The death of "Exotic cars"
Discussion
Lets begin with the term "Exotic car". What is it? Although the term "supercar" and "hypercar" have atleast some loose criteria that identify them from other cars, I think there is no such for "Exotic cars". Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this term is purely subjective. Even Wikipedia didn't have a definition. So as I jot down why I think/feel exotic cars are dying, two major reasons stand out. Media saturation, and how benign super/hypercars have become to drive.
Teens can stop reading here and move on to the latest Mclaren P1 news but those of you old enough will recall that the Internet didn't truly take off until the late 90s. Back then there were mostly three ways to receive supercars news; wait for the latest magazine, watch TopGear, or attend motorshows or motorsports events. I remember aching to get my hands on the next copy of Autocar or tune in to Topgear even if they didnt show any supercars for weeks. So really, these cars were exotic in every sense of the word. I didn't even get to see or hear most classic cars until youtube arrived. And now we have blogs, youtube, and all sorts of media literally at our fingertips. Smartphones, 4G, instant 1080P youtube etc etc.
I think the main reason the McLaren F1 is still regarded as highly as it is, despite being outdated by generations, among other aspects is because people still remember the sheer charisma of that car. Most people have never seen or touched CF in their lives in the mid 90s. Only the hardcore enthusiast knew what it was. It supposedly had some magic BMW engine, yet most people never got to hear them. The footage of Tiff flooring it? Terrible audio.
Back in the day, a one-off was literally just hidden from from the world and very few people knew of their existence. Nowadays, who hasn't seen the Ferrari P4/5 or the recent Stratos? Pagani in the internet is as common as a Mini Cooper in the streets of London. Consciously, there is absolutely nothing exotic about Paganis anymore. Lets briefly experiment; can you remember the Zonda C12 from 1999? Does the Zonda R feel substantially more familiar? Thats right.
Also in the 20th century, there was no such thing as a proper "automatic" supercar. So when watching people drive such cars I wasn't admiring their wealth, I was mostly admiring their driving skills. If a McLaren F1 suddenly dropped into my life, I'd need some time to establish whether I'm ready to drive such a car. Remember, it didn't have any electronic safety nets, not even ABS. Do I feel remotely the same towards the Veyron SS? No. For some reason a supercharged S1 Elise in the rain terrifies me far more than the $2.6 million 1200hp hyper car. Now that feels really odd to me.
Recent supercars with dualclutch gears, active everything, even cylinder deactivation(!!) lost that terror factor. Wealthy heirs and heiresses didn't drive such cars because they couldn't afford one, they just weren't serious enough to learn how to drive an F355 or a Diablo. The most terrifying aspect of driving a 562hp 458 must be getting it scratched somehow. Or stone chips. A friend told me his Carrera GT was a real challenge to drive one gear at a time. A misjudged clutch work by a novice in a roundabout will either a) stall the car or b) cause a mini oversteer -> probably over react by counter steering incorrectly -> smash into something solid.
So thats concludes it really. Back in the day, not only did you have to have the money, but you had to know how to drive them properly. For that people respected super car owners. And they were at least in their 30s. We live in an age where a 16 year old Justin Bieber gets gifted a Gallardo Spyder e-gear.
For that reason, the latest batch of hypercars; the 918, P1 and the next-gen Enzo doesn't feel so admirable anymore. Sure they are exciting. The 918's engineering feels like it was left behind by the aliens. But if it ever magically appeared in my garage, I know I will be able to drive it. My entire family probably could.
Expensive yes, exciting yes. Exotic? No more...
Teens can stop reading here and move on to the latest Mclaren P1 news but those of you old enough will recall that the Internet didn't truly take off until the late 90s. Back then there were mostly three ways to receive supercars news; wait for the latest magazine, watch TopGear, or attend motorshows or motorsports events. I remember aching to get my hands on the next copy of Autocar or tune in to Topgear even if they didnt show any supercars for weeks. So really, these cars were exotic in every sense of the word. I didn't even get to see or hear most classic cars until youtube arrived. And now we have blogs, youtube, and all sorts of media literally at our fingertips. Smartphones, 4G, instant 1080P youtube etc etc.
