Sports Cars - History and Future Implications - Coursework Example

Sports Cars- History and Future Implications Sports Cars- History and Future Implications History Discussing the advent of sports cars is bound to start with the invention of cars themselves. Motorized vehicles were invented in the 80s to replace the traditional horse drawn vehicles. Even though tractors were in use before the invention of a motor car, their purpose was not the transportation of people. Karl Benz invented the first motor car which used an internal combustion engine, in the year 1885. 1873 saw a Frenchman counter Benz’s invention with a steam powered engine as well. However, it is rather interesting to know that the very first race was held in France in the year 1894 between two steam powered tractors and prize money of$5000. The winning tractor had taken 33 hours to cover a distance of 201 mile, which says a lot about the long way sporting races have come since then. The United States of America saw its first automobile race in the next year, 1895, on Thanksgiving Day. This 54 mile race took place in heavy snow covered roads and allowed only 6 cars of the 100 registered to show up for the race. Frank Duryea was the winner of this race with an average speed of 7.3 mph in his car the Duryea. Oscar Mueller, driver of a Benz, was the runner up. These races marked the start of a sporting activity that was to take shape of an official nature of races in the coming times. An event was suggested for international level by the owner of the New York Herald who proposed the idea of the Gordon Bennett Cup which could allow European countries to enter three contestants for cars that they had manufactured in their home country. This proposal was accepted and resulted in six automobile tournaments in the span of six years starting in 1900. As these races took the form of an actual sporting event between countries, it became imperative that it be controlled and strict measures be taken to regulate the races. This is because the increasing number of supporters who came to see the races and the fast, almost rash, driving during the races resulted in many accidents. One accident took place in 1901 in Paris which resulted in the death of eight people. Thus, safety became in innate feature of this sport(Evans, 2011). It can be said that human thirst for speed, power and thrill gave birth to the idea of sports cars. The races were held to compare one car’s power to another. It also became synonymous with bravery and chivalry. This need pushed the manufacturers to produce cars that offered more speed, power and designs to cater to the growing need s of the thrill seeking market. Even though these cars were highly priced during the post second world war era, soon an affordable range was introduced with advanced functionalities, making sports cars available to the masses. Since it was always associated with high class, speed power and thrill, it has become a status symbol in today’sworld to own a sports car. That being said, everything is bound to have is set of pros and cons and it should be ensured that the impact does not become entirely negative by exploitation of the features these sports vehicles have to offer. Sports Cars- Pros and cons Like mentioned earlier, sports cars are synonymous with speed, thrill and power. Since it was an expensive vehicle that was onlywithin the reachof the most affluent and wealthy once, when these cars became affordable the ‘cool’ stigma attached to them stayed. People who look for speed and are hungry for power and control, go for the purchase of a quality sports car. Thus, driving a sports car is said to boost one’s morale and give them a feeling that they are amongst the rich and famous. Performance and speed are two major attributes of sports cars. Needless to say, as the name suggests, they are made for the sport of racing.Hence, their engines are bound to be stronger and more durable as compared to conventional automobiles. Powerful engines allow speed and more control, adding to the thrill of driving. Another advantage of sports cars is theirrecession free nature. These cars are made to speed and hence, they depreciate slower. Even when the overall economy is down, the resale value and demand for sports cars is high. This is because these cars are expected to fare well as compared to other second hand cars. Since their level of depreciation is also slow they tend to fare well for a long time. Thus, a seller of a sports car is likely to get a significant portion of his investment back. As far as the cons are concerned, one can easily think of some on the top of the mind. Linking speeding with roads, these cars are accident prone as the many drivers tend to practice the speed on the roads and succumb to its over-steering features. Due to its made for speed nature, fuelefficiency is usually not the focus of the manufacturers, making it an expensive car to keep. Since sports Cars are usually two seater vehicles thus, they are not a practical car if one has a family. Sports cars are also not ideal to be kept as one’s primary cars as it is hard to get its spare parts. These cars are also very expensive to be insured due to their sporting nature. The above points prove that sports cars are a luxury that thrill seeker and enthusiast can buy either to curb their desire to own a sports car, fulfill their hobby or satisfy one’s desire to be considered amongst the affluent in a society. Thus, it can be said that sports cars are synonymous with power and performance but lack practicality due to their features like over-steering, less accommodation, pricey maintenance etc. it is ideal forenthusiast yet, and even for them it is not a vehicle that they can use in their everyday life. Future of the sport cars Popularity of sports cars have breathed new life into automotive technology development and shaping trends. With widening affordability and increasing demand, many such car manufacturers realize their responsibility towards offering value in terms of faster speed and fuel efficiency keeping in mind the environment, safety and practicality of the vehicle. The scope of electric sports cars has been debated on several occasions. With companies like Tesla having already pioneered