Why do cars in movies from the 60’s and 70’s seem so bouncy? The suspension seems really loose, was there a reason for this?

Question

Edit: Wow thanks for all of the great responses, I was watching Goodfellas and was looking at the cars bouncing all over the place and thinking why was that. I’d love to drive in one to experience it someday.

In: 3156

Answer 1

– Cars used for stunts typically have custom suspensions.
– USA cars in general were shit until the Japanese showed the USA how to do it. People used to wedge rubber into the suspension springs on brand new cars because the suspensions were too loose and made creaking noises when driven off the dealer’s lot. As another example, the USA couldn’t even paint cars correctly. Only one side of the metal was painted, and the chemistry of the paint was inferior.
– USA consumers wanted to drive boats on the roads.

There was a famous “Car & Driver” article from the early 90s that concluded by saying, “The variation in body panel separation on the North American car exceeds the total separation on the Honda.”

USA domestic manufacturers lost more than 50% of USA market share, and they deserved to.