Viewed purely objectively, most high end products of any type are pointless, but you buy into the engineering, the extravagance, the history. As mentioned above, a £6000 Breitling doesn't perform any better than an £8 Casio. A £2700 Michell Orbe turntable with £1000 worth of magnesium SME V tonearm doesn't play vinyl significantly better than a well set up Pro-ject at £250. The list is endless. But the sheer pleasure of owning, looking at, touching and using the more expensive product is the main reward.

A part of me, probably stupidly, thinks modern reliability and ease of operation detract from the supercar thing. Having to employ a specific procedure to start it without flooding it, and not being able to select second gear until the gearbox oil has warmed through are the kind of things you would never tolerate in your daily driver, but in a car you pull out of the garage to drive for nothing more than the sake of interacting with it, it's a little different. If a car has flaws, or needs a specific approach to get the best from it, to my mind that adds character and makes it more appealing. It also means you have to get to know the car to get the best out of it, which for a purely heart-driven purchase like this, adds to the experience.

I am probably by myself on that one.

I look forward to seeing a comparison test of the Ford Puma vs. the Lamborghini Aventador - and if the Puma wins subjectively I will buy it, and promptly sell it to Lamborghini for them to use as a test car to help them improve the Aventador

But seriously, I had £1k cars before and you can get a semi-reasonabe-ish car for £1k but they take more maintenance due the very fact they are old and stuff wears out [it’s a fact] – so I can’t be bothered with the hassle. A £1k car could cost you £1k in maintenance a year. I know people will say oh I bought a £1k car, or my brother, or uncle, or sisters father-in-law etc did and it needed nothing done in 20 years and nothing ever went wrong, best car in the world etc but they can say what they like, sorry I don’t believe them. Plus that [reliability and maintenance] is only one part of my criteria. If some one tries to argue counter, I give up. And there is no car for £1k that satisfies my crtierai. And not a Saab 9-5 either, not a bad car or anything car but doesn’t fulful my needs. But whatever, well off topic 

But for approx 6 or 7 k there are plenty of cars that do

all very arbitrary. subjectively fulfills your criteria and anything less won't or if it will you won't belive it - that's fine...and sort of the point

Superb little write up and I agree with every word of it.

Dito to what Dan Trent said.

It's an entirely subjective thing, though. Admittedly I don't own them, but I do get to drive around in plenty of exotic cars and I never find the Puma disappointing to come back to. Perhaps it's because you can access more of its capability, more of the time.

And perhaps it's a cost-of-ownership thing. If I were to run anything even half as expensive as a ZR1 (a tuly lovely motor, btw - I tip my hat to your good taste) I would be eating beans on toast for three weeks of every month.

Having said that, the journalist in me is naturally given to mild exaggeration, and we do like to take a standpoint deliberately to set tongues wagging!

It's dawned on me that you're correct! This is possibly the most interesting, bluster-free and insightful thread I've read for a long time. Oh, and well done to Dan on the article that generated this thread too.

I don't think it matters what car you find joy in. What matters much more is finding joy in cars. If you do, you'll understand why people smile at Aventadors, even if it's not your particular cup of tea.

Would I buy one, even if I had the money? Nope. But am I glad it exists? Hell yes. I don't think of their owners as show-offs. I think of them as generous enough to spend their money on something that makes me smile when it goes past. Just seeing and hearing a Gallardo go past me in traffic made my day recently.

every time a driver i'm about to overtake winds down their window, i make sure that i'm in a noisier gear than is strictly necessary ( it comes from being on the other side of that window for years )

good to know that my efforts aren't in vain

I feel really peed off with myself not going to LeMan this year. Next year no question! 508 miles on the yellow peril now and hopefully a lot more to be put on it once this crap weather goes and I get more time. Got the renewal for the insurance for it today though !! Almost as BAD as the MPG... But hey ho....

It's nice when super car drivers do little things like that when they see people appreciate their cars. I followed an F40 through the Dartford Tunnel a couple of years ago and the noise & flame outs fantastic. Once through the tunnel, I pulled alongside and waved my thanks, then he dropped a gear or two and took off into the distance. Brilliant.