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Worst car of the 1960's

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At least you admit to being a Dinosaur! personally I've never understood the desire for manual cars, having to repeatedly shove one lever with the foot and another with your hand goes back to the dawn of motoring, all that's missing is the handbrake on the outside of the car :p

I first drove an automatic in 1999 on holiday in the USA, back then they were the horrible fluid type that made you think there was a slipping clutch. When I got my first automatic it was a Fiat Panda that had a robotised electronic gearbox, it just did the gear/clutch work for you.
I've been driving Toyota Prius for the last 10 years, the transmission is via sun & planets gearing so it's 100% totally smooth from a standing start to full speed. So relaxing to drive and a boon in stop start heavy traffic with no clutch to hold down and the engine off.
Izzy, I used to love driving a stick shift primarily because that’s what I grew up with. Ford tractor, Austin 7 MG TC, BMW, Triumph etc. Now we drive automatics Acura or Toyota with Jatco automatics (Japanese automatic transmission company) makes most automatics for Japanese cars. With two artificial knees and lots of arthritis I doubt I could drive very well in city traffic!
 
I think the writing was on the wall for all car industries. I think that Toyota & Honda forced everyone to make better cars, those that did not follow are now different companies or gone!
I think that was defiantly the case with the motorcycle industry. In the Uk, motorcycles had really become an enthusiast’s pastime, whereas in the developing counties of the far east, motorcycles were an essential form of travel. The manufacturers had to up the game with cost effective and reliable machines.

Here int he UK, a lot of people blame the trade unions for the demise of the car industry. My thoughts are that management get the trade unions they deserve.
 
People laughed at the DAF 66 with the rubber band variable transmission. Julie had one, and loved it, the first car of her own. It did what was expected of it. I was a bit unnerved by the engine noise not varying much as it went along. I was used to manual gears, and judging the change point by ear. Hers eventually shed a belt, and I was able to find a pair in a scrapyard. Back on the road in a day, I was surprised how easy they were to change. The Volvo 343 carried the system forward with success. I think Ford produced a version called CVT ?
My fairly recent lawn tractor still uses exactly the same system to get from engine to wheels.

Andrew.
 
got to be the worst
1960s the villiers engine from a bond mini car was used.
1970 the engine from the Austrian-built Fiat 500 was used, a Steyr-Puch air-cooled flat twin of 493cc and 20bhp.
propelling the contraption to 80 mph on test,

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I had a colleague way back when who had a standard pale blue one of these provided to him. He was less than impressed and called it the plastic pig. I agreed, horrible thing. It did give him independent mobility though.

Andrew.
true there was a firm in garrets green that the workers used them, at 5 pm it was like the start of a hednesford race when they left for home driving off.as you say it gave people independent mobility.after driving one i can see why they were banned.

 
Sorry if I offend some of you guy's but I think the Triumph TR6 belongs here. Lovely sports car to look at...super looking dash...However; sagging rear springs, exhaust muffler hangers that broke regularly (had to make my own leather ones...temporary electric wire worked better...lump of a push-rod engine that only made 90HP with twin Stromberg carburetors...handling always a bit iffy in my opinion...a little Datsun 510 could singe you. When I picked it up from the dealer, I found a handfull of loose screws in the trunk...hmmm.
It could be made into a nice sports car if you made some changes and ditched the engine and cured the rear spring fatigue.
We always drive automatic cars here in North America now. Standard shift cars are too much of a nuisance...on the highway here...makes your leg ache pushing the clutch. You know; stop/go highways. Do you have them. Trading a standard shift is also a looser.
 
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Sorry if I offend some of you guy's but I think the Triumph TR6 belongs here. Lovely sports car to look at...super looking dash...However; sagging rear springs, exhaust muffler hangers that broke regularly (had to make my own leather ones...temporary electric wire worked better...lump of a push-rod engine that only made 90HP with twin Stromberg carburetors...handling always a bit iffy in my opinion...a little Datsun 510 could singe you. When I picked it up from the dealer, I found a handfull of loose screws in the trunk...hmmm.
It could be made into a nice sports car if you made some changes and ditched the engine and cured the rear spring fatigue.
We always drive automatic cars here in North America now. Standard shift cars are too much of a nuisance...on the highway here...makes your leg ache pushing the clutch. You know; stop/go highways. Do you have them. Trading a standard shift is also a looser.
Had a TR4 in the US, hand brake came in my hand the day I took it home, down hill from there!
 
Scraping the memory here, but a fellow student bought a rough old TR4, but could have been a 5, and also an old Triumph Mayflower. This would have been around 1969/71. Apparently there were so many common parts he made one good one from the two. (No, not a good Mayflower). Seemed OK, but we were easily pleased in those days.

Andrew.
 
I recall the problem automatics was you did not want to take a test in one, otherwise you needed to take a manual gear box test if you changed.

They also needed a bigger engine, the smaller one’s felts quite underpowered. Of course the later technology has made smaller car nice to drive and quite efficient.
I pushed Julie to take a manual test for that very reason. Does it still apply ? I wonder how taking a test in an electric car will be handled in the future. My impression is that they are very close to automatics in driving style.
Original autos lost power through the torque converter. Converter lock up is now quite common, my Landcruiser has it. When it locks, the transmission loss is equivalent, or perhaps a bit better than a manual with clutch.

Andrew.
 
Driving the electric car is just the same as an ordinary automatic but it's all torque. ;)
What it doesn't have is the engine braking you get with an ICE just a slight drag from the regenerator.
Caught me out with my first ever speeding ticket, where just 'lifting off' slows the car normally doesn't work so going from a forty limit to a thirty I was still at thirty six when the crafty cop's camera had me.
 
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