23 July

Petrolheads often use the concept of the ‘driver’s car’. They use it to suggest only they know what good driving is, and everybody else should defer to their expertise. It’s bog standard protecting of social territory. As you can see in the clip, nobody can actually define what the term even means. Usually it includes needing to drive a manual, and fast. Except a manual petrol/diesel vehicle is the bottom of the evolutionary tree, for motoring. They cling to it because it defined their social group, growing up. You’ll see how the guy here sneers at the suggestion a Tesla (for example) could be a driver’s car. Which gives the game away. It’s all about territory. You know what I think good driving is, and a driver’s car? Driving is a social activity, so good driving is driving in a way that maximises the experience of everybody on the road. And a car that enables that. That means driving at a constant speed, to keep gaps in the traffic. Driving smoothly. (Also what race car drivers do, it’s the fastest way to get somewhere.) And having the technology to help do that, while keeping everybody safe. Driving like you’re on a race track isn’t better driving. It’s actually easier, because you only have to think of yourself. It’s something for race tracks, not public roads. And good race drivers conserve tyres and drive as smoothly as possible anyway, not like ‘driver’s car’ wankers. Public road driving is not race track driving, though they converge in important ways that don’t resemble ‘driver’s car’ driving at all. It’s not an easier or less skilful form of driving. Race cars that go the fastest are now converging with cars and drivers that drive in the safest and most considerate way on public roads anyway. Lots of driver-assist. Just as happened with planes. And much more powerful drive units, electric in the case of cars. And smooth driving, which gets you there faster than jerky erratic revhead driving. The old driving a ‘stick’ as fast as you can is just old men mostly, desperately clinging to a world that’s leaving them behind at speed. Many young people have no interest in driving at all, let alone ‘driver’s car’ wank driving. And the fastest race cars gave up on a stick years ago. Gears are only there because combustion engines are gutless unless you rev the crap out of them.