Originally posted by MarkJerling In other news. It may come as no surprise to you all that a car nut like me has been driven in or has driven a number of interesting vehicles over the years. Some notable mentions:
Lamborghini LM002
Lamborghini Espada
1925 Bugatti type 35
1901 Benz
1903 De Dietrich
An "almost new" 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 barn find
Various Ferraris and Rolls Royces
Various '30's to '60's Cadillacs
A Stanley Steamer
A few different Lincoln Continentals
And I have been up close and personal with three of the 51 Tuckers made.
Today, I drove, for the first time, a Tesla Model X, this one with the full self driving computer which is not, of course, full self driving yet. To say that I am impressed and amazed is an understatement. The car accelerates like a supercar, and very quietly.
It stays in the centre of it's lane and negotiates bends in the road perfectly, even when you let it do the driving by only lightly touching the steering wheel so that it knows you're there. It reads traffic signals and knows to stop at stop signs. It opens and shuts it's doors for you and negotiates itself out of tight parking bays. It "sees" pedestrians, cyclists, other cars and trucks and knows which is which. When parked, it keeps an eye on it's surroundings and records footage on it's multiple cameras of anyone coming too close. It has a vast amount of clever storage spaces including under the "hood" in the front.
This is a remarkable engineering marvel and it feels like it's from the future. I might add that it's not mine. It's way, way, way outside my price range.
I've driven a '62 Corvette with a hopped up 327 cube V8...two four barrels, 4 speed manual, 4.10 rear end, a '68 BSA Spitfire 650 motorcycle, high compression pistons among other internal combustion , HI PO vehicles. I do like the exhaust noise, the way the engine runs through it's power band, etc.
I'm not a luddite, and I know electric vehicles will be the future, as the future has been clearly mandated and legislated, by G7 governments....but I will miss internal combustion...as I think you, an enthusiast, will, also.
The other day I was watching a tv show about a '55 Land Rover, all rattly and slow, but able to go through any type of terrain it seemed. I realize I'm being subjective, but this old, beat up machine had bags of character and charm.
However, as I tell myself, one can be an enthusiast for all types of machines.