The End of Supercars?

wow. looks like car and driver got really creative with their cover article too.

almost all the same cars zr1, lp640 coupe, viper coupe, and benz black amg coupe.

 

That is what we said in 1973.

The high performance automobile is dead we said.

Man will always adapt to a changing environment.

 

I think the performance limits of all these cars have gone beyond the point of being meaningful. (Actually, the performance of the F40 20 years ago was astonishing... 201 mph, 4 sec 0-60, etc.) Porsche Turbos have offered similar performance for the last 15 years. And I realize that the Murcielago will not keep up with the Veyron beyond 220 mph, but what that has to do with driving enjoyment is hard to fathom.

The last time I had a leather-lined, video-enabled, power-seat-equipped Bentley CGT/599/AMG SL up to 200 mph was, well, never. A base Porsche 997 or Ferrari F430 offers more performance than 99 percent of us can competently use. The other 1 percent are racers who would have a proper race car.

If all of these cars vanished, we would be losing nothing, automotively speaking.

 

Mr. Bullfighter,

We need to see your automotive enthusiast card please.

(snip, rip, shread)

Thank you. You may reapply in 3 years time after having driven nothing other than a Toyota Yaris or Prius during that period.

 

And back in about 1936 or so. Duesenberg, Stutz and Bugatti would be the last of their kind.

 

If I can appeal the sentence, I'd like to request a Lotus Exige, Ferrari F40 and Porsche GT3.

I would call those serious enthusiasts' cars, and ones without storage space for gold chains.

 

Could there be something like a sunspot cycle going on here - except for maybe about 20-30 years as a median?

1930 - economy crashed; some of the greatest supercars were designed within 3 or so years before and after.

1960 - economy weakens; Vietnam; some of the greatest musclecars designed within 3 or so years...remember Lusso and Porsche 911.

1990 - economy weakens; Iraq 1 is brewing; again the beginning of a decade of great supercars...

2008 - economy crashes ---

 

I haven't read the article, but I certainly believe this is a cyclical thing. I have read that Honda and Lexus have canceled their production supercar plans. In 30 years they'll be back.

 

I just saw that Mercedes is going forward with theirs for about 2012 or so. Wonder if this gets a rethink?

 

What's going to happen? What's going to happen!? Finish your story! I love a cliff hanger!

 

Back in 1990 when the Kawasaki ZX-11 came out many said that it represented the pinnacle of performance. Better buy 'em now 'cause sooner or later they will legislate them out of existence. Of course since then performance has nearly been matched by bikes with half the engine size and the ZX-11 is considered a quaint sport-touring bike today.

This is similar, IMO to the current supercar phase. Surely with the downturn in the economy the number of supercars will be less for a few years. There are only so many people with the werewithal and desire to purchase a car deep into six figures with performance capabilities they will never touch that gets 9 mpg and basically rubs their success into everyone's noses.

If I could make a prediction, I think in 5-10 years and after economically we have recovered from the current crises, you will still have supercars that eclipse the current ones in performance. They may not make 1001 hp, have 10 radiators for 16 cylinders, and weigh 4000 pounds. Perhaps they weigh only 2300 pounds, make 450 hp from a 3.0L twin-turbo V8 spinning 11,000 rpm, yet still get 30 mpg on the highway. Around a track they would be faster than these "relics from the first decade".

 

Driving one through the streets of Paris sure beats a day at the office...
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

With a New York plate on it no less. That's awesome!

 

Check out autoweek.com today, and you will see the new McLaren P11 being tested as well.

 

...because of the financial situation.


The EU regulations will bust some supercar balls the next few years, wait and see. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche = All european.

You guys in the US have a more powerful auto industry and much better car culture, you will overcome this byrocratic mumbo jumbo much longer than us in Europe.



Enjoy them while you can, etc.

 

Unfortunately, I am rather pessimistic about the future of super cars. 30 years from now, people will look back at the present two ways:

1) Gosh those super cars in made from 1990 to 2015 were the golden age! Too bad they've all been regulated out of existence.

2) Gosh those super cars made in from 1990 to 2015 were wasteful, disgusting pieces of excess. Look at just how stupid and clueless people were in those days!

I disagree that there is a comparison to the 30's and the 60's. Change is coming and for enthusiasts, it's going to be harder and harder to get that old thrill.



The future will unfortunately bring:

The next step after cameras at intersections: Satellite radio speed monitoring of cars so that speeding can be reviewed constantly.

