# A classic question... classic car, that is **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2026, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200 "2026-08-07T03:30:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/101 "2026-08-10T16:09:51Z")
They are definitely fun cars. Underpowered by modern standards, but they handle like a dream. As long as you’re used to dealing with oversteer, that is! My dad bought his first Porsche in 1961, and for a while it was the only car my family owned. I learned to drive in it, and I now own it. I’ll take it out for a spin on sunny days when the roads are fairly empty. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/102 "2026-08-10T16:36:23Z")
Probably the Jag XKE. The first time I saw one in the early 60s, my heart nearly stopped. What an elegant, yet muscular design. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/103 "2026-08-10T16:44:41Z")
I’m going to go with a car I actually sat in before. [1970 Ford Torino Super Cobra Jet, with the shaker hood scoop.](https://www.hemmings.com/stories/1970-ford-torino-cobra-muscle-car-profile-0322/) This is the car my dad bought for my sister when she was in high school. Love that car. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/104 "2026-08-10T16:58:06Z")
OMG! Did she belong to an after-school Race Kar Klub? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/105 "2026-08-10T17:05:51Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > after-school Race Kar Klub? No… but she does tell a story about the kid with Mustang who wanted to race her. IIRC, it ended with “I felt bad for him.” ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/106 "2026-08-10T17:10:26Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > [1970 Ford Torino Super Cobra Jet, with the shaker hood scoop.](https://www.hemmings.com/stories/1970-ford-torino-cobra-muscle-car-profile-0322/) > > This is the car my dad bought for my sister when she was in high school. Love that car. My father in law had one of those in black. He says it was fast, but his 65 Comet Caliente with a 390 was actually quicker. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/107 "2026-08-10T17:52:39Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Isn’t that the car\* driven by Michael Dudikoff in the syndicated tv series _Cobra_? Dunno. I never saw the series and all the Wiki entry says is “AC Cobra.” The 427 was the most common one made – if you can count a couple hundred as common – so I’d guess so. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/108 "2026-08-10T18:54:13Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > The 427 was the most common one made – if you can count a couple hundred as common – so I’d guess so. Nope, there were about twice as many 289 Cobras made. 655 of them as compared to the 343 made with the 427. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/109 "2026-08-10T19:39:47Z")
I saw a video where some guy was driving a Ferrari 275 around London… I think we can all agree that car is pretty classic. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/110 "2026-08-10T19:47:22Z")
'Nother one. An old high school friend’s father had a … I’m pretty sure it was a mid-to-late-70’s … BMW 3.0CSi: > **[BMW 3.0 CSi (E9)](https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/en/models/bmw-classics/product-description-page.ad-54-1.bmw-3-0-csi-e9.html)** > > BMW also presented the BMW 3.0 CSi as a version with electronically controlled injection in the model series of Grand Coupés (Große Coupés) (E9). > > > In contrast to the carburetted version BMW 3.0 CS, the engine of the BMW 3.0 CSi delivered 20 hp more... His dad let him drive it. When that thing was on the twisties, or out on the open road, I was just endlessly amazed with its grace, poise, precision, the sounds it made, the effortlessness with which it went Fast, and the perception that … the faster you hit road surface irregularities, the better it dealt with them. Would I kick a 2002Tii out of my garage? Oh, Hell No. But the memories of trips in that 3.0CSi still linger strongly. And besides … [![](https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/content/dam/grpw/websites/bmwgroup-classic_com/productcatalog2/images_pc/AF-7959-1.png/_jcr_content/renditions/original) ](https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/content/dam/grpw/websites/bmwgroup-classic_com/productcatalog2/images_pc/AF-7959-1.png/_jcr_content/renditions/original) ETA: it may have been in the E9 designation. Either way, I’m pretty sure it meets the OP criteria: > **[BMW E9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E9)** > > The BMW E9 is a range of coupés produced by German automaker BMW from 1968 to 1975. Initially released as the 2800 CS model, the E9 was based on the BMW 2000 C / 2000 CS four-cylinder coupés, which were enlarged to fit the BMW M30 six-cylinder engine. The E9’s bodywork was built by Karmann. As a racing car, the E9 was very successful in the European Touring Car Championship and the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, especially the 3.0 CSL homologation model. The E9 range was replaced by the E24 6 ... [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/BMWE9CSc.jpg/960px-BMWE9CSc.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/BMWE9CSc.jpg/960px-BMWE9CSc.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![sb1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@sb1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sb1953)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/111 "2026-08-10T22:22:32Z")
