Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

The noises that old cars make form much of their character, I think anyway.

What sound(s) or noise(s) are often associated with one particular make or model of car?

RJ
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[mikeC]

I guess the obvious ones are the exhaust notes of the Morris Minor and the MGB.

When I was a nipper and the family went away, we left the cat in the care of our neighbour. She always said the cat knew we were coming home ten minutes before we arrived - that would have coincided exactly with a road junction and steep hill which produced a very distinctive whine from the pre-selector gearbox of our Lagonda Rapier. I can recall that noise sixty years later

[gresham flyer]

That is right...the trumping sound as a Morris Minor de-accelerates round a couple of S Bends.

I can here my wife approaching our house in here Morris Minor Traveller if I am in the garden, then I know if to open one of the gates to our yard.

The other sound I like is our Daimler V8 with a stainless steel straight through exhaust system.

Or the lack of sound when driving the Rover p4 100.
You think the engine has cut out at junctions, it is like a Swiss watch.

Rootes cars have a sound of their own...Humber Sceptres, Rapiers,Singer Gazelle`s etc.


The Rover V8 I fitted in my Bedford CF with hand built exhaust system over 30 years ago was my way of imitating those fantastic big block V8`s in the USA.

I built a two way valve into the system, I could run it on open headers at a flick of a switch. when you arrived at an event at a showground you would cruise around at about 10 miles an hour with that glourious V8 burble ...my wife thought it was childish.

But then again men are grown up children.

G.f

[Penman]

Hi
I have often wondered, why don't A30/35s have the same sound as the minor?
Presumably it is to do with the harmonics of the exhaust system because the engines are basically the same.
But is length, diameter of the pipe or is it related perhaps to the silencer size or position in the overall length of the pipe.
_________________
Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[petermeachem]

I used to work with a guy called Jeremy, he was like a walking Glasses guide. He knew the specs and values of everything.
Work was next to a main road and he knew exactly which interesting car was which by the sound. He was on the phone to a customer one day and something fast went by. Jeremy held up a post it note with Ferrari Dino written on it.
He also knew all car colours so if a car flashed past he knew the make and often the model and year. We only got a partial view of the road.
Nice guy Jeremy

[Inglewood]

Whilst working in the trade between '69 and '88 I was very familiar with vehicle sounds, particularly the 'cranking sound' and cold running. From inside a workshop I could identify customers from the noise of their car.

The sound of a Ford starter was quite different to other makes. The larger the engine, the less the noise.

Engine configuration also affected sound - V-engines and straight 6's etc.

Early diesels also had their own sound.

[bob2]

The transverse A series has a different sound to the longitudinal one, I can always say whether its a mini or metro coming past or if its a rwd model with the a series!
Certain diesels are very distinctive too!
A cooper or S mini is distinctive because of the whine of the close ratio box!
Well I could go on for hours!!

[Rick]

The clattery engine of the Chrysler Alpine and Talbot Horizon of the 1970s is one I remember as a kid.

RJ
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[traction39]

VW Beetle clatter...unmistakable!

[mikeC]

[Rick]

As for other noises, I remember one version of the Volvo 144 had a headlight design that, while on the move and in the airflow, would create a whistling sound, so identifying their approach before coming into sight was usually possible.

RJ
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[peter scott]

Jaguar gearboxes have a consistent and identifiable sound when accelerating in the lower gears. (Even going back to the SS era.)

P series Rovers are also easy to identify in the lower gears.

Peter
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1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[MikeEdwards]

I used to be able to tell Audi five-cylinder engines because of the lovely warble from them, especially on full throttle. Can't be specific to Audi because my mate's 5D modern Volvo 4x4 makes the same noise under acceleration. I can usually tell a 911 as well, though the very modern high-performance versions (there was a GT3 around here for a while) have a different sound that's a bit more like any generic supercar, so while I can tell there's something high-performance in the distance on a clear night, I can't be sure what it is.

On my long walk to the pub I often hear what I imagine is something like a small-engined Mk1 Fiesta approaching, only to turn and find it's just a modern small-engined car. I guess I thought modern cars would be much quieter, but in reality that's only from the inside.

[Rootes75]

On a commercial note..

The Rootes Two stroke engine has a lovely sound to it.

[Ashley]

I love the sound of old sporting sixes like Healey 3000, Aston DB2,3,4,5,6 and Jaguars. The big Fords used to sound good too.