They’ve just gotten too good. That’s the issue that most people have. Supercars have become docile and not at all difficult to drive. I love supercars, but they’ve become far too easy to love. We need a back-to-basics lightweight supercar with little-to-no electronic assists. Lotus does this with the Exige, and that’s why they’re hailed as gods around the world. I don’t think people connotate a 488GTB with the driving experience of an Exige. My dad once had the opportunity to drive a Ferrari 430, one of the last analogue supercars. He described it as being brutal and exciting. While I have no experience with newer supercars, I just can’t really see the same experience being as visceral. In conclusion, Supercars have become too docile and too electronic. That’s why people don’t love them as much. The McLaren Senna was a breath of fresh air, and I hope we see more of those spurts of brilliance.
That's exactly why the Alfa Romeo 4C bombed so spectacularly. Everybody kept comparing it to the Porsche Cayman - compared to which it was much more difficult to live with, but also much more rewarding to drive, if you had what it takes. Though, I have to ask... Are you really ready to accept all the shortcomings of a vehicle with such a limited scope - excellent on track, pretty much useless everywhere else? I loved the 4C (or the Lotus Elise/Exige), but I'd never want to own one, even if I have good enough biceps to maneuver an unassisted car. Some people - the vast majority, actually - like how complete modern vehicles have become, because they are after a car, not just a track toy. No, exactly. And they shouldn't. There's the 488 Pista for that. And that's on a much higher level than anything Lotus could ever come up with.
Do fun cars sell well? I have seen maybe 1 or 2 Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio's (although that probably has more to do with other factors) I have never seen one of the new Alpines Occasionally I see a Lotus (strangely never in my area of the UK) I think people want cars that are fun, but that comes second to cars that are comfortable and luxurious. Hence BMW and Mercedes sell so incredibly well. If your going to spend £60k on a car, I think most people want to be able to drive it comfortable whenever they want to. Not just on sunny days. Not to mention an entertainment system that integrates well with their ecosystem of choice.
One dumb regulation is the fact that supercars need to have those bumper guards on the rear of US market cars because California's regulation stating that the bumpers must extend further than any other part of the car. Supercars must also have airbags and electronic stability control which hinder performance by adding weight and making it so anyone can drive them. Supercars are just fast appliances now, like almost every other new car.
The 4C failed because it was fitted with a bad motor. It should have gotten a V6 or V8. The Cayman, at least near me, bombed when it got a 4cyl. It also wasn’t meant to sell like the Cayman. I know a 4C owner and he absolutely loves it. It just belongs to a different niche of consumer than the Cayman. The 4C is for hardcore enthusiasts, and the Cayman is just for wealthy people who want to show off their new Porsche.
Ultima GTR, Radicals, Ariel Atom V8... how many do you see out there? How do you know if you haven't tried? Also, being in a very fast car is very visceral on its own. How much do these weigh? 100 grams? 200? They're supercars, not racecars. They have traditionally had some creature comforts and safety stuff. In fact, Gordon Murray insisted that the McLaren F1 should have a radio so much that an all-new lightweight radio was made for it. You mean that they actually work and don't require years of racing experience to drive?
A larger engine would have ruined it. Of course it wasn't, but the most frequent comparison was with the Cayman, because the "different niche of consumer" it catered to it's just that: a niche, and a very small one at that, too. So... Same price braket as the Cayman, which was perceived as much more "mature" product, while still being rewarding enough to be a competitor to the 4C, became a huge factor. I can't remember a single review not drawing (unfavorable) comparisons of the 4C with the Cayman, despite the 4C being such a different product...
Supercars should require lots of experience to drive fast, now basically anyone can get in one and set respectable lap times because they aren't scary to drive. Supercars are supposed to be outrageous and have compromises. In the past, if someone had a supercar and could drive it fast, then they became respected because they had enough skill to keep the car under control. Now, you don't even need to know how to drive a manual to drive a supercar. The problem stems from car journalists brainwashing us to think that cars shouldn't be bad at some aspects to be better at doing other things. Luxury cars don't need to have stiff suspensions to handle well, let them be comfortable. Its thinking like car journalists that have ruined the car industry.
Why can't buying a fast car be enough to drive one? Why the gatekeeping? Given the money a new car costs, I understand why it shouldn't be an one-trick pony. With the abysmal sales of trackday toys, I think car buyers also do.
Put a race driver in a 720s, and a car "enthusiast" in a 720s, and you will see a clear lap time difference. This is true of any modern car, regular or super. Personally I hold the belief that the fastest cars are the ones that are easiest to drive*, and perhaps more importantly, recover when you do push it slightly too hard. It doesn't matter how experienced you are behind the wheel, if you can trust in the machine beneath you, you can drive faster. I find this to be universally true. The faster a regular person can be, the faster someone with experience can be. IMO, It doesn't matter how quickly a car can corner if there is a chance it will suddenly snap away from the driver half way around, because skilled racing drivers wouldn't be willing to push it that far. Perhaps the greatest skill of a highly experienced racing driver, is reliably knowing the limits of the car they are driving. Without that, you are left with a public Forza Motorsport lobby. *This is an over-simplification to be clear. But if you take a car, and set it up to be more planted and consistent to drive it will become faster when any human is driving it. Sometimes this is even true if a performance metric is negatively impacted, such as weight or power in order to improve driving dynamics.
The most fun cars are the ones with higher risks imo. I find that the less you trust the car, the more soul it has. While yes, pro racing drivers will always be better than "enthusiast" drivers, modern supercars are very difficult to screw up in. They might be fast, but they aren't fun. The best drivers used to be the ones that knew their car, now it is the person who knows how the generic car of _____ class drives.
They provide driving joy, which is point enough as far as I'm concerned. FTFY. But then, I guess that's the other thing. To me, if a car can only work in the city, then it is by definition inadequate.
Suit yourself. One-sided products that provide pretty much the same thing as much more versatile and complete products... ... should be considered "inadequate", by your own admission. If you can only enjoy it on a racetrack, it's by definition inadequate. Believe me, a 308 wouldn't be truly enjoyable anywhere else. Unless you are a collector and love staring at the Pininfarina-designed bodywork, that is... In the meanwhile, I'd rather have that car I can enjoy and also use, TYVM.
Like narrow, winding roads with maybe a foot of shoulder if you're lucky? Or 55PSL roads with no lighting, lots of blind crests, and still not all that much shoulder. That one's more often hitchhikers, but still.
Got very close to buying a 2011 5.7 Hemi Charger at a police auction. It was a police car. Someone outbid me seconds before the gavel fell. I was at $3,001 and that was my top dollar.
It irritates me that this video turned out so shitty. I'm very impressed with the stopping power, braking stability, and resistance to fade. If I had more road I would have done a third stop. Then maybe a fourth. I predict the fade would be so severe on the fourth stop that there wouldn't be much point in continuing. The few seconds at the beginning demonstrate the calm moments when you're about to do some wild shit. Place the hands at 10 and 2 with a firm yet relaxed grip. Take a few deep breaths. Focus on the road ahead. Kiss your ass goodbye.
The video I recently put in General Discussion really wasn't like that. A full onslaught attack from a V8 car, I couldn't properly prepare myself. At that point it's just foot hard down and pray. I love it. I wish I did karts when I was a kid. I'd kill to be a racing driver. I love the thrill of piloting a massive hunk of metal at ludicrous speeds.
