Driving golden era cars in the modern era

[StraightEight]

No problem to travel with a 65 year old car.. one only needs patience and empty roads

This week, we'll go to Devon with the Riley, followed by the Goodwood Revival. Let's cross fingers that it'll work out well!

Cheers,
Tom

Fabulous pics Sapphire. I really envy you and your car (and your weather!). We had almost two weeks of continuous rain on our trip through France, the Benelux, and UK in the old Citroen. Unlike yours, our trip was not completely trouble-free though our problem proved to be minor: a faulty hydraulic pressure sensor that you get to by removing the front fender (three bolts on a DS). By the way, the system runs at 130 bar constant pressure (1900 psi). That's a lot in a 48-year-old car. Thanks to Citroen Classics in Staines, UK for having the spare!

 

[StraightEight]

Drives me nuts when someone will pull up alongside me in the Jeep and they'll honk their horn, not realizing that there's nothing between my left ear and their horn, less than 5-6 feet away. I even chewed out someone once who did that a couple of times at the next red light we came to, and you could see the lightbulb come on over his head and that it never occured to him I was being deafened by it.
You also get tired of the "$50 jeep in the crate" stories. Just goggle that phrase and you'll find out what I mean...

Hahaha! Great story and jeep!

 

[BigFitz]

Went on a 2,500 mile trip to Scotland in May/June with our 1947 Riley. Apart from a punctured tyre, which I had to change in the middle of a cloud of midges, the old lady (the car, not the wife ) behaved well!

Eilean Donan Castle

Calgary Bay, Isle of Mull

Glen More, Isle of Mull

No problem to travel with a 65 year old car.. one only needs patience and empty roads

This week, we'll go to Devon with the Riley, followed by the Goodwood Revival. Let's cross fingers that it'll work out well!

Cheers,
Tom

Looks and sounds like a dream tr:eusa_clapip.

 

[Nick Halden]

A long trip with a golden era car (specially with american cars) is nearly impossible here in Spain -unless if you have the luggage full of banknotes-

Gasoline is now here about 8 USD per gallon (1,5 EUR/Litre)...imagine that with the consumption of a Cadillac Eldorado (and highways full of expensive tolls...)

 

[David Conwill]

How's the mass-transit infrastructure in Spain? That seems a more GE method of travel anyway.

 

[Nick Halden]

Maybe a little off-topic (sorry for that) but I answer your question:
The infraestructures are great, we have a large network of good highways and one of the most complete high-speed train network in the world, also the Metro (subway) in big cities as Madrid or Barcelona are great, fast and very modern.

The problem is the price, due the economic crisis, wich is specially deep here from a few years ago, taxes are rising up constantly, speed-radars are everywhere, fuel taxes go higher and higher, expensive tolls are built in every highway and public transports like subway or bus have duplicated it's travel cost in just a few months.
The worst problem is that now we have a 26% of unemployement -and growing- and the average salary of those who work is 1500 USD per month (just imagine the problems with that, adding that fuel is more expensive than wine, specially for the road-transport sector, but all economic sectors are affected) .

As some other european countries, Spain is not in it's best time...I hope that it's gets better in the future.

 

[David Conwill]

I'm sorry to hear rail travel is also expensive. Americans are often criticized for our cheap-fuel policies, and that's not unwarranted, but driving is less of a luxury here than it is in countries with good rail networks and old, walkable cities.

But if they're gouging you on rail as well, then I'm not sure what you're supposed to do.

 

[Nick Halden]

Thinking about the Golden Era, it was not that golden in Spain because we suffered a terrible civil war from 1936 to 1939 and it's respective post-war. The country was not recovered until early 60's.

Despite of this, the golden era style was here.
Here are some photos of the Gran Via (main street) of Madrid in 50's (humm...maybe I will create a post later about that, photos are interesting)

In Spain the most popular car of the 60's was the Seat 600 (today a very appreciated classic car), was cheap in his time, very basic and easy of mantain. It was for the spaniards that VW beetle would be for the rest of the world.

Seat 600

Also was very popular in sixties the "posh" national sports car, the Seat 850 coupe

 

[Nick Halden]

I'm sorry to hear rail travel is also expensive. Americans are often criticized for our cheap-fuel policies, and that's not unwarranted, but driving is less of a luxury here than it is in countries with good rail networks and old, walkable cities.

But if they're gouging you on rail as well, then I'm not sure what you're supposed to do.

