There is no point in that Porsche engine off the race track. Either the driver is fast, or the car is, and never both except for well trained drivers on the track.
Sure there is! The performance is just one feature of the engine. It has immense character, sound and response - possibly one of the best engines ever made. You don't need to drive it fast or irresponsibly on the road to enjoy it. It's like cycling with a carbon fiber race bicycle on the road. Just because you're not exploiting it to it's full potential on a velodrome doesn't mean you can't enjoy it sensibly in other situations.
Ferrari have built their brand on road cars with high revving, naturally aspirated V8 and V12s - primarily designed as Gran Tourers rather than track cars.
More evidence of this can be seen in the consumer demand for 911 Speedster, of which only 1948 cars will be built - and is looking to be one of the best Gran Tourers ever made.
And despite all of that character, you driving one down my street has more negative externatlities for me when I admire it as you roll past than a comparable electric car would.
I grew up reading Road & Track and Car and Driver, lusting after cars like the McLaren F1 and Acura NSX... but now I don't own a car at all, and live in a dense urban environment, and find it pretty annoying when someone's desire to show off their supercar leads to them riding up the avenue at high RPM in first gear, leaving both noise pollution and real emissions in their wake. Its the same annoyance I get when a truck drives by and uses its engine brake, or when a particularly poorly modified Civic with a soda can where the muffler should be rattles and roars down the block, or one of the fancy new hybrid grocery delivery trucks that still has an old reefer unit that belches black exhaust when it turns on is parked at the corner. None of these vehicles - modified or not, beautifully engineered or not - has a place contributing those noise and particulate and CO2 emissions in our densely populated regions.
I respect the precision and craftsmanship. I love reading about the stats and design notes. I'd unquestionably love to take one for a spin on a track. But I'd also fully support a total ban of ICE vehicles in dense urban areas, where the joy the driver gets from driving is far outweighed by the cost to the other people around them.
I understand what you're saying, but your generalizations aren't fair.
What you're talking about are wealthy people who like to show off and do so by driving supercars fast around cities and other densely populated areas. Take supercars away from them and they will simply find other ways to show off. Take away the supercar and what will fill their place? Perhaps Tesla Roadsters and P100Ds doing launch controls at the traffic lights? I too get frustrated at noisy EK3 Civics with fart can exhausts, who are just trying to show off too, but without the supercar.
For every loser revving their car through densely populated areas and disturbing residents or driving dangerously, there are hundreds of enthusiasts who are respectful and courteous. These people are rebuilding their engines in their garages, taking their cars to the track, or to some of the best driving roads in the world. NOT through Knightsbridge or Avenues of Americas.
I'm sorry you have to put up with that crap, but is it fair to deprive people who are responsible and take their pride and joy somewhere where they don't upset lots of people just because a minority ruin it for the rest of us?
The electric-car age, combined with environmental concerns, is ultimately going to limit car enthusiasts. My solution: cycling. It feels 1000x more fun than cars. I used to dig cars, and race them too. I'm now like the parent and no longer have a car because I use my bicycle (now I feel like a tourist of the unlucky people when I drive). Cycling is so much fun because it demands everything out of you: going fast requires intelligence (or an intelligent coach), incredible will power, fitness (which you build), and situational awareness. Instead of caring about the mechanics of an engine and the car, I care now about my physiology (which is amazing), and learn how to understand the uncountable ways we fatigue. My retirement will find me with muscles like those of a 40-year old. Bike racing is very intellectually taxing, and it is a shame that it is under appreciated in the U.S.