I think the main reason the McLaren F1 is still regarded as highly as it is, despite being outdated by generations, among other aspects is because people still remember the sheer charisma of that car. Most people have never seen or touched CF in their lives in the mid 90s. Only the hardcore enthusiast knew what it was. It supposedly had some magic BMW engine, yet most people never got to hear them. The footage of Tiff flooring it? Terrible audio.
Back in the day, a one-off was literally just hidden from from the world and very few people knew of their existence. Nowadays, who hasn't seen the Ferrari P4/5 or the recent Stratos? Pagani in the internet is as common as a Mini Cooper in the streets of London. Consciously, there is absolutely nothing exotic about Paganis anymore. Lets briefly experiment; can you remember the Zonda C12 from 1999? Does the Zonda R feel substantially more familiar? Thats right.
Also in the 20th century, there was no such thing as a proper "automatic" supercar. So when watching people drive such cars I wasn't admiring their wealth, I was mostly admiring their driving skills. If a McLaren F1 suddenly dropped into my life, I'd need some time to establish whether I'm ready to drive such a car. Remember, it didn't have any electronic safety nets, not even ABS. Do I feel remotely the same towards the Veyron SS? No. For some reason a supercharged S1 Elise in the rain terrifies me far more than the $2.6 million 1200hp hyper car. Now that feels really odd to me.
Recent supercars with dualclutch gears, active everything, even cylinder deactivation(!!) lost that terror factor. Wealthy heirs and heiresses didn't drive such cars because they couldn't afford one, they just weren't serious enough to learn how to drive an F355 or a Diablo. The most terrifying aspect of driving a 562hp 458 must be getting it scratched somehow. Or stone chips. A friend told me his Carrera GT was a real challenge to drive one gear at a time. A misjudged clutch work by a novice in a roundabout will either a) stall the car or b) cause a mini oversteer -> probably over react by counter steering incorrectly -> smash into something solid.
So thats concludes it really. Back in the day, not only did you have to have the money, but you had to know how to drive them properly. For that people respected super car owners. And they were at least in their 30s. We live in an age where a 16 year old Justin Bieber gets gifted a Gallardo Spyder e-gear.
For that reason, the latest batch of hypercars; the 918, P1 and the next-gen Enzo doesn't feel so admirable anymore. Sure they are exciting. The 918's engineering feels like it was left behind by the aliens. But if it ever magically appeared in my garage, I know I will be able to drive it. My entire family probably could.
Expensive yes, exciting yes. Exotic? No more...
You have to remember that in the "golden age" even the most mundane of family cars had the potential to kill you (the Skoda Estelle as an example, all the death of a 911 for 1/10th of the price, or the Ford Pinto with fiery death, or the Triumph Herald and VW Beetle with comedy swing axle suspension all spring to mind, and I'm sure there are many more) so piloting a car was that much more exciting anyway. The pace of nannying toys has been about even, regardless of what sector of the market you are looking at.
Being realistic, you can't drive a hypercar anywhere near full potential anywhere. So given it will spend most of its days pottering around Knightsbridge it's important to ensure it has good aircon and a banging stereo.
Being realistic, you can't drive a hypercar anywhere near full potential anywhere. So given it will spend most of its days pottering around Knightsbridge it's important to ensure it has good aircon and a banging stereo.
Does seeing photographs and videos of modern exotic cars really detract from when you see one in the real world? I have waited several years to see a real Zonda R, and finally saw one at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed (surprisingly in the aircraft display on the path towards the exhibition) and the feeling of seeing something truely exotic was as strong as ever. I have yet to hear that AMG V12 fire up, so that is a treat for another day.
I am aware of the old adage, familarity breeds contempt, and there may be an element of that due to the over-saturation in the media but when you see an exotic car with your own eyes, I think that feeling is still there.
I do think that performance cars are losing that "difficult to drive" feeling they used to have. Several years ago, I drove a Ferrari 355 at Thruxton, and the thing felt heavy and intimidating. You felt you were driving something special. I drove a 458 and an Aventador this year at Thruxton, and while these are fantastic cars, I didnt feel that intimidation factor, though the Aventador did feel impossibly wide. I'm not sure how you could drive one on narrow UK roads without dropping the left wheels into every sunk drain cover and being concerned you will lose the offside mirror on a passing car.
