It's amazing to see how the automotive market has changed in the past 15-20 years.
BMW was a marque that only knew how to build driver's cars and today it seems as though it's forgotten how to make magic, with exception of a model here or there. Porsche has a greater focus on its sport-utility vehicles and sedans than its high-performance models. And, all-new disruptors — like Tesla — are redefining cool in the automotive sector.
I think it's safe to say that we can see the horizon in the automotive space. Urban areas are doing their best to get the masses to take public transit and some cities are banning internal combustion engines (ICEs) completely. Autonomous driving is a hot topic and there's clearly a race to see who will deliver a Level 5 car first. Hell, it may not even be an automaker that gets the checkered flag.
But there's one thing that's been interesting to see in the past 12-18 months. Enthusiasts are coming out in droves and they're uniting. Across the country cars and coffee events have exploded and movements like #SaveTheManuals have some real force. Although automated manuals are taking over, there's signs of life according to BMW's M head honcho — see quote below.
The coolest thing I've seen in a long time is the debut of the Porsche 911 T. In a day and age where the 991.2 delivers the most luxurious 911 yet, the company decided to go back to basics with hardcore stuff like removing the radio/navigation headunit, using cloth seating and thinner glass.
So, I've got to ask: Are we currently experiencing "the last hurrah" as it relates to high-performance automobiles as we know them? While performance won't go away, it won't be pure with ICEs and do-it-yourself transmissions.
What say you, Spies?
...“The M2 is tracking at 40-50% above our expectation in terms of sales, with almost half of buyers specifying a manual,” he told Autocar. “Demand for cars like the M2, which is probably our purest M product today, has surprised us, and that opens opportunities for building more extreme cars, in the vein of GTS and CSL heritage models.
“Any car that has true heritage to motorsport is an opportunity for us. New markets are always opening for those cars and that will increase, so long as we keep building cars that are sufficiently special..."
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