Yeah, though points and a condenser were a simple enough method and survived for a long time as the way it was done, I don't miss the required maintenance on 'em.

I'm not 100% on this but I don't think the actual ignition voltage passed through the points. It seems like the points were just a device to trigger the charged coil voltage which then passed that voltage to the center terminal on the distributor which then was distributed to the individual spark plug terminals by the distributor rotor.

On my old Capri I picked up an Allison XR-700 (<- I think) unit that replaced the points/condenser with a slotted wheel that slipped over the distributor shaft then had an LED on one side and a pick-up sensor on the other side of the disc and passed the signal to an ignition box which then triggered the coil to fire. That was a big improvement since it required no maintenance.

I hear people say all the time these days how complicated new computer engine management systems are, but I disagree. The new systems take all but spark plug and wire replacements outta the loop as what's required to maintain an ignition system and wires/plugs now last 100k miles or so, unlike the old days when wires/plugs only made it 30-40k miles and points/condensers were only good for about 1/2 that at best. Todays stuff is far more maintenance free but they do take system diagnostics outta the hands of most people as it now takes ex$pensive diagnostic equipment to troubleshoot a system unless you just happen to have spare parts layin around to swap in till you find the offending component.

As far as fuel systems go, there's no more fiddling with carburetors periodically and if you travel in varying elevations the engine management systems will take care of adjusting the overall spark and fuel systems to compensate for the elevation changes for you. In the old days if you were a flatlander and went into the mountains you'd have to re-adjust your points and carburetor or else loose a significant portion of both fuel economy and horsepower.

And .... a good set of tires used to only last between 10,000 and 30,000 miles. Tires that lasted 40k-60k were just a dream!

All in all I don't miss the "good old days" as I see those as today