Why European Cars are Better than Muscle and Japanese Cars #OTDA

Above is what can be reckoned one of, if not, the, most beautiful shapes to ever be penned and forged, with those respective contours and panels belonging to a car even Enzo Ferrari thought it was “the most beautiful car ever made.” The Jaguar E-Type, a symbol of Great Britain and, as a whole, Europe, exudes a sophisticated, refined aura that is present in many of the cars from the continent. The design mimicked the C and D-Types of the past, borrowing from the leaps and bounds of aerodynamics in the latter, and newer, equally revolutionary technologies were inserted within the panels to ensure a sporty experience.

It’s this refinement, this supple quality and care of engineering, along with the driver being a stressed member of the driving experience, that a sheer driving pleasure is achieved within a European car that an American or Japanese car cannot completely replicate. Each kind of car has a different temperament, a different philosophy, that is infused with it upon its creation. Concerning a European car, however, the experience is based upon a connection between the car and the driver, which, in such times as these, is starting to slowly fade away.

To summarize (dare I call it blatently), many American and Japanese cars are on two different axles, but many European cars are on another chassis. The question is, why do I bring up this type of car when we are only talking about two explicit ones (Japanese being covered by Szymek S and American being covered by Gurminder Bains)?

Europe Made the First Car

Without Europe, the modern automobile (as we know) would not be the same as we see it now. In 1879, Karl Benz created his first stationary gasoline engine, a two-stroke one-cylinder engine, and it received large amounts of commercial success due to its potential applications.

Because of this success, he was able to pursue a dream that was inspired by this venture: to create a lightweight vehicle where, being propelled by a gasoline engine, the engine and chassis were unified into one. A tubular steel frame held a rear-mounted (longitudinal) engine, three wheels, and a differential, and on January 29, 1886, Karl applied for a patent (number 37435), making it the birth date of the automobile.

From here, Benz would, along with Gottlieb Daimler, set up the companies that predate Daimler-Benz AG, which was created when the companies of the past merged together in 1926, and Daimler would begin to use “Mercedes” in his names when, in late March of 1901, Emil Jellinek named a race car that he commissioned after his daughter. That car, the Mercedes 35 HP, would go on to emerge victorious at the race at Nice, France.

Without Europe, there would be no Mercedes-Benz, a pillar in the automotive community for its legendary sporting endeavors and exploring emerging technologies and finding unique applications for technology to not only better the chances of saving one’s life, but also to better the chances of improving the quality of life.

Refined Sophistication

The sophistication injected into a European car’s design and engineering exudes this feeling of confidence, of being safe in the hands of the continent that created the automobile. They usually, no matter the manufacturer, include at least some trim devoted to making the interior of the car luxurious, but the method in which they do so, especially with how it’s all arranged in the design, makes the interior continue to appear sleek and modern, almost as if it’s wearing a collared shirt.

On top of that button-down shirt resides the jacket, which keeps the views of the shirt from the exterior rather limited. It almost seems that this jacket tempts one to take it off and discover what lurks underneath.

Then again, it’s sometimes better to leave it on because of how stunning the exterior is. There are variations depending on which country and company is being referred to, but the language’s principles do not speak of how form follows function, but rather, quoth Frank Lloyd Wright, that “form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.” As a result, not only does the form conform to the function and avoid disrupting it, but it also does so with grace. Imagine a business card; form following function would be a simple name, phone number, and e-mail address.

If one apply Wright’s teachings, the card does the same job as before, but it does so with a theme that entertains the reader, being implied by the font, graphics, and any other items on it. It becomes not like the pen was scribbling, but like it was traipsing carefully and passionately.

Driving Pleasure

The fun does not stop with aesthetics, but attention soon comes to performance and the car’s experience. One can only stare at something tempting for so long before he/she decides it is time to use it. Starting a European car gives a hint at the car’s demeanor: is it whistling quietly in the background as five cylinders hop excitedly or are there twelve pistons eager to compress the air and fuel within the cylinder? It is understood that the most exciting experiences come from cars that push the envelope so hard that it rips, but there is something to take from a slower car than this.

In a car of a higher caliber, it’s fun to go fast, but the main goal in driving is to understand the connection that the driver has to the car and the relationship it has with the road beneath. To understand this connection allows one to know exactly how the car operates and feels in apexes, braking zones, and straights. This knowledge, which puts you in control of the car, allows you to be involved more than pulling back a thin piece of brushed metal or wiggling a beechwood gearknob within a box.

Going further, each individual country within Europe has a different driving experience. Where Italy offers sporty, pulse-quickening rides, Germany’s cars tend to be sporty and/or practical. Concerning Sweden, it can either be a safe, sensible choice where you are padded safely within the seat, or it can be a hairy-chested battle between you, the road, a twin-turbocharged (or twin-supercharged) Ford Modular V8, and lap times. Britain’s rides are refined grand tourers or bleeding-edge supercars and hypercars, and Poland has the Arrinera Hussarya.

Such is the refined nature that the spirit feels pure, that the spirit feels powerful and power-giving. It does not make one greedy, but hungry. With such a spirit, it feels secure in traditional passenger cars and unhinged in supercars and race cars. It, along with engineering prowess that’s been mastered over the past 130 years, is what allows manufacturers to become so dominant in the world, so recognizable that they transcend the line between normalcy and greatness, and in such situations, the Europeans’ technical skills, combined with their enthusiasm, ability, and design, contribute to the greatest cars ever built.

There are those from American and Japan that are able to go toe-to-toe with these cars, but even they had to be inspired in some part by Europe’s innovations.

(At the bottom of this #BlogPost is an example of form and function coming together beautifully, along with Porsche’s technical expertise, in the 935 K3; thank you for reading! I might be a little early, so you can wait for Szymek and Gurminder’s arguments! Also, I was not privy to knowing what or how long the post should be, so I apologize for not knowing!)