Performance Cars for Ordinary Drivers

[Garibaldi]

Fellow Alfisti,

I have been doing some in car research lately and have come to the conclusion that there are many people purchasing sports/performance cars that have very average driving skills and or don't fully exploit their car's performance and handling abilities.

Your comments please!

[Neil Choi]

I will bite.  Pretty funny topic.
To me this is common occurrence, it is how things work.  Same happens for golf, cycling, etc etc.
It is about how much $$$ you got and can spend.  If you can afford a Ferrari, go for it, why not, it isn't about ability or you can drive.
I bought a $10000 bike and it sits there as art.  Then I bought a cheap ass Alfa to drive daily,


In fact, golf and cycling are sports that you can actually buy what professionals use, despite yourself unable to use the equipment to the absolute full potential, ie ride the Tour, or full contact golf.  You wouldn't go door handle racing in your 458, unless you are absolutely loaded!!!

I do agree with you but each to their own and how much $$$ you got.

Cheers mate, my two bits.

[kartone]

It's also about the combination of money and age / responsability ... remember the Mercedes ad a few years back.
I was fortunate to attend "driving schools" in Italy and Lime Rock in the US as early as my late teens; at the age of 24 I owned a GTV6 and gave it "a go" every day in Sydney traffic (no cameras in those days, cops had to make the effort to catch-up to you); at 26 I owned a 928S manual in Europe (autobahn & autostrada galore, little traffic and no enforceable speed limits), at the same time in the Connecticut in the US I owned an Audi GT Quattro ( Berkshires back roads in the snow). 

[Duk]

Fellow Alfisti,

I have been doing some in car research lately and have come to the conclusion that there are many people purchasing sports/performance cars that have very average driving skills and or don't fully exploit their car's performance and handling abilities.

Your comments please!

Well unless you are at a race track, even the most mundane of cars can go fast enough to have you in very serious (legal) trouble.

[kartone]

Duk, possibly that is why a citroen 2CV and original fiat 500 are fun to drive

[poohbah]

Indeed Duk. I discovered the limit of traction in my GTV just yesterday, on a lonely but greasy approach to a roundabout.

Who needs a GT86 to get sideways below the speed limit ...

[Beatle]

Fellow Alfisti,

I have been doing some in car research lately and have come to the conclusion that there are many people purchasing sports/performance cars that have very average driving skills and or don't fully exploit their car's performance and handling abilities.

Your comments please!

Depends on exactly what criteria you are basing your conclusions.   Someone may be a great 'driver' on public roads, courteous, safe, law-abiding, yet not have much in the way of 'performance' driving skills. 

The opposite could also be true.  You could have the racecar skills of a world rally driver but be dangerous on the open road.

Because someone owns a 'performance' car do they always need to drive at 11/10ths? 

The only real way to "fully exploit their car's performance and handling abilities" is to regularly push the car and driver beyond the limits. Is that wise on public roads?   i.e. tighten it till it breaks, then back it off a half a turn.......   https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/video/watch/28617284/teen-girl-injured-in-ferrari-crash/#page1

Personally, I think modern vehicles are so damn good at legal speeds you can't really have fun any more without being stupid.   Most SUVs can safely maintain legal limits, even in the hands of a below average driver.  In fact there are many times on secondary roads I've been grateful to have been in the 4WD when I've hit potholes, bridge joins etc rather than in the GT.  The longer suspension travel, clearance, and high profile tyres turned an Alfa destroying incident into nothing more than a dull thump in the pants.

One issue is that cars (capability and inherent safety) and roads are getting so much better that the 'fudge factor' tolerance has narrowed to the point where the difference between driving along happily oblivious, and oblivian, is negligable.  This is also reflected in our on-road tolerance.   We (collectively) now get uptight when the guy in front's GPS/cruise control is 0.00000002 KPH different to our own.   And how dare someone towing a load decide they feel more comfortable at 95 instead of 104.9 (100.9 in Vic) KPH in the left lane of a muti lane highway......................  The speed limit is 100KPH so that means 100KPH is the lower limit, to twenty six decimal places!!!

And don't forget, statistically speaking,  97% of people are above average drivers  

[Garibaldi]

You have made some very good points Beatle, couldn't agree with you more but what I am really talking about is the people out there that buy these cars and then proceed to drive like an 80 year old in a Camry. Or what about the ones that scream past you on a straight section of road and slow to a snails pace as soon as they hit some corners.What the?

[Paul Gulliver]

there are many people purchasing sports/performance cars that have very average driving skills and or don't fully exploit their car's performance and handling abilities.

Just another example of the pissing competition or mine bigger than yours game called "LIFE" . I'm sure there are folk about who would be happy to  pay a premium for a Hyundai  i 20 if it have a Mercedes Benz badge on the front   

[V AR 164]

I somewhat agree with what you are saying, I've seen a few sportscar drivers that have the driving skill of a 4 year old, makes you wonder.
Take my 58 year old dad for example, he owns a gts. I would consider him to be an average skilled driver (an old man behind the wheel at that) but he certainly does have fun with it sometimes 

However, what really does my head in, is those videos on YouTube of some rich guy revving a supercar, then a few weeks later you see a video of the same car wrapped around a pole. Those people who use their car to show off are generally the people who have no skill behind the wheel. That annoys me.

Andrew.

[Neil Choi]

This topic is turning into a gross generalisation.

As I said, to each their own, everyone is a perfect F1 race driver and can afford and drive a HP car at whatever level they want for all I care.

[Garibaldi]

I'm sorry Neil, next time I will start a discussion on Camrys.

[V AR 164]

Hahaha, do it!

[hmd]

Fellow Alfisti,

I have been doing some in car research lately and have come to the conclusion that there are many people purchasing sports/performance cars that have very average driving skills and or don't fully exploit their car's performance and handling abilities.

Forget about average driving skills most people (myself included) will not be able to fully exploit their sports/performance car.
How many here can seriously think they can get 10/10th of a 4C?
Most performance car maker Porsche,Audi,Ferrari etc.. would only be able to sell to a handful of people, Jim Richards, John Bowe, Craig Lowdnes etc...

Your comments please!

You asked for it

[Beatle]

I tried to get 2/10 out of the GT on the short 30km drive home from work this evening.  The car bottomed out at least a dozen times, the last time initiating the VDC warning light.  I stopped, shut down, and restarted to clear the fault.

It would have been a faster and less damaging trip in the Landcruiser...............

I'm afraid 'real' sportscars are meant to be bought, parked, and polished.   Completely useless on Australian roads.