Calculated irrationality
One of my favourite sections in UniqueCars is Morley’s Workshop and the often quite remarkable correspondence therein, but particularly Mr Morley’s responses to said correspondence. Some of Morley’s responses are, I believe, simply designed to generate further correspondence, sometimes irrational and outraged. But that makes for good reading and is to be encouraged.
In my case I want to
refer to Morley’s response, in Issue 432, regarding handbrake positioning, and his mentioning of features that car designers discarded long ago. Quarter windows, were great in my HD, but f loor-mounted dip-switches? Really? And as for handbrakes, my current vehicle has t he state-of-t he-art elect ric item, positioned perfect ly in t he centre console, and oh so easy to use. If t here’s any discernible delay in its operation, I haven’t noticed.
Eric Groszmann,
Morley Says
IT’S FUNNY you think I’m being deliberately controversial and provocative, Eric. But let me assure you, it all comes pretty naturally. Just ask Mrs M. And I really do miss quarter vents and floor-mounted dip-switches.
Also, I don’t think we’re going to agree on electric park-brakes. I dislike the way they require you to wait for them to disengage. I dislike the way they never seem to operate in the direction they should. I dislike that they require an electric motor to operate them. Most of all I would remind you that the original, manual park-brake lever wasn’t a broken concept and is lovely and tactile and engenders some mechanical sympathy.
To me, replacing a simple, mechanical, arrangement with one that needs whirring motors and a computer to do the same job is hardly progress. Maybe it is okay for a convertible roof which can be tricky to manipulate by hand. But for a spit-simple cable and ratchet, introducing electronics and motors is just being an arsehat and a show-off.
Look at electric power-steering and throttle-by-wire. Sure, both offer fuel economy benefits (unlike an electronic park-brake which does not) but both also offer less feel and feedback to the driver. Since my relationship with cars is about driving them, not bragging about their sophistication at the yacht club, I refuse to accept this new `reality’.
Just call me irrational and outraged. Anybody with me here?