Chapter 2: Current Day.
In hindsight, we should’ve known that cars like the Viper would’ve died out the further the automotive and technological world progressed. The Viper was the raw, cartoonishly awesome car we needed to bring America out of the fuel crisis and to bring more color into our world of restrained 911s and fast but almost “predictable” Ferraris. Lamborghini was the exception to the rule, but it was expected that they’d make something crazy. Dodge took the world by storm offering what they did in the Viper.
Even so, the world has long since moved on from wanting raw, pure sports/super cars (depending on the Viper generation). There has been a paradigm shift in what the market wants, and sadly, it isn’t what the current Viper is so bent on preserving.
Even though the Viper was alone, there was room for a car like itself. More over, there was a need for a car like a Viper. Something to not only shake things up, but something bold, brash and unapologetic. Something that was not only straight to the point, but something that could make a pretty good one. We needed one last hurrah for cars like the Cobra, Tiger, Daytona Coupe and the C3. Chrysler answered that call and brought us the Viper.
We needed a new one because some of those cars ended long before any kind of “prime” could’ve been reached (cough Tiger cough). The Viper gives those cars the vindication they deserved (and some of them achieved it). But now? Most buyers don’t seem to want a car that’ll punish them for their careless actions. They want a car that can protect them from said actions. The GT-R was the first sign that this was where the market was heading (although the Porsche 959 is arguably the first car to take technology to such extremes). Wouldn’t you know it? Take a look at the new Honda/Acura NSX, (eventually) Nissan R36 GT-R, Mclaren 720S, Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder, Mclaren P1, Ferrari 812 Superfast, Lamborghini Huracan Performante, Ford GT and countless others.
There is a time and a place for having electronic aids. But we’ve gone so far that some automakers are using electronic systems instead of hydraulic systems because it provides better fuel economy at the expense of driving feel. Of course, you can make an electronic steering system have feeling (as the H-Cat Widebody seems to have according to some) but the general consensus is the same. A lot of automakers seem to be going for the figures behind the cars rather than the feeling that comes with it. Porsche in the previous 911 (not generation, just refresh) didn’t put a manual in the car because the auto was faster. Porsche Purists got angry and we got the 911R. Here comes the next GT3 and some reports are saying it’ll come with a manual (as to avoid what happened before).
I understand that if the sales of a manual car aren’t great then they’re going to cut their losses and get rid of the car as a whole. But what’s also happening because of this is a drop in the market for manual cars anyway. Modern Automatics are astonishing to the 10th degree. But there is something to be said for manual transmissions. However, it goes further than that, buyer demographic also matters.
Remember that Top Gear (pre-Clarkson Fiasco) when Hammond drove the Pagani Hyuara? In that episode, he said Ferrari and Lamborghini have lost their innocence (for becoming marketing tools rather than automakers). I agree that they’ve lost their innocence, although my reasoning is different.
Remember when you could get a Ferrari with a gated H-pattern shifter? Remember that? When was the last time Ferrari sold a car with a manual transmission in a car? The first-generation Ferrari California on special order. A car that died in 2013. Want to know what was the last car you’d be able to get a manual in if you decided you’re a Lambo guy?
The Gallardo was the last time you’d be able to get a manual Bull. They didn’t (and don’t) even offer it for the Aventador. People want cars that are easier to drive, rather than a car that challenges their driving ability (cough Viper cough). Ferrari and Lambo have lost their innocence because they’ve most completely away from cars that give you driving pleasure. Now it’s all about bench racing.
But can you blame them? They’re just making cars that appeal to the biggest amount of customers (not to mention how insanely fast autos have become). As it turns out; the biggest amount of customers don’t want a manual at all. Half the people buying a Ferrari or Lamborghini these days couldn’t care less about how the car feels to drive. They care more about the social status that is carried along with the car because it’s a Ferrari or Lamborghini. They care more about how rich those cars makes them look rather than how enjoyable those cars are to drive.
This isn’t to say auto cars aren’t enjoyable. Goodness me no, but getting rid of it altogether doesn’t even give you the option to become a little more involved in your driving. We’re seeing this more and more with faster cars as well.
We’re moving into an age where your base level sports cars do have manuals but your serious performance cars don’t. These days automakers are of the mind “you’re either getting the auto or you’re not getting the car at all.” Not even allowing you to indulge in the increased performance of your more expensive (and track focused) car unless you’re fine with having an auto and an auto only.
Some of us just don’t want that. We want to be able to row our own gears in the fastest car in a given lineup. Because that is as close to nirvana as some of us can get. But no, lap speed matters more than lap enjoyment to (seemingly) most people.
You want to know why the automakers are thinking this way? Because the customers do. Superficial numbers matter more to the customers these days than the feeling behind the numbers. They prefer knowing the car can do those numbers. Not themselves. It’s why pure drivers cars like the Viper are dying out from big manufacturers (and some small startups dying too. People just aren’t interested in knowing how fast they can go in a given car, they’re more comfortable knowing how fast the car can go on its own. They want the car to work out everything for itself, only needing the driver to turn the car on and moving the steering wheel, gas, and brake pedal.
The possibility still remains that you can crash a car with the medical condition Techno-Overload. However, the chances of doing so are far lower than a comparable car that is far more direct. However, that’s with taking the driver variable out of the equation, because honestly, the driver behind the car can make a difference if said person is skilled enough in doing so. Yet cars with more driver aids don’t require as much skill to drive fast comparably. As the car can make up for more of the mistakes than another (purer) car.
The point being, the market has moved away from simple cars and is now interested in cars with more computing power than Torque. That leaves the current Viper in a position that just won’t last.