Creating an Enduring Automobile

I am amazed at the ability of contemporary automobile manufactures to constantly reinvent their products. Now, that is not to say that every major modification to a given brand is well-received--witness the divisive effect Chris Bangle had on the BMW brand. However, even amidst the myriad (justified) critiques of contemporary automobile manufacturers--from design flaws, to efficiency worries, to drastic financial mismanagement--we can, at the very least, credit them with this admirable characteristic: they are not afraid to reinvent their products. Of course, whether such changes are something to praise or are completely misguided is another matter.

Contemporary automobile manufacturers are caught in a perilous position when it comes to reinventing their products. Quite simply, they cannot, financially speaking, afford to make a substantial mistake in revolutionizing their products. The trouble, however, is that they must respond to the current economic crisis with products that will sell or, well, you know what will result...

Manufacturers have been, understandably, cautious with their recent products. They have responded to the customer's paramount need for economical automobiles by improving the gas milage of their vehicles and flooding the advertisement scene with enlarged fonts displaying the "astounding" miles-per-gallon figures of their vehicles. They have witnessed and responded to the influence of the "going green" movement on everyday society by offering hybrid vehicles throughout their model line-up--once reserved for less-expensive economy cars, hybrid engines are now offered by many manufacturers in their flagship vehicles. These instances are the result of simple market research and good old common sense (and a little bit of desperation): the consumer wants this kind of product, and we need to sell vehicles, so we are going to make exactly what they want and save the revolutionary ideas for a more financially-friendly environment.

Now, to some, that last statement will result in some strong objections. Granted, manufacturers made remarkable strides in developing more efficient vehicles. And, yes, there is a great deal to be said for good market research. However, it is very difficult for manufacturers to keep up with the fluctuations of contemporary consumer needs, not to mention impossible to account for every customer's every need. This is somewhat of a general principle, though it is especially true in the automobile world. How, then, do you create a product that will sell in the middle of a dramatically-weakened world economy? What kind of vehicle will be so awe-inspiring, so irresistible, so simply perfect that seeing one for sale on the lot would tempt the potential buyer to forgot his now-saturated 401k and purchase it?

First, it starts with a simple fact, of which manufacturers are well aware, but need to reminded of from time to time: caution addresses short-term worries, but caution does not endure in the automobile world. Nobody needed a Lamborghini Miura, but the people at Lamborghini, God bless them, thought it would be nice to build it, and now it stands as one of the first true supercars. Nobody needed to spend fortunes on SUV fuel, but Chevrolet still built the Suburban, which became the most popular large SUV since the birth of the SUV marketplace. Nobody needed a small, impractical, shamelessly unreliable sports car with the engine where the trunk should be, but the Porsche 911 became, second perhaps only to the Corvette, the quintessential example of an enduring sports car icon.

The common thread in these examples is a more bold approach by manufacturers. Instead of merely producing vehicles with features pertinent to the needs of the times, manufacturers effectively said, "Don't worry--we'll still listen to your suggestions--but look at what we just developed: we think that you need this car." In a time when some may say that there is simply no way for automobile manufacturers to regain the confidence of their shareholders--or the average consumer for that matter--it is my hope that they will be more bold with their new products. Remember the sentiment with which the automobile industry was started over a century ago: yes, a horse will do the job, but you need to try this...

Climate Changes and the Car Enthusiast

I have never been one to give much credence to conspiracy theories or doomsday proclamations. Quite frankly, things are rarely as bad as they may seem. Furthermore, the mass media is perhaps the worst medium from which to glean any information about the actual state of things. That said--and perhaps having undermined myself--this article from the Economist has been a bit of an eye-opener for me. Without being overly flippant, this is the greatest threat to the planet since the Enterprise had to fly back in time to get a couple of humpback whales.

They Went Back in Time... and Saved the World
(Image Credits: healthcare.zdnet.com)

More than that, it has been rolling around in my head for days now. As an engineer, as a person, and, most crucially, as a car guy, what does this mean for me, to me, and for my children? At the risk of digressing from the mandate of this blog, I address the first two personalities in a purely philosophical sense.

