Improving the already perfect

Salvador Dali once said, “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.” Well, he obviously underestimated the collective will of automotive engineers. We have various examples in this issue alone that the pursuit of perfection isn’t an intangible target anymore. Take the Lamborghini Huracan for instance. If we were to flip through the history books for precedence, Dali’s view may begin to make sense. You see, a Lamborghini of old was said to be striving for perfection simply by not spontaneously combusting. But the latest Lambo has far loftier goals – as demonstrated by our colleagues in Italy, who took the Huracan and put it through its paces at their test track outside Milan for six hours straight. Apparently, the raging bull has turned into a bit of a timid lamb. It didn’t protest once – not even an errant warning light! Dali must be turning over in his grave. Then there’s Jaguar’s next model, the XE, which is on the cover of this issue. It’s on the verge of being officially unveiled to the world (on the 8th of September in London, watch this space…). Frankly, if I were a Jaguar engineer, I would be fearful of even getting out from under my bed right about now. You see, a well known synonym for ‘perfection’ is ‘BMW 3 Series’ – which is exactly what the XE will be directly up against when its launched. And the world market has become so unforgiving that they expect perfection right out of the gates – anything less, and the model will be relegated to the bottom drawer in perpetuity. Even an all-new model can’t take temporary refuge in a shoulder shrug and occasional excuse. And it’s not just exotics and luxury cars that are relentless in their ability to simply get on with the job at hand. In this issue, Ishan talks about his time with the Honda Amaze. He says he knows it’s a fantastic machine because it’s so reliable and competent that he simply doesn’t have to give it a second thought. He sometimes forgets the make and model, but knows it’s great all the same. And therein lies the problem. I’m of the opinion that you should have to form a meaningful relationship with your machine. You should have to look after it for it to do the same for you. If you forget to top it up with coolant, it should leave you stranded on the side of the road as it steams with fury. It should let you – and only you, its rightful owner – in on the secret to what makes it tick. Otherwise it’s like every other machine on the road – a homogeneous contraption of metal, plastic and rubber that has no personality of its own. Perhaps I’m completely out of touch with reality on this one, but there’s got to be a rational explanation of why a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $38 million recently. Or why Jaguar has decided to build half-a-dozen lightweight E-Types that never quite made it to completion in 1963. It’s because these machines have personality, and, as Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Pulp Fiction teaches us, “Personality goes a long way!”