IKWYM - but the sheeple cannot understand what makes an interesting car interesting.

Look at Top Gear; it's all farty exhaust and doughnut cliches.

Trouble is, it's self-fulfilling; Subaru has almost stopped making interesting cars, we probably won't get the new Leg End, the Evo is supposedly dead, SAAB is making milk floats, Volvo is well, who knows? - because everyone is falling for the Audi 'team player inside the tickbox received wisdom' school of thought.

There's a fine line between rarity and extinction, as my two Acuras (brand snob!) demonstrate.

 

Sales/marketing people are just better at selling cars than car people. And it's like a cancer. If one person with a marketing mind over a petrol head heart find their way into a company, their sales figures will establish them and kill off any one with a passion for the machine itself over sales figures.

Look at Porsche, electronic power steering, dual clutch GT3. Those are decisions that make sense on a spreadsheet and the sales figures will back them up no doubt so your die hard petrol head will just have to move on.

BMW always tried to make normal cars drivers cars, and the ultimate driving machine thing worked for a while, 3 series outsold the Mondeo at one point. But Audi found a way of making a bog standard, Diesel engined, front wheel drive dull to drive car feel special and marketed it perfectly.

BMW made an insane choice with the 1 Series. They went for RWD at the expense of practicality and cost. But when daddy's little girl wants a white A3 convertible whats's the point?

We should all just go build Locosts

 

I think it might come to that, eventually.

There'll be VAG. And Morgan.

 

They did change it and IIRC mine has the new
I never bother looking, too busy getting the roof down so I can hear it start up in full surround sound
Never been one for brands which is ironic considering my garage contents
I'd far rather buy well engineering "quirky" cars (Saab Hirsch Troll R Volvo V40T4, Legacy Spec B)
It frustrating "the sheep" can't see past the marketing crap, but then it does fund "special" cars and makes them rarer
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So, if everyone saw past the hype and they all bought the same (excellent) car
Would they all stop being sheep?

 

That ought not to happen, because cars are pretty much of a muchness these days; people have different requirements so they'd tend to choose according to the small differences.

What tends to happen is the larger companies get a volume which allows them an advantage, not only in economy of scale, but control of leasing, marketing and distribution. And market control. After a while, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and ubiquity produces a blander and less interesting product. Many BMW aficionados bemoan that in the latest models, as an example. Niche becomes mainstream and something is lost.

A lot of excellent cars get squeezed out, simply on the numbers.

It's always been that way in a free market, but there comes a point where novelty and interestingness gets squeezed out.

The bigger companies will tend to come in occasionally, hopefully with something interesting. But it would be a bit of a loss if the 86 & BMW/Toyota Supra, Alfa Duetto/ND MX-5, Honda S1500/2000 etc succeed in killing Lotus, for example.

Maybe in 20 years, we'll all be raving about a little sports car made in India, or something, which will save the day. Innovation has to come from somewhere, and it's usually some maverick.

 

Already well ahead of you!

Thing is, I keep looking at more ludicrous machinery. Two seats is one too many!

 

Anyone tried a Grinnall Scorpion?

The idea has a strange appeal...

 

Should be called the Grimace-all...