A TOUCH OF ATTENTION: A car's soul.
"Alvaro martínez" is a freelance writer who writes articles in his spare time and works making automotive reviews and many many more things
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When I look at the new cars that have been announced, like a new sporty BEV or a new German Saloon that has enough torque to twist the world like a wet rag… I just can't help but notice a comment that often catches my attention when I look at the opinions on the new car… And most of the time it reads like this.
“This car has no soul, it feels artificial because...”
This comment always catches my attention whenever I search for a petrolhead among the sea of “commutists” who only care for a car to reliably bring them to A/B/C whenever they need it and complain the new car has no use outside of a track… So, what is the soul of a car? Is it a component on the fuse box? A forgotten engine part? Today I give an honest answer to what “soul” feels like to me… And honestly it's a combination of many elements some manufacturers have long forgotten in their chase for innovation.
1-The sensations
For example, we have FR configuration cars like the Ford Mustang GT. It's a car that doesn't forgive if you pull out of a car show with the throttle mashed to the floor as you turn into the main road, it will just slide out of control until you nail a crowd, a tree or a curb on the best of cases… What do you feel then? It is fear since you're not in control of it. But the second you learn how to control it's horsepower? You certainly feel powerful, invincible even!
Then there's cars like the Mclaren P1, high tech supercars that despite all of the artificial components that help give it's driver the most control at the limit… you still don't feel in control despite all of the techy gadgets at your disposal, you might be sitting in a bucket seat with a four point harness… Even then, you feel fear the second you step on the gas or take a turn so fast you feel that your own soul is understeering but your body and the car are following the turn like a strong magnet stuck on a fridge.
And then you slow down, the engine howls angry but you feel the rush of that fear hitting you like a freight train… and Even then you just want to repeat it so you can feel the thrill of that sensation. Other cars just cradle you in a slow cruise amidst all of the luxuries and elegance like a Rolls Royce or a Mercedes… but what else gives a car it's “soul”
2-The driver Involvement.
Some cars are made to go straight and crash in the first turn, others are made to deal with every bend but get left behind at straights, and others simply manage to balance both of them. What car gives the best involvement? It all depends on your choices and preferences, along your desire for sensations. Granted that some cars like Teslas might be quicker than any Supercar off the line, but what the driver has to do? Step on the gas hard and that's it? Would it feel the same on a 1970s drag car that would spin uncontrollably the second you slightly tilted the wheel to one side?
Simracing videogames as well taught me a basic idea of what to expect in some cars and different layouts. AWD cars might have good high speed cornering, but they tend to understeer in low speed bends if thrown carelessly into the bends… as for powerful RWD cars they can be faster in straights, but hard to keep tamed on any corner if you're going too fast. But if you knew the weaknesses, you could exploit the strengths when the track gave you the advantage. It wasn't just picking a car and driving it like a futuristic hovercar from the wipeout games, you had to learn how it handled to get the best… and the more you learned, the more you got involved with the car.
What else I can say? I love my manual gearbox cars, no matter how much more efficient automatic and semiautomatic vehicles are when it comes to performance. You have way more control with 3 pedals, you're forced to get involved with the vehicle and pay attention, to involve yourself in order to get the best out of the car… And now for the last part.
3-The “everything”
Sensations, involvement… what is the last element? I call it the “everything” the balance of both its involvement, it's sensations including what draws the attention of a young enthusiast or a former commutist who has awakened from slumber. Not by their alarm clock but by the sound, the appearance… something that shakes their world awake and draws their attention.
Cars like the Lotus Elise 111R brought me into the automotive world, it wasn't by their noise nor the sensations I experienced... but the appearance that drove me to stare at it like it was a painting in a museum. Cars like the 2006 WRX STI blob eye? Not its looks but the iconic howl of it's flat four at the limit. Once a car snatches your attention you just won't be let go easily until it is gone.
The sensations they bring to whoever drives them, the involvement they need from whoever drives them and the attention they draw from others when driven? In the end, cars with soul often make their presence known to anyone through any of the 3 previously mentioned… And will keep making themselves noticed until the end of times, never forgotten.
Do you think your car has a soul? Leave a comment below!
-Alvaro