As an engineer, I remain cautious. In order for any statements about a trend in observed data to be made, there must be objectivity. Science has lately forsook the objective view for one of seeking a desired result. This is perilous, particularly when addressing something so globally important as climate change. While I would not be so crass as to suggest that the conclusion reached by the scientists in the Economist that melting polar ice is accelerating rising sea levels is merely because they have believed this to be the case prior to their findings, it is a bit worrying that the Economist says that 'The reason for the rapid change in the predicted rise in sea levels is a rapid increase in the information available.' Nevertheless, anyone who has ever poured water over a glass of ice knows that when there is liquid water present, the ice melts faster.

As a person, I feel a small amount of dread. The G20 leaders will be meeting in London this week and it seems that imminent economic woes will diminish any possibility of traction on international action to mitigate climate change. These leaders, no matter how much we may lambast them, are not stupid. They know that, relatively speaking, their citizens are infinitely more concerned with the bottom line of their checking account than they are with the mercury in the thermometer. A person of any sensibility must feel a measure of hopelessness at the whole situation; without a planet, there can be no economy. Yet, until the day that environmental measures move from the fringe to the fore, sustainability and economy will remain different shades of green.

That said, I consider it my duty, both as an engineer and a man but foremost as a car enthusiast, to project what climate change will mean for our beloved four-wheeled friends.

No single man, country, or inanimate object has born the wrath of environmentalist ire for climate change, global warming, and dead pandas as has the automobile. Why? In one engineering ethics discussion I attended at university, the majority of the room said that they did in fact believe that the car was the worst invention in the history of mankind. I mean, by comparison with the atomic bomb, the machine gun, chemical weaponry, facism, American Idol, and Russell Brand, how could the car not be singled out as the enemy of the species.

The Panda Has One Natural Predator: the Car
(Image Credits: www.engadget.com)

As will later be demonstrated, in the year 2007 cars, vans, and even the maligned SUV accounted for a relatively piddling amount of fuel consumption relative to those elephantine users of the roadways: trucks. Most people do not give much thought to where their food or clothes come from, how they got to them, and how they were made. These three things vastly outstrip the individual energy usage of any one person on a day-to-day basis when they are subtracted (see the full report here).

Returning to the question I posed: why, then, the car? Simple: people want to believe that they can make a difference. Cars have been maligned because a great number of the trips that people make in a car, like the conversations they have on their cell phones, are superfluous. A neighbor may live no more than a half-mile away in a suburban neighborhood, but we're still inclined to drive to dinner. We're also constantly inundated with examples of how much higher fuel prices are in Europe and also how the Europeans have embraced public transportation in a manner that is entirely foreign to us. Living in Europe, I can say that public transport is a very good thing. It would also require a radical shift in thought in the American psyche to garner any support.

This is Public Transport to Many Americans
(Image Credits: www.freefoto.com)

Thus, many people feel that if they buy a more fuel efficient car, or if they reduce their trips, they will be doing something themselves to alleviate global warming, or at least the suffering of pandas. By targeting the car, people have both a tangible enemy and avenue. If people were told to lobby against fuel subsidies for truck freight it would just seem like partisan hogwash. Another reason that the car is so under attack is the media. When it comes to the energy use statistics presented above, it is clear that 'transportation' makes up a large amount of the pie (see pie below). However, as presented in the plot below, the vast majority of this 'transportation' is freight and not, to use government parlance, personal vehicle miles.

Energy Use by Sector and Transportation Fuel Usage (AER 2007)
(Image Credits: www.eia.gov)

However, in order to relate to their viewers, the media presents it as if their viewers are single-handedly responsible for the end of the world. Cars are a form of transport, people use cars, therefore, it must be so. Except that it isn't. Furthermore, as the reaction to the automakers 'financial woes' demonstrated (even in this very blog), the auto companies are large, impersonal, and unpopular.

