What kind of vintage car do you wish you had?

[OliviaWildson]

People forget how bad Dee-Troit technology was in those days. France, through Michelin, had the radial in the 1940's with the rest of Europe and Japan following shortly after. 215/70 - r15 is an F70. Sounds about right. The Goodyear polyglas tires just simply sucked. They couldn't get traction on ANYTHING. People would let air out of the tires but I had better luck airing them up. They were horrible.

I first discovered Radials when I went to work, part-time, at Sears in the Service department. They were responsible for making the radial not only popular, but known in the USA. We'd still be riding on haywagon tires if not for them.

The only Corvette I really like, the Sting Ray ('63-'67) got the axe because they couldn't fit big enough tires under the fenders. So they butchered it in '68 with the ugliest 'sports' car ever made. Not to mention they were slugs. Some of them did okay in a straight line but they were anything but a sports car. At least generic motors tried. Sort of. Ford just threw their hands in the air and walked away. Chrysler was too busy getting kicked around. The only people making cars back then were the Euroweenies and the Japanese. And we couldn't get the really cool ones.

Don't get me wrong, I am anything but a Europhile. I followed the exploits of Ford very closely when they abolutely HUMILIATED Enzo Ferrari back in the 60's. Enzo insulted America with his comments on American Racing, which even Ford thought they were pathetic (NASCAR is a joke, and a bad one) but he did it in such a way that Ford went to Europe and destroyed them.

5 valve (yes five valves) ferraris and multi-million dollar porsches and mercedes and Maseratis being dominated and crushed by Fords. And I mean CRUSHED. The movie doesn't do it justice.

Later on Ford got into Formula 1 racing and totally dominated that series for quite a while. They won every single F1 race for a period of (I think) two years.

generic motors, who couldn't compete in Indy Racing (or anything else for that matter), got CART booted so they could monopolize the engines in the cars. Destroyed Indy Car for 30 years. It's still not nearly as popular as it once was. That's how generic motors did things. They'd buy, bribe or cheat their way to victory lane most of the time. Except in Europe; because they couldn't. They didn't have the power of goobermint behind them.
Yes they did, and still do with exotic cars that they rent.

End senseless rant

I completely agree that U.S. tire technology lagged behind Europe during that time. Radial tires truly marked a huge leap forward in safety and handling. In my collection, I have a few cars from the '60s, and the difference between the original bias-ply tires and modern radials is night and day.

Regarding the Corvette, I have to admit the Sting Ray ('63-'67) is one of my favorites too. It’s a masterpiece of design, and it’s a shame they couldn’t adapt it for bigger tires without altering its iconic look. While the C3 had its own appeal for some, I agree it lacked the elegance and performance edge of the Sting Ray.

 

[ultrarunner]

I completely agree that U.S. tire technology lagged behind Europe during that time. Radial tires truly marked a huge leap forward in safety and handling. In my collection, I have a few cars from the '60s, and the difference between the original bias-ply tires and modern radials is night and day.

Regarding the Corvette, I have to admit the Sting Ray ('63-'67) is one of my favorites too. It’s a masterpiece of design, and it’s a shame they couldn’t adapt it for bigger tires without altering its iconic look. While the C3 had its own appeal for some, I agree it lacked the elegance and performance edge of the Sting Ray.

I put radials on my 57 Ford and it was a new car in every good way for drivability…

The only downside is the skinny bias ply made turning the steering wheel easy compared to the radials… no power steering.

 

[DarkBlack]

Love to have a 1970 426 Plymouth Superbird.
Probably never will, though.

 

[dodge man]

Here you go, not my car but pictures from a car show, I don’t recall what engine it had.

 

[sandman2234]

I told an old roommate back in mid 70's when we put his "Pride and Joy" back together, that if he ever decided to sell it, give me a call. I moved away, and was getting married when that phone call came in. I have considered selling it several times but it is still parked in the garage for now. Daughter swears She will own it when I am gone! The ole girl is a 1966 2 door convertible with a stick shift and a removable hardtop, as well as a ragtop. Nothing special in options, just a driver. It does have that funny fish name , (or was it a boat) called a Sting Ray. Seems to draw attention when people see it.
I always wanted the split window couple, but missed every reasonable chance by not being prepared back when they were reasonable in price.
David from Jax

 

[Sawyer Rob]

What kind of vintage car do you wish you had?​

NONE thank God!!

I wouldn't trade what I have now even for anything in the past, IF I had to keep and drive it!!

SR

 

[BackRoad]

Technically not a car...but nothing else even comes close!

1956 was a good year!

 

[George2615]

I'm partial to Chevys; my first choice would be a 1955 Bel Air 2dr hardtop. I have a 1960 2dr hdtp and had a '59 2dr hdtp for over 20 years.

View attachment 690670

View attachment 690665

View attachment 690666

My next choice would be a 1933 Chevrolet "Eagle", five window coupe. They are pretty rare; I have only seen one, and it knocked me over!

I also think the 1960 Impala convertible is one of the prettiest ever made.

View attachment 690664

View attachment 690672

I currently have a 33 Chevy master 4 dr. sedan. It is an all steel body with updated drive train and a 57 Chevy sedan delivery also with updated drive train.

 

[scootr]

I dreamed I would own a Shelby Cobra when I grew up.
But the older I got the pricier they got. Today they are out of reach for all but the wealthiest of men... which I'm not.
So I have FF5 replica which is just as exciting and dangerous to drive

 

[masseyrider]

I like the lines of many older vintage cars.
But as vintage that I want to own is the 2005/6 Ford GT.
Everybody looks at the trailer queen 50/60/70s muscle cars and thinks they're as good as their looks.
Most handled badly and were terrible in the corners. The brakes were even worse.
If you had a souped up performance motor it required constant tuning and adjusting of the carburetor(s) timing...
It ran like crap in traffic, got horrible mileage and polluted like a 100 cars now.
I have a 1971 351 Cleveland BOSS engine on a stand in my car barn. It has some sentimental value for me. I've considered getting a modern Mustang shell (1969/70) to put it in.
I no longer care about rebuilding old rusty cars.
I start it up once in a while and have a day dream.
We were both young once but our time is quickly passing.