Why a real car should be analogue
Nowadays, all cars have electronic parking brakes. This makes me worried, when I consider the declining birth rates and the threat of population collapse. Up until the turn of the millennia, the handbrake was an important component in human reproduction. When a male identified an attractive female, he would usually engage the handbrake and slide the car. This manoeuvre was very effective in attracting female attention, and usually resulted in 2,5 kids and a Volvo on the driveway some years later.
When me and my wife became one back in 2015, I drove an old beat-up Opel Omega six pot with a proper manual and a handbrake. I clearly remember how I flicked that car in an impressive winter slide through a roundabout when I knew she was watching me. That was before we were a couple. When I remind her of this instance, she rolls her eyes, shakes her head and sighs deeply, but I believe that the combination of RWD and a proper handbrake is an important reason we are happily married today.
Last Friday, I had a wonderful experience with my next car, a 1993 W124 300D. I was supposed to bring it home, but unfortunately it did not pass official car inspection due to a slight issue with zero brake power on the rear axle. So, it had to go to the workshop for a week or two before I can give it another shot and hopefully finally take it home with me in late October and begin the restoration process. When I was 18 and got my driver’s license, my first car was a W124 200D. I did not realize it was a special car back then. But when I got behind the wheel of a W124 again with a proper stick shifter, I got goose bumps. An all-analogue car. What a feeling! I had forgotten what driving was all about. Now I feel like a little kid when thinking about this W124 and I cannot wait to drive it again. The only drawback with the W124 is that it doesn’t have a handbrake. It’s got a foot operated parking brake instead. But hey, I have a ring on my finger now, so it is not the end of the world. At least it is RWD, and winter is here soon.
Maybe the above reasons are why I love driving motorcycles so much. They have also seen massive technical improvements in the last decade especially, with fantastic life saving features like lean-angle sensitive traction control and curve ABS. These things will save a lot of lives, and I would never ever argue that they are a bad idea, and they should be standard equipment on any new bike. (All I am asking for is a button to turn off the rear wheel ABS every now and then.) But with motorcycles, even with all the fancy technology, they still feel very mechanical and analogue. Driving a bike is much more involving than driving a car. And they still have a clutch and a manual transmission, thank God. I now realize that the very essence of driving is probably deeply connected with manual transmission. This also implies that real cars for petrolheads with manual transmissions will probably skyrocket in value, when the market dries up and people realize how much more fun it is. I haven’t scanned the Autotrader sites, but I would not be surprised if these effects are clearly visible already on the market.
I have big plans for my W124. I have a strong gut feeling that this car will become a valuable gem before long. It deserves to be driven instead of rusting away.