Best ANALOGUE Cars

Yep...I've had four of 'em. Drove one from San Diego to Ft Lauderdale. That was a LONG time ago!

 

I love my '99 Miata (although I have P/S) and think the Miata should be added to the list.

PS, Kudos on the '66 Sunbeam Tiger Erich.

 

+1. And near the top. IMHO

 

Zygo and light guy - yes and yes!

 

+911 on the aircooled Porsches.

I wish car design went back to being more "analog." Ha!

 

Best analogue car of course... Bugatti T35B... Manual 4 speed, non synchro, cable brakes , no power assist anything... chronometric tach :nothing extra ( speedsters had doors and heaters... sort of) ... Best of all,driven hard today with a good set of vintage racing tires ,an on point 2.3 blown GP car will perform rather well on the road.Actually scare you **** less.

 

Probably a little out of my price range!

 

2005 Lotus Elise is your car. No traction control. No drive by wire. No power steering. You can factory delete the air con... even get roll-up windows.

My 2007 Exige isn't as pure. It has the drive-by-wire, which failed two years into ownership. It also has traction control.

 

An absolutely excellent question for a thread!

I'll second that: I modified for track use a 2001 Miata with a properly de-powered steering rack, no power mirrors, no stereo, no ABS (OEM, though I'd prefer it), 2266 curb weight, 225 R-compounds, 4-point roll bar, full suspension, partial strip, etc. Not quick in a straight line, of course, but it's truly an unparalleled and completely surprising joy of driving experience.

Yes, the CPU is technically digital and the windows use electricity (it's the ultimate low-budget track machine), but otherwise this is a car that was literally engineered to feel as old and analogue as possible. I hope you all can experience the "without-a-net/pencil-and-paper" feel these little machines afford!

 

a note of caution....
if you drive a modern car daily, or on track, and then get into a powerful analogue car, you need to recalibrate yourself a little bit.

i always try to take a moment when i am switching around cars, to sit there and remember what is going on in that vehicle - no abs, no asr, no power steering, no power brakes, manual everything etc.

 

Great insight and advice Ross.

 

That's the process I go through when I get into a car in the UK.

On topic, having just seen Leno's video on the first genration Miata, I'm now seriously looking for one.

 

Check one out, you'll love it! I let a lot of my exotic car friends drive my miata when I had it, every single one of them loved it and couldn't wipe the giant grin off their faces.

Next best thing to a classic British roadster with none of the headaches. One of my favorite cars I have ever owned... Would still own it if the seats were more forgiving on my bad back.

 

2003 M5 or M sport. Six speed. Great cars.

 

I dont mind electronics as long as they do not interfere or procribe the experience. To me a 997.2 Gt3 is a very anlogue car. Even the PS on it is great.
But yes mostly drive by wire alters its reaction depending on paameters so that makes many a fail. Even most FI units have so much initial response lag for economy and emissions that they are a fail. There are so many hyperpowerful cars these days with lazy throttle that they are actualy slow. The cure is sual;y a chip or rewite away, not so much more power but proper throttle.

Any Elise is anlogue, and the driving experience of an Evora is also anlogue. Analogue means the car talks to you though all inputs and feedback, a machine that is alive and reactls directly to input while giveing feedback though 3 pedals throtle and wheel.. Althou maybe a CS counts.

Put another way pretty much any car where you have to drive it and know how to drive to go well, a car entertaining at all speeds is analogue.

Synthetic is where the car does a lot of work for you, dials back throttle, intervene and uses elctronics to enhace the chassis, all with blunted responses and nutred feedback. Now ABS which comes in late or ESP which allows slides do not prevent car from being analogue. The Gen 1 Skyline had 4ws but is considdered anlogue, so in each area there are exceptions.

People say the new Z28 is analogue, one of the last.



One thing for sure, there are less analogue cars being sold by manufactuerers these days than fingers on one hand. WE also might say that the two iconic sprotscar companies Ferrari and porche no longer make analogue cars.

But these days you can faily easily make up your own ananlogue car through the componant industry. Personaly I think the GT40 is way up there in melding to you and assaulting all the senses while still being modern fast, but then I am biased.

 

1970 Corvette LT1 roadster high reving great lines great noise!

 

The FGT is a blast to drive and the only car that is appreciating.

Joe

 

I like this idea.

I have a '65 Corvette with the 327 engine in it (350 hp).
You know it is an old "analogue" car when the Oil Pressure gauge on the dash has a metal pipe going from the engine block to the back of the gauge.
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No kidding. Same with this new electric power steering. I'm sorry but you just can't replicate steering feedback no matter what you do.

 

I dont know it cant be done. Its only in the last decade or so that hydraulic PS systems became well regarded, after 50 years of trying. The one in the prior Gt3 was fantastic and many raved about the one in the 355-430.

Its possible EPS can get there. In the end all youa re doind is providing some assit to a rack, its probably coding as much as anything and the new 991 Gt3 so we read is pretty good.

Un assisted racks have their own drawbacks too, with lots of wheel fighting and the feedabck can be exagerated. They also get tiring quicker on tack, especialy with todays levels of grip.

While eps may one day work, it does not excuse manufactuerers from dropping great Hydraulic systems and outting in sub par eps on sports models where feel and feedback is an issue.

Porche was honest about inthat they said it wa far cheaper to produce as no hydraulic lines needed fromt he motr, and its probabkly a cheaper mechanism. Then there is the so called fuel economy benefit of 1/2 mpg. I dont think any porche owner is the USa is that botehred to save a miniscule amount of gas.

the corvette guys said that they couldnt even find someone to manufacture a non eps system. Yes maserati still has hydralic on their new cars.

To me manufacturers have found a much cheaper and betetr eco system and thts what they offer, regardless of the effect on drivign dynamics. Yet another reason why porche is now really a marketetr of "performance" than a true dedicated performance brand.

 

Yes, hard to beat -- not the most beautiful car, but what a recipe!