Actually- Imperial was originally a Chrysler car model and later became a division of Chrysler.
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No, people are just people. Cars are huge metal death traps that, every now and then, can numb the pain of having to get through the day amongst other people. Cats and ice cream are also better than people.
I hope you don’t talk to your car like that.
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I think the deadly aspect would be that the dash has got all kinds of hard surfaces and sharp corners in a time when cars were not equipped with shoulder belts. Most didn’t even have lap belts.
As for the user interface, at least it was still physical, tactile controls. I’d take that over these dang touch screens where you have to go through a menu just to turn on the wipers or open the glove box.
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Of course not! We have a love language.
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Let that tailpipe cool down!
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Unfortunately there are good reasons why all cars have converged on vaguely-aerodynamic blobs.
Fuel economy, cost reduction, pedestrian safety regulations, noise reduction, and crash safety all dictate most of why modern cars all look the same. The higher the constraints get, the fewer ways there are to meet them all, which is why modern cars are virtually indistinguishable from each other except by headlight shape.
We all love the looks of these old cars, but it’s important to keep in mind how terrible they were as cars. Leaf spring suspensions on live axles, drum brakes, pitman steering boxes, vapour locking, hard cold-starting, altitude-sensitivity, bias ply tires, mechanical distributors, etc, etc, etc. Don’t even get me started on carburetors. These cars were ten times more dangerous as well. No crumple zones, lap belts, no airbags, steel dashboards, pedestrian-murdering windshield angles, terrible coefficients of drag, and on and on. Even putting those classic bodies on modern running gear (which restomodders do by the thousands) doesn’t solve most of the problems with these old cars that make them unsuitable for modern life.
Also because the window seals on these old cars were shit. Yet another thing people fail to appreciate about modern cars- they don’t leak in any conditions. A crazy amount of engineering has gone in to making that happen, but people take it for granted.
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In researching crossover vehicles for a purchase in 2020, the Subaru Outback ended up on our short list. Then we began to see reports of the Outback’s issues related to windshield cracks and seal leakages. That was the first and so far, only time we’d ever heard of such problems with respect to modern vehicles. You may know how it is with such short lists. Speaking for myself, I was so wedded to the Outback; a couple of test drives really impressed with ride and quietness… with the later quality being associated with the likely cause of all below: Poor and/or poorly installed acoustic windshield glass.
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@VeronicaConnor has explained, correctly, why this would be hard to achieve.
But damn…
1954 Studebaker Commander Deluxe Starliner
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I can appreciate the styling of these mid century American cars, but honestly all I see there is a big chunk of metal basically designed to either impale or smash anybody inside. I don’t think I would ever want to own a classic car, as beautiful as they are. I’m just too much of a fan of EuroNCAP and of living.
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I already had an engine replaced in my Forester on Subaru’s dime because of a class-action lawsuit - now you’re telling me they’re probably going to have to pay for a windshield, too?
I hope these guys succeed in bringing their cars to market:
Realistically the odds are always stacked against new startup automakers, but there’s always a chance…
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Hey! No problem with that. Comparative crash tests have well demonstrated the vastly superior safety of modern vehicles. As far as styling goes, the only US 60s car I truly appreciate is the 1962 Corvette… both inside and out. Its coachwork, interior, and attention to detail rivals anything ever put out by Italy’s design firms.
[rims shown are not original]
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Too bad they aren’t offering the Miatas with Stingray-inspired bodies in this country.
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Wow. The MX5 is a great car anyway. With that bodywork!
The rest of their cars don’t look too shabby either!
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Mitsuokas ar great. I love the Orchid.
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