My question is how does the newer speed control system, from the 1970's, compare with the older Auto Pilot system in performance and reliability.The "regular" cruise control on my '71 Imperial has worked fine for the 17+ years that I've owned the car. It's pretty much like a modern cruise control, with a button to "set" the speed and a "resume" button to go back to the set speed after you've used the brakes. When the cruise is activated, you can tap the "set" button to increase the speed by 2 or 3 mph per tap. I've found that it's a pretty reliable system, and tends to maintain the set speed within 5 mph or less going uphill. The car will often gain a few mph going downhill, which is no suprise.