Are We There Yet?

"Groagun" (groagun) 06/01/2016 at 17:03 • Filed to: None

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For any of you who have been on a family car trip/vacation or simply traveled with children, you have heard this phrase many times and probably even uttered it yourself: shame on you!

This article, however, is not about any of that. I’ve been absent from OPPO and Jalopnik for a few weeks now: for some technical reason that still isn’t known, I couldn’t log in at all.

In that time I have just been a regular reader and observer of the site(s) and the industry as a whole in general. It gave me time to reflect and question many things and aspects of the ‘transportation business’.

Many issues and challenges are present in today’s industry and are lurking in the very near future. While I could start to tackle many of them, I thought it most prudent to start at the core though.

For us, the enthusiasts, what exactly do we need and want out of our vehicles of the future? And, how do we reconcile our needs and wants versus those of the general public, the daily commuter and the huge multinational conglomerates that produce the cars we drive?

As a child of the 70's and 80's, concept cars of the future were pretty cool. I say pretty cool because if you were a child of the 50's and 60's, they were amazing.

That era of car concepts and production was the pinnacle of style and performance. You may argue that today’s cars from a performance standpoint are just miles ahead, and by the numbers, you would be right: but it’s not about numbers, it’s about feel and emotion.

Those are from the GM Futurama series of cars and shows of the 50's and 60's. When imaginations ran wild and nothing and nowhere was there a limit.

The funny thing today is even here on OPPO and Jalopnik, I’ve read countless whiners bitch and complain about companies doing concept cars and being pissed that it’s wasteful and stupid because they will never end up on the roads anyways.

Even worse though, the original intent of the concept car was to show off styling direction and cues for future vehicles. Today’s concepts are almost entirely about drivetrain options and in the OPPO/Jalop universe, “the loss of the NA gasoline engine”.

The feeling and emotion of driving is lost on me today I’m sorry to admit. Have you driven on public roads recently? Filled with nothing but assholes on their phones, late to do something and selfish and self centered doesn’t even come close to truly reflecting the state of the 2016 driver at large.

Butting right up against that problem is the ever increasing volume. No, not how loud the exhausts are, the overwhelming number of cars on the road. But that’s a good thing no? Those huge multinational corporations that build the cars we love keep telling us how great the sales numbers are and how good it is for us though. Is it really?

Even if I had the car(s) of my dreams, how, where and when could I use them to satisfy the feeling and emotion I think they should give me?

‘Track days’ you may be yelling at me. Great, how much more money do I have to spend, what accommodations do I have to make to my free time and schedule and really, just how accessible is a track to me and how convenient is or isn’t that process?

Track days are great but I don’t want to have to schedule in advance when my car can provide me with the feeling and emotion I enjoy. I’m starting to think the future looks more and more like this:

BTW, for those of you who haven’t seen Blade Runner, go and see it now, it’s amazing!

So, I’m a grumpy old man, pissed at the world and not very optimistic about the future. Not true!

I am grumpy, not that old and actually looking forward to the innovations that the future holds for us. I am pissed at the attitudes and stupidity of some OPPONaughts and Jalopsters however.

If the gasoline NA engine is to die, so be it! Stop holding on to the past as if the future is dependent upon it. What a load of shit that is. Stop acting like your parents and grandparents before you! Enjoy and revel in the past, don’t live in it.

Many great things are ahead for us, some will endure, some will fall by the curb side. We simply must move ahead and for all you know, you might just enjoy it and come to love what ever the new thing is.

Ash78, voting early and often > Groagun 06/01/2016 at 17:28

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Gas engines for everyday, mass transportation have to die so that we (as a society, including the greenies) can have some appreciation for the fun cars. One of the problem with modern society — and it’s media-driven — is that we view everything as polar extremes rather than a more accurate continuum. In 20 years, not all cars will be self-driving electrics. I would venture it might be 10% of all cars. We’re a century away from really feeling the pinch. Just look at the ingenuity of places like Cuba. Where there’s a will (or a need) to keep an old car running, we can do it. Car enthusiasm may be in a mass lull, but I believe it will remain as fervent as ever. And quite honestly, the fewer jackasses driving dangerously on their daily commute, the better. Save it for the weekends, or for the track, or (for Mustang owners) Cars & Coffee.