Technology, marketing and history (I think)

Ranting and raving about “some subject”…

(image source: here Porsche 959 -left- and Ferrari F40 -right- in a drag race)

You can talk for a million years about how apple twisted their situation, from a miserable computer manufacturer into an innovative company that inspires millions around the world with its brilliant ideas and elegant designs, but no, I am not talking about that already-known example, because you already know it.

I will take this example from one of Richard Hammond’s episodes on Top Gear UK, the 1986 Porsche 959, and the 1987 Ferrari F40, I am not a fan of these car manufacturer in particular –I just love Mercedes and there’s a place for only one in my heart, it’s already occupied- but anyway, the Porsche 959 that took the street legal production cars to almost 195 MPH (314 KPH), when Boris Becker maxed his 959 on the Italian highway. The car was equipped with sensors and electronics that wasn’t introduced before in Lamborghinis or Ferraris, and although the price was 150,000 £ it cost Porsche 300,000 £ to build.

The twin-turbo engine produced 444 horse powers, and the clever 4 wheel drive system not only distributed the power on each wheel according to how much grip it had, but also depending on how aggressively the driver will take corners or press the throttle/brakes! It was unbelievable for that time!

And with the tire pressure sensors, adjustable suspension and electric adjustable/heated seats, the package was complete, and a bargain!

The Ferrari F 40 of next year, however, was something else, a body shell (they call it Monocoque I think), it was made entirely out of Carbon Fiber (back then it was just starting to make its way in Formula One racing, very fancy composite material, several times stiffer than steel and several times lighter than it!), it was extremely light weight, and the weight shedding process (as some people prefer to call it) went to very new levels, there was no power steering, no electric windows, two light-fabric strings as door handles, and no carpets but it had windscreen wipers!

The cars look very different, as one of them is all about the last thing in technology and the other is a twin turbo V-8 Go Cart, but since then the face of that industry –super cars- have changed forever.

The competition is now about exquisite composite materials (like the new Carbon fiber-Titanium alloy from Pagani), also the computers thing, you can’t find a super car without very advanced traction control or sophisticated ECU

Some cars –however- were exceptions, like the McLaren F1 of 1995, that car didn’t even have ABS, but it had very fancy materials like the Carbon Fiber body and the Gold engine bay (because gold is very good in diffusing heat), so it still didn’t break the rules set by these two cars.