Some very interesting and well made points. Increasingly I find I concentrate more on the enjoyment of the journey rather than what conveys me there, Most modern cars these days are more than capable of exceeding national speed limits by some margin, handle and brake well enough to make steady/rapid progress as required on our densely populated UK roads and satisfy the needs of commuting etc and the occasional high days and holidays thrown in each year and give you an adrenaline buzz if necessary.
I find over time and with age what I demand from a performance car has changed, previously when I did high annual business miles, the cars I enjoyed the performance of the most, were those that seem to perform well with absolute ease, that's not necessarily due to bhp or torque (which is more important IMHO) but the way the car executes my instructions, so I could enjoy the journey without it become tiring or too demanding for example on an early start or the way home after a long day. I'd take my Rover SDI Vitesse and Ford Granada Ghia X over the Lotus Carlton or Lotus Eclat or Porsche 930 Turbo most days. I remember one journey in the Granada from leaving home at Lytham St Annes 4.45am, picking someone up outside of Leeds straight down the M1 and actually sitting in a meeting room near Marble Arch arriving early for an 8:30 meeting, over 270 miles and last 30 minutes in commuter traffic on the Edgeware Road........got out the car totally fresh for the meeting, the Granada like the Rover was a rapid and very capable car, that got you there without fuss and not too demanding to exploit to the full.
These days when I'm less in a hurry or can make more time to enjoy the journey, I look more to the weather conditions and whether we can enjoy the roof down without getting too wet or too cold and from time to time saviour the performance of the car when it's demanded/required. I recently sold my SLC (still looking for another car) I enjoy driving the wife's SLK diesel which is a rapid car with enormous reserves of torque for a 2.1 litre engine, no wonder it outsold the petrol versions from new, a far more enjoyable car with great dynamics for a budget Mercedes by comparison to far more exotic offerings. Most likely seen as an 'economy' powered car .but in reality is a better car than it's petrol equivalent.
For some, its sometimes more important to them to be seen to arrive in a certain type upmarket brand of car, rather than to just turn up in often an equally competent car, but not with the same level of brownie points with certain audiences. I'm long past worrying about what others think or conclusions they may draw from what mode of conveyance I use, there are IMHO much more important things in life and I find no matter what car you have, no matter how higher performing it is over the last car you owned, in time you become used to the extra performance and the car often seems less rewarding to drive than when you first bought it, hence the hamster wheel many people finish up of seeking more performance all the time.
