Do you believe this is the greatest car generation?

[PalmerGA]

I think OP means "era", rather than "generation" but, No Way. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and there is no question that cars of that era were the coolest ever. The competition was so great between the "Big Three" and several other car manufacturers, each company tried to outdo the other. Every year - a total update and mostly new look. You could play the "name that car" game and identify them from a 1/4 mile away.

PLUS... it brought on the birth of Muscle Cars and Pony Cars. What more could you ask for?

And... you could custom order a car with any combination of features you wanted, straight from the factory. There were very few restrictive "packages" with combinations of options where if you want this and this, you also have to take that, that, and that, as part of the package.

Are cars made better now? Are they higher tech? Are they faster from the factory? Absolutely YES, but very few of them display the unique "class" that they did in the 50s-60s.

[chain777]

Originally Posted by Trob85

Ok let me clarify I was born in 85 and the 80s had some of the worst cars period EPA rules the design of both import and domestic everything just lacked power, performance and wow factor. Domestic I believe really began a comback with the ls1 corvette and has been improving since I love the technology and performance of our cars. Knowing cruises car meets and other things of the car culture have took a turn for the worse, I.e fast and furious and the lack of interest, for my area at least. Would you consider the 60s and 70s a better car era because the popularity and participation or nowadays because of the performance, technology and power that can easly be made.

The ultimate would be to have today's technology in yesterdays climate of car culture. But since time travel isn't practical yet, we'll just have to suffer with today's awesome performance and reliability and deal with a culture that doesn't appreciate cars like they once did.

As long as forums like this and others exist, hope remains that it won't fade away completely. But I think we may be a dying breed.

[Angrybird 12]

Well it depends, if you are talking the most dependable, most comfortable, best handling, best fuel mileage cars yes it is, but if you are talking style, excitement in yearly anticipation of model updates, ease to modify and repair and simplicity of design I would go for 55 through 1972.

[rontammy0]

I'll include the 40s cars....50s 60s and early 70s. The cars from 72 till 82 just sucked. Then the mid 80s with he 5.0 and grand national. I think the horsepower wars are greater now then the muscle car era. You can you drive a 400 plus horsepower car across the country in full comfort...with warranty....and durable. Technology is a wonderful thing.

[eymang]

If you could take a late 60s Camaro body and bolt it on a gen5 frame that would be the best of both.

[kansjfr]

I was born in late '49, and grew up with cars of that era. As a kid I envisioned myself in a white '60 Chevy 2-door hardtop when I grew up. Never got one. Had plenty of mid-50s Mopar cars, and had tranny trouble with all of them, and the Mopar flathead 6 made from 1935 to 1960 wouldn't start if it rained or got cold, especially with the 1955 and older 6 volt starter motor. These new muscle cars today--Challenger, Mustang, Camaro, and even the Chrysler 300 and Charger are miles ahead of what we had in the 50s and 60s. These cars come from the factory making 400+ hp, and they're warranted from the factory! Today's cars take unbelievable abuse, and don't break. The 1LE's owner's manual refers to track days and it's still warranted! This is truly the golden age of muscle cars. The only thing close was the period from 1968-1972, right before catalytic converters. And now we have factory sunroofs that don't leak, heated seats, heads-up display, ABS brakes, 6-speed transmissions, cruise control, etc. This is truly the best time in history for performance cars.

[PalmerGA]

If I had to pick a decade for automobiles, it would be the 50s. Similar to the last picture, somewhere around 61 or 62, my cousin had a '59 Impala Convertible. 348 c.i. w/ 3 two-barrel carbs and a factory 4-speed. Awesome car (he wrecked it).

[jd10013]

this discussion reminds me of a new challenger commercial I saw during a football game yesterday. it was kind of an appeal to nostalgia. said something to the effect of "no one had a picture of a passat on their wall when they were a kid", made me lol.

[Cheveey57]

Originally Posted by jd10013

this discussion reminds me of a new challenger commercial I saw during a football game yesterday. it was kind of an appeal to nostalgia. said something to the effect of "no one had a picture of a passat on their wall when they were a kid", made me lol.

X 2. But it also wouldn't be a poster of a four door charger LOL

[Rock-It Man]

Cars are faster, safer, more reliable and comfortable now than in the 50s - 70s. Not to mention more rust resistant, a big problem here in the Northeast, where cars used to turn to junk in 5 years.

And by 1974 or so, Detroit cars were choked by smog controls. Now we have better performance and better gas mileage too.

[Denis]

Yea I honestly do. There's a huge horsepower war going on between the big three. Not to mention all the super cars that are being released. It's an awesome time to be a car guy!!

[Rocky1974]

You are living in the "good ole days" of the muscle car right now. I grew up with those old cars and they were absolute pieces of crap compared to the new cars. I have a '69 Camaro in my garage right now and it is as nice as they get. Arizona body, full frame-off restoration, the best of everything, and you still can't drive it without having to work on it. It rides rough, doesn't handle well, noisy and sucks fuel.

Today's cars are faster. And not just a little bit, a lot! Today's base V6 is faster than a 69 325hp SS 396. Those old cars were rated in gross horsepower and the new ones are rated in net horsepower. 325 gross horsepower equates to about 220 net horsepower. Today's LS3s will make about 360-370 horsepower at the wheels and about 410-415 with headers, cold air kit, and a tune. My tuner told me that he dynoed a 1970 LS6 SS 454 Chevelle. He said it had headers, a re-jet, a re-curve, and made just under 350 horsepower at the wheels

30 cents a gallon gas may sound nice, but not when you're making $2.50 an hour and your car is only getting 8-12 mpg.

Today's cars are more complex, but they are much easier to work on. I installed headers on my '10 and it was much easier than my '69. Anybody who tells you anything different hasn't worked on both. I'll deal with that fuel injection and computer any day over a Quadrajet.

Don't get me wrong, I love the nostalgia and the way my '69 takes me back to my childhood, but if I get in a financial bind and have to start selling cars, the '69 will be the first to go. The '10 will be the last to go.

[Norm Peterson]

For absolute performance, today's generation of cars has the rest covered with room to spare.

But as far as the rawness of the hotrodding experience goes, you have to go back at least as far as the early 1960's. No later than the early to mid 1970's, and only then if your automotive interests included making your cars go around corners better than the other guy's cars.


I'm getting to be an OG, so I see most of todays technology stuff and electronic "assistances" as things that dilute the experience of what a performance car used to be all about. Regardless of their value, they provide a sensation of making today's cars just a little too squeaky-clean and sterile.


If you take this ↓↓↓ seriously

Originally Posted by eymang

If you could take a late 60s Camaro body and bolt it on a gen5 frame that would be the best of both.

you'd be looking at the serious-performance side of "Pro Touring". Eventually, somebody will find a way to drop 1st gen sheetmetal over a 5th gen platform . . . something similar has already been done with early Mustang sheetmetal over an SN95 chassis, so it's only a matter of time.


Norm

[Dakota Kid]

To me, the most iconic designs of cars were between 1955 and 1970. Those cars will live forever.

As some have pointed out, today's cars are MUCH faster and more reliable, but the vast majority of them (Camaro, Mustang and Challenger excepted) are freaking appliances.