The one thing supercar owners never would admit

Now I’m going to tell you a secret. Something that no supercar owner dares to talk about. It’s about why they buy their outrageous car, and which one they choose.

Obviously, a lot of the decision is based on the performance of the car. It must be fast. Really fast. The acceleration should take your breath away. 0-200 in under 10 seconds. And the Nurburgring lap time, set by some test driver, must also be blinding fast. However, there is something else that I think is also important. Something that attracts, but is very difficult to put your finger on.

I met the product manager of the Rolls-Royce Wraith at the Geneva Motor Show, back when it was still running. And he hit the nail on the head when he told me – “Our customers want to arrive in style”. The car in itself is a status symbol. But it must give the owner plenty of attention.

If you have ever sat in an unusual, or a cool car, you immediately understand what he meant. Everyone is looking at you. Young people take photos with their mobile phone from the sidewalk. Sometimes this is taken to bizarre levels – most notably at the roundabout outside Hotel de Paris in Monaco. For some, this is a bit embarrassing, but most really love it.

A friend of mine put it really well: “When I drive my Ferrari in Stockholm on a Saturday night , and park outside Riche (famous restaurant), I get the attention of the whole neighbourhood. People stop talking to each other. Everyone, regardless of age, looks at me and my co-driver when we get out of the car. The guards on the entrance greet us kindly, and we walk past the whole queue. The feeling is unbeatable.”

A movie star can do this completely unaided. But others don’t get this kind of attention. And a supercar delivers this like no other accessory which money can buy. No-one dares to mention it – but everyone knows about it. A mean green Lamborghini with doors that open upwards is the most spectacular way to arrive to the restaurant, night club, party, or wherever else you may be going. You are automatically treated like a king.

In Sweden you are not allowed to talk about this. It is extremely politically incorrect. But move slightly south and everything is different. You don't have to go all the way to the French Riviera to see this in action.

No, it is enough to be in Warsaw, Berlin or Paris where it's perfectly normal to be proud of your success and show it openly. Outside the hottest places in town, you will not just find a long queue to get inside, there will also bes a whole row of exotic cars parked on the street. And I can promise you - none of the owners had to spend a second in line to get in.

Supercar tests are almost exclusively focused on performance. But, maybe, they should include another aspect beyond top speed or other numbers. How spectacular the cars are. A value between zero and ten. Where a red Ferrari gets a strong eight. But, a green Lamborghini Aventador or Revuelto is always a 10/10. A criteria where everything else comes second. And the car with the coolest door mechanism always wins. Because, who doesn't want to open the doors upwards when they arrive outside the hottest place in town?

Peter Ternström

peter@granturismo.org