One of the great joys of owning an older classic is the simplicity. Even working in
electronics, there's nothing easier to fix by the roadside than a set of points or a
simple carburetter.
True to a point, but those old systems are also very unreliable, and go out of adjustment very quickly, meaning you HAVE to be constantly fiddling with them! I mean, what designer ever thought it would be a good idea to have a mechanical switch to distribute 25kV all around an engine, (and tracking and leaking everywhere it shouldn't be), rather than the individual ignition coils we have now, and have a mechanical sliding mechanism to alter the ignition timing?
Does anyone remember the "dawn chorus" of the 1970's; when all you could hear in every street in the cold mornings was cars cranking over and occasionally firing, but not starting?
Modern ignition, fuel injection and engine management systems are so reliable these days; engines always start first turn of the key. The ignition adjusts each individual cylinder timing many times a second, and also allow for different fuels, using knock sensors.