From my own experience, and I am aware these are not exotic cars but the general feeling applies, my E36 M3 Evo felt heavy at the controls and the first drive in it was intimidating and the car felt like it commanded respect. I loved the heavy feel of the clutch and throttle, it felt like you were driving something solid and purposeful. By comparison, my E46 M3 has light steering, light throttle and the clutch feels no heavier than any other domestic car. I miss that heavy, purposeful and slightly intimidating feeling very much.
I am aware of the old adage, familarity breeds contempt, and there may be an element of that due to the over-saturation in the media but when you see an exotic car with your own eyes, I think that feeling is still there.
I do think that performance cars are losing that "difficult to drive" feeling they used to have. Several years ago, I drove a Ferrari 355 at Thruxton, and the thing felt heavy and intimidating. You felt you were driving something special. I drove a 458 and an Aventador this year at Thruxton, and while these are fantastic cars, I didnt feel that intimidation factor, though the Aventador did feel impossibly wide. I'm not sure how you could drive one on narrow UK roads without dropping the left wheels into every sunk drain cover and being concerned you will lose the offside mirror on a passing car.
From my own experience, and I am aware these are not exotic cars but the general feeling applies, my E36 M3 Evo felt heavy at the controls and the first drive in it was intimidating and the car felt like it commanded respect. I loved the heavy feel of the clutch and throttle, it felt like you were driving something solid and purposeful. By comparison, my E46 M3 has light steering, light throttle and the clutch feels no heavier than any other domestic car. I miss that heavy, purposeful and slightly intimidating feeling very much.
I agree with this, aren't modern super cars boring ?
However I have noticed we also see a lot more crashes on the news etc involving super cars. I put this down to the cars being so easy to drive over their limits. I can't imagine if someone tried to drive a Diablo past its limits they'd live but they'd certainly know the limits before it happened .
However I have noticed we also see a lot more crashes on the news etc involving super cars. I put this down to the cars being so easy to drive over their limits. I can't imagine if someone tried to drive a Diablo past its limits they'd live but they'd certainly know the limits before it happened .
It really is a curious phenomenon. Somehow psychologically 1M, S2000, Exige V6, GT3 owners feel like they really know their cars since they drive manual only vehicles. At the very least they probably have a more favorable enthusiast/poser ratio. Can't imagine any hair dresser driving an S2000. :P
And I also notice how the name of these electronic driver aids sound more fashionable nowadays.
Automatic gearbox -> ISR, Seamless shift gearbox, PDK
Electronic Stability Control -> Sport ++, Race mode(!!)
Launch control -> Thrust mode(!!!!)
And I also notice how the name of these electronic driver aids sound more fashionable nowadays.
Automatic gearbox -> ISR, Seamless shift gearbox, PDK
Electronic Stability Control -> Sport ++, Race mode(!!)
Launch control -> Thrust mode(!!!!)
JDMDrifter said:
I agree with this, aren't modern super cars boring ?
However I have noticed we also see a lot more crashes on the news etc involving super cars. I put this down to the cars being so easy to drive over their limits. I can't imagine if someone tried to drive a Diablo past its limits they'd live but they'd certainly know the limits before it happened .
I think there are three main factors to it really.However I have noticed we also see a lot more crashes on the news etc involving super cars. I put this down to the cars being so easy to drive over their limits. I can't imagine if someone tried to drive a Diablo past its limits they'd live but they'd certainly know the limits before it happened .
1. Novice drivers purchasing fast cars (as you mentioned)
2. Cars becoming not only easier to drive, but much faster as well. (shorter reaction time)
3. SNS. Somehow it is regarded as cool to post expensive crashes on facebook if it looks like you aren't breaking a sweat. (ie: a photo of a 911 in a hedge without any comment)
GhepardoGTS said:
......there is absolutely nothing exotic about Paganis anymore.
