I don`t feel these melancholic ties, these boyish hands that secretly used to caress hips of a stylish dream coupe left on a saturday night at Motorama parking lot.
I come from a time of matrix, from ultra-violet era of precision, style and gadgetry. Where defying gravity comes out from prototypes, not jules Verne science fiction books. I get seduced, and I get laid by those superprecise Audi-esque interiors, those bzzzzzz, bzzz sounds speaking out from linear actuators lifting gates or adjusting suspension travel. I smooch those gapless interiors, and taste with my tongue chrome cast detailing around DSG gearboxes or speaker`s rims.
And no matter how polished or maintained a 60ies caddy can shine its silver flippers , I have grown up. So has my vision, piercing through the thick vintage metal and leaving a bouquet of bad taste, of drum brakes, 4speed autos, power nothing and sumo weight body. 3 stars frontal probably…I would mutter, before slamming doors and smoking away in a G37 from Infiniti. Sorry, mom…
I don’t think I’ve been around long enough to know. I’m tempted to say that the cars of today, tomorrow, and going about 5 years back are of my era because I am most knowledgeable about them. But I do like the cars of the sixties, too. Especially the Bonneville for some reason. It’s just so…I don’t know, but it’s awesome.
2000 – 2008. We have the widest spectrum of cars to choose from ever, and while many of them are terrible, most are better than ever before.
Unless you are talking about a specific car of an era, which for me would be the 1977 Aston Martin Vantage.
http://www.astonmartins.com/v8/USA_vantage_cosmetic_1.jpg
I agree with Ingvar it’s the 1960s,
Jaguar XKE, Porsche 356 C and Porsche 911S, Mercedes Benz 190SL, 230SL, 220, 280, 300 SE Coupe and Convertible, Rolls Royce/Bentley Silver Cloud/T-2and3, Lincoln Continental 61-65.
Now. Today. This very minute.
The present is the best era in motoring.
When could someone get so much bang for their adjusted-for-inflation dollars as today?
And not just a performance bang, but bangs in safety, comfort, quality and reliability?
And speaking of performance. 400hp…meh. 500hp. That’s even common today, compared to history. And the cars that surround today’s fire-snorting engines actually stop and steer, which is more than once can say about a 69 Hemi Cuda.
We are living in the last golden era of piston-powered motoring. Let’s all and enjoy – and celebrate – it while it lasts!
1949 – 1973, paticularly Aston Martin-50’s, Porsche-50’s Jaguar-XK120 to E-Type, BMW-68-73 2002(tii), and the list goes on………………………
2nd the 90s.
The Integra Type-R was the best car Honda ever made. Nissan made Zs with t-tops. And Toyota made…sports cars. The only thing missing was the GT-R, Evo and STi. We have those now, but they ain’t as cheap as they use to be.
This is what old cars do: they let you down.
I have experienced it; I drove a ’64 P1800 Volvo for six years. It was a beautiful thing with bulletproof truck mechanicals, but even after a general refurbish something was always going wrong.
It was always that way in the past. Oil changes every 5,000 miles, tires worn out after 15k. Cars got hot in the summer and didn’t start in the winter. Who needs that?
Nostalgia is great as such and even better when you get over it. Every time I visit the motor salon in Geneva I take a quick walk through the adjacent museum and venerate the breathtaking Lotuses, Bugattis, Bristols, Bentleys, Delahayes. And then feel like getting on my knees in thanks that I don’t have to drive the old things.
For a combination of styling and performance, I’d have to say the 60’s. Safety? Who needs it. I want to go fast and look good doing it, or at least look good. I also like the 50’s for the sheer simplicity of the auto. With a decent set of wrenches and drivers you could actually work on your car, preferrably under a shade tree.
I would have to say the mid to late 1980s was the best time. We were finally seeing HP rise and we were very happy for each additonal HP we got.
225hp in a Mustang never felt so good!
