FUTURE PROOF

Paul Horrell on what carmakers and governments can teach each other

Cars reflect us. They’re a distillation and caricature of the way we organise ourselves as a society. In this time when both the automobile and democracy seem to be facing a tumultuous future, it’s worth asking if one might teach us about the other.

In normal times, the first job of government (after defence of the realm) is held to be economic growth. Recent history says that’s unhelpful. In 2012 we were in recession, with memories of the ’08/09 crash. But we also had the Olympics. And we had faith in democracy, as shown by the respectful Scottish referendum campaign. The worst that could be said of the media was that there was phone hacking – not great, but look what followed. That summer, the country felt united and heck, yes, happy.

Here in 2019 the economy is growing, just. Should be happier then. Don’t make me laugh. Faith in democracy is failing, division is rife, racial tensions scary. News is being replaced by factual distortion promulgated by internet giants, perverting our thinking. Growth, then, doesn’t correlate with happiness.

Once we have our basic material needs catered for, what makes us happy is health for our families and friends, and civil relations with our neighbouring citizens and nations. Shouldn’t those be the priorities of government?

What has this to do with cars? Like governments, manufacturers are missing the point. They endlessly chase power and performance. Do those things make me happy? Nope. They mostly mean adding weight and subtracting engagement. They also ignore the real world of ever-lower speed limits and increased surveillance thereof.

Which is why I’m not joining in the kicking that’s being meted out to the new Toyota Supra. People grumble it’s only as fast as the 1993 A80 Supra. Its performance, goes the refrain, doesn’t embody a quarter-century’s worth of progress. Well, it’s quick enough, I say. In fact, the new one feels very like the old one in most characteristics. It has a similar enveloping cabin, similar long-nose curvy styling, similar engine feel. People are criticising it for not being a true heir to the old one, but for all these reasons it emphatically is. By the way, so what if it shares switchgear with the BMW 8-Series? The old one shared with a Starlet, and I know which I prefer.

Strangely, the issue with the new Supra is the same thing that stopped me falling in love with the old one all those years ago. It’s just not communicative or animate enough. The A80 has acquired – via games, movies and aftermarket tuning – a reputation in retrospect it wouldn’t have dreamed of when new.

My favourite cars in 2019 do have Supra performance: BMW M2, Porsche 718 and most of all the Alpine A110, which has less power but is even lighter. They tickle you in gorgeous intimate engagement.

In society, we pursue growth in wealth. In cars, it’s escalation in horsepower. If we fixate on them, they both turn out false.

“I’M NOT JOINING IN THE KICKING THAT’S BEING METED OUT TO THE NEW TOYOTA SUPRA”