The life of an auto reviewer appears to be a charmed one — test drive the newest vehicles and report back on their high and low points.
Occasionally I’m thrown a curve, but being a trained professional, curves are what I’m all about. A real hairpin came when I was offered the chance to drive some of the oldest foreign cars still rolling on Pittsburgh’s roads.
Tom Armstrong and Mitchell Schwartz, both residents of the North Side’s Allegheny West neighborhood, will show their classic cars as part of “Alleys, Axles and Ales,” a neighborhood tour on Sept. 24. They were also kind enough — and brave enough — to let Mr. Driver’s Seat test drive their vehicles. Here’s how it went:
1957 Volkswagen Beetle
Owner: Tom Armstrong, for the past 41 years and 15,000 miles.
Options: “It’s got some very important options. It’s got the fuel gauge, which says ‘voll’ instead of ‘full,’” Mr. Armstrong noted.
Up to speed: With a 1.3-liter engine producing 36 horsepower, about a fifth as much as most small cars today, this Beetle was not in a hurry. But the rumble of the air-cooled power plant put a smile on my face and brought back memories of my ’68 Beetle.
Driver’s seat: Like other vehicles of its era, neck support was not a consideration, so the brown leatherette seat rides only about to your shoulder blades. Back then, seat belts were just something Preston Tucker ranted about, so we enjoyed plenty of freedom during our ride.
On the road: Modern drivers immediately notice the humongous but thin steering wheel, which is less than ideal for zigging into tight corners. Note that zigging into tight corners would be foolish, as the drum brakes offer minimal resistance and the steering straddles that elusive space between vague and random.Cobblestone streets are enhanced by the Beetle’s swing-axle suspension.
Shifty: The four-speed manual transmission has been changing gears for almost 60 years and 45,000 miles, but it’s no looser than in other Beetles. The non-synchromesh first gear ensures no rolling stops.
Visibility: The ’57 is the last year of the smaller oval rear window. But it’s better than the original split rear window.
Tunes: “Let’s see if the radio’s in the mood to work,” Mr. Armstrong said.
“Is the radio just AM?” I asked.
“It’s just KDKA,” Mr. Armstrong replied. “The reception’s not very good.”
1973 MGB
Owner: Mitchell Schwartz, for 41 years and about 50,000 miles.
Up to speed: The 1.8-liter four-cylinder produces about 94 horsepower, though that varied with the model year. The exhaust emits a sporty but somewhat Beetlesque rumble.
Conventional wisdom: “Bring along a toolbox,” snarled a Facebook friend when I said I was driving a ’73 MG. It’s true that English cars from the 1970s are notoriously unreliable. But Mr. Schwartz said things have improved greatly since he swapped out the original pair of 6-volt batteries for a single 12-volt.
Fun in the sun: Mr. Schwartz bought this car when he was 19. “This is an old friend. This guy has been with me most of my life.” So the top never goes up. He only takes it on sunny days.
Tunes: There is an AM radio, which doesn’t work. Over there is where the CB used to be (Yes, kids, that’s a “B,” not a “D”). But Mr. Schwartz’s company is as pleasant as Mr. Armstrong’s, so we never missed it.
Shifty: There’s a wooden stick shift knob with the beautiful MG symbol emblazoned on it, the one I drew in school notebooks no fewer than 10,000 times as youngster. The clutch must be forgiving, because after waiting on an uphill slope on Brighton Road, I managed to pull out without a stall.
Driver’s seat: The black leather seat provided plenty of comfort.
On the road: It’s easy to see where Mazda got the inspiration for the Miata. The MGB was a delight on the roads and handled with aplomb.
In the end: Certainly the MG was the sportier of the two, but how could you play favorites with these old compadres? Heck, I just wrapped up a week in a 707-horsepower 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, and both of these cars were more fun than it. I smiled the entire 290-mile ride back home.
Scott Sturgis, a freelance auto writer, writes the Driver’s Seat column for the Post-Gazette. He can be reached at mrdriversseat@gmail.com.
First Published: September 16, 2016, 2:29 p.m.
