It’s like when guys spend 5 figures on artisanal turntables with McIntosh tube amps and $1,000/foot gold cables all for sound that’s 1 % better than what a CD would provide for 1/10 the cost.

My 1970 mustang is purely mechanical, I still have the old points and condenser system in it. Mechanical throttle cable to a carburetor, steering feel through the old steering box is total ass though.

If you are just talking about electronic assistance, then just get a 70s or 80s car that has no ABS or traction control or anything.

Cable-driven throttle bodies are far superior to drive-by-wire, yes. But why the hell wouldn’t you want electronic fuel injection?

You should probably drive an analog car before you start obsessing over building one.

Pure analog or very direct feel? Carbs (even CV Hitachi, SU or Stombergs) don’t feel as instant as the EFI in 90’s sports cars.

I built an “analog” car, an LS-swapped NA Miata. OK, sort of, it had two ECUs - the airbag controller and the PCM for the LS1. Guess what? My Y has better throttle response than that car because er… there are fewer mechanical components in the foot->torque path, it’s purely electrical and instant. It also had little steering feel due to the GM pump running more pressure than the Miata rack expects, haha - hydraulic steering doesn’t magically feel good and unassisted got old real fast (I tried it for a while).

Not disagreeing that analog cars are cool, just pointing out that you gotta be sure what you are after. Road feel means lots of things to different people, but usually it’s killed by things other than electronics. Specifically - tuning for emissions and smoothness, setting the chassis up for easy steering and low feedback, adding lots of sound insulation for less NVH, etc. IMHO, the problem isn’t electronics or EPS or any other single thing killing the feel of modern cars, it’s how they are designed overall. But many modern cars are quite good to drive - try a manual C7 for example. Do you just want a car that feels great to drive, or do you truly want a throwback analog car?

If you really do want no electronics, find an old diesel or carb’ed car. Thing is, you are also gonna have old suspension, and an old chassis, and old steering… That might not be the feel you are looking for.

My 96 Cummins could run with no electronics at all. Just make sure you park with the nose downhill so you can start with the clutch.

The only electronics are for lights, gauges, and starting the engine

I mean what ur asking for is ridiculous, no electricity in a car means that even the first car ever built would not be acceptable to you.

First car description: “The major features of the two-seater vehicle, which was completed in 1885, were the compact high-speed single-cylinder four-stroke engine installed horizontally at the rear, the tubular steel frame, the differential and three wire-spoked wheels. The engine output was 0.75 hp (0.55 kW). Details included an automatic intake slide, a controlled exhaust valve, high-voltage electrical vibrator ignition with spark plug, and water/thermo siphon evaporation cooling.”

Fred Flintstones car may be an option.

From what I’ve heard you can put a carburetor and distributor on a 5.7 Hemi with some work.

Mustangs up to 04 had cable throttles and clutches, I’m not sure about 05+. Since the 94-04 mustangs are fox chassis you can get them prettt mechanical if you wanted, you can even swap in a 302/351W/460 carbbed relatively painlessly (96-04) or get a 93/94 with a 302 anyway. You could swap in an IRS from a 99-04 Cobra for comfort if you wanted or keep the SRA for straight line. The cars are cheap enougg and there is enough aftermarket that it wouldn’t be hard to buile hpw you want relatively cheap

Gen 5 2001 Honda Prelude had a throttle cable. I know my 2008 Mazda 3 did not. So I’m guessing the switch was somewhere in that time range.

never heard a drive by wire described that way lol

I drove a clio 172 and a clio 182 back to back, the earlier model had throttle cable, and I couldn’t really feel the difference. I bought the 182.

You just described my MGA