This was the era of 200hp and 150mph were a very big deal!
This was the time when the rain clouds of the 1970s where finally giving way to some sunshine. You could finally buy a Carrera with a whopping 200hp! The 944 turbo and MB 300e sold for $30,000. The Corvette recieved TPI and 240hp.
The GTI, MR2, and CRX ruled the sub-compact world.
This was the time when “technology” began play a major role in the automobile; EFI, ECU, DOHC 4v head, ABS brakes, Air-Bags, AWD, alloy engines, turbos w/intercoolers.
The word FAST became a good 4 letter word again! MB had the 560 Series in the US that could top 140mph and do 0 to 60 in 7sec. The Corvette was once again a fast car able to pull a solid 150mph. Toyota had a 230hp Supra that couls also top 150mph.
This was also the time of the Japanese breakout from their beachhead. A-C-U-R-A!
This was also a time when a MB was an MB and a Ferrari 328 could be spanked by just about anything with more than 200hp!
The Porsche 959, Ferrari 288 GT0/F40, BMW M3, M5, M6, AMG Hammer, Chevy Z28 IROZ, Saab 9000 turbo, Volvo 740 turbo, Buick Grand National, etc…….AHHHHH!
For me cars have become like video games. While I have played every graphically 3D delight for the last 15 years nothing has had the effect as the first time a played DOOM!
1938 – 1962. Easily. Second place would be 2008.
The 2008 Camry is a better car in almost every respect than a 1964 Biscayne w/427, but I’d rather drive the Chevy.
I know how to change oil and gap points and I’d rather do that on a Saturday morning than most other things.
1961(ish)-1972(ish) gets my vote.
> “The only thing missing was the GT-R, Evo and STi”
Nope… the 90s had those, too, just not in the US market. The funny thing about the 80s and 90s is that most folks in the US were blissfully unaware of some of the incredible Euro- and Japan-only cars out there. I guess the ones we had were good enough at the time. (Then a combination of late night Speedvision watchers, internet users, and videogame players finally had their way in ’01 with the WRX and the gates were open)
Personally, I’m a sucker for the exterior designs from ’62 to ’71 – worldwide… but I think the overall pinnacle was ’88-’94. You had power, safety, style, sophistication, but not too much of either that it got in the way.
The 60s; hands down (although for safety and reliability, I’d take right now for a daily driver).
# Buick61 :
April 14th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
1938 – 1962. Easily. Second place would be 2008.
Seconded. Cars from that classic era are just so damn beautiful, although the late 50s started showing signs of overdone styling.
@jconli1
Nope… the 90s had those, too, just not in the US market.
Sorry, that’s what I had meant.
the last decade and a half for cars to drive
post wwii-1970 for cars to look at. 1964 Chevies, 1960 Valiant, ’60-64 Xler, Lincoln, ’64 Buicks, ’63-4 Pontiacs, etc. Peugeot, Volvo of that era, and Citroen. latter ’60s Corvair. Real Beetle.
honorable mention: 1769, the date of the first car
I would love to take a current car across the country on the roads that existed in the early ’50s.
I’ll say late 70’s to early ’80s
If i got all Fiddler and was a rich man I’m sure I’d indulge in some nostalgia from the time when I was first able to drive, 1983-4 and slightly before.
Early Audi Quattro
First gen Scirocco and GTi, hell, even a Rabbit
Porsche 911 and 930
Early Countach with the big balloon tires and lack of body work
and heck, I’d probably restore our old 240D
American stuff – er, well…
Now.
They may not be as beautiful as some of the classics; however, I’ll take 50 mpg, 0-60 in 10 seconds, keyless entry and stop/start, navigation, i-pod ready, plush interior, low NVH, low emissions, 6 airbags, touchscreen audio/climate/nav controls, etc, any day of the week.
(Yes that’s a Prius, but what other car defines this era so completely?)
but what other car defines this era so completely?
