Why do older cars smell different?

[thecantaloupeman]

I was driving behind a VW beetle today and it got me thinking, why do older cars smell different than newer cars? My 78 C20 smells different too, but not as much as that vw beetle did. It seems like cars from the 60s always smell better, and the smell of that exhaust is one of my favorite smells. Is this something to do with the catalytic converter? My truck has one, but I doubt the beetle does.

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[Frankenchevy]

running rich, burning oil...could be multiple reasons.

I think a lot of carbureted setups are driving around a little rich.

 

[RecklessWOT]

The cat is definitely a big part of it.

Also, older engines are much less efficient and send a lot of unburnt fuel out the tailpipe.

 

[ShortBus]

I love the way old trucks smell INSIDE. Mine reminds me of riding with my grandad back in the day. The smell of old vinyl, grease, and decaying plastic is great!

 

[78C10BigTen]

I love the smell of sbc exhaust. Mine has no cat and still smells awesome. I really love built high octane fumes!!

 

[Dougnsalem]

If you fart enough in it, any car will smell better. (Well, MY **** don't stink....)

 

[thecantaloupeman]

The cat is definitely a big part of it.

Also, older engines are much less efficient and send a lot of unburnt fuel out the tailpipe.

Maybe I'll just cut off my cat then lol. When you say "older engines" do you mean older than late 70s?

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

Inside, I think a lot of it has to do with materials that aren’t used anymore, and that anyone who’s more accustomed to newer cars would be more noticing of. Velour for seats mainly, the fragile padding material on the dashes, the corky stuff that makes up the steering wheel. Not to mention all kinds of faded and well used/outright worn foams, jute, carpet fibers, and plastics.

Outside it’s the lack of catalytic converters, one or more than one nowadays. An old car with a good converter has a sweet exhaust smell IMO, especially noticeable when it’s cold. Take the cat off that same car, and you have your pungent, typical old car exhaust smell.

“Old” constitutes anything without upstream and downstream oxygen sensors that you can actually take the cat off without having problems to begin with. That transition generally happened in the mid to late 90s so let’s say pre-1996 model year (OBD I and older) just to be safe.

 

[Old77]

I love the way old trucks smell INSIDE. Mine reminds me of riding with my grandad back in the day. The smell of old vinyl, grease, and decaying plastic is great!

I agree! I feel that way every time I get in my dually. Reminds me of when I road with my grandpa in his 79

 

[Big Chip]

Old people smell different too. I wonder why?

 

[Blue Ox]

Old people smell different too. I wonder why?

There's no emission controls on them either.

 

[shiftpro]

Last weekend my sister dropped in for a few days. She had a new rent-a-car which gave me a headache...
Me thinks new cars off gas some toxic farts..

 

[Red Rex]

There's no emission controls on them either.

And there should’nt be. Most earned it

 

[SquareRoot]

35 years of sweaty ass and other body fluids soaked into those bench seats. Go figure...

 

[Colin]

A quart of MMO in the gas tank will make the exhaust smell nice and sweet.