Collaborative Post
On the face of it, fast cars make no sense. They’re expensive, travel at speeds two or three times the legal speed limit, and are a constant liability on the road. What’s more, they continually break down just when you need them the most.
So what’s the appeal? Why are we all so obsessed with the darn things?
Theory #1: They Look Good, So They Must Be Good
The leading theory at the moment is that an error in our psychology is to blame. When people see a sports car, they immediately absorb its aesthetic qualities. Put simply, it looks good.
But instead of compartmentalising that thought and tucking it away somewhere in the recesses of the mind, the brain goes on to make a series of erroneous associations. The first is that just because the aesthetics of the car rock, so too must everything else. Thus, not only do sports cars appear to have superb levels of performance but also superior durability, comfort and range.
Of course, intellectually, we all know that isn’t true. But our mind nonetheless plays tricks on us, convincing us that we need to buy these highly desirable objects.
When you line up a Porsche 911 against a Toyota Camry, the Porsche certainly looks like the better-built of the two vehicles. It oozes style, and immediately upstages its frumpy Japanese cousin. But when you look at the actual data, you soon discover that the opposite is true. The Toyota Camry is by far the more reliable car, requiring owners to spend only a fraction of the maintenance fees implied by the Porsche.
Theory #2: They’re Exclusive
There’s a second theory for why we’re obsessed with fast cars: they’re exclusive.
Making a fast car is actually a very difficult thing to do, especially if you want to create something that goes more than 200 mph. The reason for this has to do with simple physics. Air resistance grows with the square of the speed. So it is vastly more challenging to increase a vehicle’s top speed from 190 mph to 200 mph than it is from 90 to 100 mph.
The technical wizardry that must occur under the bonnet to make it happen is quite astonishing, requiring massive expense, engineering prowess and resources. And that’s why many modern supercars wind up costing hundreds of thousands of pounds. Making them is a colossal effort.
The effect of this is to make the cars more expensive. And that means that they’re more exclusive. Much more exclusive!
Theory #3: They Are Dangerous
Speak to the average DUI attorney, and they’ll tell you that sports cars are dangerous. Get behind the wheel even slightly tired or intoxicated, and you’re going to cause an accident.
But according to psychologists, this is one of the main draws. People love fast cars because they enjoy experiencing things that feel mildly life-threatening. They want to get a kick every time they go out onto the road, and having a car with 550 BHP under the bonnet seems like a good way to do it.