Are sports cars too fast now?

There will always be those who want to say they have "The Best" - "Mine is
Bigger than Yours".... it was this way with chariots and will be 500 years
from now with whatever they drive then.

Me? I couldn't care less... my lowly 328 GTS is plenty for me, and I'm quite
sure I'll be happy with it for a great many years to come.

My vote? "I'm not worried about it"

Jedi

 

I think the era of the sports car is gone. These are all supercars now. Even some dull daily drivers have amazing abilities. When I think sporting I think overcoming weakness to do heroic things.

My brother years ago sold a Fiat 2000 spyder as it handled too well and kept his Triumph Spitfire. Reason, he had to go too fast to get a thrill in the Fiat. The spitfire could really get the blood pumping at 5mph over the posted corner turn speed.

Where can you powerslide a modern car? No sporting in it at all anymore.

 

Could be. In the wrong hands these are lethal.

 

I always think about this. The horsepower craze will eventually have to come to some type of slow down. And if it doesn't, wrecked exotics will have to buy a bigger server for all the future pictures. Before we know it certain production cars will be touching the 1000hp mark. Now I know that there are cars like the Bugatti SS, the Ultimate Aero and others that have well over 1000, but they really aren't normal cars. The majority of drivers today, not just car people but all people, cant even handle 300 hp. The fact that there are production cars with 2x that and more, is a really scary idea. I had to vote for the could be in the wrong hands option. There are great drivers that can unleash and drive a car to its ability, but they are few and far between. Many end up in the news or here on Fchat in the forums with scary titles. If it doesn't stop there will be many more accidents and ultimately more fatalities.

Sorry for the pessimistic view on it but its really what I think will happen. Mainly because its happening now. I don't want the thread to go into another direction because of my post.

 

Production sports cars have been too fast for some time. Just running through the gears on my 1998 Maranello would see me breaking the ton in 4th, in a residential neighborhood. (Fortunately, I mostly drove at the break of dawn on Sunday morning.)

I rode mostly motorcycles for 30 years and never got a ticket.

I got two special performance citations in five years after getting into Ferraris. (The last guy was cool. He only wrote me for 15 over so I could take defensive driving. I have fast reactions, but that damn instant on radar is a female dog.)

This one of the reasons why almost three years ago I sold my Ferraris. I decided the sane thing to do was head to track. Nothing good happens driving that fast on public roads.

When it came time to get a daily driver, I was looking at a 996 Turbo, but ended up buying a Porsche Cayman. Not an S, just a 285 hp Cayman. Two years later, I'm really glad I did because the car is a hoot. It really takes me back to the basics of love when I first start driving in the 60s. Back then, my buddies drove Hemis and Z28s. I rode motorcycles and drove British sports cars powered by tractor motors.

Long story short, it is much more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow.

Dale

 

Bring back the days when cars had 67 HP and weighed 1181 LBS.

 

Acceleration is not a big factor in my decisions about which cars to buy. Truth is, I think my Tundra could beat my 328 in a street start (5-60) contest. So what? Every car today is so fast. Improved stopping distance and lateral grip would be the only thing that could entice me from my 430.

Those of us old enough to remember the HP wars of the 60s into the early 70s are definitely having a case of deja vu and have to wonder if some govt action will kill off this war just like the old war. But today's cars are much faster than the muscle cars of old not to mention they can actually turn and stop.

One of my worries is that my 430 has great ability for speed and cornering but not the safety equipment of race cars. I track it and see 140+ frequently but in the back of my mind I have the thought that if I make a mistake at that speed, I'm dead.

Give a 430 to a 20 something with more testosterone than ability (99%) and we should not be surprised at the outcome.

A few years ago, I had a Subie STI and the insurance was more than my 430. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the demographics of the STI buyer was to blame.

Dave

 

I really dont care much about top speed. You'll never see it unless you are on the Autobahn at 5 am or at Bonneville so who cares

I'd much rather trade a car w 250 top end for a car w explosive acceleration

Rocketing out of corners is where its at for me

 

It's really not a question if the cars are too fast but are the cars too fast for the people that can afford them and they get the mindset they are another Michael Schumacher. They have no 'feel' for a car and cannot translate tire contact too steering feel.

 

“I build cars for young men that only old men can afford”

-Enzo Ferrari

Not totally on topic, but seems to fit the theme of modern car builders, and
is an iconic expression of the true "sports car" ... an idea that to me seems lost today.