Really railway is not excesively expensive (but are from far, more expensive than it was some years ago), it still being affordable. By example, Madrid to Seville (600 Km/372 miles) in a normal train would cost about 30 USD aproximately (and about 90 USD or more in high speed train, but the high speed train runs at 187 mp/h).
Subway in Madrid is now nearly 2,90 USD per trip (but just one month ago it was 1,20 USD...) anyways still being cheaper and better than other european subways, but the duplicated price is a hard beat in the pocket of millions of people that use it daily.

Keep also in mind that Spain is so much smaller than USA, you could go from the southest point of the country to the northest in one day of intensive driving (about 12 hours) and just in a few hours in high speed train.
Here is it:

 

[Stanley Doble]

A long trip with a golden era car (specially with american cars) is nearly impossible here in Spain -unless if you have the luggage full of banknotes-

Gasoline is now here about 8 USD per gallon (1,5 EUR/Litre)...imagine that with the consumption of a Cadillac Eldorado (and highways full of expensive tolls...)

Why does everyone in Europe assume all Americans drive Cadillacs? Americans drive Cadillacs the way all Europeans drive BMWs and Ferraris.

Not all American cars were gas hogs. The Nash Rambler of the early fifties got 30 MPG, as good as any comparable 6 cylinder European car and as good as many 4 cylinder cars. Studebaker did as well with their Champion six and in the upper twenties with their 3.6, 3.8 and 4.2 liter V8s ( 224, 232 and 259 cu in).

There were other, more obscure economy cars like the 4 cylinder Henry J, the Hudson Jet 6 and the Willys Aero sedans and the Willys Jeep station wagon, available with 4 or 6 cylinder engine.

Then in the late 50s - early 60s came the Studebaker Lark, Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon and Plymouth Valiant all 30 MPG cars. The Mustang, Falcon's brother, was a light car that got over 30 MPG with the standard 6 cylinder and in the high 20s with the optional V8.

You saw far, far more Valiants, Falcons, Ramblers and Larks on the street than you did Cadillacs Lincolns and Chrysler Imperials.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

You mean they don't? It must just be me then

In all honesty, I see quite a few Cadillacs on the road, but not as many as I see Buicks and Chevrolets. I would recommend one to anybody who enjoys a luxurious car though. I love mine.

Even some of the big cars of the day didn't do all that bad on fuel, with the right drivetrain. Obviously, Cadillac won't be a prime example, because they had very large engines. I imagine the theory was if you could afford a Caddy, you could afford the fuel to power it.

I had a 1958 Chevy that with the original inline 6 and three on the tree got near 30 mpg, and that was a full-size four-door.
My 1960 Chevy got around 20 mpg with a small-block V8 and a Powerglide automatic. Also a full-size four-door.

Why does everyone in Europe assume all Americans drive Cadillacs? Americans drive Cadillacs the way all Europeans drive BMWs and Ferraris.

Not all American cars were gas hogs. The Nash Rambler of the early fifties got 30 MPG, as good as any comparable 6 cylinder European car and as good as many 4 cylinder cars. Studebaker did as well with their Champion six and in the upper twenties with their 3.6, 3.8 and 4.2 liter V8s ( 224, 232 and 259 cu in).

There were other, more obscure economy cars like the 4 cylinder Henry J, the Hudson Jet 6 and the Willys Aero sedans and the Willys Jeep station wagon, available with 4 or 6 cylinder engine.

Then in the late 50s - early 60s came the Studebaker Lark, Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon and Plymouth Valiant all 30 MPG cars. The Mustang, Falcon's brother, was a light car that got over 30 MPG with the standard 6 cylinder and in the high 20s with the optional V8.

You saw far, far more Valiants, Falcons, Ramblers and Larks on the street than you did Cadillacs Lincolns and Chrysler Imperials.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Growing up I knew exactly one family who owned a Cadillac, which I was banned from ever riding in again after I got sick in the back seat during a road trip to Boston. Otherwise on our street we had four or five Chevy four-door sedans, about the same number of Fords, all of which were full-size four doors except for one malcontent who owned a Falcon, a couple of Dodge Darts, a Plymouth Valiant, and a DeSoto. There were also a couple of Ford pickup trucks, and this weird thing that looked like somebody had built a wooden box onto the back of a gutted panel van (we knew it only as "Fred's funny-truck," and it had no known make.) We wouldn't have recognized an Imperial or a Lincoln if it had rolled over our feet.

One person on the street -- a college kid -- owned one of those Volkswagen squareback things, in bright robins-egg blue, which everybody snickered at behind his back.