Pagani Huayra Interior by Lucinho Photography, on Flickr
astroarcadia said:
GhepardoGTS said:
......there is absolutely nothing exotic about Paganis anymore.
Pagani Huayra Interior by Lucinho Photography, on Flickr
GhepardoGTS said:
Recent supercars with dualclutch gears, active everything, even cylinder deactivation(!!) lost that terror factor.
I suggest you have a go in one! Just because they can be driven more easily, which is a good thing, doesn't mean they can't be terrifying if you use the loud pedal with any vigour!I'm sorry but I think the OP is talking ... in an unbalanced fashion.
What he appears to ignor is the sheer speed at which the modern supercar does cover the ground. And in my view, the skill appreciation demanded of the effective modern supercar driver has therefore moved on from someone who can manage a change a gear.
Sure driving steam engines is fun, but the adrenalin now is in covering the ground at a rate available of the modern supercar. Speed is the dimension surely, and pretty exotic if no one else can do it ...?
And the Goodwood festival reminds us that this dimension was there from a long time ago. Well, ever since ... in fact.
What he appears to ignor is the sheer speed at which the modern supercar does cover the ground. And in my view, the skill appreciation demanded of the effective modern supercar driver has therefore moved on from someone who can manage a change a gear.
Sure driving steam engines is fun, but the adrenalin now is in covering the ground at a rate available of the modern supercar. Speed is the dimension surely, and pretty exotic if no one else can do it ...?
And the Goodwood festival reminds us that this dimension was there from a long time ago. Well, ever since ... in fact.
TheHeretic said:
astroarcadia said:
GhepardoGTS said:
......there is absolutely nothing exotic about Paganis anymore.
Pagani Huayra Interior by Lucinho Photography, on Flickr
Long post but the OP is broadly speaking right. You can't stop progress, so the aventador width allowing is a doddle to drive,
It's certainly not a physical challenge like a Diablo would be. Maybe the best compromise would be a Diablo with modern brakes, power steering, lights, etc etc. One thing is true and that' is that the net has devalued the aural and shock value of such vehicles, you used to have to sneak into whsmith to read performance car mag, now you can spend hours on ph, I'm not sure that's a good thing. It's overload. Couple this with the green socialist movement, a lot of youngsters hate cars, its not looking good. I remember when the macca f1 came out, there was no net, no mobile phones, only top gear on tv, good times really.
It's certainly not a physical challenge like a Diablo would be. Maybe the best compromise would be a Diablo with modern brakes, power steering, lights, etc etc. One thing is true and that' is that the net has devalued the aural and shock value of such vehicles, you used to have to sneak into whsmith to read performance car mag, now you can spend hours on ph, I'm not sure that's a good thing. It's overload. Couple this with the green socialist movement, a lot of youngsters hate cars, its not looking good. I remember when the macca f1 came out, there was no net, no mobile phones, only top gear on tv, good times really.
I hope I make myself clear that I am being somewhat melodramatic and nostalgic with this post. I guess there are several people bridging the concept of exoticism with unattainability. Thats fine, it's not a specific definition. But don't mistake that I find these cars any less exciting or boring. That's just not true.
An example of what I regard exotic today would be... Perhaps a Yamaha OX99-11. Even today I still have not a clue about the car as information is very limited. McLaren F1s felt just like that back in the day. I once made a scrapbook for that car as a kid and I couldn't go much further than 4 ~ 5 pages of photographs. It was that exotic. Back in the 90s, the F1 was as alien as a car could be. It was truly mythical, that car.
I agree this is purely psychological, but it saddens me that I won't be able to access that emotion with newer more technologically advanced cars.
An example of what I regard exotic today would be... Perhaps a Yamaha OX99-11. Even today I still have not a clue about the car as information is very limited. McLaren F1s felt just like that back in the day. I once made a scrapbook for that car as a kid and I couldn't go much further than 4 ~ 5 pages of photographs. It was that exotic. Back in the 90s, the F1 was as alien as a car could be. It was truly mythical, that car.
I agree this is purely psychological, but it saddens me that I won't be able to access that emotion with newer more technologically advanced cars.
Edited by GhepardoGTS on Saturday 13th October 18:53
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