Every week (or almost), the Razão Automóvel garage receives fantastic cars. As you might guess, they're all well received. And we make a point of showing them all around… several times! For the most part, the ease with which they get carried away is impressive. Just brake, aim and accelerate to exit towards the next curve. Amazingly easy to carry. No tricks or quirks. Until we turn off electronic aids…
When we turn off electronic aids we enter a new world. A world where driving is done in an “old-school” mode.
The rear already rotates and the front already shakes the steering without appeal or grievance. Easy gives way to challenging and predictability gives way to fun. And it was while I was sweating and smiling at the same time — between a few «scares» and the personal realization of describing that curve (we all have that curve, don't we?) in an almost perfect linear moment that I remembered where all those movements come from and steering strokes that I instinctively do. come from adolescence. They come from the school of the «rafeiros» that I attended. . A school full of ruffians ready to throw the most unwary into the nearest ditch.
Who were the bullies? They were all from good families. Some came from France, others from Italy and some came from Germany. But that wasn't why they were well behaved. They were always the most rebellious in the “house”. I don't like to mention names, but after all these years I think there will be no problem: Volkswagen G40; Citroen Saxo Cup; Citroen AX GTI; Fiat Uno Turbo I.E; Peugeot 205 GTI. The list would go on and on, but it was with these that I learned the most and the most beatings I took.
A kind of “English” education, where the maxim is “the best way to learn to run is to trip, fall and try again!”. In this case translated into half tops, burnt rubber and extended trajectories. It was then that I came across this question: where will the new generations learn to drive? I mean: really drive!
Cars are more powerful, faster, safer and more reliable. But in some cases, even at 300 hp they are almost as bland as an SUV. They are like poets who don't rhyme, singers who don't sing and painters who don't paint. And in that case we will be drivers who don't drive. Of course every rule has its exception. The Mazda MX-5, Honda Civic Type R, SEAT Leon Cupra and so on are good examples.
The question I ask is: where will the new generations learn these driving skills? The driving skill’s necessary to drive a car without electronic aids. Picking up a Renault Mégane RS, deactivating that button and saying: I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE! "School models" are less and less.
Today the compact sports cars and even the most “normal” models — like my late Citroën AX — the schools of yore, are more powerful, faster, more everything. More protectionists even. But it's not the driving school that younger generations need to learn to drive. And so, once again, as in the past, we're going to have to resort to the teachers of yesteryear who sell their lessons on the more expensive used market... Grab one while you can.
You never know when they will have to drive a Porsche without the help of the "trainers". Or forget everything I wrote, most likely, in the future no one will need to drive...