 

[David Conwill]

one malcontent who owned a Falcon

I'm sensing a new signature coming on. :lol:

 

[Nick Halden]

You have reason. I know not all americans drive Cadillacs or similar cars (was just an example), -nowadays american cities like New York are full of Toyota Prius! - but it's a fact that the gasoline costs have a direct influence in cars of each country.
In the 40's and early 50's all Europe was in post-war, with high costs of gasoline (in comparation of the average economic possibilities of post-war years).
Here is an example

(Spain, october of 1941 -two years after the end of Spanish Civil War)
This device was used in post-war attached to the cars for use gasogen due the lack of gasoline

Of course nowadays things are very different in Europe, and V6 cars are very common (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Jaguar...) but more small cars like Peugeot, Renault, Hyundai or VW are obviously more common because the high costs of gasoline.
It's not the same to pay 3 USD per gallon (as you pay in USA) than pay 8 USD per gallon...specially if you use your car everyday.

As AtomicEraTom say, if you can afford a costly car, you can afford the fuel for it, but also with good economic situation, everybody look the consumption. I have a friend who own a Mercedes-Benz 600SEL V12 and other who own a Rolls Royce Silver Spirit, the consumption is about 30 liters for 100km and 29 liters for 100 km respectively, this means that a 62 miles journey will cost 58 USD. It's absolutely crazy! (this is the reason because they use daily smaller cars). I do the same, because I use to drive a V6 Mercedes-Benz but for everyday use I prefer to drive a small VW and keep the MB in the garage.

 

[Sapphire]

Only around 10l/100km and still happily running 70 mph on the motorway: Our 1947 Riley 1 1/2 Litre brought us bravely to its old home in Devon and back - 2,300km in 10 days.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

And the costs of fuel reflect, even in luxury cars. A 1977 Cadillac Eldorado, which had the 'downsized' 425 cubic inch V8 (remember how gas was in 1977?) That was an ever-so-efficient 8mpg city, or 12 mpg highway, and that was an improvement from the prior 500 cubic inch model. My 1996 Fleetwood Brougham, which was the biggest body style of Caddy since the 1970's was much less thirsty at about 26mpg on the highway. The brand new ones are good for into the 30's for mileage, though not the big, luxurious yachts of yesteryear. It's clear that society as a whole has moved toward the less thirsty vehicles and something a bit less spacious. (Though I do wish I could buy a car that was fuel-efficient, a V8, and a boat!)

 

[Gregg Axley]

I remember when 12mpg in the city was considered good.
Of course I did have a Corvette that got 8mpg, 10 if I was good, but 150 miles was as far as I could go on one tank.
I'm actually shocked that some cars of the 40's and 50's got 15-18mpg.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Not to mention there's some real simple updates that'll get you a long way. A Chevy small block will bolt up to a more modern 200R4 or 700R4 transmission which has more gears than an old 2 speed Powerglide, and they have overdrive, which really helps efficiency, especially on the highway.

I remember when 12mpg in the city was considered good.
Of course I did have a Corvette that got 8mpg, 10 if I was good, but 150 miles was as far as I could go on one tank.
I'm actually shocked that some cars of the 40's and 50's got 15-18mpg.

 

[GoldenEraFan]

I drove my WW2 Jeep in a parade yesterday, and I watched several vehicles almost drive off the road while the drivers were trying to point out my ride to their passengers. One was alongside me, not looking ahead and trying to fumble with a camera! I actually pulled off the side of the road because I didn't want to cause an accident (especially one with me in it). Drives me nuts when someone will pull up alongside me in the Jeep and they'll honk their horn, not realizing that there's nothing between my left ear and their horn, less than 5-6 feet away. I even chewed out someone once who did that a couple of times at the next red light we came to, and you could see the lightbulb come on over his head and that it never occured to him I was being deafened by it.
You also get tired of the "$50 jeep in the crate" stories. Just goggle that phrase and you'll find out what I mean...

I looked up the "$50" story and that's one odd tall tale. From the same source I did find an interesting story of a rumor from a "Collectible Automobile" issue that there is a secret warehouse somewhere with still new 1942 cars. http://wwiijeepparts.com/Archives/WW2JeepsInCrates.html

 

[Carl Miller]

Not to mention there's some real simple updates that'll get you a long way. A Chevy small block will bolt up to a more modern 200R4 or 700R4 transmission which has more gears than an old 2 speed Powerglide, and they have overdrive, which really helps efficiency, especially on the highway.

I've always wanted one of those old diesel eldorados. Yank the boat anchor olds 350 and drop in a 6.2 Detroit from a chevy suburban/truck and youd be seeing mid to high 20s easily.