Joost:
RC:
Those who buy cars only based on looks are posers.
I beg to differ... people who buy cars only based on what the world thinks of the car, those are posers. People who buy a car only based on looks are just only interested in looks, nothing more, nothing less. Yes, I would buy an Aston Martin any day for it's looks alone if I had the money. I would hang it on the wall or put it in a display case, whatever.
For the same reason, a car might be the best car in the world, but if I don't like the looks, I won't buy it. Look at the Enzo or the LariFari.... both exceptional cars, but their designs are so weird, that I would never give a dime for them.
Yes and no. A car needs to be driven. Putting a car into a garage just to look at it as if it is a sculpture or painting is ridiculous. Your experience with high performance cars is limited. Do you really think I like a lot how my E63 looks? I still think it is a supped up taxi (from the looks of it...OK...maybe a bit different with the wider front fenders). I like how it drives though and I consider it a very good compromise for my needs. Also, it provides a very emotional ride, sound and performance.
Or let's take the GT3 RS: My wife saw the car a couple of times, even brought one home. She hates it. Ugly as hell in her opinion, that monster wing is horrible in her eyes. Some of her female friends saw me with the car a couple of times and were horrified. A friend has a GT3 RS and his wife refuses to drive with him in the car (I'm not kidding).
I still would get a GT3 RS in a heartbeat if I had the funds to have various cars at the same time. Wonderful machine and yes, I kind of like the looks as well but would actually prefer a car like the GT3 Touring. Not a wing guy (me), even if my R8 has one (small, thank god).
Aston Martin? I would get the Vantage V12. Not because of it's looks (it looks good, no doubt) or it's performance but because of the drive feel, the engine, the emotional part. Newer Aston Martins? Not in love too much, sorry.
On the other hand, I always hated Ranger Rover but over the last couple of years, they win in the (SUV) design department hands down. Compared to a Range Rover Sport SVR, the new Cayenne looks boring and not exciting at all.
A sportscar is not defined by it's looks but by it's performance and the emotional part. It needs to give you goose bumps at some point. Not sure if looks is enough to do that.
Have you seen an Atom live? Ridiculous. The ride is so much fun though, even if I wouldn't get one for different reasons.
I always loved the RR Ghost, even if I would (probably) never buy it. For me, this car is like a classic sculpture. It attracts your attention, you enjoy looking at it and it never gets boring, even if you're not really a fan of it. Unlike some modern art where you look twice at and you ask yourself: Oh boy, what I'm doing here, this is pure crap. If I would get a RR Ghost, I would drive it though. The enjoyment would probably be a different one, not based on performance but emotions like comfort and maybe even some exposure.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991.2 Carrera GTS Cabriolet (2018), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mercedes E63 S AMG Edition 1 (2018), Mini JCW (2015)