[Cloud9...68]

Rap,



Well said. In most ways, new cars are superior to the ones that were considered state-of-the-art just 10-20 years ago. But as far as being fun to drive (isn't that the whole point?), the new ones seems to have taken a bit of a step back. Electric power steering, the disappearance of the manual transmission, the addition of gates on the few manual trannies left that force you to shift from first to fourth (not sure if I have that right, but you get the idea) to keep the rpms down, and automatic stop-start systems are just a few examples of things that, while they offer definite benefits, take some of the fun out of the driving experience.



Another one is the "multi-mode" (e.g. "Eco" and "Sport") systems most newer cars seem to come with. They run by default in Eco mode to save on gas, but you have to put them in Sport mode to wake them up, which of course eats into your gas mileage. So the impression that modern cars simultaneously provide both great gas mileage and a lot of power is misleading. Our Subaru Forester turbo is a great example of this, and so is our 2007 328i. The latter is an absolute slug off the line in "Standard" mode - its throttle response feels almost like a 1976 911 Turbo. But pop the selector into Sport mode, and it springs to life.

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[Dubai944]

I just spent two days driving around the UK in a Vauxhall Corsa trying to overtake trucks on single lane B roads in the rain with less horsepower than one cylinder in my 944 makes at half throttle. Seriously Scary!



Give me a car with too much horsepower any day. You don't have to put your foot all the way down, but God it's nice to know it's there. Can't have too much power. Nope, nope…..!

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[flash]

in the new X5 we just got, it has 4 modes (eco, comfort, sport, and sport 2). it's amazing at how different they are. in the first sport mode, i am able to turn off the engine portion, so i can retain the economy of the comfort mode, but gain the improvements of the suspension of the sport mode. pretty cool. amazing technology. of course, as a result of that technology, the car has already been in the shop twice, and is going back again to have some stupid electronic glitch dealt with.



as advanced as they may be, sometimes simpler is better. maybe it isn't worth everything that has to be done to handle the power new cars can have.

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[Bulti]

Maybe BMW should have the Japanese or Koreans come up with all the new stuff and after some time use their own, improved version of the gimmick in their new cars. So people can say: wow, what a reliable car, it never breaks down, unlike the Japanese/Koreans.



Is simpler better? Maybe, but someone has to invent stuff and sometimes pays the price in terms of reliability. For some reason electronics are harder to test before launching a car?



My humble opinion, as always :-)

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[Cloud9...68]

The sad thing (for the German car makers, although they are improving, according to Consumer Reports) is that cars made by companies like Lexus and Infiniti are every bit as complex as their German rivals, yet they tend to be far more reliable. While they try to use a simple approach whenever they can get away with it, the Japanese have also mastered the art of making complex systems reliable. The Prius is another good example of this. Also, cars like the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Chevy Volt have been reasonably reliable, despite having extremely complex drive trains.

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[ds968]

So I just read that Jay Leno took delivery today of the first McLaren P 1 sold in tne US. Hooray for Jay ! Also today it was announced the new Henessy Venom GT street production car coming out later this year will run 0 -186 mph in 13. 6 seconds. Some 1,250 HP in a car weighing less than 2,700 lbs apparently helping it do that, LOL Oh, no WWJD ? ( that stands for " what would Jay do " ? )

I guess he'll have to buy one of them also. Once again, there seems to be no end to the silliness catering to people with money to burn

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[Rap]

If you had worked hard all your life and at the top of your game were put out to pasture don't you think you might buy a toy or two to help you lick your wounds? Besides which I sure his garage was sorely lacking this vehicle!

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[Cloud9...68]

Rap,



Agreed - I don't begrudge Jay for being able to afford absurd cars like this.



But I'm trying to wrap my head around the purpose of cars like this. You obviously can't come close to utilizing their capabilities on the street, and even on the track, you can have plenty of fun - probably more - with a car far less powerful and capable. And if you want the ultimate g-force-induced adrenaline rush, a $12K shifter go-kart will get you about as close to an F1 car as you can get.

