What Modern Cars Lost and Why Classics Feel So Special

The Porsche 911 shows how steering has changed. Porsche introduced power steering and ABS to the 911 with the 964 generation, built from 1988 to 1994, so earlier cars were unassisted. The 991 of 2011 then moved to electro-mechanical power steering, which Porsche said would help efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. Without assistance, you feel the load at the front tyres build as you turn in and fade as grip starts to run out, because only the steering gear sits between your hands and the road. Electric systems can be precise, but a motor and its software decide how much of that reaches you.

A traditional American V8 uses a cross-plane crankshaft, and as Autocar explains, one cylinder can fire straight after another on the same bank, giving the uneven firing behind the offbeat burble muscle cars are known for. In a classic you hear that sound directly, with the intake and mechanical noises that tell you how the engine is running. Many modern cars add sound electronically: for the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost, Ford developed an Active Noise Control system that amplifies engine sound through the speakers, and Volkswagen has used a speaker playing engine sound files in cars such as the Golf GTI.

Jaguar's E-type made its debut in Geneva on 15 March 1961, and the public reaction was so strong that Jaguar had a second car driven overnight from Coventry to meet demand for test drives. Its long, low bonnet predates Euro NCAP, which began in 1996, by 35 years. Today pedestrian protection helps shape front ends: Euro NCAP's assessment of the BMW X1 describes an active bonnet whose actuators lift it on impact to give more clearance above the stiff structures in the engine bay. Add crash structures and aerodynamic targets, and today's designers work within far tighter limits than Jaguar's did in 1961.

Mercedes-Benz and Bosch put electronic ABS into production on the S-Class in late 1978, and EU rules that then applied in Britain made stability control compulsory on every new car registered from 1 November 2014. Most classics have neither. Brake too hard and the wheels lock, and a car with locked front wheels will not steer, so you learn to brake firmly in a straight line and ease off the pedal before turning in. Lift off the throttle mid-corner in a car with a light rear and the tail can step out, with nothing to correct it but your own hands and feet. It makes you a smoother, more attentive driver.

Much of a classic's engine bay is laid out to be adjusted by hand. An MGB of 1969 to 1971 runs a pair of SU HS4 carburettors, and on HS-type SUs the mixture is set by turning the jet adjusting nut, down to richen and up to weaken, while a lifting pin lets you check that the piston moves freely. Contact breaker points need regular adjustment so the coil charges properly between sparks. Since 2001, every new petrol car has had an EOBD diagnostic system, and many faults are now found by plugging a scan tool into its socket rather than by looking and listening.

Much of what makes a classic feel alive is lost to wear rather than age. Tired dampers, perished bushes and steering play blur the messages from the road. The MOT inspection manual allows up to 13mm of free play at the rim of a 380mm wheel for simple rack and pinion steering (48mm with several joints), and 75mm for other types such as a steering box, but those are pass limits, not targets. Correct tyre pressures and alignment matter as much. Classic And Retro Autos in Witton Gilbert, County Durham, carries out mechanical work on classic cars from £65 an hour plus VAT.

Many classics have unassisted steering, so changes in grip at the front tyres come straight through the rim. You also hear the engine directly rather than through speakers, and there is no ABS or stability control smoothing your inputs. Everything the car does is a result of what you do with the wheel and pedals.

In a crash, yes. On 9 September 2009 the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crashed a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air into a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu at 40 mph: the Malibu's occupant compartment stayed intact while the Bel Air's collapsed. Drive a classic with larger gaps, keep its brakes and tyres in good order, and wear the belts fitted.

Some enhance it. Ford developed an Active Noise Control system for the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost that amplifies engine sound through the speakers, and Volkswagen has used a small speaker playing engine sound in models including the Golf GTI. The engine still runs, but part of what you hear in the cabin is produced or boosted electronically.

Many routine jobs suit a capable owner with a manual: setting contact breaker points, balancing SU carburettors, changing oil and greasing suspension joints. Structural welding and brake hydraulics need proper equipment and skill. Even if the car is exempt from the MOT, the law still requires it to be roadworthy every time it is used on the road.