Um, the Veyron?
That and the $50K restored, non-matching-numbers ’67 Corvette Coupe I saw on one of those silly auction programs yesterday.
1953-1957
From Corvette through Cadillac to Thunderbird (and a bunch of others) – the most beautiful cars ever produced in the USA were in that period. I guess the general post-war industrial boom and optimism translated into beautiful designs.
They may not have been the most practical or perfected, but for the sheer style I would take them over any other period.
Now. If for nothing else than the safety that modern cars offer.
For example, stomping hard on the brakes of a Boxster S results in deceleration that is grin inducing violent yet controlled.
Try that 60 era muscle cars!
Although I love the 70’s and the 80’s, the 60’s gets the nod.
Style-wise, Art Deco era cars all the way. 1937 GM cars with the tear drop headlights. Pre-war Delages and Alfa Romeos. There hasn’t been a decent looking domestic since 1969
Thinking about it more, when you combine old-school philosophies of tankbuilding, with new-school safety and efficiency… throw in common sense (RWD and manual transmissions for instance), I think the mid-80s Volvo 245ti and 740 Turbo Wagon are the best cars ever made, period.
So its settled.
For American cars? The 20s and 30s.
Packard and Peirce, Duesenberg and Auburn, Caddy and Stude, every damn one of them drop. dead. gorgeous.
For European cars? The 60s.
E-type Jags, anything from Ferrari, Aston-Martin, quirky little British roadsters and classic German autobahn cruisers.
For Japanese cars? The 80s. They kicked everyone’s ass on build quality and reliability through superior engineering. Showed the world how to get it done.
For a car buyer: Right Frikking Now.
–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
The late 1990s, as all of the big three were building (mostly) world class products that were at the top of the marketplace, as well as the fact that it was a very prosperous time for the American makers.
From about 1953 to 1966. Amazing years. The best part was back then the cars really changed from year to year in general. The anticipation of seeing what was different was incredible, and so were the cars.
The most beautiful cars ever built were built in the 1930s. The French custom bodied cars like the Talbot have never been equaled. US cars like the ACD cars and the Lincoln Continental were also fabulous. The German race cars, the Bugattis, the Tatra.
Mechanically, they were laughable. Modern cars are far superior technologically, but they are also ugly and soulless.
It’s 1955 through 1969 for me. 14 years is a fairly big swath, but I’ve found that most of the rolling metal I like falls in that range.
At least here in the States, this era is when lots of cars went from kingpins to balljoints, from 6 volts to 12, from flathead sixes to OHV V8s, from single cylinder drum brakes to dual cylinders and discs. The small block Chevy was introduced, the Powerglide made cheap and reliable automatics available to everyone. Not to mention that the Beetle and other interesting and innovative European makes started to really make an appearance.
And styling… most especially in the 60’s when it went from tall, tubby and doo-dad encrusted to low, long, clean and flowing: the JFK-era Continental, the 2nd gen Corvair, 1st gen Camaro, E-type Jaguar, ’65 through ’67 GM full-sizers, Buick Riviera, the 2nd gen Barracuda, the MGB, Citroen DS.
After 1969, things really started to go to hell, in my biased opinion. Bloat took over, with every new design seemingly bigger and heavier and stupider than before. Quality control really started to take a nosedive, and of course, we all know about what emission control and safety bumpers did. I really, truly do like my clean air and my enhanced safety, but damn it, my right brain just sighs and goes to sleep when it looks at autos much past 1972.
There are certainly lots of cars into the 90’s and up to today that will unquestionably outlast and outperform the old stuff, but you can’t fix them yourself as easily, or at all in some cases. Part of my attachment to a car is being able to work on every part of it, to spill my blood and tears onto it and feel like it’s really mine. Sorry, but I just don’t get that feeling from most cars nowadays. Go ahead, call me sentimental and an anachronism, I’ll readily admit to it.
