Sounds like Battlestar'ing your transportation. A very popular modification scene in the car world.

I have converted modern cars to points and carbs, its not that difficult. No reason you couldnt drive any car with some motorcycle carburetturs clamped to the intake runners. Hardest part is spinning the rotor and remembering how to set your points. Never drive-by-wire cars will need a throttle cable, and a manual transmission is the only electronics-free option. I have heard a simple mechanical relay logic system can control many autos, but have never tried.