An Artist's Rendering of General Motors Global HQ
(Image Credits: larvalsubjects.wordpress.com)

It doesn't matter whether you are liberal or conservative; chances are you have a bone to pick with the automotive industry. If you're liberal, you can't stand the coddled, controlling, conniving managers at the top. If you're conservative, you can't stand the way that unions have an American institution by the cojones. Furthermore, it's all related to something that you have in your own driveway. To sum up--and cool down--the car is familiar, relatable, and understandable. Because of these things, it is the natural scapegoat.

Now, car enthusiasts have often balked at the idea of global warming. I do not want to get lumped in with this group; my own reasons for doubting global warming in the past had nothing to do with my position on the automobile. An attack on the car is like an attack on ourselves. All the solutions that get bandied about popularly are either boring or remove the car entirely. How can this possibly be a solution for the gearhead? You might as well tell the football player that contact sports have been made illegal by federal law. Car enthusiasts love for the car often blinds them to wider issues much the same as the G20 leaders are blind, themselves. No planet, no cars, end of story. What is the future, then, for the car enthusiast?

Firstly, car guys have to appreciate the fact that the landscape will and must change. While todays cars are more efficient, powerful, and better engineered than their predecessors, the horsepower days have jumped the shark. In the near future, a step forward is going to mean a step backward, in a relative sense. But this is not all bad. It opens up new and exciting possibilities. The idea of a 'hot rod' may be redefined. Rather than having 'shade tree mechanics' maybe we'll have 'shade tree software engineers' or 'shade tree electrical engineers.' Yes, we may be witnessing the end of an era. But we're also poised to see the birth of a broader number of possibilities than we have witnessed in our lifetime.

Like the Fonz, So Passeth the Days of Horsepower
(Image Credits: www.pcworld.com)

Secondly, we will see a wealth of new powerplants. Fuel cells, biofuels, diesels. As exciting and familiar as the gasoline-powered car is, even this engineer admits that the formula might be getting a little stale. This all ties in with what I just said; the ol' boys will adjust. In order to be commercially viable, these new and 'complicated' technologies will have to be simple enough to be maintained by Joe Mechanic. Amateur chemistry, anyone? It is also my duty to inform you that these engines will not be as powerful or refined as your familiar friend in the driveway. But, again deferring to your sensibility, you cannot expect anything conceived in the last five or ten years to be as sorted as a device that has endured more than 100 years of concentrated development. Daniel LaRusso had to wax the floor before he could beat the Cobra Kai. I'm just saying.

The Obligatory Karate Kid Reference
(Image Credits: threebrothersandasister.blogspot.com)

Thirdly, the enthusiasts pool will narrow. In our world of cheap cars and even cheaper gasoline, inspired by the god-man Vin Diesel, every yob on the block wants to be a street racer. It's a pubescent hormonal reaction with gasoline. Classic cars will continue to be with us, as they should be. They are as much works of art in engineering as any bridge or building that has ever been listed for preservation. However, I envision that the gasoline powered car enthusiast will become like the model steam train engineer. Okay, maybe the field will be a bit broader, but make no mistake, it's going to become more of a niche than it already is.

"I live my life a quarter-scale, coal-powered train model at a time."- Vin Diesel
(Image Credits: filmgordon.wordpress.com)

It segues nicely, into my last point. In fact, it is not even my own idea. It comes from the most unlikely of chins: Jay Leno. As many of you may know, Jay owns a car or two. Without being disrespectful, I know that I'm waiting for the day when Jay goes up to meet Johnny C and Ed in the comedy club in the sky and the Jay Leno Museum opens. In an episode of James May's Big Ideas, Jay broke with auto enthusiast ranks and said that he is absolutely, 100% in favor of alternatively fueled vehicles. His reason? Because with more people driving them it frees up car guys to keep doing what they do. If we have the fuel cell car for the week, we can have the Hemi on the weekend. Now that's not a joke, that's just good ol' fashioned common sense. It's something that you, me, and the pandas can live with.

