The Miura had lots of problems. And I remember reading about how the Ferrari 512 BB, Lambo Countach, and Porsche 930 Turbo were less than super, each in its own way. Hard to live with daily, to see out of, to get out of, and to drive. The Lexus LFA has none of these problems. Like other supercars today, it comes with a superwarranty. And EDOO (Electronic Driver Oops Override).
Once upon a time, supercars did not exist. More precisely, before World War Two, the Duesenberg SJ, Mercedes SSK, and the Alfa Romeo 8C2900 were supercars, with prices to match, but nobody thought to call them that. In the postwar era, cars like the Jaguar XK-120 and XK-E, Mercedes Benz 300 SL, and Ferrari 250 GT were "top of the tree" cars, but nobody called them super. They were called Grand Touring cars because you could cover long distances in them, fast, with luggage. They were affordable compared to my prewar list or today's supercars. In Europe they could be used as intended because traffic was light and speed enforcement was relaxed outside of towns.
Maybe the Miura was "the first supercar" because it was impractical. You couldn't use its big mid-engine power on public roads, or take more than a toothbrush and an AAA card (which you would likely need) with you. Also, by the time of the Miura's heyday, road and racing cars had diverged so much that dual-purpose cars had disappeared. Not many people raced Miuras, fewer successfully. It made a "statement." But, with hindsight, what that statement was, other than your ability to indulge your taste for an objet d art, is hard to understand.
Twenty-first Century supercars have mostly solved the first problem. The LFA and its competitors are dependable and practical in the real world (if you travel light). Their performance is exponentially above what you can use on public roads, unlike '50's and '60's GT's. The solution to that problem is track days. The cars themselves are viceless, and you can learn how to drive yours in safe conditions under professional supervision.
The variety in nameplates and specifications is impressive. It seems that every major firm has a "halo" car, or had one in the last decade. Or will again soon: Honda and Porsche have new supercars in the works. You can have your engine in the front or the back. It can be enormous, big, or small; turbo or not. You can adjust the performance of the car from boulevard cruiser to track demon, without wrenches: just push a few buttons from the driver's seat. Don't want a coupe? Order a convertible. Some of them have raced and done well: Audi, Corvette, Ferrari, McLaren. So they have street cred to the extent that track cred confers it.
But there's one kind of enjoyment supercars can't deliver: using it near its potential on the road. I'm with Jay Leno on this point. In everyday use, a normal car with a good chassis and power train is more fun than a supercar. It is pedaling harder at a given speed or g-force, and needs to be shifted more often, which challenges your skills and brings smiles. (Yeah, I still prefer a lever and a clutch pedal to paddles.) Lest this sound like sour grapes, I'd own a supercar in a heartbeat, and use it at track days, if I could afford one. But even if I had one, I'd want a daily driver that was 2 to 3 liters and stiffly sprung. Take it to the store. Take it to the twisties. After all, you can only do a few track days per year. And, as Killboy says, "You do know you're not the fastest guy out there, don't you?"
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| Scion FR-S: 2 liters, 200 h.p., rear-wheel drive. Maybe not super, but super fun. |
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| Lamborghini Countach: how to give supercar a bad name. In the fun department, "...not so much..." |
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| Porsche 960: green-lighted for 2017 or before. Boxster-based, but with exotic design engineering, power train, and materials throughout. Some of the fun of a Scion FR-S in daily use at 10+ X the price. But a killer car at track days. |
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