I read the various comments about the supercars in pale blue, a horrendous colour that may look good on a Ka or FIAT 500 but not on anything bigger. I read the inevitable "If I had a Ferrari it would have to be red" and my contrary nature thought "If I had a Ferrari it would be in any colour BUT red". Do you remember the Car mag cover headlined "In the clearing stands a boxer" (that dates it!) with a gorgeous BLUE Ferrari on the cover? And I'm sure other, non red, colours can look equally good.
And then I thought "but do I WANT a Ferrari". And then I realised, I don't. I used to. I have been known to respond to ridiculous requests with "and I want a Ferrari but that's not going to happen either". So why did I and why don't I? Perhaps it's me? Perhaps it's the more constrained road conditions we have today? Perhaps it's the ever rising and therefore less accessible performance of such cars? Perhaps it's because 1960s /70s supercar perfromance can be had from much more civilsed cars and the supercar performance has gone up into the stratosphere? I have no idea. I still want an Aston Martin and yes, that's probably illogical. But an out and out supercar? I don't think so. But don't tempt me!
You can get outrageous performance and good looks from something that doesn't require gymnastics to get into and which doesn't make your eyeballs drop out or break your spine. I'm happy to go "phwoar" at the sight of a supercar. I'm glad they exist. But I've just realised I don't want one. Do you?
JH
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If you have the money, why not. The noise you get when you stamp your foot on the loud pedal is justification enough.
If I only had enough money for one car (but enough for a supercar) then no. It would drive you to hang yourself in sheer frustration at how impractical and fussy they are.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 30 Jul 10 at 10:43
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Me mum bought me a Supercar in the early 60's when they first came out,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL2vaSNbPbo
Today, well - I'd settle for a 7 speed auto trans Nissan 370Z
Last edited by: Dog on Fri 30 Jul 10 at 10:51
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Ah yes, I'd have either of them. Not sure about the auto box. Got stuck behind a 370z in the Yorkshire dales recently :-( And an AM come to that. Great roads, use the damn car!
JH
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I seriously considered a 350Z soft top. My local AA man owns one and it was highly recommended. More so than the 370Z. It was a question of 'which prime example came up for sale privately first' The BM did.
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Tooslow
I have the same sentiments as you. When a young teenager I had limited edition framed prints of the BMW M1, Ferrari BB & Morgan Plus 8 on my bedroom wall. (I still have them in the loft).
Now i am the fortunate owner of a 6 yo 330Ci soft top, bought in Jan this year for the not inconsiderable sum of £9750. It is immaculate and has almost all the qualities I need in a vehicle. Lack of interior space means I have fitted a detachable towbar...the trailer carries a cement mixer, rubble and pressure washer. My first choice MX5 with folding hardtop was not 'legal' with a towbar!
I too would have an Aston..any Aston, but until my P Bonds come up that remains a pipe dream. The only other car approaching 'supercar' performance is a TTRS convertible. A friend has one in a delectable blue colour, but even when he comes to change it in 3 years I doubt I could afford it. It must be a sign of old age, but I cannot think of any supercar I would want to own and drive on a regular basis.
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If I did, it would have to be a Ferrari, and not a red one - a metallic blue 308GTS I saw fleetingly when I was about 13 fixed that idea in my mind. But I doubt I'd fit in one, although I do like the idea of a front-engined one as a very grand tourer, even if a Jaguar XKR would do most things equally well and be easier to live with.
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Ive driven Porsche and the like an frankly, they just arent llegally useable and therefore useless.
My ideal car is a V6 People Carrier with every toy going. Thats my idea of a Super car.
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There is no rational, logical argument for owning a supercar, apart from maybe the select few which appreciate in value rather than depreciate. These are purely emotional purchases. A supercar is cramped, noisy, ruinously expensive to maintain (five figure major service costs, comically short life on things like clutches and cambelts), cannot be left unattended anywhere in modern Britain, is defeated by traffic calming measures and so on, and any attempt to use its performance would land you in jail. And yes, you can go just as quickly for a fifth of the cost by buying a top end Caterham 7 or a mildly tweaked Mitsubishi Evo. But I would still love one.
There's something about the sheer extravagance and single minded design of a supercar that just appeals to me on a very fundamental level. Like a piece of high-end hi-fi, you know that the real world difference between it, and something capable at a fifth of the cost is marginal at best, but it gives you a pleasure to touch, look at and use that you don't get from any mass produced box.
And the noise of the Carrera GT V10 or the Ferrari 458 Italia's V8 stirs the soul of anyone with a mill of petrol in their veins. Glorious! :-)
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They don't do anything for me, they never have.
