I'll buy the car but can you remove all the electronics?

[DonkeyApple]

I'm clearly getting old and while of the computer generation never played video games after pubity so I'm not a lover of all the gadgetry that has filled modern performance cars.

I don't mind it in barges and utility cars as they are specifically to get you from A to B etc.

However, in sportscars I really would live to see a return to a more mechanical bias over electrical.

Creations like ABS and airbags make sense. But I do feel that every additional electronic device removes you one step from the essence of driving.

I'm sure there are analogies to a jet fighter and its computers being more thrilling than a Spitfire but for the thrill of flying for pure pleasure I would argue that a Spitfire would be more engaging, more tactile and more emotional.

I'm guessing, looking at market forces, that I am the minority but I would live to be able to buy a modern sportscar such as a Ferrari or Maclaren without any of their clever computers. Just a stunning car that relies on ingenious mechanical engineering instead. It won't corner as fast, won't be as fast, won't be as easy to drive on the edge. All in the computer car would run rings round it but it would be infinitely more rewarding and engaging.

I just don't think sportscars need to be built to work in every corner of the globe simultaneously and that the issues that computers resolve we're what gave each of these cars their unique characters in the past.

[DonkeyApple]

chris182 said:

Well it's a nice idea but cars are expensive to develop and the target market for such a vehicle would be tiny so it will never happen. The best solution is, as many manufacturers do, to build a car with all the electronics in so they can sell them to everyone and fit off buttons so that those that don't want to use them don't have to.

Sadly this is true.

However, a car that is designed to use electronics isn't going to be the same as one specifically designed to work best without them when you switch them off.

[DonkeyApple]

trickywoo said:

Noble M600

That is the only new super car that I can think of that ticks the boxes. Quite expensive though.

[DonkeyApple]

Tyre Tread said:

Didn't the OP perfectly describe the essence of a TVR.

Driving the Chimaera you know that when you got it right it was you who got it right and if you get it wrong you'll damn well know about it!

A sense of achievement in every corner.

I think I probably did. Others have mentioned Caterhams, Ginetta etc but what made TVR stand out was that the interiors were plush, comfortable places, not spartan. Where TVR fell down was being low volume and not the top of their game in regards to handling, out of the box.

The kind of car I am thinking about is something like an MP4 but with the big gadgetry removed, set up solely to work with high end mechancial engineering. It has all the comforts inside and uses great modern technology for the build and set up. It wouldn't need the 600+ bhp, 400 would probably be more than enough. But the whole experience of driving it would be down to the owner. So, you couldn't use it easily in the wet, it wouldn't be as good for the daily commute but as a toy for when you just want to go and drive I think it would be far better.

When I test drove the MP4 I thought it was a truly amazing car but of no real use to me as it would be my 'fun' car and I didn't get much fun from driving it on the roads. Likewsie with the 458, it's amazing, but not exciting in a mechanical sense.

I'd dearly love a 458 built in the style of an F40, in essence.

[DonkeyApple]

300bhp/ton said:

Two comments:


-why buy new? Plenty of rebuilt classics that fulfil the brief perfectly.


-not all new cars are like this.

I've gone down the route of rebuilt classics and that is where I am happy, it ticks all the boxes. But I am really asking in this thread, whether it is a shame that mainstream manufacturers don't pick up on this fast growing trend in the classic market and make modern equivalents.

As mrmr said marketing such a product would be a disaster in the modern environment but there is a side of me that thinks there is a growing desire for modern, mainstream sports cars without all the complex stuff.

[DonkeyApple]

northwest monkey said:

DonkeyApple said:

I'm sure there are analogies to a jet fighter and its computers being more thrilling than a Spitfire but for the thrill of flying for pure pleasure I would argue that a Spitfire would be more engaging, more tactile and more emotional.

I bet back in the day when the first jet planes came out, the Spitfire pilots couldn't wait to dump them & get in the newer, faster model though.

Definitely. I'm not saying that my view is 'normal' but just pondering whether there are enough 'drivers' in the market place to warrant such a product.

[DonkeyApple]

JimbobVFR said:

DonkeyApple said:

I've gone down the route of rebuilt classics and that is where I am happy, it ticks all the boxes.

I'm loving all three of your cars, even the boring daily appeals

Thanks. The boring daily was a compromise. Needed a town car for the boss for ferrying children etc but as I'd be driving it as well a bit of straight 6, RWD action seemed logical. It's actually been a nice little car. Could do with a bit more power but has been very cheap to run and good to drive. Plus, it just blends in with the traffic.

[DonkeyApple]

Don1 said:

DonkeyApple said:

That is the only new super car that I can think of that ticks the boxes. Quite expensive though.

You wouldn't be able to fit in it mate.

Bear with me here, but the older Vipers fit the bill.... Shame the pedal box is horrific.

Hi Don.

Another car for midgets? How depressing. Or are just implying I'm some kind of freak?

Vipers were good. Rented on in Vegas. Absolutely ste interiors though.