A great article....and noting why cars from the past are going up in value.

I agree with him. However there is a moment when as a driver you have a realization when this is the case... when you realize that driving a car is like sipping a red wine. The way the car feels to drive is like the way one red has an herbal note, and another a fruitier character. I like to think this is when you become an auto enthusiast, and the numbers don't matter.

So many people drive cars like they drink alcohol. Boxed wine.. Bud light.. Mmmm this sure is fast! For this set the numbers and cache will still matter. If they're not the ones who will spend the $$$ for a super car, and well heeled enthusiasts are, then manufacturers will change.

 

True dat!



PDG

 

Honestly these cars are getting so fast that it's hard to drive them fast and enjoy them at the same time. 1500 hp and all wheel drive? Why not just strap yourself to a rocket and launch it.
It will be about the same experience, all you will be able to do is hold on and say "holy crap this is fast".
I think I might start collecting the best drivers cars, the last of the best. I'll keep my 458, although it doesn't fit the description exactly. I would love a 458 sa, but fear that will be hard to find. I might also get a huracan. Then work backwards from there. 599 gto would be nice...the price will probably just keep going up though. New Z06 manual as a dd anyone?

 

Might as well try and turn back time....never happen. We can't unring the bell and as much as a few may not like it the car companies are building what people want. I happen to agree with his disdain but the cause has the inertia of the Earth circling the Sun.

As far as his disdain for the menu like suppliers of components he is clueless. That is the history of the auto industry. That is why so many car builders are or were called "Motor Co".
Can you say Dana, Delco Moraine, Bosch, TRW, Carter, Holley, Prestolite, Borg Warner? Some of those companies date back to the dawn of the automobile and cars have always been built that way.

While I agree with a little of what he is saying overall I think he is an idiot and I can't believe a car magazine pays him to write for them. He should go back to Better Homes and Gardens where he belongs.

 

The magazines tell us these 200hp motorcycles are only using around 150hp on the street. My last Corvette had 440bhp and the TC would kick in almost every time I accelerated hard.

In the other threads on this topic I've asked the lovers of flappy paddle robot cars if they would by a shotgun that never missed a clay or golf clubs that always hit a hole in one.

 

He didn't propose that.

 

There will always be guys with money who are willing to play the "mine is faster than yours" game.

Boys will be boys.

 

That's a great analogy!

 

Paper specs.
There was a time when men said "I'm faster than you" now the best we can say is "this magazine says my car is faster than yours under conditions that I can never hope to duplicate."

 

Over on the Land Rover board there was a guy who drives a Range Rover Sport Supercharged bragging about how he beat a guy off the stoplight who was driving an M3.

The analogy about the golf club that always hits a hole-in-one is spot on. Anyone can press a pedal and "go fast". The electronic nannies will keep you in your lane and brake before you crash.

They've taken the soul out of driving.

 

Trouble is, the people like me and the folks on here, who know what driving a "real" car is like are fading fast. Most of the new gen don't even care to get their license.

 

Lots of good points here.

Sadly, Ferrari (and other exotic car makers) have dedicated themselves to this ridiculous horse power game for the sake of a few zillionaires with huge egos and no skills what-so-ever.

So much for common sense and taking care of serious drivers with a more sane car at a reasonable price.

 

To be fair that hasn't worked for Lotus.

 

I understand your point, but don't see how you can compare Lotus to Ferrari.

 

Hopefully, Lotus always has a car that stays "pure".

 

I wasn't.

Just commenting that despite so many saying how they'd love a small, light quick driver's car the one company that offers one has trouble shifting them.

 

Lotus' problems moving cars has more to do with Lotus management than their cars.

 

Supercars will always have to put up some serious numbers to stay ahead of their competitors not to mention the BMWs and Audis of the world. The performance gap has narrowed the point where Supercars have no choice but to play the technology game to stay relevant. No one, and I mean no one would buy a new $300,000+ Ferrari if it couldn't put down some serious numbers regardless of how rewarding it is to drive. If it can get smoked by a stock Honda, what's the point in building it. If one wants to relive yesteryear, they can always buy an old car and get the exact experience they want.

 

There's some truth to that but if there were such a large demand for that sort of car someone would fill the niche.

The Subaru/Toyota twins provide an option at a lower price point aimed at a younger demographic, but how many of them do you see?

 

I really am starting to wonder. I'm not even a three pedal guy, but I'm getting to where the cars are just too fast and I'm too disconnected from the road to like the drive in some of the newer cars. Horsepower is becoming meaningless to me at this point. My 612 was plenty at 540. Over 600 in the 599 and it's a bit disappointing how little I get to dig into the accelerator. But the 599 is connected, very emotional drive, awesome ride. I'm not sure numbers are going to matter much longer. Anyone can produce a 600+ hp car now. It's about the driving emotion. I agree you have to hand your hat on something, style and exclusivity will always count, but when anyone can produce a 700hp dual clutch 0-60 in under 3 seconds, at that point, what do the numbers really matter anymore?

 

I guess I am from the more HP is always better camp, that is if the motor is still reliable and tractable in its use. This is the reason I find cars like the Bugatti to be such engineering achievements. They offer truly amazing performance and do it without compromise of luxury or reliability. The fact that they are working on a 1500 HP engine tells me they really want, and really have no choice but to keep their brand at the top. A Hellcat is rated 707 HP and the Dodge Charger is now the worlds fastest sedan at 204 MPH. Where the HP race will end, I have no idea. Cars are getting so close in performance now, it takes some serious engineering for one to stand out from the crowd, and it is this engineering that is making the cars almost too perfect and too soulless.

 

They don't care about serious drivers. They would rather cater to the new millionaire.

 

Driving a slow car fast can sometimes be more fun than driving a fast car slow!!! Some of the newer cars all look the same coming and going.


Ago

 

Seriously, pulling out in my 612, I could gratuitously dig into the accelerator, listen to the v12 scream, shift to 2nd and get maybe 2/3 of the way through second before reality sets in and I back off because I'm already 20mph over the speed limit. But at least I had that. Pedal to the metal is something, it's feels good to lay into a car and get everything out of it, albeit briefly. I already can't do that with the 599. What fun is a 911 turbo S or a Huracan off the track? Little push with your big toe and it's over. Big whoop. About as exciting as taking an elevator.