Jay Leno: Car Guy or Modern Prophet?
(Image Credits: www.latimes.com)

A Realizable Dream Car

Being a car enthusiast is an easy thing most of the time. Most of the time, you sit around telling everybody else what is wrong with their cars. Or, frankly, what is wrong with any car. The trouble is that this rapidly descends into pointless snobbery. If, as it would seem, no car is worth owning, then what car, as an enthusiast, would you pick? Mercifully, I don't have this dilemma at the moment. While at one point in time I was the owner of an 80% functional Grand National, I now find myself living in Europe without great need of a personal automobile. My wife and I are considering joining a car sharing scheme; expect more on that later, for sure. When we move back to the USA, though, I will face my reckoning. For the sake of science and curiosity, let's engage in a little thought experiment; who doesn't like pretending it's the future? Now that it's not my parents' money, now that it's my own dollars down on the table, how will I answer that question that I've so thoroughly convinced everyone else that they've answered wrongly?

The simple answer is that I won't. The great thing is that every one of my car guy friends will tell me exactly what is wrong with the car that I bought; that's part of the deal. And I will, in spite of all sensibility, defend my purchase to the point where there is no doubt, none whatsoever, that the car that I have bought is the absolute best possible car for the money and that there is no other car in the world that could have met my specifications.

Now, for the uninitiated, I am not talking about a car that you would use for the everyday. No, that is an entirely different subject. That in, fact, involves turning the brain on and doing what most people call 'thinking.' What I'm referring to is the impulse purchase. The purchase of the heart and not the head. The dangerous sort of purchase that leads men down paths of personal fiscal darkness. Being an engineer, though, there will be an air of sensibility to my choice.

As much fun as it is to wax on about 'dream cars,' few of us will ever find ourselves in that situation where our cars can get out of our dreams, and well, something like what Billy Ocean said. That's for the castles in the sky, not this particular column. For us, then, we need to find what I like to call 'realizable dream cars.' These are the cars that we would love owning almost as much as any of those unattainable cars, but that are within a couple of zip codes of our wallets.

Enough wittering, let's get down to my top three contenders.

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1. The 2002 BMW M Coupé

The 2002 BMW M Coupé 'Shoe GTi'
(Image Credits: www.dtmpower.net)

Oh now I know what you're all thinking. It looks like a shoe. And you're right, it does look like a shoe. But a fast shoe. An incredibly fast shoe. Alright, its looks are indefensible, but the engineering is spotless. This is a car that BMW was so enamored with--in that deliciously German way--that they proudly listed on the specifications that it had a perfect 50-50 weight distribution. In fact, each car was tuned on a balance table at the factory before being sold to ensure that it met this criteria. The result? Brilliantly balanced handling that almost no other front-engined car in the world can match. Certainly, no car within the price range. The real party piece of the M Coupé, though, is the engine. The Z3 M Coupé was sold slightly out of sync with the M3. Hence, the 1999-2001 models had the same I6 engines as the same model year M3s. In 2002, though, BMW came out with a brand new M3. As a result, the 2002 M Coupés were blessed with the new S54 I6. The difference? A power jump from just under 200 bhp to 333 bhp. Therefore, there is absolutely no question that the 2002 models will become the most desirable with time. I've gone for a ride in a 1999 M Coupé and it is admittedly no slouch. However, a 2002 M3 will sell for a premium of almost $10,000 over a contemporary M Coupé. For some reason, likely down to the looks, the M Coupé remains unpopular with the market. Frankly, that makes it a great deal more desirable to nerds like me. It makes it that little bit harder for me to justify it to everybody. But there is no question, this car is the king of the 'knowing nod' from anyone who knows anything.

2. 1993-1996 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo (Mark IV)

The 1993 Toyota Supra Mark IV Twin Turbo
(Image Credits: www.desperateseller.co.uk)

Yet another controversial choice. Not only has he yet to throw out an American possibility (here's a hint: I won't), he's gone with the Supra? A difficult choice, I know. It's a Toyota. It was made famous by The Fast and the Furious. It was featured in Tokyo Midnight Club Racing. Uh oh, it's made the ever-fatal Paul Walker-Sega Dreamcast game connection. This raises its nerd-o-meter level beyond that of the M Coupé. Yet, at the same time, on careful consideration, the Supra is a brilliant choice.

