Comments on: The Age of the Automobile

By: Brian DR1665

Brian DR1665 — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:11:00 +0000

One of the finest pieces of automotive writing I’ve come across. Kudos.

The people have something, the less some of us want it. The sheer popularity of the iPhone alone is reason enough for me to despise it. Mindless sheep, brainwashed into thinking that new and shiny somehow justifies their spoon fed sense of individuality within the herd when it is only that which is of purpose and substance which can truly satisfy.

Bring back the competition of yore. Bring back Carol Shelby and Ford designing the end-all racing car to defeat Enzo Ferrari. Bring back organizations hell bent on having the biggest, the fastest, the most luxurious and desirable products, not simply peddling them as such. Bring back the automotive industry being full of people sincerely passionate about the final product and taking pride in being able to lay claim to it’s production.

Let the sheep have their generic egg-cars built upon global platforms using the latest in biodegradable, Earth-friendly materials. Get the inattentive, the irresponsible, and the slovenly off the roads. Let them ride above in their climate controlled, graffiti-riddled cattle cars, staring blankly below at those of us who understand what it means to enjoy seat time behind the wheel. Leave the roads for the free-thinkers.

It’s about steel and purpose. It’s about controlled explosions and thrust. It’s about time.

By: omm

omm — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:39:11 +0000

kreto alak:

as first, we must buy a property big enough to build a racetrack :)

By: kreto alak

kreto alak — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:09:45 +0000

Nicely captured the essence of the automotive world of today, well done. I tend to disagree with the mobility issue though. I wouldn’t go as far as to advise the author to purchase a motor vehicle, let alone drive it on a daily basis – hell, enough looney-bins on the roads already – but I’m anti-egalitarian, anti-social progress, alas, anti-social enough to happily disapprove of the masses of mass transportation. Within the confines of 2800 lbs of Italian steel, rubber and plastic I’m happy to pollute and to add to the clogging. Which is dumb, I know, but clearly all the alternatives are a lot worse for either my personal safety or hygiene and comfort. These are the points where us modern men, softies we are, don’t reach for the compromise button.

But hellyeah, let’s talk about a revolution.

By: Hammer

Hammer — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:28:35 +0000

“the” car is a product. it has own lifecycle. 100 years ago it was revolutionary, experimental and expensive. 50 years ago it was (at least in the USA and in west Europe) an interesting everyday product. now it’s a tool. no revolution, only evolution. i don’t know is it bad for us, or not. something is missing, but I think these are only nostalgic feelings.

By: tallian.miklos

tallian.miklos — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:14:17 +0000

I’d never, ever like to see anything on the roads with the philosophy of the iPhone. Really.

And the industry. It’s not corrupt, it’s just an industry, and not a bunch of pioneers any moore. They didn’t betray anything. You’re talking like people who used mainframe computers 30 or 40 years ago and are insulted by the fact that today everyone has computers and people use them not only for big and important calculations but also stupid flash games. Just theye are 70, and you are 28.

By: omm

omm — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:21:55 +0000

shit, full of mistakes.

was-will be and so on…
i m loosing knowledge…sorry for that

By: omm

omm — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:20:28 +0000

the main problem is -i think- that 99 percent of the car company’s are trying to make The Universal Car, which will serve well for the masses and for that reason was completely useless for the individual.
they want a car that goes through places like a Mercedes G, will be quiet like a Phantom, safe like a Volvo, comfortable like an S Merc, dynamic like the M5 and cheap as a Dacia, producing his own petrol.
and that’s not the way.
i dont want no SUV’s, SAV’s
hate the crossovers
fuck the cc’s…

give me back my separated classes!

but they don’t. the vision of making big money had affected nearly every brand. because they know, that people are stupid enough to be fooled with all of the PR shit.
my last hope is in the remainig 1 percent of real car-nerds, and people who’s making cars for them such as Lotus, Caterham, Campagnola or RR, Bentley etc.

someday i m frustrated because of this, and at those day’s, i go down to my old, small ricer and go for a ride with his heavy clutch, manual gearbox, disconnected ABS, manual handbrake, with a lot of noise, burnin rubber, pushin the shit out of him, throving to corners from side to side on a clean and empty road near the city turning the radio off.
and when i came home, smelling the hot rubber, the missing milimeters of the brake pads i know i am right. if you want some real fun for real man, you must look back, not forward.
and my ratty ricer likes it too, i know that. he winks at me, when i lock the door saying: that was a hell of a drive motherfucker’.
and that’s the point. the ride.

there we go, burnin some money to the air:
http://indafoto.hu/nemjuliettelewis/image/2143641-179b8dcd/86757

http://indafoto.hu/tommi/image/2159273-8b475302/87179

and you know what? that Saab may look great, but at Mór, I drove a nearly 30 years old Maserati Biturbo
and i tell you, THAT was a great driver’s car.
rear wheel drive
next time, you must came too.
tons of fun.