Classic modern category

“I RECALL MY FIRST ATTEMPT INVOLVED A COLD CHISEL”

Can you advise on a modern car t hat has a ll t he specia l bits of t he Datsun 1600 ? Stuf f like t he independent rear suspension, t he g urgle of the motor, good powerto-weight ratio and good handling.

Frank Watson,

Queanbeyan, NSW

HMMM, A good question, Frank. From the sound of things, I reckon you’re a bit old school, so we could probably rule out anything with front or all-wheeldrive, correct?

The ones that jump out immediately as fitting your bill pretty closely would be the Toyota 86/ Subaru BRZ twins. These are mechanically identical, small, rear-drive coupes with IRS, brilliant handling and decent power-toweight. About the only box they don’t tick would be the gurgly noises of a four-cylinder on sidedraft Webers, because they’re fuel-injected and use a flat-four engine layout (Subaru did the design work). It’s not exactly new any more but what about an S15 Nissan 200SX? Rear-drive, grunty turbocharged engine, plenty of engine character and phenomenal handling. And it’s a Nissan. Or maybe a relatively modern BMW E46 coupe or sedan with one of the legendary – not to mention tuneful – BMW inline sixes on board? I’d be happy with any of those.