Beautiful auto short film

soccerjunky · 08-14-09, 02:04

VIDEO: Top Gear's Season 13 Ending Draws Questions/Criticism - AutoSpies Auto News

RustyBumper · 08-14-09, 02:14

What a somber video. I agree with what he said. I to feel that it will only be a matter of time before all performance vehicles will cease to exist, or at least be produced.

For a moment there I thought that the show was going to come to an end. I just recently discovered it a few months ago and I love it. Those guys have a great job!

slp123 · 09-14-09, 01:00

One of the best shows on television IMO. I also agree with Jeremy, it is very sad.

longdx · 09-14-09, 03:36

I also agree with Jeremy, that like at the middle of the 1970's supercars/musclecars were basically phased out. Granted there will always be a market for ultra exclusive supercars, but it is shrinking (banking failures, loss of net wealth, enviromental restrictions, et al). Now, the cycle seems to be repeating itself. Ironically unlike the 1970's, supercars are far more reliable, better built, and dare I say pollute less. Think about this for one moment, a brand new V6 Camaro puts out over 300hp, gets 26-28mpg on the highway and gets better /performanceskidpad numbers than many supercars of the 1970's. That is tremendous progress.

HookEmHorns · 09-14-09, 05:19

What an amazing video. That's all there really is to say about it. I truly think that it will be a sad day when there will be very few true performance cars left.

zmanz · 09-14-09, 08:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by longdx

I also agree with Jeremy, that like at the middle of the 1970's supercars/musclecars were basically phased out.

When people talked about what cars from today would be the collector cars in the future it always had the problem that every year cars got faster and better so why would you want to drive a car from 10 years ago when the ones from today do everything much better.
What it takes to make cars remain in demand is a major change like the 1-2 punch of the 70's gas prices and smog laws.
Or the current gas prices and the government owning the car companies....

Maybe in another 20 years the cars will be that much better, just as mentioned the current batch blow away the cars from the early 70s

XRL · 09-15-09, 07:45

I agree with Jeremy on some points. But on the other hand, things are getting excessive. Now sure technology advances and blah blah blah, but really, things are getting out of hand.

Your average basic midsize sedan has somewhere north of 200hp now. The V6 models tend to have almost 300hp now. Now if you have a luxury performance sedan with less than 400hp, its a joke. The V8 Tundra is pushing close to 400hp, and the Escalades come stuff with over 400hp. These are not enthusiast vehicles at all either! They're just your typical bland commuter cars.

I think that the exotics will continue to do what they do, since their clientele have enough money to do whatever. I hope that the more mainstream junk gets smogged and choked to hell. There's no Toyota Camry buyer that wants/needs 270hp, they want fuel economy, cheapness, and perceived value, otherwise they would have bought a better car.

Now, I do hope that they continue to make sports variants of normal cars, things like the SS lineup, SRT lineup, etc. Those are great cars. But I don't think every basic version needs all the power they're given.

Furthermore, the model bloating needs to stop. Civics are huge now. Accords are boats. Everything is huge and weighs a ton, even if its supposed to be a small efficient car.

My hope is that things like super efficient TDIs will make their way to the states and become popular. They're better than hybrids in every way, and hopefully the effects of your average commuter using less gas means enthusiasts can get gas cheaper and use more.

longdx · 09-15-09, 07:17

@XRL: I too agree that TDI's trump hybrids in most applicable situations. Not a slam on hybrids because I do respect the engineering behind it, but diesels by their design or 20-30%more efficient than gas counterparts with no perceived loss of power (in fact torque will be higher compared to gas engines). The engine block design is sturdier by design and diesels can last longer. The biggest slam against diesels is that US regulations has made it harder for automakers to make them a profitable business model. (not necessarily a problem with high end vehicles, but for an average sedan only the TDI seems to be popular). In fact as fuel prices have receded this year, Honda disbanded the notion of introducing diesels to the US for the Accord/Odyssey/Pilot/Ridgeline. In the end, the US consumer loses.