Top Performance for Everyone - Sports Cars

Le supercar today too easy and for this less fun?

It will also be trite, but sports cars they are not as cool as they used to be.

I remember the road test Ferrari 512 BB old magazine where Mr. Emerson Fittipaldi expresses his opinion about the car: "The power is really great and it takes a handle to make full use of its 360 hp.".

Almost makes you smile today when you think that Ferrari the maximum power of the seventies had less horsepower than one Mercedes A-Class AMG our days; but perhaps most impressive is the ease with which supercar Today they drive themselves.

I must say that most of the credit goes to electronics: even our mother could drive one. 488 GTB to Esselunga and not die. In 1984 with a Ferrari F40, I don't think so.

It's not just electronic controls watching us. Ordinary cars - and even more supercars - have made a leap forward in both chassis and terms. appeal which is unnatural.

Leap in quality

The most incredible thing is that this improvement took place in just over ten years.

The braking of modern cars, thanks to composite discs, is simply in a different category. But it's not only that. Improved aerodynamics and streamlining have allowed more load to be placed on the rear to prevent it from dumping too much under aggressive braking due to load transfer.

One example is the Nissan GTR, which I do not hide, is one of my favorite cars. The research that has been done to improve braking on the rear axle is manic.

It's the same with the Ferrari 488 GTB: the gap between it and the F430 is enormous, if you think about it, it's been ten years. When braking, the rear of the new red car bumps into the ground, and when accelerating, it transfers power to the ground much more easily, despite being 180 hp. more.

And this is where active aerodynamics comes into play: the vertical load that new supercars can create is really crazy, especially considering the flotation ratio they can get.

The suspensions, active or passive, guarantee much more comfortable handling. The era of hard cars such as surfboards peaked in the late 90s, but luckily it's almost over now.

Some cars still use super-rigid designs, especially those that have “important” mass to hold, but overall the dampers are softer on average and make the car feel more authentic and manageable to the limit by avoiding splashing against the wall. without prior notice at the earliest opportunity.

The right shoes

Modern supercars are more comfortable, friendlier and at the same time damn fast. However, electronics, shock absorbers, brakes and aerodynamics do not take full credit: tires make a big difference. It is not new that the right "shoes" change both behavior and roadholding; but tires have really made a leap in quality over the last decade.

The Carrera GT, produced from 2003 to 2006, was considered jittery and “too cautious” at high speeds at the time.

I don't want to belittle the wild nature of the GT - in fact it really is - but a recent test by a British magazine highlighted the fact that with modern tires it behaves more friendly and less intimidating.

The most purists, or perhaps only the most melancholic, I'm sure they regret the days of 512 BB and grumpy and complex supercars, and on the one hand, I can understand them. But the fact that current supercars are relatively easy to drive and much faster doesn't necessarily mean they are less fun.