RE: Prior Convictions: The Need for Speed

[Don Colione]

Venturist said:

DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.

It’s more like PEOPLE need to think differently but that’s hardly going to happen. People want to have the best, it will always be desirable as a status symbol, even if they never use it in that way.

You could argue that a particularly gifted marketer could spearhead a public mindset change and manage to make a different attribute into the status symbol - very tough though because speed and performance are sexy and that’s pretty much biologically hardwired.

- The best word I can think of them embracing(if executed properly), and still use to make waves in this day and age is - "Analog"

Stats no longer have to be pursued, just the fun and art of driving... Everything already basically has enough power at this point.

That does not need to cost an arm and a leg, and can be executed by all automakers in the sports car game.

It is what made the older era cars more tactile, engaging, and therefore "fun". These type of cars are now commanding high prices as collectibles.

When there is too much electronics and power (even turbos), the wheel/tire ratio increases as well as weight, balance is also thrown off. All of this is numbing the experience of current autos...

Analog reduces electronics, weight and power to a balanced state, and includes manual (imo).

As stated you don't really need extreme stats for real life, just the purest driving experience. That doesn't have to apply to all cars either. Gt's and such can weigh a little more because that is their class, everything doesn't have to be 'perfect'.

The only problem is that the more expensive and extreme cars that generate the most profits, might become extinct...

[BelfastBoy]

Gad-Westy said:

I thought that even Andy Wallace's attempt was with rev limiter raised or disabled. And 240+ was only possible with non-standard gear ratios. I guess the latter is forgivable if they were a factory option. Were they?

Totally from memory as the original magazine, if I even kept it, is in storage in my parents' house now, sorry:

In 1998, McLaren took XP5 and Andy Wallace to Ehra-Lessien to determine the F1's official / true top speed, as it had unofficially managed 231mph at Nardo (where some speed was obviously scrubbed off through cornering). The Autocar article mentioned a first run where the car was considered standard (the indicator lights may have been taped over for a bit of extra slippiness), and it did 236mph bouncing off the rev limiter. McLaren then did some laptop magic and electronically raised the rev limit slightly, before doing more runs to go for an official speed record. They seemed to be more interested in a kph figure rather than mph, but did end up with a 240mph record. I honestly can't remember any mention of gear ratio manipulation, but that may have been the case.