I don’t know, most of the modern stuff seems very underpowered for what it is like the modern V8 engines I’ve seen. It’s fine we disagree, I will always be a fan of old stuff. That’s just what I think. I have heard from many it’s the emissions. I do know the modern Mustang are pretty fast but they just don’t have that V8 power or sound like they did in the old days. When fuel injection first came out I heard it was a total disaster because they hadn’t worked the bugs out and everyone hated it. Mechanical Fuel Injection was worse. I know the fuel injection when it first came out on the beetles like I like was a total disaster too I’ve had to work on some of the injected ones. Of course that’s mechanical like my dads 1977 Alfa Romeo Spider was too and that thing I swear he was working on it every week with that weird fuel injection system.
The future is here, for better or worse. Most of it sucks, but engine power does not.
If you got a 2006 K20A2 from an Acura RSX, it would have 200hp and 150ft/lb of torque in 2L naturally aspirated engine without direct injection.
en.wikipedia.org
This is the old engine in the 1980s Preludes (which I love.)
en.wikipedia.org
Top Si trim for US emissions was 135hp. Stuck with 9:1 compression, K20A2 is 11:1. With carbs said B20A motor makes about 110hp, just fuel injection alone got it 25hp. The computer controlled carb days were the absolute worst, 50,000 vacuum lines and solenoids and crap. Most people ripped them out for Webers.
Be honest, would you prefer that to modern EFI?
Also for modern V8s, I don't wish to be rude, but you're not seeing reality. A 2020 Camaro SS is 455hp naturally aspirated! The 396 SS Camaro of the 1960s was 375 with zero emissions controls, but a real emissions choked Camaro, take a 1980 one, was only 190hp. The only thing I could maybe say about some of the older V8 cars was they had good low end torque due to how the cams were setup, but once you got past 2500RPM they're dogs unless you have better cylinder heads and a cam.
Here's a 2020 Mustang GT. In sport and especially track it sounds pretty awesome to me.
I like old stuff from a style and generally direct feeling and sort of minimalist perspective mostly, and most is nostalgia as the past was in many ways but not all, really a better time in society (I think 99% of car nostalgia is that.) But mechanically, for the most part stuff gets better. There's unfortunate nanny aids meant to make elderly and disabled people drive somewhat safely on modern cars, that's kind of the worst development, that and infotainment setups. But from an engine/mechanical/chassis standpoint I still feel in totality we're doing a lot better than we were. Of course there's things that suck, but there's no going back to carburetors and distributors.
The best thing is as everyone in the performance world is doing, old car, new engine and running gear=best car. Throw out the carbs and swap a K20 in it, get a six speed transmission, get new suspension, get modern tires and wheels, get a nice new radio with USB and Bluetooth, do all that and that's the best way to have an old car if you actually wish to drive it and not look at it or work on it constantly.