Modern cars are fast, smooth, silent, efficient, and well-connected to the information superhighway—but they’re boring. Why would you choose one when there is literally the entirety of automotive history from which to select an alternative? It’s no wonder the average driver can’t wait to become a passenger in his own $40k self-driving bubble. A 1935 Studebaker Dictator is none of that.
Fast? It will do all legal speeds, though its 88-hp, 205-cu.in. flathead six-cylinder and three-speed manual transmission mean it doesn’t squirt up to 60 mph in 8.3 seconds like your crossover—and it’s happier cruising the 55-mph two lanes than gobbling up miles of 70-mph interstate. I guarantee you’ll have more fun getting up to speed, however, since you’re actually a part of the process, working the floor-mounted pedals and gear selector, listening to the engine rpm change and the whine of the unsynchronized first gear (so much