Black box analysis of all incidents reviewed by computers and presented in court as evidence against drivers, manufacturers, or the public road system.

Pedestrian airbags front, side and rear.

Computer monitoring of the driver to shut down automatically and prevent "road rage".

Cameras and even smell detectors installed in cars to record and detect illegal activity that may occur inside or in the usage of the vehicle.

Extreme limitations on all emissions with the eventual goal of "zero".

Taxes which discourage personal vehicle use and encourage mass transit and walking. The taxes will go to the auto companies to subsidize production to mass transit while preserving employment.

Total elimination of all 2 and 3 wheel vehicles due to their natural "unsafe" tendencies.

Automatic ticketing without the need of a traffic cop. The computer will determine an office of your driving and simply give you a ticket which it uploads to the police.

Limited acceleration to prevent possible strain to a baby's neck, whether you have one or not.

Special "animal" cages with their own restraints and airbags. No more Fido looking out the passenger window as it's too dangerous to him and others.

Mandated bumper heights that include all vehicles, including cars, pickups, and Semi's and even Construction equipment.

The banning of gasoline as a "toxic" substance, similar to asbestos.

The banning cigarette smoke inside cars as it is a potential hazard to mechanics and the next owners after resale.

Automatic remote controlled shutdown of the car if the registration or insurance expires -- similar to what happens if you don't pay your electric bill.

Limitations on sound levels both outside and INSIDE the cars. No more Kicker speakers or Ipod earphones at full blast.

A complete ban on all cell phone usage (including wireless earpieces) as it is a distraction to the driver.

Back seat DVD players will be replaced with digital movie players streamed from the internet and charged to your credit card. But, they will be restricted to only "PG" ratings.

All roads will be come tollways. As soon as your car leaves the garage, it will be automatically taxed for the distance you drive.

The faster you drive your car, the more the "tax" will be. This is because driving faster is wasteful and leaves a larger carbon footprint.

All cars and trucks will be mandated to have a certain specific size. This is to fit more cars in the same space on the roadways.

The mandating of there being only 3 car companies left in the world (to make it more efficient) and that production must be spread throughout the world to encourage employment. Countries will be required to import cars by quota to prevent any one vehicle, region, or manufacturer to become too dominate.

There will be carbon footprint "rationing". If you use too much carbon, you have to stop driving or buy some credits from another person who has some extra. This will be done on Ebay.



But, cheer up. There is a future for us enthusiasts!

I just read that they are coming out with a "sportier" version of the Tesla that has .... get this... a "hand wound armature" with a thicker coil for 15% better performance. Wow! Can you believe it? A hand wound armature! Imagine that....

Unfortunately, if some have their way, we will all be saying sometime in the future "Just listen to that MOTOR WHINE!" (But please don't call it an ENGINE!)

Thank you for listening my rant. We now return you to the broadcast already in progress.

 

Have you read an American newspaper lately, or had a peek at CNN? We are enjoying while we can, but don't know for how long.

 

I bet you are under 50....Right?

You young guys need to remember mankind is just one big Mobius loop.

 

I cant wait for really good batteries. My slot car experience will really pay off.

If you think piston engines can make a car accelerate just wait until you see what a good electric motor can do.

Can you say "Eyeballs stuck to the back of your skull"?



Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.


Some people are just quitters.

 

Rifledriver, do you remember that really funny R & T fiction piece way back in the late 60s on the NTSB "safety cars"?

Seems that the NTSB legislated that all cars be able to survive a 50mph crash without injury or damage to the car. Naturally, certain anti-social types took this to be great sport in that they could run down and smash into oblivion pre 1970 sports cars.

Story was about a guy who chanced an early sunday morning drive in his MGB and ran up against TWO of them with CB Radios!

Anyway, horrible as the writer made it all sound - it didn't happen.

 

I'm sure we'll see a lull in supercars but they will never die as long as cars are around

They will just evolve

Porsche, Lotus, GM, Ruf, Audi, Ferrari all have some sort of alternative energy prototypes or running cars so creating a hybrid, diesel, or electric version of their current models should be relatively straightforwards

The Tesla definately points to the future, the future is smaller, lighter, more efficient, and probably quieter but it doesnt have to be boring

 

+1 Or Enthusiasts!

 

I think that is one of the sadder aspects.

I hope that Ferraris will always sound like Ferraris should....

 

Well, wasn't one of the early Ferrari V-12 accolades that it was a smooth as an electric motor? I have heard some electrics that actually made a pretty good swhooshing sound (on their own, not faked up).