Back in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, cars weren’t designed by a focus group trying to decide which shade of purple would be “inclusive” enough for the target demographic. They were designed to be the best — to last, to perform, to win races and dominate rallies.
A spoiler wasn’t just there for Instagram. A splitter actually split the air. An intake actually intaked something. Vents weren’t decorative stickers pretending to be engineering.
These cars were engineered by people who understood that horsepower, handling, reliability and mechanical brilliance mattered. They were built to give you bragging rights — because the car actually earned them.
Then came the marketing department and the accountants.
Suddenly, engineering had to answer to spreadsheets, focus groups and people whose greatest automotive achievement was choosing the upholstery colour. The question changed from “How do we make this car better?” to “What can we remove, simplify or fake while still convincing people it’s an upgrade?”
And here we are.
Fake vents. Fake exhausts. Fake engine sounds. Touchscreens everywhere. Cars that weigh more than a small house and need a software update to tell you when the tyre is flat.
Give me the era when engineers built cars to win, not marketing purple hair woke wankers teams building products to sell.
Bring back the madness. Bring back the engineering. Bring back the cars that made you turn around and look at them after you parked.
And most importantly — make the damn vents functional again.
