CASA GRANDE, Ariz.—Given the choice between a sporty new Chevy Corvette and his 1963 Dodge 330, Bob Hughes will take the 60-year-old classic any day.
The simplicity of automotive design from yesteryear has its virtues, Mr. Hughes said, relaxing in a lawn chair next to his former "daily driver" at the Thunderfest Car and Bike Show in Casa Grande, Arizona, on Nov. 4.
"You can change the plugs—you can see the plugs—which is something you can't do on most new cars," he said.
"I built this thing from nothing. It was a $75 body when I bought it." That was in 1970.
All around the big parking lot were classic hot rods and muscle cars—tricked-out mechanical masterpieces from when vehicles were easy to work on if you had the tools and the skill.
It isn't the same with newer automated vehicles, vintage and classic car enthusiasts say.