In this day and age of gliding down freeways, riding on smooth asphalted tarmac, ensconced in plush, soft leather and climate control and doing 160 mph while sending a text message, I think we have forgotten what our cars are truly capable of. We have gone from archaic leaf springs, to coil struts, to independent double wishbone, to magnetically opposed struts, to electronically controlled suspension that can lower and raise the ride height at the touch of a button.
Years ago, we would feather the throttle mid corner balancing the over and understeer, or use the e-brake to slide the rear out, when today a little computer sitting on the dashboard does all that fun stuff for you. A little yellow caution sign beeping on your dial the only indication that it has saved you from crashing through the guard rail while you try to impress the ladies.
Say goodbye to the throaty, raw carburetted intakes that let you know your right foot is attached to the engine. Now, with fuel injection, the high-pitched whirr of the ignition on start up warns you that you’re driving a tamed, emasculated wild lion that’s been calibrated to give you more miles to the gallon. Boo hoo.
Back then, brakes were not servo assisted and avoiding obstacles under braking would require delicate pressure and release of the pedal to slow down without locking the wheels. Traction control was a limited-slip diff at best, and stability control didn’t exist. Today’s ABS are so advanced even the student learner is made to look like a WRC champion. Years ago, the only cameras in a car were God given ones we called “eyes”. Some contemporary cars now come standard with rear mounted radars that transmit the feed to your mirrors, night vision cams with pedestrian detection, and dash mounted versions to record those parking lot handbrake maneuvers. Brilliant.
Sadly, the skill required to drive a car has all but been removed from driving as a result. It’s time to pay homage to the icons of yesteryear, those without power assist and modern hydraulics. Never mind electronics. Its time to relive those cars that we one day dreamed of owning, but have now been doomed to appear in classic car magazines. Here it is, in no particular order.
HMMWV
It was quite a disappointment when General Motors decided to make a wimpy version of this, but The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), commonly known as the Humvee, was the real deal. Originally produced by AM General for military use in Operation Desert Strom, this beast could cross mine-ridden tracks, without breaking a sweat, or a rear axle in this case. It was essentially a cross between a Tank and the granddaddy of all four wheel drives, the Jeep. The V8 turbo diesel 6.5 L under the hood was good for 190 bhp and then some. The wheels could be replaced with snow tracks, and it could be equipped with surface to air missiles. Seriously, Arnold Schwarzenegger must have been on the design team.
Land Rover Defender
An icon for over 68 years, the Defender has done and seen it all. Built on a ladder frame chassis and employing one of the most advanced and efficient four-wheel drive systems around, it was all- terrain right from the start. A legend on all seven continents, it was the vehicle of choice for challenging expeditions, military efforts, humanitarian support or impromptu weekend off-road jaunts. Sadly, 2016 will be the final year of production for the hand built Defender due to increasingly stringent emissions and safety regulations. A new model is coming, and while it will be objectively better than its predecessor, it will be a nearly impossible task of winning over the Defender’s many fans. This is truly the end of an era. At least, the final celebratory editions were nothing short of spectacular.
Datsun 240 Z
The 240 Z isn’t really a sports car. The Datsun folk like to call it a “personal” GT car. Because, although it had an exceptionally powerful 2.4 litre single overhead cam straight six (generating 151 horsepower), it was meant as much for coast-to-coast journeys as it is for a lively track day. It was aimed at the more mature clientele, those looking for more than just amusement from their cars. Customers who like to distance themselves from the whimsical and superficial Porsches and Opels, and were looking for a very real transportation automobile. It just so happens that this loveable Japanese coupe, that was trying oh so hard to be European, also had drop dead gorgeous looks. With those flowing sleek lines, long nose and short deck, this was the car that established Datsun, and later Nissan, as a major brand with a strong enthusiast following.
Dodge Viper
Whoever thought of transplanting an 8 litre V10 engine from a truck into a coupe was a genius. It became the heart and soul of the Viper, handcrafted in aluminium and powering this manual transmission controlled serpent of the road to 180 mph, generating 400 bhp and twisting out 465 lb-ft of torque along the way. Simply amazing. The greatness of the Viper is in its spirit, its very conception. Its the way they set the “Nurburgring record” with stock inventory. It is the idea that Americans can build supercars. Yes, the Corvette is a stunning car, but from the very moment the first one appeared in 1953, it was aimed more at Ferraris and Porsches. The Viper, on the other hand, was aimed straight between your legs. Bulls eye. God bless America.
Lamborghini Countach
There is no other car that has existed on so many bedroom posters as the Countach. Admit it, you’ve had one too. The red one with the Alpine sticker. But really, who would want to hear the radio when you have a 4.0 liter fire-breathing V-12 behind you. The Countach is the purest, most beautiful model to come out of the Lamborghini stables. With its pointed nose, muscular haunches and wide wing, it captured the imagination of just about everyone, even while standing still. Designed by the infamous Marcello Gandini of Bertone, this car was so important, that every 12 cylinder Lamborghini that has come out since the Countach’s retirement is part of an ongoing homage to it. Its a subdued aggressive design that never ages, because this is one car that looks as radical today, as the day it was built.
Mazda Rx-7
The car that started a cult all of its own. Its gorgeous, its rotary-powered, and one of the most radical cars to emerge from the 90’s. Radical because instead of a conventional piston engine, it featured a 1,146 cc twin-rotor Wankel rotary engine and a front-midship, rear-wheel drive layout. For those of you unfamiliar with Wankel engines, it is a type of internal combustion engine that used an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. Over the commonly used reciprocating piston designs, the Wankel engine delivered advantages of simplicity, smoothness, compactness, high revolutions per minute, and a high power-to-weight ratio. So high in fact that it produced 280 bhp from 1.3 litres. And when revved hard it sounded like a low-flying propeller aircraft.
Its one of those rare cars that has a cult following until today, with an active community of owners and fans making sure that its not a rare sight on our roads and race tracks.
VW Beetle
The humble bug embodies the spirit of affordability, reliability, simplicity and amalgamates it with peace love and freedom in an effortless and unconventional way. It was designed to be bought with just 990 Reichsmark, about the price of a small motorcycle, yet it finds homes in the garages of millionaire rock stars. The Beetle was way ahead of its time, and that’s probably the reason why by 2002, over 21 million of them were produced, making it the longest-running and most manufactured car of a single platform ever made. Designed for sustained high speeds on the Autobahn, the air-cooled flat-four boxer engine would go on and on, mile after mile, gallon after gallon. The ‘People’s Car’ capable of transporting two adults and three children at 100 km/h (62 mph) while not using more than 7 litres of fuel per 100 km, truly was “Unbeetable”
Porsche 911
The high-performance sports car that defines all other high-performance sports cars. Through the years the 911 has seen it all. From naturally aspirated, turbocharged, to hybrid. From road, to rallying, to racing. From Daytona, Sebring, Nurburgring to 24 hour Le Mans. It has permeated the very soul of virtually every hardcore motor enthusiast out there and indelibly made its mark in history. To say it was a souped-up Beetle would be passé. Like the original from 1963, the 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is the most fascinating automobile to grace our roads from Stuttgart.
Aerospace Dynamics 
