Thursday, May 19, 2016

Why the P1800 is Everybody’s Favorite Volvo

Modern cars are safer, better built, more reliable, and faster than they ever have been before, and unless something major happens, next year’s crop is likely to be even better. So at a time when we have Toyota Camrys putting up horsepower numbers that Ferraris posted 30 years ago, sport sedans that transform from luxury cars to world-class corner carvers with the flick of a switch (while returning gas mileage in the 30s, no less), and an electric sedan with as much horsepower as a Lamborghini, why do we still pine for cars from half a century ago?
Because paradoxically, midcentury cars didn’t have any of the things we take for granted today. They feel “analog” because they are; they’re purely mechanical creations, and at their best, they offer a driving experience that no production car can compete with today. And for proof of how much people are missing “the good old days” lately, take a look at collector car auction prices over the past five years.

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