There was a time, not long ago, when it looked as if sports cars might one day be outlawed like hard drugs. Banned for egregious harm. As some drugs wreak havoc on brain cells, high-power engines wreak undue havoc on the environment. But, to my brain, addled as it is on adrenalin from driving so many fast cars, having them banned would've been a great tragedy.
Because fast cars are fun.
At the end of its bombastic bonanza at the 2015 Detroit auto show, Ford let the curtain fall as if to signal, "That's all, folks." The disappointment of the assembled press was audible. But there was one more thing: On came the light show! Smoke burst forth from somewhere! Cue classic rock! And in through a hidden door onto the stage roared what looked to be a Lamborghini, a wedge-shaped piece of blue cheese full of holes, supported by four alloy wheels: the new Ford GT. A sports car America can believe in.
But how? How is a frivolous, fast, fun 600-plus horsepower car possible in the age of strict fuel economy regulations? Even more shocking is that the Ford GT wasn't the only one unveiled that day; Acura also delivered its 550-plus horsepower NSX.
Over the past 15 years, governments in North America and Europe introduced tightening restrictions on auto makers, forcing them to make more efficient vehicles. In the United States, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules enacted in 2009 required a fleet-wide average fuel consumption of 35.5 mpg (6.6 litres/100 km) by 2016.
Although outwardly in favour of more fuel-efficient vehicles, many auto makers and industry groups complained, as they often have, that CAFE regulations are too tough.
"In 1974, a Ford executive testified that the [proposed CAFE] standards could, 'result in a Ford product line consisting … of all sub-Pinto-sized vehicles,'" a PEW Trust report from 2012 reminded us.
Similarly, in 2002, The New York Times quoted one General Motors official saying, "No pickup, van or SUV GM builds today could survive the higher [CAFE] requirements. … It could be the end of the family vehicle as we know it."
Today, Ford's bestseller is still the F-150 truck, and GM has a large lineup of family vehicles, some available with V-8 power. Auto makers' fears never came to pass.
"From the initial debate over the 1975 CAFE standards to NHTSA's modest fuel economy nudge in April, 2003, virtually any public mention of fuel efficiency improvements has resulted in a vigorous lobbying campaign by the U.S. auto industry against such a move," a report from the non-profit environmental advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists concluded in 2003.
Staunch believers in the thrill of driving and the joy of speed weren't much better than the auto industry. Seeing requirements like the 6.6 litres/100 km average, and knowing our favourite fast cars drank at least double, often triple that figure, we chanted, "Don't take our sports cars away!" in response to tougher emissions regulations. Glossy car magazines have only recently started to accept that climate change may not be entirely an evil conspiracy put forth by the people who want to lower speed limits.
Our fears, the fears of driving enthusiasts, and the auto makers' complaints, were unfounded. CAFE standards are far from perfect and full of loopholes. But seeing these two new sports cars unveiled in Detroit, nobody can deny that CAFE rules are pushing radical, innovative – and more importantly, fast and entertaining – cars to market.
At the Detroit auto show, we got the clearest indication yet that gratuitous high-power sports cars will thrive under any future CAFE regulations. Auto makers are too addicted to the profits sports cars generate – and the halo they shine over a brand – to let them slip into the history books.
In a first for Ford, its new GT is built around a lightweight carbon-fibre tub. Unlike the two previous Ford GTs – 1964 and 2005 editions – this one is not powered by a high-displacement V-8, but rather a little V-6 with a pair of turbochargers.
Acura's NSX, the second stunning sports car to debut in Detroit this year, is arguably even more impressive. It features three electric motors, six-cylinders, two turbochargers and four-wheel drive in a tiny two-seat package.
As recently as last year, such technology was reserved for million-dollar supercars like the Porsche 918, McLaren P1 and LaFerrari. The NSX and GT don't have official prices yet, but early speculation puts them in the $150,000 range, roughly one-sixth the price of those supercars. At this rate, carbon-fibre mid-size sedans no longer seem like an impossible dream.
With CAFE standards for 2025 set at 54.5 mpg (4.3 litres/100 km) for light-duty vehicles, expect to see even more ambitious and cutting-edge sports cars. Feel free to check up on this prediction when that date comes around. The Detroit auto show in 2025 should be something to see.
Like us on Facebook
Add us to your circles
Sign up for our weekly newsletter