If one of the motor companies brought back a 50s or 60s style car, would you buy one?

Probably not.  

I'd buy the CHEVY CAMARO.

This post was edited by Zack at June 11, 2022 4:36 AM MDT

1. Isn't this the 67' Mustang my brother drove with his floppy hat from Vietnam and Ray-Ban Sunglasses on and his black long hair and a beard? Awww c'mon mannn!

1. 

This post was edited by CosmicWunderkind at June 10, 2022 2:22 PM MDT

 

  Only if I were flushed with cash or suddenly became overly infused with cash. I’m not a head-over-heels fanatic about luxury items or collectors’ items, I’m not really nostalgic about old car models. As such, a car like the type you mention is it’s neither a priority on my current finances nor on any wish-list notwithstanding monetary considerations.
~

Funny you should mention that.  I had a dream I had a 55 corvette, powder blue and white.  The small limited edition that everyone is so crazy about. I immediately woke up and thought; "well, that was weird."

I don't think so.  I'm more of a 1930s and 40s automobiles kind of guy.

1964 1/2 Mustang


I have one but it needs a complete restoration. 

That GTO is a beauty as well as the Mustang My2Cents provided. 

I didn't because they didn't really "bring it back", they just pretended to. Water-cooled inline east-west and at the wrong end.

If I had the money and somewhere to keep the vehicle I would anyway not use as everyday transport but could own only one, I am not sure which of these two. I have driven the former, owned by a friend, and have also owned the second example......


1) LandRover Series 2, probably short-wheelbase but with "station-wagon" full body. All the early Land-Rovers are sought-after by collectors but the Series One SWB version is a very much a 2-seater, and with a very small load area considering its intended purpose and customers.

Not sure if petrol or diesel, as the latter is more fuel efficient but uses the more expensive fuel; but both are thirsty animals - I think even the Diesel version probably returned<30mpg, though that was not bad for its day. The Diesel LRs were also slower than the petrol ones, whose sensible top speed is perhaps 50-55mph,  although neither was built for 70mph motorway cruising.

In UK distances that's not necessarily a great problem. Using a motorway journey familiar to me, if you could ever drive its 200 miles at steady speed non-stop, it would take about 3 hours at 70mph, 4 hours at 50mph. That time difference is not usually important, but you'd certainly know you've driven a Series 1 or 2 LR for 200 miles. With non-adjustable seats, big hefty controls, no power-assisted steering and hardly any sound insulation, they are hardly luxury on four wheels!

The petrol engine version is also the simpler and cheaper to service. (Unleaded petrol? I think they were designed for 2-star grade so fine with unleaded.)

Fitted with the accessory free-wheel hubs on the front-wheels, and perhaps overdrive unit. Both increase the fuel economy, such as it is.

The overdrive unit (= 5th gear on a modern manual transmission) was an alternative to the PTO gearbox that could be bolted to the main or transfer gearbox; but since I'd not be using the car to power any machinery that would be a fair trade-off. (The characteristic, highly-visible tube through the rear cross-member below the back door or tail-gate, was provided to accommodate a PTO drive-shaft.)

Routine maintenance on these vehicles is fun, even in standard trim. From memory, they have no less than eight oil-levels to watch, plus assorted other oiling/greasing points!


OR

2) The original "Dormobile", the trade-name by Martin Walker Conversions of the motor-caravan* they based on the Vauxhall-Bedford CA (not later CF) 17cwt-capacity van; though I'd prefer one of the later vans with 4-speed rather than 3-speed, gearbox. 

These used the same 1600cc petrol engine and manual-transmission gearbox as fitted to one of the Vauxhall cars, but I forget which. I did change one CA van from 3 to 4 speed and although an awkward, heavy and very grimy task it was surprisingly straightforwards technically; and the column-change control worked just as well after the conversion, without modifying.  

The caravanette used an ingenious arrangement for the beds. The driving and three passenger seats were identical units sized and spaced so they could be folded flat to create two single beds on their own alignments, and moved laterally to create a double. The accommodation was also provided with a simple gas-stove and a sink; the latter supplied with water from a suitable container, via a foot-pump inset in the floor. 

Air-conditionbing? Who needs air-conditioning? All you need, as on these vans, are sliding front doors you could hold open by a purpose-fitted webbing loop rivetted to the bodywork, and hooked over the internal door-handle!


I struggled to find the photos I wanted, but these are fairly representative. The LandRover Series II , with optional roof-rack, winch and floodlamps but otherwise similar to the one I knew, is courtesy of Autoweek. The Dormobile photo, courtesy of Albert Brite, on Flikr. Mine did not have that raising roof but was also a later CA edition with a deeper windscreen - and less lurid colour!







+++


*Motor-caravan / caravanette... Being non-American native and resident, I avoid knowingly affecting Americanisms, so it is not a "camper van"!