There are any number of objects made in a superior fashion in the past for tasks that were more commonly performed in the past. Japanese swords and laminated steel were better in the past, but we don't have much need of swords that can cut through three bodies with one swoop anymore. Baskets, needlework, hand woven carpets from Asia Minor, wood carvings in churches, wood and steel engravings, the list goes on and on. The question might be more meaningfully posed as: what objects in current common use were were made better in the past? Then the answers become a bit more nuanced in my mind. On the one hand, any new Mercedes AMG is superior by all measurements to a Mercedes 300 SLR Gullwing. On the other hand, it's hard to deny that there are any number of aspects to the 300SLR which seem superior regarding attention to detail, craftsmanship, and aesthetics. Judged by the standards of "better at their task," no contest between old & new. But luxury items of all kinds, whether cars or musical instruments, need to convey qualities beyond those defined by numbers & statistics.