It was at that moment that Vin Diesel and Paul Walker realized their fates were forever to be connected with both the Sega Dreamcast and the Toyota Supra
(Image Credits: www.slashfilm.com)

First of all, it also has an I6 engine. If that isn't enough, it is a Toyota I6. My dad's boss once had a Lexus ES300 that had roughly the same engine. The man never changed the oil in the car. It was the only diesel powered ES300 in the country. But the damn thing kept running. That is, to me, the biggest selling point of the Toyota. Yes, yahoos owned them over the past 16 years. But even a yahoo could not defeat Japanese engineering. While a reasonably priced Supra will undoubtedly have been modded by someone with at least six piercings to the point of implosion (and, therefore, require a substantial investment in rebuilding), this is an undeniably fast and exclusive car.
The appeal of the Toyota over the BMW is, first of all, the dealer support network. While the service at BMW dealerships is flawless, you pay for flawlessness. Toyota dealerships are everywhere and they will be able to get parts. Second of all, even if the car needs some work, it will still run. The same may not be said for the BMW. Also, the Supra is a favorite of shade-tree mechanics from sea to shining sea; I don't know if I could do more than change the oil in the M Coupé without consulting ein Manualfabrik. As you can tell, my German ain't great.
The trouble with the Supra, image problems aside, is that they remain wildly overpriced. I was shocked to discover that a Supra in decent condition will run a solid $30,000. The M Coupé is just as fun a car, with a more exclusive badge, and it costs $5k-$10k less. While Supras sold for $30,000 new, the reason they stopped selling them in '96 is because the price was extortionate. While the near classic status of the Mark IV Supra almost justifies the price now, I maintain that it does so only almost. It remains on my list, nonetheless.

3. The 1987-1993 Porsche 911

The 1987 911 3.2 Carrera S. Like the Rose Bowl, the Granddaddy of Them All.
(Image Credits: www.tiscali.co.uk)

Unfortunately, my compatriots have tuned out. The fact that I could overlook the Corvette and that I could in fact choose the 911 over the Corvette is anathema. The 911 is a classic and an icon. It's quirky, cute, and a purebred racehorse. It's so well-engineered that nothing could possibly go wrong. Well, almost nothing. The engine is still in the wrong end of the car. It also uses a massive amount of oil. It has all the attendant image problems of the other cars; perhaps more so.

A Typical 911 Owner
(Image Credits: img.dailymail.co.uk)

There is something deep inside all car enthusiasts that tells them that the 911 is a poseur car. With the advent of the water-cooled 911, this became especially true. While it was the only way that Porsche could continue improving the venerable H6 engine, it made the 911 more like other cars. Now was it no longer a curious holdover from a different era; it had given up pursuing its own tack. You could no longer trace the 911's history in one unbroken line to the Roman Empire, when they too used air cooled Porsches called 'horses.'

The Porsche 911 (993). The Pinnacle of Air-Cooled Motoring.
(Image Credits: www.fahrcar.com)

Hence, I insist upon having one of the late run air cooled Porsches. The 911 feels like an easy choice, and maybe it is. It is not the cheap choice. Parts come from Germany and it can be a bear to work on in many ways. However, that does not change the fact that there is a lot to enjoy about these incredibly reliable and fast machines. While it would not be as exclusive as the M Coupé or as reliable as the Toyota, the Porsche's strengths are its heritage, its engineering acumen, and its oddity.

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Now is not the time for a verdict. I'm sure that my interests will wax and wane with time. My possibilities span cars from nearly two decades and the three hardly seem comparable. Yet, all three are reasonable, sensibly insensible choices. Any of them would be a worthy addition to a real garage; particularly for the hard-working and interested. In the meantime, I'm going to return to my palace in the air; where the Japanese cars are desirable, the German cars are passionate, and the Italian cars never break down.