Re "cuda I was a dishwasher in 1971 and my fellow dishwasher drove a '65 Satellite308 automatic. WE both wanted a heavy mopar. 4 years later I ran into him he was driving a 1970 'Cuda 340 AAR !!! (the only one “in the wild” I ever saw) I laughed!!// it was just so like him to do that! By then I was married driving a 1972 Pinto Ha! ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/112 "2026-08-11T01:07:36Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Well now! That is an amazing automobile and one I’d love to have a chance to drive. But you think you could use that as your primary transportation for a whole year? I suspect you’re tougher than I am. I’m of the view that if this car swap were ever to eventuate, my commute would become _very_ different from my current one… ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/113 "2026-08-11T02:18:34Z")
Remember, you’re just being loaned the car for a year. You don’t get to keep or sell it. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/114 "2026-08-11T17:10:59Z")
> [@sb1953](#): > > wanted a heavy mopar I was a Mopar guy myself and my first car in mid 90s high school was a '68 Satellite 2HT 273cid. That’s not a muscle car but still pretty cool, slow and low. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/115 "2026-08-12T06:01:34Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Although I do have to say the aforementioned BMW 2002 would be pretty tempting, too I love mine! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/116 "2026-08-14T13:10:59Z")
> [@sb1953](#): > > 1975 Jensen-Healey > > 1969-'72 TR-6 > [@bengangmo](#): > > Jensen Interceptor for the cool factor (but the running costs would be killer) For either of you … My bro owns a Jensen Interceptor in unrestored now very raggedy condition. And a Triumph TR- **8**. Likewise very rough. If you’d like to actually have and restore one or the other PM me. ---
**Author:** ![sb1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@sb1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sb1953)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/117 "2026-08-14T18:08:14Z")
The Triumph tempted me but then I realized that I am retired now,…no way to have a “dedicated income stream” to devote to these VERY needy machines. Thanks for mentioning it! ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/118 "2026-08-14T22:31:45Z")
While I’d love an XKE…or a Cobra…or an old Vette…or a MG…or a Triumph TR-7; they’re all too small unless they have a tow hitch (I have a little trailer) or I can have another car to haul around my stuff when I go away. Possibly a '57 Pontiac Chieftain [convertible](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&hs=sjRq&sca_esv=0a0a31734f5a42d0&sxsrf=APpeQntrIKiUbymWFocqEbv2k7F3KwtjDg:1786746452180&udm=2&fbs=ABfTbFVyMZGZf1hfvX9uKjN_-G8c4u0nXx4bEIpwm1lnNH832SMIiTl3t-JZ4hGJOxPbHYRQDtz5om-6srRFNP4UK_6edrYqFyYjVoLL0-Wmdmyc0u13h2Xl3P-7Fmh0o6KIonLSStrYX7-J-cMLG287nQ7raf0FkoLkOJb1mfQmtNYyMRhn-hrlv2gKJDeHb5aiCA66AyzkImpJHz_-TdiqyVBEHRiSEA&q=1957+pontiac+chieftain+convertible) Of course we could just peruse what’s available _right now_ at the [Classic Auto Mall](https://www.classicautomall.com/vehicles) to get some ideas. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2026, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/119 "2026-08-15T00:08:57Z")
> [@sb1953](#): > > The Triumph tempted me but then I realized that I am retired now,…no way to have a “dedicated income stream” to devote to these VERY needy machines. I’ve always lusted after a TR6, but I had similar thoughts. If this is supposed to be my daily driver, I want something more reliable than that. ---
**Author:** ![sb1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@sb1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sb1953)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2026, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200/120 "2026-08-15T10:47:12Z")
Yes, British cars are NOT reliable, and Nobody worked on them;… YOU must be the mechanic. I saw a Y.T. video of a man who changed his clutch disk on a TR-6 and he had to remove the transmission through the floor INSIDE the car not dropping it down from the underside Like every other car. Nope cannot do that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-classic-question-classic-car-that-is/1032200.md?page=7)