πποΈ It was never about the horsepower
The McLaren W1 has been recently announced, boasting a power of 1258 BHP.
This is the successor of the iconic McLaren P1, designed by Frank Stephenson's pen.
Its design is a topic for another time. What I want to talk today is about the power figure.
I still remember when everyone was raving about the original Bugatti Veyron's announcement between the end of the last millennium and the beginning of this one.
When it came out in 2005, magazine covers were all like "We drive at 253 mph in the 1001 hp Bugatti Veyron!"
Excitement was in the air. But nowadays we see figures like the one in the McLaren W1 and we don't bat an eye.
We borderline don't care.
Don't you feel that horsepower numbers mean nothing nowadays?
Today's topics in one sentence:
- The numbers race
- Why we don't care about it
- What we actually do care about
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The numbers race
Let's dial the clock back a bit over 30 years.
The McLaren F1 was released with 627 BHP.
Fast forward to a bit over 10 years ago, the McLaren P1 came out with 903 BHP.
Today we have the McLaren W1 with 1258 BHP.
If you take a closer look, that's 4 BHP more than double the F1's power.
Which is insane.
The McLaren F1 held the title for the world's fastest car until the Bugatti Veyron came out a whopping 13 years later.
And in terms of naturally aspirated cars, it is still the champion over 30 years later.
Even after Gordon Murray built its spiritual successor (the GMA T.50 above) with another naturally aspirated V12, these numbers have not been beaten. And looking at the industry, probably never will.
You seeβ¦
With hybrid and electric powertrains, it's easier than ever to get high number of BHP for the sake of the spec sheet.
And with each release, the "importance" or "interest" in that number gets more and more diluted.
Why would you get excited about a 1000 BHP car today, when anyone can get an off the shelf electric drivetrain for their four door fridge with wheels and release it tomorrow?
Back then, there was specific effort, engineering, racing, intelligence, years of trial and a lot of error, until people discovered the next great thing.
It was fascinating to see how the industry evolved.
How risks were taken.
Bets were lost, and some times, won in a huge way.
Big power numbers is not what makes a car interesting nowadays.
Why we don't care about it
"Simplify, then add lightness.β
Most of you will be familiar with that famous Colin Chapman philosophy.
For those who don't know, Colin Chapman was the founder of Lotus in 1948.
Lotus cars of the past are known for being light, nimble and quick.
An all electric Lotus Evija today has over 2000 BHP. And weighs 1887 kg.
That's 10x or more the power you can find in a Lotus Elise, and over double the weight.
Raw power is cool and all, but it only tells part of the story: straight line performance.
And there's so much more to car dynamics than this.
One of electric cars biggest problems is that the batteries are too heavy. You cannot have less of them because that would mean the range would plummet.
It's similar to the rocket vs fuel amount problem.
If you want to go further, you need more fuel.
But if you have more fuel, the rocket is heavier. Meaning you need more fuel to compensate, and then⦠you get it.
When you corner with such heavy cars, you feel that weight. It makes you feel sluggish. And mostly offsets the excess in power, since the experience overall feels worse.
Weight is especially key here.
Let me tell you a short tangential story.
I have been recently on holidays in two different places where I rented two different cars. A Fiat Tipo and a Fiat Panda.
The Tipo had more raw power, but it was bigger and heavier.
The Panda felt quicker when turning, and maybe even in a straight line due to the power to weight ratio.
HP numbers are not too relevant if the rest of the car is great.
And you sure don't need me to tell you which car I enjoyed the most.
What we actually do care about
Everyone knows most people measure a car's speed either in kilometers per hour or miles per hour.
But there's another "performance" metric car enthusiasts love.
"Smiles per hour".
Smiles per hour is a very subjective but relatable metric. It strips out a lot of the car's performance in favour of what it makes you feel.
It's your connection to the car's soul.
It's what makes the car interesting.
It can be when driving it.
Or when looking at it.
Many ultimately enjoy things that are "objectively bad" in terms of performance.
We love putting the pedal to the floor and feeling the rattle and effort of a little old car giving it all.
Sometimes without even hitting the legal speed limits.
Or asking everything from the accelerator, not knowing when you will actually get the kick thanks to the turbo lag.
It's just plain exciting every time.
A lot of smiles per hour.
You might be thinking: "But Juanma, I will never drive or get into one of these hypercars", and for the majority of you, you would be right.
But that's not why it matters.
It's not about 0-60 numbers, or amount of HP the newest and shiniest thing has.
It's about what a car makes you feel.
Maybe a car like this, that you will never sit on, can awe you.
Its design. Its heritage. The attention to details.
In a more attainable car, the quirks that makes it interesting and unique.
Any generic EV brand out there can output a 1k+ HP car.
That is not exciting or relevant anymore.
On the other hand, if you show me a good design, we can start talking.
Something characterful, purposeful, unique.
Something memorable.
Something I instantly know what it is.
Not a treasure map with clues to deduce the model hidden in "family feeling".
Show me something breathtaking that 10 year old me would hang on his wall.
In shortβ¦
Don't give me numbers. Give me feelings.
And you? What gets you excited about cars nowadays?
Reply to this email and let me know!
I will share the most interesting responses in my socials or in a future email issue.
That's it for today. If you enjoyed it, let me know! See you on the next one.
All the best,
Juanma from Creating Lightly
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