in manufacturing electric cars for the masses, a sports car can be assumed as a new opportunity on the horizon. The reason why they can e more successful than the current range of sports cars is because it will offer more safety and less environmental harm. This is because electric engines make use of lithium batteries that hold charge longer and do not requirefuel. The emissions are zero in this case making it more environment friendly. Since the friction in the engine is the key reason for malfunctioning during high speed, electric cars use batteries and the absence offuel will make it safer to drive. Also, electric batteries take up lesser space, thus, there can be an opportunity to make it more spacious to accommodate more than two people(Cars, 2013). Hybrid sports cars are also to hit the market in the upcoming times. For example the Cadillac ELR that offers affordability, safety and environmental friendliness keeping the factors of sports cars intact. Jaguar C-X75 is another car that offers speeding options like 0-60 time under 3 seconds with significantly low carbon emission ratio. Porsche introduced Spyderwhich offers environment friendly system along with additional speed options like push-to-pass, which enables the driver to get extra boost from electric engines from time to time(Haj-Assaad, 2012). Thus it is apparent that the obvious need for fuel efficiency and utility of these sport vehicles has led to the emergence of new technologies that offer greater speed and more functions. Hybrid cars that offer multiple fuel options allow cars to be more fuel efficient and owners to incur lesser costs. Electric engines offer fuel efficiency along with environment friendliness and space availability within the vehicle. With a shift in power from the producers side to the consumers, it has become imperative for car manufacturers to keep in mind the needs and utility sought by the drivers. The overall changein consumer dynamics towards environment friendliness and fuel efficiency has led to innovation that caters to that. Sports car manufacturers have to focus on delivering the key factors sought in sports cars that are speed and luxury, at an affordable price with the conscious effort to minimize the cons associated with sports cars. Famous sports cars/ drivers The best sports cars of all times cannot be a valid list as new technology brings forth vehicles that are better than the previous one. However, Karl Brauer, senior director at Kelley Blue Book a car valuation and Analysis Company, told CNBC the top ten cars according to him. Since he is in an ideal position to judge cars, his stance for determining the success of a car is the level of satisfaction it gives to the driver. He names Lamborghini Miura from 1972 as the 10th best sports cars ever. He rates it so due to the car’s trend setting technology and epic exterior design. The rare Ferrari 250 GTO is another car on the list of the best cars in history due to its exceptional demand, road worthiness andclassic look. Acura NSX, Jaguar E-Type, Dodge Viper,Shelby Cobra, Mazda MX-5 Miata are some other cars on the list that have made it to the list of the best due to their high horsepower, classy exterior and thrill factor(CNBC.com, 2013). Out of these Miata is also a world record holder for the most sold sports car in history. The top three cars have been in production for more than 50 years to date. They are Mercedes-Benz SL- known for its luxury, style and performance, Chevrolet Corvette- known for its exceptional power and low prices and lastly and number one, the Porsche 911 which is known for its historically proven performance and intricately engineered designing. Famous sports cars drivers are also known as formula one racer. These racers compete in international racing tournaments and are acknowledged worldwide for their driving skills and ability to control the vehicle’s performance and speed. Juan Manuel Fangio is known as one of the most respected racers of all time. He has 5 titles to his credit and was known to beat even the youngest of opponents on the tracks. Jim Clark is also a well-known formula racer of all times due to his exceptional control on the road and smooth driving skills. Ayrton Senna is an ideal example of a racing enthusiast who showed his passion in every raced he participated in and ultimately gave up his life on the tracks as well(Orlove, 2012). Michael Schumacher is a well-known name in the world of racing due to his effortless racing and 7 world championships wins. Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham and James Hunt are just few of the many famous names in the world of sport racing. Conclusion The thrill a driving enthusiast drives from speeding effortlessly is best understood by their glowing testimonials regarding racing. Sports cars are an important feature in this sport ad technological advancement and change In trends has led to development of newer faster and more efficient sports cars models. However, making them available to the masses poses a question mark. This is because sports cars are meant to offer adventure and danger which is harmful if exercised on the roads. Manufacturers have taken into account their responsibility in ensuring that the sports cars made for the masses are safer, fuel efficient and offer greater utility. References: CNBC.com. (2013). The 10 greatest sports cars of all time. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101222096/page/11 [Accessed: 18 Feb 2014]. Orlove, R. (2012). The greatest formula one drivers of all time. [online] Retrieved from: http://jalopnik.com/5960835/the-greatest-formula-one-drivers-of-all-time [Accessed: 18 Feb 2014]. Cars, T. (2013). The future of electric sports cars - electriccarsdaily. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.electriccarsdaily.com/the-future-of-electric-sports-cars/ [Accessed: 18 Feb 2014]. Haj-Assaad, S. (2012). Top 10 progressive sports cars of the future. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/05/top-10-progressive-sports-cars-of-the- future.html/8 [Accessed: 18 Feb 2014]. Evans, A. (2011). History of sports cars. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.sportscardigest.com/history-of-sports-cars/ [Accessed: 18 Feb 2014]. Read More