I write this aboard an Airbus A330, in a contemplative mood as we approach the end of 2013 – which prompts me to think to myself, “Am I a dinosaur?” Figuratively of course, and in automotive terms – perhaps I ought to explain.
You see, someone asked me recently to name my top-three cars – and, as I arranged them in my mind, I realized that they range from being two decades to a half-century old. Considering that the best part of my job description includes reviewing most of the new and exciting cars on the market today, it’s really quite unfortunate that the machines which stir my soul date from the era of tape decks all the way back to LP players. And it would be too easy to say that I simply view the past with rose-tinted glasses, because I quite value MP3 files and noise-cancelling headphones – without which I would struggle to cocoon myself from my fellow passengers on Toulouse’s finest and compile a coherent sentence (not that there’s much risk of that anyway).
But before this incoherence goes any further, perhaps I should reveal the trio in question that’s caused such introspective trauma. So, my top three are – in no particular order of preference (that would be like choosing between your children) – the McLaren F1, the Ferrari 250GT SWB from the early 60’s, and, the last of the air-cooled 911’s, the 993. Okay, maybe that is in order of preference. The point is, however, that each of these machines has a character and elegance – perhaps even a sense of purpose – that’s missing in the cars of today.
Take, for instance, the current generation 911 – the 991. It’s definitely one of the best cars that I drove last year. It’s a technological masterpiece that simply shouldn’t drive anywhere near as well as it does, but it just doesn’t get under your skin like a 993 does. It’s far more capable and advanced, no question – but there’s a delicacy missing in the Porsche’s of today when compared with their predecessors. Current Ferrari’s are the same – they’re mind-bendingly fast, but are kept facing in the right direction by manettino switches and F1-Trac gearboxes rather than seat-of-the-pants reflexes. Current regulations, and a seemingly manic emphasis on aerodynamics, don’t permit shapes as classically beautiful (nay, drop dead gorgeous) as a 250GT. Never having driven a McLaren, I can’t comment from personal experience. What I can do is quote a recent tweet from Mr. Sideways, Tiff Needell: “I’d give you 50 P1 McLarens for just one F1 – there’ll never be another manual supercar. A pleasure gone forever.” Good thing my daily driver dates back to 1992.
With that said, here’s my New Year’s resolution – I’m going to point my rose-tinted glasses towards 2014, and hope for a soul-stirring year. Here’s wishing you the same…
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