Are Ridiculous Car Commercials Trying to Sell Unnecessary Luxury?

[Brilliant!]

If one wants to have the thrill of top-speed exhilaration, that can be achieved pretty economically without buying exotic road-cars. Just head out to the drag tracks, get pit-passes, and look for hobbyists ready to sell off an older bracket-class car so they can upgrade. The modified classed in the NHRA were populated by pretty scary machines when I was a regular track-denizen. Very light bodies/frames with high-performance drive trains. Those cars would launch off the line with VERY impressive wheel-stands and post short ETs. (On a budget!)

I've never looked into it enough to come across info like this. Sounds like a great idea. Thanks :D

 

[turbo]

I've never looked into it enough to come across info like this. Sounds like a great idea. Thanks :D

Little bucket-bodied T's with high revving Chevy 283s were really hot about 20 years ago, and they would scare the **** out of you. Dump the clutch and HANG ON!

 

[Brilliant!]

Little bucket-bodied T's with high revving Chevy 283s were really hot about 20 years ago, and they would scare the **** out of you. Dump the clutch and HANG ON!

Part of it is also the expert engineering. I rode in a Murcielago once, and as the thing climbed to 120 mph, you could feel a slight, vibrating pulse, but it was mostly smooth like flight. Traveling that fast and watching everything through the windows fly by at 120 mph and then noticing that everything from the chassis, to the engine, to all the body parts were expertly engineered to give this amazing feeling of flight on the road. That's what I want.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to fly down a drag strip, but the image in my head of a perfect drive doesn't involve a deafeningly loud engine, and my brains rattling in my skull.

 

[turbo]

Part of it is also the expert engineering. I rode in a Murcielago once, and as the thing climbed to 120 mph, you could feel a slight, vibrating pulse, but it was mostly smooth like flight. Traveling that fast and watching everything through the windows fly by at 120 mph and then noticing that everything from the chassis, to the engine, to all the body parts were expertly engineered to give this amazing feeling of flight on the road. That's what I want.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to fly down a drag strip, but the image in my head of a perfect drive doesn't involve a deafeningly loud engine, and my brains rattling in my skull.

I hear you! I was ready to dump probably 5K in a modified bracket car (par for the time), but I was already getting involved in modifying Harleys and that would have posed a time-constraint that I did not want to deal with. Tinkering with S&S racing carbs, intake headers, ignition, etc could take up a LOT of time, and I really liked having a hog that could launch like a crotch-rocket. Don't get me wrong - the Japanese bikes could take me off the line every time, but modifying a heavy, torquey Harley to jump on command was really fun. There are only so many "hobbies" that we can pursue.

 

[Brilliant!]

Man, do I love bikes, too. That's something else I'll get my hands on when I can. I've always wanted to ride a Vincent Black Lightning and an old Knucklehead. And a Panhead. And an F-Head.

I want them all!

 

[turbo]

Man, do I love bikes, too. That's something else I'll get my hands on when I can. I've always wanted to ride a Vincent Black Lightning and an old Knucklehead. And a Panhead. And an F-Head.

I want them all!

Better get rich fast. Use the Jay Leno wealth-building model.

 

[edward]

I think you'd buy one just to feel the top-speed exhilaration, then the whole experience would be wasted on you.

The psychology behind owning performance automobiles is that they impress women.

Science Proves Exotic Cars Turn Women On

Geez, didn't you pay attention to the Jaguar ad in the Crazy People clip?

That is interesting. From the link:

Everyone had significantly more testosterone after hearing the exotics, and all of the women were turned on by the Maserati. The guys, on the other hand, were drawn to the Lamborghini.

The difference in the frequency of the exhaust sound of the two exotics is very noticable. The Lamborghini is low pitch, the Maserati is high and faster revving

Guys definitely like the big booming Earth shaking speakers in the trunks of their vehicles.
So I guess the women would prefer tweeters.

 

[Mgt3]

I just saw a commercial for a Lincoln that just finally made me snap. It's a luxury car that's bigger than necessary, uses more gas than necessary, and it's an automatic. What's with the pretense that it's some race car? Seriously, most people that buy Lincolns are either old, or don't know any better.

On another note, why do people want a high performance car, or a really fast car, when the only driving they do is on a crowded, slow moving drive to work, or to the grocery store and mall?

This, to me, is ridiculous.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rA-pu5EP_ig

This car is ridiculous because it is a glorified Ford Taurus. I have a Lincoln Town Car - a real Lincoln - and this MKS is no Lincoln. It's fitted with a pitiful V6 engine, too small for a luxury car, and uses cheaply manufactured parts. Sad.I also take issue with you calling everyone who buys a Lincoln old or ignorant. I'm neither old nor ignorant about cars. What do you have against people who want to drive a comfortable, well built luxury car? I bet you don't say anything against people who drive a Mercedes or Lexus.

 

[mgb_phys]

The psychology behind owning performance automobiles is that most people can't afford a weekend driver, like a Ferrari or a Corvette, and a weekday driver, like a Camry or a Civic. Where a wealthy man would have his Prius parked in his garage next to his Lamborghini, John Q. has to choose,

Get a bike for the weekend.
For the price of a set of fancy wheels for your Honda - a 600cc sports bike will out accelerate anything short of super car status.

 

[brewnog]

Get a bike for the weekend.
For the price of a set of fancy wheels for your Honda - a 600cc sports bike will out accelerate anything short of super car status.

Or a kit car. Mine is only worth a few grand, does 0-60 in under 6 seconds, goes round corners better than almost anything you can buy from a showroom, and still only costs a few hundred pounds to insure.

 

[mgb_phys]

Sdrsportscars in the UK have taken the Ariel atom concept (open frame car made out of 10kg of tubing + bike engine) - they are doing a new one with a 400hp subaru WRX engine.
Useful if you ever want a car that you can build in your garage but can achieve escape velocity.

 

[turbo]

Sdrsportscars in the UK have taken the Ariel atom concept (open frame car made out of 10kg of tubing + bike engine) - they are doing a new one with a 400hp subaru WRX engine.
Useful if you ever want a car that you can build in your garage but can achieve escape velocity.

That would be a fun project, but I'd probably be too scared to drive it on these curvy roads, sharing them with logging trucks. It hasn't been a problem with motorcycles, but if I had 4 wheels, I'd probably push the envelope more than if I was on a bike.