Not that I don't like horsepower, I'd just prefer to have it in a luxury saloon.
My own idea of an ideal supercar would be a KWE-fettled XJS, their website reckons they can tempt 500 horses out of the V12. Perfect.
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>> They don't do anything for me, they never have.
>>
>> Not that I don't like horsepower, I'd just prefer to have it in a luxury
>> saloon.
>>
Agreed. Even in my distant youth when mates were running Midgets and hot Anglias and Minis I opted for a Jag S-type.
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>> They don't do anything for me, they never have.
>>
>> Not that I don't like horsepower, I'd just prefer to have it in a luxury
>> saloon.
>>
Me too. I'm not anti-supercar by any means - it is a right thing that such cars exist - but there is something about the idea of a hopped-up luxury saloon that appeals to me in a way that your average Ferrari/Lamborghini/whatever doesn't. Something like an AMG C63 is a far more likely lottery-win purchase than a Gallardo.
I suppose I should at this point admit that I went for a spin in a Cayenne Turbo S earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it - a leather/Alcantara armchair with over 500 of both bhp and lbs ft - no way anything that size should move like that...
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I have been thinking about my next car which will probably be fairly boring. I will think of the saving/cost per month no doubt.... pointed out a few normal nice cars to my wife like an Audi A5, Audi R8 :-) etc. She likes em all.
Curious I went to Audi and BMW today to sit in a few cars. The 5.2l V10 R8 they had it not a serious option but the Audi A4 in the showroom did not feel that special. The A5 Sportback was in the outside bit locked (someone's car).
The BMW 5-Series Saloon felt really special to me and maybe I want one... if I opt for a boring 2.0d 184PS SE then my allowance could get one (pay up £12) and an auto is only another £12pm!
And there's be always thinking I prefer VAG cars!
So not a supercar for me but a nice car I think. Last December until May this year I could have bought a few new supercars but then I bought the next house. Is that a :-) or a :-( ?
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"I've just realised I don't want one. Do you?"
No, but then I never did, even as a youngster. Space and practicality have always been the things that appealed to me in a car. Volvo estates were my dream cars. [Yes, I've always been boring. :-) ]
I'm also moulded by my experiences. Being a six foot teenager consigned to the back seat meant that legroom became for a while the key consideration for assessing a car. The fact that my parents downsized in my mid-teens and got a three door car meant that for years I had a prejudice against cars without rear doors. Driving a 49 bhp Ford Fiesta that struggled with hills was the experience that caused me to start taking an interest in performance.
Ferraris? Utterly pointless cars.
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Not exactly a Supercar I know, but I've tuned & road-tested a few 911's in my time and I shall never forget that kick in the back when putting the pedal to the metal - pure unadulterated adrenalin (and joy!)
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Do they make many supercars for tall folks im 6ft-4 and with broad shoulders?
All these poxy posh motors are far too small to sit in give me the vectra anyday..!! lol......
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>> A supercar is cramped, noisy, ruinously expensive to maintain
When people buy super car, they don't really buy a car, they buy exclusivity.
They don't get pleasure (even prolonged seating is punishment in most supercars) by driving them but by the thought of "I have something others can't buy".
It's all psychology :)
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"My ideal car is a V6 People Carrier with every toy going. Thats my idea of a Super car."
C'mon, Stu. Be more specific.
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>>C'mon, Stu. Be more specific.<<
Well, I like Q-cars, so something thats pretty quick but doesnt look it - what could be less sporty looking than an MPV. The Merc Viano with the big V6 has a certain appeal - I know the Espace can have a V6 but id be worried about making it out the drive without something breaking such is the way with those things.
I love the armchair style of people carriers and the feeling of space, so to throw in a gutsy V6 and a stack of useless gadgets - heaven to me.
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>> Do they make many supercars for tall folks im 6ft-4 and with broad shoulders?
Yes, a Ford GT40 replica
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I'd have the money instead then go and buy a handful of older classics in pristine condition such as an Austin Healy 3000, a Triumph Stag V8 (all with modern brakes, electricals, heating and leaks sorted) a Vanwall replica with Jag V12 engine, a Porsche 356 speedster, Caterham Roadsport and maybe a V8 yank muscle car circa 1969.
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Ferraris aren't pointless - they just don't make the point most people find important.
Every time I see and hear one, of whatever age, it gives me pleasure even though I wouldn't want to own one.
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Stu - thanks for that. I'm one for Q cars, too. (You may remember my thread about wanting a Berlingo with a V6 engine!)
