RE: PH Blog: the death of the scary supercar
Discussion
Garlick said:
Oooh no, I'm not being Merc specific! That just happened to be the car that prompted this thought
I must draw attention to this para too
Scary cars exist, Noble, Atom etc, but the mainstream cars (from GTR to the hottest of 911's/ latest Ferrari) are easy enough to jump in a drive to the shops. Manhandle your way into a 15 year old Lambo and within minutes you'll have a sore leg, will have reversed into a wall and just as you reach the Apex outside the newsagent the back will step out on you as you wrestle with the manual shift through the gate.
Grrr, that's a manly supercar. Scare me!
Some companies do try to make I must draw attention to this para too
I said:
It seems the modern mainstream supercar has become a very simple tool to use; there are exceptions of course but I’m speaking broadly.
Scary cars exist, Noble, Atom etc, but the mainstream cars (from GTR to the hottest of 911's/ latest Ferrari) are easy enough to jump in a drive to the shops. Manhandle your way into a 15 year old Lambo and within minutes you'll have a sore leg, will have reversed into a wall and just as you reach the Apex outside the newsagent the back will step out on you as you wrestle with the manual shift through the gate.
Grrr, that's a manly supercar. Scare me!
Thank you Garlick - if cars are maleable putty in our mutiple settings then they can be what we want them to be, they make little in the way of demands. The great thing about a Se7en is that it makes huge demands of the driver. It is also thrilling at legal speeds - is that true of the SLS? Now I don't want to start a bar brawl about the merits of limit observation but something that is live and visceral at 60mph sure beats something that slips up to 120mph without you really noticing.
I've never driven a "supercar," at least not what I'd call a supercar, but I can certainly scare myself in my R8 in the wet with ESP off.
I recently saw a young chap spin out in an R8 V10 - he had it in full auto mode, and I'm sure he scared himself a little too.
So the scary factor, imho, is not about technological advances, it's about being out of your comfort zone and being a little bit on the edge.
Eg, I recently drove a little Mazda 2 and was scared about leaving braking too late as I'm used to the more serious stopping power of the R8.
I recently saw a young chap spin out in an R8 V10 - he had it in full auto mode, and I'm sure he scared himself a little too.
So the scary factor, imho, is not about technological advances, it's about being out of your comfort zone and being a little bit on the edge.
Eg, I recently drove a little Mazda 2 and was scared about leaving braking too late as I'm used to the more serious stopping power of the R8.
WillBrumBrum said:
"If I handed the keys to my nan (who has an automatic only licence) she could drive it home happily holding up queues of traffic at 22mph as she peers over the wheel." Garlick
A lot of people always make this comment... but I've never seen a journalist get their nan to drive a supercar. Can we have your gran test drive the SLS and your TVR back to back (on video) to see how she gets on please. Thanks in advance! ;-)
Vicki Butler-Henderson did just this on 5th Gear a while back IIRC, got her mother or grandmother to drive one of these 'user-friendly' supercars. Can't remember which one, might have been a Gallardo or an F430.A lot of people always make this comment... but I've never seen a journalist get their nan to drive a supercar. Can we have your gran test drive the SLS and your TVR back to back (on video) to see how she gets on please. Thanks in advance! ;-)
IIRC, she just pottered around in it as she would her everyday supermini.
Just a reinforcement of the fact that it's not what you've got, it's what you do with it. Mere progress has made supercars easier to drive, but I imagine when they're being pushed hard on an A/B-road or a racetrack they can still soil your pants. OK, so they can handle a cruise down a motorway, but then again they always could.
However, what bothers me is the lack of drama. It says the customer base are either too elderly, too unskilled or too image-conscious to bother wanting something that will excite the driver. I'm just thankful for fact that there are plenty of raw specialist sports cars out there for people who still enjoy driving, and track-orientated versions of these supercars too.
Hmmmm. Are you confusing being bland with just being not very good? My R8 can thrill me no problem - get it up to seriously high speeds on the right road and it is a very intense experience. My TR6 can thrill me too, but that's more a case of where have the brakes and the handling gone! Cars are now just better, including supercars. Who wants sweaty palms and white knuckles all of the time? I only want them when I'm in the mood.
''I love the SLS with all my heart and scariness is merely a few button presses away, but this is a genuine supercar you could drive with one arm on the armrest, at 30mph listening to The Archers without breaking a sweat. (Or go to the ’ring and lap in 7:40, same as a 911 GT3 – Ed.)''
If that's not an awesome compliment, I don't know what is, (7:40, sounds scary to me).
