This thread has got me to remembering those days back when I was a teen.
Back when my 56 Imperial was a new car. I thought it was as beautiful then
as I do now. The difference is that now I own one.
A car that was 8 or 10 years old was a "kids" car back then. They were
"old cars". I wonder where all the pre-war cars I see now came from, they
certainly were not common on the streets of Detroit when I was a kid. Now
it is not unknown for people to be making payments on an 8 year old car. I
look at old pictures and notice the years of the cars. By the mid 50s, it
was uncommon to see cars much older than 4 or 5 years in common street
scenes. While we decry the quality of those 70s cars, it is common to see a
clapped out Impala or Chevelle, or those Dodge Darts still serving as
transportation.
Consider a 30 year old car back in 1956-- say a 1926 Chrysler ( did
they have an Imperial yet?). No matter how nice it was, it just would not
have been a functional car for a teen of the 50s, compared to say a clapped
out 46 model car. Fast forward to now--a 30 year old car is a 72 model.
Perfectly and uttely servicable as a daily driver, anywhere in the country.
The heater works fine, many have air that is still repairable. Except in
the very base economy cars, power steering, power brakes, and automatic
transmissions were close to standard. The car was built to get on the
freeways we have today, and run all day far above the limit. While we may
compare their brakes to today's brakes and find them wanting, the cars were
quite capable of stopping. Again, compared to the handling of today's cars,
70s cars make a lot of noise in spirited driving, but compared to a 40s car,
they are very able sprots cars. One thing we forget--without the proper
elecronic diagnostic equipment, you are helpless if the current model car
developes a problem. Every couple years, you have to buy new diagnostic
equipment, because what you have becomes obsolete. Another thing, without
the book on what ever current car you are dealing with, you can't even
locate the component that needs checking, let alone understand what is
wrong. I won't go past replacing plugs and wires on my modern. Check that,
I have done some belts and hoses, but even that has become a vocabulary
exercize. I am not about to think of replacing the power steering pump or
alternator on it. Those components are burried under god knows what, and I
am not into the competition between engineers who say "you may see it, but I
defy you to touch it", and mechanics trying to make a living repairing these
things.
I don't know what happened to art. It used to be that artists were
into beauty. Now, they seem to be into seeing what they can foist off on
anyone who thinks they are some sort of sophistocate in the name of art.
The same with music. Not all the music of the big band era was great, nor
of the rock era, but the racket I hear coming from my son's boombox sounds
like a carphony--sort of a continuing chain reaction accident. I wonder how
you can tell if someone makes a mistake?
The same thing seems to have happened to auto style. I can't name a
car I think is beautiful made in the last 20 years. There are a few I can
call less than objectionable, the last Chrysler New Yorker, the one they
renamed LHS. The current LHS is ugly. The Sebring convertible prior to the
current model was sort of OK. The Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis
is also OK, except the 98 and newer with those big taillights are funny
looking. Maybe it has just been around long enough that I am used to it.
I think that kids with taste and the wish to deal with their own cars
are going to older cars because they see the same things we see--style,
function, simplicity, although they were not all that simple, either.
More power to them. If they do not become interested in our cars, they
just end up back in the barn again.
John Harvey
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wm. R. Ulman" <twolaneblacktop@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, July 21, 2002 12:37 PM
Subject: IML: Imperials & other older motorcars
I still think of myself as a young man, but this thread makes me realize
there is a whole new generation who was not yet born when the cars of
the '70's were produced. When my father died I was 13 years old, and
remember thinking how sad it was that he would not be around to see the
new cars each year. By that time Detroit was pumping out the crap of
the mid to later '70's, and I won't even motion the unmentionable '80's
cars. The first oil embargo was in full swing, gas lines were blocks
long, and you could only get $5.00 worth at a time. I also remember how
people complained about the cars of the later '60's and new '70's models
were built like crap and would never last like the cars from the "old
days when they were built to last". The term "Planed Obsolescence
People traded in there cars every 3 years or so, they did not fiancé a
car longer then 3 years back then, and they were problematic. Back in
'65 California became the first state to mandate "Clean Air" gizmo's on
cars sold there. My '66 Crown Convertible has the window sticker and my
car has the "California Clean Air" option. In '68 all cars had started
emission controls of a Smog Pump nature, and starting in '71 engine
compression dropped, '72 dropped further, cars were still big, heavy,
and now gutless. In '75 with mandatory Catalytic Converters,
decompressed engines that just made a noise like blowing through a straw
when stepped on, the fun was over. Downsizing really started in '76
with GM the Nova, '77 Full size cars, '78 Cutlass etc.. Ford was a
little behind, but since a Ford is just a Ford, it is not even worth
discussing. Chrysler was very slow to respond, hence it's problems and
near collapse by the late '70's. Imagine if you will, a new '78
Aspen/Volare factory delivered with a whopping 85 horsepower!! WooWoo!
Worse yet was the Corvette in '79 with a pulse stopping 160 horses!
Cadillac in '81 had the brains to bring out the V-8,6,4. Try to
remember the awful fit & finish of ALL American cars at that time,
leaks, squeaks, I think you get the message.
My point is that opinions have not really changed as the years go on,
and the only reason cars are better today in the U.S. is because the
Japanese started kicking our ass with their small, efficient, well built
cars. I won't own one personally, especially since the comment by their
head of State several years ago that Americans were now fat, lazy
workers. I don't buy it. American car manufactures can't compete with
foreign makers due to the high cost of labor in the U.S., hence many
cars are made in Canada, Mexico, etc... Foreign makers can pack more
into their cars for the same price, or even a bit more, and they sell
like hotcakes.
I have owned Imperials now for the last 9 years, my '66 is now garaged
with 85K miles on it, and I drive a '97 Caddy with the Northstar V-8.
It does not ride as smooth, but it hauls ass. It needs more real
chrome, but alas, those days are over. I don't know what people will do
in 30 years when the computer chip goes bad on the cars engine computer,
but I'm quite sure Hemmings will have many an ad for "Classic" '97
Caddy, Chrysler, Ford computer chips.
Forgive me that I mentioned other car makes, but to make the point it
was necessary.
Bill Ulman
'66 Crown Conv.
________________________________Original portion of
message_________________________________________________________________
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Cars today might have better brakes, better suspension, and electrics
compared to older cars, but they don't have something the old cars have:
personality.
Have you taken a look at the cars being made today? They all look
alike! I think that's why people are moving towards cars like the PT
Cruiser the New Beetle, and the Mini. There's no way anyone could
mistake any of those cars for a Honda/Toyota/Taurus. The problem is,
everyone has them now. Furthermore, cars are exactly like people, as it
takes time to develop a personality. Since most new cars aren't built
to last more than 5 years before they're traded in, it's a lot harder
now for a car to develop a
personality. Furthermore, when you drive an Imperial (or Plymouth, or
Packard, or anything made before 1974) down the road EVERYONE knows it's
an Imperial, and will never confuse it with a Toyota. And I won't even
go into how expensive an alternator for a 98 Accord is compared to a 69
Fury.
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