There are plenty of rides outside of the range I’ve covered that are drool-worthy, like the ’49 Buick Roadmaster I saw parked on my block the other day (flawless five mile thick gloss black, perfect chrome plating everywhere… I nearly wet myself staring at it). But if I had to pick my favorite era, ’55 through ’69 it is.
I’d have to say the best era for most people in my age group would be 1955-1969, as well.
Starting out with Europe: The Citroen DS. That car wasn’t “1960’s” five years early – in was “1980’s” 30 years ahead of time. In fact, most automobiles have not yet caught up (though the Citroen itself had to wait until the early 1960’s air conditioned factory allowed the super-high precision machining which made the hydraulic-nitrogen suspension reliable at last). Staying with the french for a moment, the 1961 Peugeot 404. Timeless, beautiful, tasteful, understated, comfortable, economical.
The 1960 Austin and Morris Mini started a phenomenal modern trend in cars which took decades for the rest to follow. As with the Citroen DS, the earliest adopter was somewhat flawed at the start but improved.
In Europe, the microcars which had replaced the scooters which had replaced the bicycles, were replaced by small, but genuine automobiles by the mid 1950’s through the early 1960’s.
Over the pond, American optimism showed itself in cars such as the 1957 DeSoto Adventurer, with DeSoto’s own HEMI V8. Dodge originally had their own HEMI, Chrysler had their own HEMI and DeSoto had theirs. The engines were NOT RELATED and parts did not interchange. Their overall designs were similar, solely due to Chrysler engineering! Chrysler likewise brought out the Torqueflite 3 speed automatic in 1956, using the Simpson gearset – GM did not adopt the superior gearset until the Turbohydramatic 400 of 1965.
Packard introduced the Torison-Level in 1955. 12 volt electrics. Fuel injection on Chryslers, 1958. Superchargers on 1957 Thunderbirds and Studebaker Golden Hawks.
Disc front brakes on 1963 Studebakers, standard on the new Avanti. The 1963 Corvette split window coupe. The 1963 Buick Riviera.
Front wheel drive AND 425 cubic inches of ‘mercun V8 introduced for 1966 – the Oldsmobile Toronado.
The Barracuda which was overshadowed by the Mustang, introduced 2 weeks later in April 1964. It was a sensation like nothing seen since the Model A was introduced in 1928.
The GTO of 1964 on. The street HEMI’s.
Yes, even the popularization of the Volkswagen and beginnings of the popularization of Toyota and Datsun (later Nissan).
Yes, the 1955-1969 period was “it” all right.
I also have to say the next most important era started in 2004 when the current generation Toyota Prius electric hybrid was introduced.
Like the Citroen DS, the car is about 30 years ahead of everything else. Unlike the Citroen, the car is affordable by the masses; it is dead nuts reliable; and it is a car which can be serviced throughout the United States by a competent and relatively coast-to-coast dealer networkas well as worldwide. Something that never could be said of the DS except in France.
1960-1980.
We went from Firebirds to K-Cars. It was pretty much all over after that.
Hmmm, i guess this piece of news was put to screen your date of birth, because most of your golden era cars coincide with your teenager years. So ,to find out , when were you born we need to distract about-12-16 years from the due mentioned years of your `perfect cars` manufacturing dates. :))
Nope jurisb, you are wrong. I favour cars from the 60’s, and I’m born in 1974. My teenage years was in the 90’s. Though my first car was a 60’s car, a 1968 Volvo P210 Station Wagon. It was tuned with a larger B20 engine from a Volvo 144, and surprisungly agile, a real sleeper. Perhaps the most practical car I have ever seen.
But I have always been quite anachronistic. I Favour interior decoration and design from the 20’s to 40’s. I favour clothes and fashion and music from the 60’s as well. Theres no one on this earth that looked more cool than Steve McQueen in his turtleneck. And no one will ever look as cool again, ever. I favour architecture and furniture craftmanship from the 1870’s to the 1930’s. We will never see again a period in time were houses and furniture are produced at that level of refinement and craftmanship for such a low price for so many people.
