The Changes In Automobiles: A Century of Development

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is an incredible issue of the magazine! One of these days you’re going to stop taking me seriously when I say that, but not today I hope. After all, just look at that cover would you? You see, it’s not everyday that Ferrari launches an all-new model. And, as far as I’m concerned, this is the most exciting one of the lot – the one with the V8 right behind the driver, literally tickling the hair on the back of his or her neck. It’s no surprise, though, that the engine has been downsized – from 4.5 litres to 3.9. That’s not to say that it has less power though – a pair of turbos ensure 99 extra cavallino rampante, or prancing horses (that’s 99, not 100, Ferrari doesn’t like round figures apparently). Reducing engine size and tacking on a pair of turbos isn’t exactly revolutionary, but the manner in which the likes of BMW (with the M3) and Ferrari (with the California T and now the 488 GTB) are doing so is pretty impressive. Not only have they all but managed to eliminate turbo lag, but they’ve been able to retain sweet sounding motors as well – mind you, they’re nowhere near as sonorous as their naturally aspirated predecessors. What is turbocharged and sounds about as feral as anything on four-wheels is the Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG. Now, it’s not on the cover of this issue but spending a week with the legendary Gelandewagen was my highlight of the past few weeks. If you follow this magazine, you’ll know that I like my machines analogue – and the G-Wagen is more old school than a transistor radio. But even I wasn’t sure about the weeklong sojourn with the G 63. By the time it came to an end though, the square lines, side pipes, and rumbling V8 had seduced me completely. I shudder to think of the day when we’ll have to give up indulgences like these altogether and get our kicks from whining electric motors instead. That being said, there are some electric whines that I don’t exactly have a problem with – the one from the front of the BMW i8 is exhibit A. God, it’s good! The Bavarian engineers have taken everything they’ve learned from a century of automotive development and crammed it into this space-age machine. Where they’re being let down though is by the folks who squeeze the oversized laptop batteries into these hybrid and electric vehicles. Unfortunately, battery technology is almost there – but not quite there as yet. Nevertheless, the i8 is a great machine – it’s a bold ray of light in an opaque future. The truth is, though, if it’s taken a century to develop the combustion engine to where it is now, we’ve got to allow engineers time to massage more power and range into the EV’s they’re so desperately trying to get us excited about. Patience is a virtue after all. But power corrupts – and absolute power corrupts absolutely, which is why I’m absolutely clear in my mind that I want the G 63 back. Immediately c’est vous plait!