"It can xxx all day long". ???

[raueda1]

We've all heard it over and over from auto journalists and others.  The language is always the same, along the lines of "The 450se could run at 100 mph all day long." This seems to mean that the car in question could do something that it's lessers could not. 

Yet usually this is just in the context of going fast for a long time.  I kind of assume that any car that can hold a steady 100mph can do also do it all day long without exploding.  Silly journalistic line IMO.  There.  I finally said it.  Cheers, 😄

[ptashek]

The simpler, beat-arounds of that era simply couldn't do that. It doesn't mean they were bad cars.

[raueda1]

The simpler, beat-arounds of that era simply couldn't do that. It doesn't mean they were bad cars.

But that's my question.  Couldn't do what exactly?  Go 100 at all? Lots of American muscle cars of the era could certainly do that.  The '69 Camaro Z28, for example, could supposedly do 135mph.  Is the inference that it would soon self-destruct from driving a steady 100?   

[rumb]

Do the Germans say the same thing with 100kph?

[ptashek]

But that's my question.  Couldn't do what exactly?  Go 100 at all? Lots of American muscle cars of the era could certainly do that.  The '69 Camaro Z28, for example, could supposedly do 135mph.  Is the inference that it would soon self-destruct from driving a steady 100?   

Getting to 100mph / 160kph is one thing. Staying there for however long needed is another. Few cars of that era could actually do that all day long. The daily-driver Fords, Fiats and Renaults of that time would probably catch 🔥 or overheat even trying (the Fiat 125 / 128 we had in my family all did like to live on the "overcooked" side of life, driving at lower speeds).

It may be a slightly exaggerated turn of phrase, but it's true that back then the reliability / performance gap between the top of the market and the bottom / mid-market was vastly bigger than today.

[mrkozzy]

That era contained many cars around the world that could attain 160kph, and some were ok with maintaining that speed, most were not. Personally I nearly "cooked" 2 engines trying to maintain that speed for any length of time.
Found the cooling systems of the era, were not up to the same performance criteria, as the engines. Also the biggest factor was the cars were practically unstoppable from those speeds.The breaking system combinations were a major let down of the time. Technically advanced the braking was NOT!

In Oz, a homegrown Ford Falcon GT of the day was one example It ran a 351 Australian manufactured Cleveland V8.
Brakes were 11.25 inches on the front
           10 inch drums on the back.  Can you believe it!  I can, I owned one! 
Fast as the Road Runner, but crap to stop once the brakes warmed up.
The 116 was years ahead in all all aspects.

[raueda1]

Thanks for the perspective.  On reflection it makes sense.  Back then I was mostly driving beaters, certainly not  W116's! And true enough, cruising at 130kph was scary enough, much less 160.  But overheating or worse never occurred to me, maybe because such use was simply out of the question.  It recalls a cross-country trip in 1972 in some kind of Datsun.  I recall it having a 2 speed automatic and it was pretty much floored the whole time.  I don't think it got over 70mph downhill with a tailwind.  But it made it.  Nice trip down memory lane.  Cheers, 

[johnnyw116]

My Father did a roadtrip from Holland to Benidorm (that is about 2000km) Driving his 1973 280SE the car was at that time just a few years old , the average speed was between 160km and topspeed , No overheating , No oil consumption , and non stop to Benidorm 

[Randys01]

I think the inference was simply she could sit at the ton all day and still have something in reserve. I have been in numerous cars of the era and whilst a lot of them could get to a hundred it was a struggle to keep them there..they were either in the redline revving their little hearts out.....or walloping the gas...or  nigh boiling. That's before we get to road comfort.!
The best car I ever had for sustainable hi speed cruising with ample reserves was a 1966 S type Jag 3.8 manual with overdrive. They were a sleeper...she was the duck's guts............for short stints .say a 100 miles... you could step it out to 120 mph...
Huh! the other day I rented a Korean Plastic Fantastic and it wanted to tell me how to drive the friggin' thing......Nanny net electronics all over the joint!! Rack off.!!