The point is, everything has its own golden era, everything has its own time when production peaks in form of design, quality, refinement, price, and so on. And the 60’s are it, in my mind, when it comes to cars. Look at italy, and compare the 60’s and present day. The only design that truly stands up to that era is the Alfa 8C Competizione. I mean, the entire Ferrari line has nothing from today against itself in that era. The Ferrari Enzo may be twice as fast as a 60’s GTO, but is it beautiful? Not in a million years…
Now, absolutely.
My personal, visceral memory of cars goes back to my Dad’s used 1949 Buick. I was wide-eyed as the 1960s automotive pageant unfolded before me. I learned to drive in latter-’60s metal and got my license in 1970, just before the industry’s fall from grace worldwide. Then I lived through the Dark Age from 1974 – roughly 1986.
The most beautiful cars were produced first by dismal context (the Depression) and then against a backdrop of exuberance and confidence (the 1960s). The Bill Mitchell era wins for sustained output of beauty in every market. The whole world was inspired. But most of these vehicles drove like trucks. Notwithstanding the romance of manhandling an era Ferrari or Corvette, speed, handling and dynamic performance are for the first time in true balance today.
In the US, the return of the EFI V8 Mustang GT and the similarly revitalized C4 Corvette gave us the uplift of relatively lightweight cars that handled and felt quite spry for their time. The ’89 T-Bird debuted an affordable elegant gentleman’s GT to join its inspiration, the mid-’80s BMW 6. However most eighties style didn’t quite cut it against historical competition, but if you bought the right car it was possible to be entertained on the affordably in the context of reduced expectations. Was that 1st-gen M3 curse or blessing? Cred or embarrassment? Was it mullet or rice? That era can’t win with its aesthetic misjudgments.
The 1990s saw even crude designs benefit from refinement, and materials science improved products across the board. Corvette finally overcame its chief design liability — the non-structural body. Ford’s SVT division put some sweet motors, deft spring and damper rates, and real brakes on a dead-simple chassis. Ferrari finally figured out how to again design and build rolling performance art instead of automotive caricatures. Even Toyota found a brief moment of visual acuity that fielded inoffensive as successor to eyesore. But weight was climbing as fast as power and most designs were derivative.
Today, is the time. Enthusiasts are blessed with a plethora of dynamically competent machines at nearly all price strata, and power is abundant at fuel efficiency inconceivable 15 years ago. 500 hp cars can deliver 18mpg in city traffic and nearly 30 on the highway. All pumping out far fewer true pollutants than ever. Power is tamed by chassis rigidity beyond practical reach a short time ago. Tires are an enabling rather than trailing technology. Design themes are once again diverging to recognizable brand distinctions, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. And design maturity is evident in the lines of select cars originating from every automaking country. More to the point, it’s not over.
Phil
Ingvar- the beauty perception is subjective. Your mentioned ferraris of golden era didn`t have any precision of stamping.. todays any Kia bumper is stamped 3 times more precisely, than any part of any ferrari in 60ies. A ferrari 356 just made 10 years ago can`t compete in fit and finish even with its own Fiat Bravo today. today is the golden era of automobile. And tomorrow!
My chosen golden times start before I was born, too.
1966. I wish I was standing at the end of GM assembly waiting for the first Oldsmobile Toronado to roll off the line.
Domestic Hearse :
Now. Today. This very minute.
Phil Ressler adds a cogent argument to this.
