By Jack Edelstein
A common thing that people do to bond is think about the past. Whether it’s about sports or places, it is still comforting to think about a time we remember as nice. When I talk about nostalgic times, even though I was not born, I like to talk about cars. Here are the cars I like to bring up when the topic of nostalgia is brought up.
1965 Shelby AC Cobra 427 S/C
Powered by a 427 V8 iron block pushing 485 horsepower and 480 ft-lb of torque with a 4-speed manual (caranddriver.com), Shelby really put it all into this car. The car’s iconic blue body and white lines, exposed roll cage, open grill, and shiny loud side exhausts really sets it apart from other cars from its era, and, trust me, Shelby did not have easy competition. Cars that were also made in this era were the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang. This is definitely a nostalgic and memory bringing vehicle.
1974-1990 Lamborghini Countach
The Countach is a sought-after car by all car collectors. It is a staple of Italian car-making. Its distinct air vents poking out the top sides of the car, sharp retro edges, big wing, and pop-up headlights make it easily recognizable to any car person. You may also recognize the Countach from the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. Although there are multiple models, the most common Countach model, the 25th Anniversary, is pushed by a 5-liter Naturally Aspirated V12 revving to a stellar 7,000 rpm and making 455 horsepower and 370 ft-lbs of torque (supercars.net). The Countach is considered by many a sort of poster car of the 80s, and I can definitely see why.
1987-1992 Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 was made to celebrate the 40 years of Ferrari, hence the name, and was Enzo Ferrari’s last car before he died a year later, in 1988. The Ferrari F40 was made mostly of composite materials (carbon, Kevlar, and steel), meaning it was made of two or more materials with different properties intended to do a specific job–in this case making the car lighter (ferrari.com). This car was made to be a track car because of its very minimal interior appliances (there wasn’t even an A/C unit in the car until it came to the US), uncomfortable lightweight racing seats, and it doesn’t have door handles, just pull cords (exoticcartrader.com). Now, you’re thinking, “Well, Jack, what’s so special about this car? It doesn’t even have door handles!” What’s special about this car is that this car was not made for the ordinary. It was made for the bold and spectacular. It was made for those who wanted to experience the thrill of a Ferrari. Those who wanted to feel the raw 478 horsepower and 424 ft-lb torque twin-turbocharged V8 yelling at 7,000 rpm, and feel the smooth shifts of the 5-speed manual transmission. The F40 is the pinnacle of Ferrari engineering and holds its place at the top of Italian car-making, rightfully so.
Conclusion
Those are the three cars that I bring up when I talk about the past and cars. I will definitely write one of these blogs again. I really enjoyed learning new things about these cars, especially the F40. If there are any other cars that you like, let us know in the comments!
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