What are some older (60’s-70’s or so) cars that feel ahead of their time or drive like a newer car?

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

911?

Or 914.

EDIT: I know...I am to Porsche what Frenchy is to Jaaaaags.

preach (dudeist priest) said:

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

911?

Or 914.

EDIT: I know...I am to Porsche what Frenchy is to Jaaaaags.

924 or its evolution, the 944

Very balanced, fairly quiet and practical.

In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :

I spent a lot of time in a 924. It would have been a great car with a 50 percent power boost, which in time they did, but too late.

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :

I spent a lot of time in a 924. It would have been a great car with a 50 percent power boost, which in time they did, but too late.

Easily rectified with some semi-modern updates.  The low compression and under-stressed engine swallows boost quite well.  A supercharger from something like a Mercedes SLK230 or similar solves much of the power issue.  A turbocharger can be added if desired, a few have built their own crossover pipe similar to the Porsche 944 Turbo to add a turbo using the stock exhaust manifold.

MegaSquirt adds a few hp on its own, just by optimizing fueling and removing the air flow meter and it opens up adding boost more easily.  Others have adapted VW EFI from the 2nd gen Golf.

A really good CM comparison would be the 924 vs the Alfetta GT.  The latter will be hard to find in a good form.

But, for the most part, they are very similar cars- 4 cyl engine, rear transaxle.  The rear suspension is more independent for the 924, as the Alfa is a de Dion set up.  And both cars "seat" 4.  

I know there were contemporary articles about the cars, but I have a tough time finding one that could leave bias out of it.  And, given the title of this whole thread, it would be really interesting to compare the two with the eyes of someone who knows modern vehicles.  My gut would tell me that the 924 is a better car in most respects, and that includes my Alfa bias.  But not actually have driven a 924 or even a 944, it's hard to compare my time that I had an Alfetta.  Which was a nice car to cruise in- I drove it more than once to college, which was a 10 hour drive through the Rockies.  

A '71 Pinto drove better than just about anything else domestic at the time.  

I will give a 3rd vote for a late model corvair.  It feels much better to drive compared to other cars of the same vintage.

I wash shocked how well my stock 72 240z drove. There were things about it that certainly made it feel old but the driving feel was very modern.

Porsche 924.  It is an amazing chassis but a terrible drivetrain.  It has the most modern sports car steering feel of any of them.  It's also very stiff for it's day which makes the suspension work as designed. 

I've not driven either, but the Chevy Vega Cosworth and Saab 99 both seem like they should be contenders here. 

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

I had an early 100 HP 924 and a good friend had a 1st gen RX-7 (I forget if it was a 12a or 13b, think it was the 12). We'd race around the hills together where the the Rex had the clear power advantage, but the Porsche was more precise, so could be tossed around with more authority. I'm a Mazda fan, but the Porsche was a good deal nicer car in every way but the power.

Cadillacs have always been on the edge technology wise.  If you like that big boat feel of floating down the road in your sofa they are dam good at it. There are few cars of that type now that can match the ride of a Cadillac of years past.   

I have a W116 Mercedes and I've spent a lot of time in a W123, released respectively in 1972 and 1976. Very smooth and refined engine and suspension. 4 speed automatic. Fantastic 4 wheel disks. Styling that held up for well over a decade.