“Am I your fantasy?” Photo by Randy Stern
Sports cars…they’re only a dream.
When most of us were younger, we probably had a poster of some vaunted supercar. Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, Bugattis, Paganis…you name it! These are the stuff of legend for the pre-driver’s license crowd.
Then, we grow up. We’ve either gawked at enough of these beauties, sat in one, driven one – or owned one. And, we’re in awe of them. Even the most car-hating person can appreciate the beauty of a supercar/sports car/grand touring car/etc. C’mon – admit it!
Why? They are the dreams of the automobile world. If one had an imagination and wanted to create something reaching the outer regions of the possibilities, these are it. Vehicles that are at home on the road and on the track. As they get older, they become star attractions to various car shows and Concours d’Elegances around the world.
For me, they provide a context point in my automotive writing. As the highest expression of the breed, these sports/super/GT cars employ some of the finest engineering points to study against more mundane machinery. The vehicles also provide a counterpoint to every one of my subjects covered on this blog as to enjoy these vehicles, you have to be on the extreme end of a driver’s compenetcy scale.
That is why I never drove any of these machines.
But, this blog is begging for a Five Favorites list of these so-called exotics. To placate this void, I’ll give you my Five Favorite superdupercars. You might not be surprised….
1968-1973 FERRARI 365GTB/4: A Prancing Horse by any name is worth its weight in platinum. But, why a twelve-cylinder one? Sure, I prefer eight-cylinder road cars over the beastly twelves! This wasn’t any ordinary twelve-cylinder Ferrari road car – this was the best. The new 599GTO? Not yet. Not when it has to hurdle over the Daytona. It’s a two-plus-two that was comfortable, fast and unbelievably taut. You’ll hate the steering, but that’s the only flaw on this late 1960s tour de force of sports touring machines. This Daytona was made for a run to Pebble Beach and the 17-Mile Drive. It made the Palm Beach arrival from Miami Beach just worth the jaunt. Out goes the golf bag and life is such a dream. That’s why you get a Daytona – or, my second choice, the 456GTA from the 1990s.
1975-1986 LOTUS ESPRIT: The Lamborghini Countach was too hard-edged. It was just too severe for its time – just like today’s Pagani Zonda F. The Ferrari 308GTS/B were just beautifully delicate. A Pininfarina-designed petal that demanded baby care at every mile. Supercars back in the 1970s were more fun because the electronic nannies were far from being implimented as they are today. Yet, they were also delicate flowers that needed to be nursed after a hard drive down the canyon or the desert straight. Giorgetto Giugiaro had his hand on a supercar, or several. He was commissioned by Colin Chapman to create something more spectacular amongst his road cars. The Esprit was a thing of modern beauty. It was neither Bertone hard or Pininfarina soft. Underneath was Lotus’ own 2.2litre motor – once again proving the whole mystery of power-to-weight ratios Lotus loves porviding to its road car owners.
1975-1985 FERRARI 308GTS/i/QUATTROVALVOLE: Oh, yes, that Ferrari. As delicate of this Pininfarina flower, it served as the Prancing Horse’s best selling product. The reason behind this was the cracking of the code to create a balanced mid-engined sports car. By creating a two-seat cabin in both coupe and targa bodies, they transversed a 3.0litre V8 behind the seats and ensured its way through every situation it is put through. It did not come with its own flaws. Such as practical, every day driving – in Los Angeles. Sure, you can buy a Ferrari, but what good is it in traffic? Whether it’s on the 405 Freeway or Sunset Boulevard, the V8 wants revs to keep going. Otherwise, it will go kaput. That’s why you buy a Mercedes or a Rolls when you buy a Ferrari…
1989- PORSCHE 911: The world’s most popular sports car has been around as long as I have on this Earth. Yet, it has gone through many amalmigations and various forms of rhinoplasty to keep itself young and fresh for drivers to enjoy. My only complaint was I couldn’t drive one. Why? Because the clutch pedal is my kryptonite. Porsche’s solution was through yet another collaboration with Volkswagen AG: Tiptronic. It combines the ratios of a manual gearbox inside of an automatic with the ability to shift like a manual – sans the clutch. The 911 has always been a testbed for Porsche’s technological advances. The Tiptronic was indeed a hit – but, not without its detractors. Yet, Porsche has learned so much from the Tiptronic that it was able to create other gearboxes with the same concept – the PDK on the Panamera, for example. No matter how you change gears, a Porsche delivers the same sensational drive as ever. Oh yeah, and it’s the most reliable sports car in the world, too!
2007- MASERATI GRAN TURISMO: OK, I’m a sucker for Masers. Even after they separated from Citroen, Maseratis were considered friendlier, flawed and more organic than its Italian counterparts. As with Mopars, I get giddy around these trident-badged machines. The latest has topped them all. It’s a few parts Ferrari, but all-Maser in execution. The V8 is shared from the F430, but detuned and configured for a conventional driveline. The Cambiocorsa has improved for better automatic gear shifting. Tack on all the electronic nannies and you have a well behaved machine. It is also very comfortable – for a driver and its co-pilot. Now, why this rather than an Aston Martin Vantage V8? You can hear yourself think in a Maserati, but not without some sweet exhaust music to accompany the conversation.
