Practical classics...

[2strokebloke]

Very few cars can continue to be the ideal car for the purpose they were sold, thirty to forty years ago. I was thinking about the design intent of my favourite car, and found it entertaining that 35 years later, it's still entirely practical for use in the purpose it was sold for (if not even more practical now, than ever before).
While the Subaru 360 was sold in Japan as a family car, it was seen by it's American importer Malcom Bricklin (of Bricklin SV-1 fame) as the ideal "second car" - a car to make a one car family that previously couldn't afford to own and operate a second car, into a two car family.
Costing about $500 less than a stripped VW beetle, or about the price of two motorcycles (in 1969), it presented itself as a good alternative to a used car (since a used car wouldn't have been warranted for six months, or gotten 60mpg). And for it's role as a commuter car, or groccery getter - it still performs flawlessly. Blessed with an air cooled 2-stroke engine, it avoids two cold start problems of most automobiles, lubrication arrives immidiately via a total loss system, and the cylinders reach operating temperatures in about half the time a water cooled engine is capable.
It's short overall length, and unbeatable manuevability make it capable of squeezing into parking spots only motorcyclists would dare park in.
Taking six gallons of gas per 400 miles, it's cheaper to run than practically any car made today. A tune up requires only two sparkplugs, and you never have to change the oil or replace oil filters.
So more than a quarter century later, the Subaru 360 remains as usefull as it was when new. True, it's not suited for long cross country trips, but for short trips and use as a second car it's still entirely useful (if not more practical than any new car).
Any other cars that defy the passage of time?

[MagicRat]

Bloke, how far is your tongue in your cheek??

IMHO all cars are as practical as when first designed. A 'Model T' is as practical around town today as it was in 1925.
It's our own standards and expectations that make an old car seem impractical.
That being said, any car that was built to be more mass produced, ulititarian and functional is more likely to be in tune with todays world.

Any number of them would be practical today; the Model T, Model A, AMC Rambler, VW Beetle, Dodge Dart etc.

The big flashy expensive cars of days gone by are more out of place, mostly due to poor gas mileage, poor manoeverability around town, poor parts availablity (because the expensive ones often were made in fewer numbers) etc.

[PJF220]

I think cars are arguably more ideal/practical than when first built. Take for instance my Hillman Imp Californian. Just about finishedrestoring it and used new bolts, shocks, panels...pretty much everything that needed to be renewed was bought new where available. Now the car is easily capable of being used as a daily runner if so desired and with improved technologies and contuinued maintanence it should not encounter any real problems. However, when the car was new in 1967, they had a lot of problems with head gasket blowing, overheating and other problems. New gaskets, high effeciency radiator and people understanding the cars, these problems have been overcome.