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In Europe, several forces made passenger cars the way they are. Their small size comes from the need for maneuverability through crowded city centers with unplanned streets from the middle ages. The low displacement engines come not from fuel economy requirements, so much as the fact that from day one politicians, lobbied by the horse and rail industries, taxed motor carriages by their engine displacement as far back as the 19th century. In the modern era, environmental concerns, overpopulation, and the cost of oil continue to push vehicles of all countries of origin in this direction, though us Americans with our suburban commutes, interstate highway system, and lax taxation remain insulated from this moreso then say the UK or Italy. Rally is one of the oldest forms of auto racing. In the beginning, rich thrillseekers would arrange cross continental trips simply to show off their toys and driving prowess to one another. As laws caught up, or regions became unstable, these races would become shorter in distance. The race would be broken up in 'stages', and competition would evolve into sticking to split times as opposed to all out speed. At a certain point, rally split off into either these long cross country treks on public roads, to officially sanctioned races for all out speed across rural or urban closed courses. The sanctioned events caught the eye of manufacturers, and soon you had everyone from Alpha to Vauxhall trying to turn homologated versions of their everyday cars into winning advertisements. Meanwhile America, with our big roads, big cars, and big engines, took to flat sandy beaches, or the stop light on the main drag, or around the mountains in a car loaded with white lightning. As a result, our favored racing as a nation revolves around homologated cars of these qualities. If you get the chance, check out "Drive On!" by L.J.K. Setright. It's a great read. hoonigan_neil fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 26, 2016 01:35
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 12:26 |
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It's a little more sane.
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Jul 28, 2016 15:36
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