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[az968]

Jay's Garage just featured the 918. This is the way to make massive horsepower usable. But, as Jay noted, driving in electric mode takes a lot of the sensory value out of it.



http://thesportscarguys.com/2014/03/24/v...-spyder-2/

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[ds968]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1395850197' post='156298']

But I'm trying to wrap my head around the purpose of cars like this. You obviously can't come close to utilizing their capabilities on the street, and even on the track,[/quote]



That was my point.. and it has nothing to do with Jay himself, I used his recent purchases just as an illustration that as soon as you buy a super car, another bigger, better, faster one is being produced right under your nose for purely bragging rights and as long as there are people out there with millions upon millions of disposable cash, mannufacturers will produce anything to feed that demand, so just wondering hoe far it goes ; a car that does 0-60 in 1.5 seconds and 250 mph in under 10s seconds for the street and in the hands of an incompetent driver perhaps ?

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[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, I think the answer to the question of why these cars exist, and why people buy them, is, "because they can..."

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[Rap]

Most of these cars retain their value if not increase in value. Perhaps this is merely asset diversification.

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[Rap]

Speaking of money to burn, I suspect it would be easy to criticize 968 owners who purchase a car and then to use Flash's example must be prepared to spend another 20k. It would be even easier to criticize me with the relatively ridiculous amount of money I have put into the red 968 in order to track it. Add a garage, truck and trailer and like really, are you totally nuts dude?

People make financial decisions everyday. How fast is enough? Early astronauts were the cream of the Air Forces pilots who loved to fly fast. Space travel was a means of going really fast! People today are signing up for space travel. Ridiculous? Depends? Expensive, you bet?

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[flash]

it's really no different than the idiots who buy a $20k watch. it doesn't tell time any better than a $200 timex. you can't wear them for fear of losing collectibility. only another watch nut will know anything about it, and everybody else will just see a shiny watch. eventually it will break down and need some ridiculously overpaid tinker to fix it. there will be a new hotter watch next year.



it's purely vanity. i think that is on a list of some sort.............

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[ds968]

That concept would then apply to practically to every single consumer item on this planet.

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[flash]

it does indeed apply to many other things. manufacturers know that most people are weak minded, and easily sold on something they really don't need and can't use, if only they appeal to their vanity. pretty much everybody falls prey to it at one time or another. some are like that all the time. advertising is all about that. it is focused on the person who just has to have whatever it is, in order to keep up with the jones, or be on the cutting edge, or whatever. it has been that way for a very very long time.



car manufacturers like porsche don't really plan to sell those cars to make money. they know that they will be able to sell a lot of 911s and panameras to the guys who see the 918, drool, and go down to the showroom to see it. it's like strolling a hot chick into the bar and showing her off. all the guys see her and get hooked. then she leaves. then they go after the less attractive ones that are left.

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[ds968]

and the race continues... Dodge announced their new Challenger "Hellcat" model, available at your nearby dealer this fall, will have 707 HP

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[ds968]

Reading a story about the 2015 Henessy Venom GT on its various test drives . The car shifts into 6th gear at 240 mph. Let me repeat that : INTO 6th gear at 240 MPH . Top speed attained on the test runs : 270 mph. I presume that's only because they ran out of road, not power. Three versions : the " little old lady driving to church on Sunday version in 700 hp trim " , the 1200 hp trim, and the top of the line F5 at a finally respectable 1400 hp. The 290 mph top speed is not the most mind-blowing aspect of this car, but that it can out-accelerate Formula 1 cars , is what I find astonishing.

Oh , and this are stock, "street cars" . Wonder what "street" you need to live on for that , lol

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[Rap]

Perhaps even scarier is the fact that most people don't know how to drive a car at speed let alone at that speed.

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[bombfactory]

How about 700+ HP in that new Dodge Charger Hellcat - 'regular' folks are going to buy that thing and try to escape Earth's gravity with it. Won't be pretty!

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