Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

Super Cars, What do they tell us about ourselves? (Besides reminding us how poor we are?)

2,998,000.00 Base price for this Bugatti Chiron.
I'll take two!

This Rorschach test blot serves much the same function of that Bugatti pictured above.

The Rorschach test requires us to project our thoughts about an ambiguous ink blot that can reveal deep insights into our psychological functioning. It can help reveal what is important to us. The things that motivate, frighten, and disturb us. We can see what we want to see, which is the whole basis of projection.

The Bugatti is more than just an ambiguous mass, but as an enthusiast I will project my feelings about the car, and it becomes a reflection on me. I have certain preconceived ideas about the Bugatti, the people who own and drive them, and their motivations for doing so. They may, or may not be valid, but my feelings and beliefs are probably quite firmly held. Practically speaking the Bugatti has no real relevance to my everyday life. Just like that ink blot!

At the top of the heap there will always be the favored few. The most talented, the most attractive, the most favored and the most exclusive. These entities move about in a rarefied air. They have their own reality quite distinct from mine and I would guess most of the rest of us.

They are like the Celestial bodies that travel in their own orbits far above the teeming masses below.

These objects display the ultimate: in performance, beauty, cost, and exclusivity. Ownership of one of these vehicles confers this same status to the owner. At least the status of considerable wealth.

The Zonda by Horacio Pagani.
The story behind the man and the car is very compelling.

While the levels of achievement are extremely high and the difference from the proletarian machines is quite substantial, the actual differences can end up being almost irrelevant. The speed that these vehicles can achieve far surpasses any needs rational or irrational. Realistically the opportunity to fully exploit this level of performance rarely exists.

Gotta slip in a picture of an Aston Martin whenever possible.

In Roman times the populace believed that superior beings were inhabiting the heights of Olympus and there they were involved in the intrigues of the Gods. The peasant tilling in the fields below had little connection to the clestial goings on.

As I wrote once before, there are a few different reactions that we can have towards these cars.

One reaction is fascination, awe, and envy. This is the natural response. They are definitely interesting. The story behind the car's development, and in the case of the Pagani, the man, are quite inspirational. These cars are the top strata of the automotive hierarchy. We can be forgiven for wanting to possess such a creation and we can dream about it as a "lottery winning" fantasy.

The other is a blase dismissal. They are irrelevant. They are vehicles that serve no purpose as practical automobiles. They are just the toys of the rich and vacuous.

They can be a hated symbol of the excesses of the rich and a rallying point for the Masses' culture war. An instrument of the "Ugly American" although extreme wealth has never been restricted to just this country.

The crass display of wealth goes back a long way in America.
This image is from the book "The Insolent Chariots" by John Keats.

By their nature these car were never designed to be enjoyed by the masses, and many times they have just been used as a shameless display of wealth.

But what is really new about that?

In the past, the elite lived in palaces and castles. Huge estates with an army of servants. All of this was way above the experience of the mere commoner. Luckily, the history of Democracy in our country has made it possible for many more to enjoy a higher standard of living, and the opportunity to benefit from their labor.

There are many that are focused on the upcoming wedding of the Royals. They are fascinated by the preparations and the goings on. They might say that the occasion will add excitement and the spice of romance to their lives. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as they don't end up detesting the ordinary circumstances of their own life.

As a car enthusiast I do enjoy and appreciate the degree of engineering and performance that these cars display. They can showcase up to the minute engineering that may eventually trickle down to more mainstream models.

Are they rich guys toys? Certainly.  As the Rich have gotten richer so have their toys. I don't mind that they used to buy these high priced trinkets, but I do wish that they hadn't started going around buying up so many desirable old cars!

Oh well. Let the stars shine. Look at the Aurora Borealis, watch that comet crossing the sky. We can all enjoy the view, after all it's free.

Magnificence without any cost.

Nothing about these super cars should dilute the interest and affecction that we have for the cars that we can experience and own in our real world.

The existence of the Bugatti shouldn't affect our interest in a 2015 Mustang GT or a 1954 Ford Mainline coupe, or a '66 VW Beetle.

If it does, then maybe we weren't the car guys we thought we were.