re: Driving 100 mph in Older Cars

We didn't think about it back then, but those old cheap bias belted tires that came with new cars were not speed rated and a blow out at 100+ was not a good thing to have especially with drum brakes and crappy suspension.

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my dad had a 1977 Lincoln Town Car when we were growing up. It was just getting up on plane at 100

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The power steering on a '78 Grand Marquis had the hydraulic strength of a CASE front end loader. You could steer it with a pinky no matter what speed

A lost and very underappreciated art was stunt driving in land yachts in older movies. Like the police chase scenes

If you’ve ever driven those tanks you’d realize just how hard it had to be to drive cars like that and not die

1967 Mustang. Got it over 100 twice but it didn’t feel safe so I backed off.

After owning several late 60s early 70s Mopar muscle I will say the handling In a stock old car is like riding in a red wagon down a hill. Back in high school when I drove an old Roadrunner I never thought much about it. By today’s standards the slack feel in the steering is horrible. Lack of power steering no problem, lack of disc brakes no problem but now if you drive an old car and immediately get into a newer car you will appreciate how technology has improved things.

First time I did it, got my dad’s 69 Buick station wagon (350 2 barrel) up to 110. Thing was shaking so badly I thought it was going to disintegrate

My 1969 Chrysler 300,a land yacht if there ever was one, will cruise 100 all day long, smooth as glass ride.

When i first got my license in 2007, I drove our '72 K5 Blazer.
One day I decided to try to take it to 100. It didnt quite make it, topping out around 97 mph, but felt like it was gonna shake itself apart.

I've done it in two older cars regularly, many other ones either as passenger or driver.

1957 MGA with a later warmed over 1800cc engine. Car felt fine, and had all the steering feel you could stand. Its aero numbers were probably awful, but it had very little lift I think. They were raced quite a bit during their day with minimal aero mods. It was good for about 110, maybe 120 MPH, primarily due to the very stiff rear axle ratio of 4.55:1, or was it 4.11? Been a fw decades since 1980-something.

1967 F-Body (Camaro/Firebird) was lowered slightly via (for the time) radically low profile tires. Also had installed the factory Trans Am rear spoiler. While the steering definitely lacked feel, the car was reasonably planted for something from that era. Never felt floaty, and it could top 100 with a tip of the throttle. Regularly did it passing on N Alabama two-lanes. With no spoilers at all, IIRC, a stock 1st gen F-body had negative lift at speed.

Having said that, a lot of cars from that era were definitely an adventure at higher speeds, and many, if not most, had negative lift at speed.