What car do you think should be sold in a package with hair dye and a Steely Dan album? What is the oldest sports car on earth right now?
Have you ever noticed how all the men in the ads for erectile dysfunction drugs are kind of young? I think it’s because no one really wants to accept the fact that age is coming for all of us, especially when we’re trying to celebrate life with our favorite one or two person activities like, say, driving a sports car.
There are many criticisms of a sports car, but I think the one I innately and quietly fear the most is when someone claims that a car is designed for people going through a mid-life crisis. It’s a devastating burn, but it’s something that’s becoming less common, it seems.
As millennials cash in, automakers are increasingly targeting that demographic. This led to products like the new Supra, Integra and other 90s inspired products. While there are many criticisms that can be leveled against millennials, being old isn’t really one of the big ones—not yet.
And even that bastion of old mandom, the Chevrolet Corvette, has had its engine mid-displaced. While I don’t think the stench of mothballs will ever wash off the Corvette brand, the new layout makes it less hopelessly old school.
Even the retro design language that was once designed specifically to appeal to baby boomers (and Gen Xers who wish they had boomer wealth) feels less dated these days. They are young people who can be seen sliding their Mustangs into lampposts and showing off at Challengers and Chargers.
So, which vehicle has been tarnished by the mark of age? What sports car should be sold with a hair dye kit and uncomfortable skinny jeans?
I think my answer is the Porsche 911. While it is in almost every way an impressive driver’s car, there is something about the combination of its appeal to history, its high price and the luxurious comfort of less track-focused examples that means that most people I see driving them are older.
But what do you think? Are there any other new sports cars for sale today that you associate with age? Let us know in the comments.