Jedi

 

yes, and because I'm such a good friend I'll offer to take that 430 Spider off your hands so you don't kill yourself. no charge!

 

A couple of points:

A) I can break almost any posted speed limit in 2nd gear in the F355
B) Most people would have more fun driving an MGB sideways at 0.6 Gs than a SuperCar sideways at 1.2 Gs.
C) Sports cars should weight less than 2000 pounds.


When I looked at these issues a decade ago, I looked deap into my soul and figured out that the car needed to be faster than 0-60 in 5.0 seconds, and not really any faster. The car had to be able to go around a corner at 1.0 Gs (which is more a function of tires than of the rest of the car).

When cars got over 300 HP the factories started to (and had to) load the cars up with electronic nannies. I like electronic nannies about as much as I like prepairing tax returns, maybe less.

 

Fast is a relative thing. A 50mph car in the teens was dangerous as hell, because the roads were mostly dirt in the US. A 120-mph Duesenberg in 1929 -- nearly 5000lbs with no brakes? Or how about a TR3 with 100-mph capabilities but no seat belts, door metal above the kidneys or protection of any type in a rollover?

The bottom line is that fewer people die these days in any type of car than in the past, and all cars exceed the performance of supercars from before WWII. With the exception of about ten or so niche vehicles, all cars sold in the US can exceed 100mph, while outbraking a 166 Barchetta.

It's not the supercars I worry about...heck it's not even cars that I worry about. It's the drivers and the horrible excuse for driver's education and licensing qualifications in this country. I'm all for rights and liberties, but arming stupid kids with 4000-lb weapons is a disaster.

 

Well put. Acceleration, cornering and braking is where it is at for me as well.

 

In summary I don't think the cars are too fast but it's the drivers who think they are faster than the car. I cannot begin too fathom the turmoil a parent feel's letting their pride and joy out onto the mean streets of todays UFC traffic fight. I think we are all on the same page here right?

 

Your selflessness knows no bounds.

 

At 16 I had a 928S, at many times I was lucky that the car wasn't any faster. It wasn't until five five years ago that I realize that I wasn't superhuman. I voted in the wrong hands siht is waiting to happen.

 

As already mentioned, I thought they were too fast 20 yrs ago.

My 348 is fast enough for me and its 20 yrs old this year.

I was happy with the performance of a friends 308. I also agree that I would have more fun trying to drive a slow car fast, then drive a fast car slow.

 

When I was 20 (not all that long ago) I treated myself to a very fast Impreza STI that had been modified by Prodrive and went everywhere as though my hair was on fire.

Looking back it was a crazy car to own given my age.

In the UK we have laws on the age you can be to own particular cc. motorbikes; perhaps something similar should apply to cars!

 

The path of "evolution" is in some respect a path of reliance on chips and gizmos to attain the unreal power and speed and ease to drive. Great achievements, but taking away something away at the same time.

One of my cars I own is tiny, but light in weight, and got only 85HP. It is the "slowest" of the bunch, but boy is it a lot of fun to drive this car. Cannot help but put smiles on my face everytime behind the wheel. Maybe more fun than my other car with over 500HP.
w/ smiles Jimmy

 

It's our nature to want to go faster. In my opinion majority of these supercars can not be owned by the average person. The ones who can afford to own the supercars tend to keep them barely driven, with low miles, do not drive them to their limits when driven, and just want them to appreciate (if they will at all). There's only a select niche who really push these cars to their limits whether it is on the tract or streets.

 

I agree: Driving a slow car fast is much more fun than driving a fast car slow.

Super fast car = Much concentration needed = Less comfortable in mind = Less fun.

An early Elise is a pretty perfect modern sports car where one enjoy the twisties with plenty of handling and mechanical man-and-machine feel.

But I still want a Scuderia though it's too fast for my streets and not secure enough for bang on track days...

 

Way too fast.
Problem is the richest guy has the fastest car.
Rich has nothing to do with driving skills unless that person became so behind a wheel.
Ever see a Ferrari or other exotic car torn in half by someone who didnt have a clue ?
If the driver wants to kill him/herself thats just dandy. Passengers and bystanders are mostly helpless.
At least Mclaren has a carbon tub in their rocket ride.
Shame shame on Ferrari.