If that's not an awesome compliment, I don't know what is, (7:40, sounds scary to me).
Edited by Johnboy Mac on Friday 11th May 11:08
Mercedes aren't about making raw and scary cars. It's not their MO. What Mercedes do is make refined, elegant and luxurious cars. That's the key cornerstones of their brand, and that's the sort of people they are aiming at. You can tell from the styling that it was never designed as a track weapon, and Mercedes has never been known as a true driver's brand. It's a big laid back roadster. And supposedly a bloody good one at that. If you want scary and 'raw', I suggest putting a couple of turbo chargers on a go-cart and driving that around for a bit. Should do the trick.....
Surely the motoring media/journo's are to blame for supercars become exactly what you describe? (easier/smoother/better etc)
Can you imagine the flack a manufacturer would get if a supercar was launched in this day and age that wanted to swap ends at any given opportunity, had "twitchy" handling, had a heavy clutch, windows kept misting up, heavy on/off accelerator, bits falling off or whatever, the list goes on.....
Any journo or magazine/website/forum would lambast the car as being built poorly, badly designed, poor against the competition because it had more road noise than the latest xyz. Supercars like all mainstream units have to now be jack of all trades, better than their competition in order to sell cars and make journo's not find any failures in the overall package.
For me, i'll take an F40 please as opposed to anything that’s come out since
Can you imagine the flack a manufacturer would get if a supercar was launched in this day and age that wanted to swap ends at any given opportunity, had "twitchy" handling, had a heavy clutch, windows kept misting up, heavy on/off accelerator, bits falling off or whatever, the list goes on.....
Any journo or magazine/website/forum would lambast the car as being built poorly, badly designed, poor against the competition because it had more road noise than the latest xyz. Supercars like all mainstream units have to now be jack of all trades, better than their competition in order to sell cars and make journo's not find any failures in the overall package.
For me, i'll take an F40 please as opposed to anything that’s come out since
but I must repeat this isn't aimed at Merc specifically, not at all, just so happens it was the SLS that reinforced my thoughts after driving a few of the big-hitter cars. 635csi said:
My friend's TVR caught fire driving around Hyde Park corner, another friends Diablo broke down on the North Circular in rushour and one rainy day on the A1 I saw a Dodge Viper lodged in a tree about 20 feet abocve the ground.
Super cars.
And this is why the Merc doesn't appeal to me at all (I'd just waft around in it like I do the XJS) but .... if I must die .... then 20ft up a tree in a Viper sounds fairly cool Super cars.
I know that more modern supercars are supposed to be softer and easier to drive - but I was lucky enough to drive a Murcielago a few years back and simply couldn't get over the complete assault on the senses that it was compared to a normal road car.
I know the Murcielago was supposed to be an easier all round proposition than a Diablo for example, but it totally lived up to the terrifying experience I thought it would be. The clutch was heavy, visibility was dreadful, the front being narrower than the rear caused be great concern, and I just felt out of my element.
Don't get me wrong - I LOVED the experience. It was a total blast. But if the Murcielago is meant to be example of an "easier to drive modern supercar" then I humbly suggest that perhaps the writers of PH are perhaps more used to supercars than us mere peons and that, to normal folks who are used to driving a Focus or a Polo, a supercar IS still a scary place to be!
I know the Murcielago was supposed to be an easier all round proposition than a Diablo for example, but it totally lived up to the terrifying experience I thought it would be. The clutch was heavy, visibility was dreadful, the front being narrower than the rear caused be great concern, and I just felt out of my element.
Don't get me wrong - I LOVED the experience. It was a total blast. But if the Murcielago is meant to be example of an "easier to drive modern supercar" then I humbly suggest that perhaps the writers of PH are perhaps more used to supercars than us mere peons and that, to normal folks who are used to driving a Focus or a Polo, a supercar IS still a scary place to be!
HeMightBeBanned said:
Scary doesn't need to come in supercar form, either. My old Honda-powered Elise wearing AO48s and a cold / wet road was often terrifying.
Too right, you should try my knackered old diesel Focus - will the turbo actually kick in when trying to leave junction? Is that un-nerving vibration going to turn up on this journey? Is it going to loose all power half way round a busy bloody roundabout? I spend every joruney in fear...We are in an age of being cosseted and 'protected' in all we do. Cars are the biggest contender for that role. Ultimately high headline figures but virtually no need to have any talent to harness them.
For anything other than vast distance cruising, give me a car that challenges me and wants a fight, every time.
For anything other than vast distance cruising, give me a car that challenges me and wants a fight, every time.
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