This is one way of looking at vintage vehicles. I still can’t motivate myself enough to appreciate what others see in them. I do, however, highly admire the efforts people put in to restore and maintain these vehicles. It requires true passion to spend valuable time and money needed to engage in this pastime.
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I understand where you're coming from on this. A very close friend of mine also doesn't like old cars per se, as he considers them unreliable, fuel hungry, noisy, uncomfortable etc. As much as I (grudgingly) agree with him, I still hold older cars in high esteem due to their beautiful simplicity and the close link you get with the mechanical parts. You can feel each part working. It's only my training and interest in these things that allows me to enjoy the sensations.
That said, if anyone tells you that old cars were designed by "proper" engineers and today cars do not have soul, take his words with a grain of salt. Designers these days are as intelligent and hard working as they were in the past. An EVO or an Impreza will literally wipe the floor with any Group B rally car you can bring to any road in the world. A lot of Superminis these days are really good to drive, take the Toyota Aygo for example. Engineered to be built cheaply, it's also one of the most engaging drives in the city. And it's as reliable as anything out there.
Coming back to the Elan though, it's what they call a "resto-mod" so it's not technically an old car, it's a new car in an old cloak. So it should b' fairly reliable. My sig line shows my love for these types of creations as well
Oh and Kamran, sorry for the long post!