rack and pinion has been the standard for nearly all smaller passenger vehicles since at least the early 90s.

you can find things like that or like pitman arms on larger/industrial vehicles fairly commonly, though.

to your point, however, yes -- sports cars were the first ones to popularize the method. Rack and pinions tend to feel less 'sloppy' , especially after some use.

The idea stuck around in the industry though because it results in less customer complaints and requires less finesse from the mechanic during install/maintenance.

tuning a 'steering box' is a lost art relegated to hot-rod folks at this point.