Beware, Performance Lovers, the End is Near
So far it was just a whisper in the halls. Mumbled complaints at the coffee machine. Carefully worded opinions by a few thoughtful automobile journalists. And yet for me the truth really hit home during a lunch hour conversation with a car enthusiast who, until now, loved fast cars and hated unreasonable speed limits: my son Philip Jr.
What he and all those folks were saying is that the end is near. Supercars will soon be history. Performance will no longer be measured in 0-60 acceleration but in miles/kilometers/hours of battery efficiency. Computer technology is replacing the driving skills that some of us learned through years of hard-earned experience. And anyone who exceeds the speed limit by more than 10% is an idiot.
Sorry, folks, but I agree. I'm no philosopher or historian but from what I've observed nothing in this world ever stays the same. So to assume that the automobile and its role won't change is only to fantasise about the way things used to be, when driving really could be fun. Frankly, I'm looking forward to electrically-powered cars. And if I want speed, I'll take a high-speed train.
These words come from a former road race driver with decades of experience testing and reviewing cars for the media. They come from someone who's favorite car was always a Ferrari — any Ferrari — and who has been privileged to drive the best winding roads of America and Europe. So for me to say "it's over" doesn't come easy.
Maybe there should be a "last lap forever" at favorite race tracks where we can pay a few bucks to end it all in style.
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