Mike - When I said Ferraris were pointless, I meant that they were pointless for someone of my (philistine) outlook.
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>>buy a handful of older classics in pristine condition..............
Were you at Harpenden on Wednesday? I reckon everything you mentioned was there.
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Here is a blog from one guy who lived his dream of buying a Ferrari.
livngthedream.blogspot.com/2009/11/1-week-and-counting.html
(You need to go through the blog on the right hand side)
I must admit if I had the money I would have one, purely to say that i had one. But I would need to have enough money that if I wanted to drive it every day, I could.
But I am with Stu, if I had to only have one car, it would be a big Range Rover job or People Carrier as I just love the upright driving position. Or maybe even a luxurious Transit!!
Last edited by: BobbyG on Fri 30 Jul 10 at 16:28
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I would go out and buy a Ferrari with a lottery win, but no way would I use it every day. It would be a toy to polish and fettle in the garage, and would come out for an early morning or evening blast on sunny day. And I can honestly say, I wouldn't buy one for image. It would be because I think they are truly beautiful things which look and sound like nothing else on earth.
My everyday transport would be something swift, comfy and effortless. Something nice, but not so stand-out flash that I couldn't park it in a multi-storey without worrying. A Jaguar XFR, probably.
If I had the cash, I would seriously consider joining one of the supercar clubs too, where you pay an annual subscription and book the car of your choice for a day, weekend or week. It strikes me as a very useful way to get a decent amount of time in a great choice of exotica, without having to worry about ownership costs and depreciation.
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If I had a serious amount of money (e.g. winning millions) then I am quite happy with my life, where I live etc. So I'd give away (anonymously) a lot to good causes but would want a nice car. It would probably be something fairly run of the mill like a top of the range Audi A5 Sportback or similar. Or maybe the Audi A7.
If I did get a 'supercar' then I think it would have to be an Aston Martin Vantage (not a supercar I know) or a DB9.
Reason why I'd probably not spend lots is because I think it would get nicked/damaged if used every day. And I'd probably 'retire' to a Greek island and it would not be much use. So one of these it would have to be an Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari: Limited Edition.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 30 Jul 10 at 17:21
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I think Damon Hill set up one of those clubs. Not a bad idea to join one if you have the cash. Better than owning one.
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I have been invited to test drive a Ferrari Calafornia, whatever that might be. Not sure if i should follow it up. Never going to buy one. Much prefer a 997.
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I've owned a couple of Porsches and have now got the supercar thing out of my system. They are irrelevant on the public highway (in the south east at least) and only make sense on a track. Having had my fun I found I was asking myself more and more forcefully "what's the point".
I now have more interest in owning an older, useable, non-depreciating classic car (Merc Pagoda SL springs to mind) than a modern supercar. But for everyday use a discreet but quick Q-car suits me just fine.
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>> Q-car
That's what an Audi A5 Sportback would be for me.... I still might get one next Sept/Oct if the price is right. Although a lowly SE version.
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When I was younger I really wanted to have a Ferrari. The styling, the noise, the handling, the Athena posters.
Around 15 years ago during a midlife crisis phase, I went to look at a very late 308GTB with a view to buying it. It was in Rosso red and from a distance looked fabulous. I'd never looked at one up close to be honest and, well, it's an Italian car. So, panel gaps you could drive a bus through, windows that didn't close properly, an interior that showed serious signs of wear after just 50,000km and a very dodgy driving position. I left, disappointed, without even test driving it.
I see a lot of supercars around Munich, they don't do anything for me any more. Might be a sign of age. 2 of my neighbours have Porsche 993s. I'd like one of those, or one of the really lairy early 911 Turbos with the big wing and the Fuchs alloys.
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>> ......... I went to look at a
>> very late 308GTB with a view to buying it. It was in Rosso red ............
I had an XR3i Escort in Rosso Red. Can any manufacturer use the description Rosso Red?
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Rosso Red is red red as opposed to some other shade of red?
JH
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It's red rather than rose.
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>> I had an XR3i Escort in Rosso Red.
Did you wear white socks as well?
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Do you want a super car?
No thanks, I've already got one. :)
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Ok. Time to eat humble pie, eat my own words and other cliches.
Today I was filling up the car and up pulled an F430 in metallic grey next to me.
Please may I have one now. Forget the RS6 practicality. I have not been up close & personal to a Ferrari in many years and this one pushed my buttons!
Maybe I could fit a towbar like I have done to my 330Ci convertible.
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But do you want a supercar? - Zero