As one who owned and drove cars from the 60’s onward, I retain a soft spot for British roadsters, but would never own one today as my S2000 is simply lightyears ahead of anything built then. I looked at a restored and lightly modded ’61 Continental on Jalopnik yesterday and was struck by what a beautiful car it was, for the time, but for four-person, gas-guzzling motoring, a 750iL or Lexus LS460L are both classy looking and will actually stop, turn and accelerate quite briskly. I retain a fondness for my ’82 Supra and its indestructable and exceedingly comfortable nylon velour seats. I’d still rather a high quality fabric to the you-must-take-it leather of my 3-series, but since the 300 hp 3-series will walk all over the Supra on any performance basis (but shares some ugly-duckling “styling” elements), I’d still take the 3-series.
We are in the golden age of automobiles today. The “low-end” Corvette has 435hp, an entry-level Mazda MX5 weighs under 2500 lbs and will hit 60 in 7 seconds, a Honda minivan will carry more stuff than anyone needs and still return 20 mpg, and in the Cayman, Porsche finally put the engine where it belongs in a beautiful coupe! It may not get better than this…
As a child of them, I absolutely love the 80s.
You had such macho cars like the 3rd Gen F-bodies and Corvettes, the Testarossa, insane Lambos and some of the wildest looking Porsches ever.
Jurisb: I beg to differ. I don’t care that the cars of today are more reliant, have better quality, are more comfortable, have more power and safety unheard of in those days. What they lack, however, is a soulful character, beauty and prescense. Somehow, somewhere, the beanconuters ditched the spirit in favour of streamlined production. A Soul can not be bought. But it can be sold. And the difference from yesteryear is a giant sellout.
I would chose a Lotus Elan over a Mazda Miata any day of the week. A ’61 Conti has more class and sophistication than any Lexus will ever achieve. Any Ferrari from the 60’s have more beauty than all Ferraris from the last 30 years. The last one that had any prescense was the original 308 GTB.
I know your points are valid, but I don’t care. When I have finsished the restoration of my Citroen DS, that’s the last car I will ever have the need of. I will happily live in bliss, wafting away in that flying carpet of a car, with a smile on my face.
Jurisb:
First of all I too was born well after my chosen golden era of car making. Second, fit, finish, and precision stamping of parts do not beauty make, at least not for most people. The beauty is in the flow of the design. I don’t know what it is, but most of what I consider to be beautiful cars were made prior to 1970. And, it seems that most people would agree that the flowing lines of a 1966 Impala are significantly more appealing than the closer tolerances of a 2006 Impala. Trucks from the 1930’s up through the late 50’s were actually beautiful. Not many people can look at a 2004 Ford F150 and say “Wow, what a gorgeous truck.” While nobody can argue that modern cars are better mechanically, I’ll still take the 50’s or 60’s as the Golden age of car making, based both on style and the technological advances of the time.
My favourite era is also before I was born. In general most of my favourite cars are from 1949-1971, including 50’s style custom cars. There are few cars before or after that era that I’d really like to own. Also, in general, I’m more fond of American cars than foreign cars.
I come to TTAC because I find current automotive news and technology entertaining; most new cars themselves don’t interest me.
There were some interesting cars built before I became of driving age: the Studebaker Lowey coupes are simply beautiful, I’ve always had a soft spot for the second-generation Kaiser Manhattan and the ’55 DeSoto. British roadsters of the 60s and 70s are delightful, as is the Karmann Ghia. The Avanti is heartbreakingly beautiful, the Corvair is clever and innovative. I’d love to own some of them, but I wouldn’t drive them much, because modern-day driving dynamics have spoiled me.
The first new car I ever bought was a 1985 Honda CRX. A part of me wants to say the 1st gen CRX was the pinnacle of automotive design and it’s been all downhill ever since.
But I know better. There are cars built today with incredibly superior reliability and performance. Not all of them have personality like the ones we look back on fondly–but not every car built in the “golden age” (whenever you think that might have been) was all that lovable, either. Anyone waxing nostalgic for the ’53 Hudson Super Jet, or ’58 Packardbaker, ’62 Star Chief, ’71 Vega or ’73 Galaxie or ’76 Chevette Scooter, or ’84 Yugo GVX?