I am on a mission to save the car enthusiast from extinction.
See, the next generation of would-be car enthusiasts have been led to believe that petrol is the blood of Satan and that the suits who authorise the production of internal combustion engines deserve to be dealt with like criminals. As such, they've grown to view the traditional performance car as little more than a wicked device designed to assault nature and ravage Mother Earth of her precious resources.
This is a problem.
For as long as the next generation of car enthusiasts think that ICE cars are a plague on the earth, they will demand manufacturers stop making the machines you and I love.
But I won't let that happen.
Which leads me to my mission: to save the next generation of car enthusiasts. To do so, I'm drawing on my vast knowledge of psychological skills and a Toyota Supra – a machine whose forefather, along with the help of some chap by the name of Paul Walker, inspired an entire generation to fall in love with cars. The Supra has precedent and my ego is on the line. No pressure.
Strategy 1: Imprinting
Imprinting is a well established phenomena where a newborn duckling develops a close, dependent attachment with the first animal or object it sees after hatching. I figured the same was probably true for humans considering we share more than 60 percent of our DNA sequence.
Empowered by my bro-science, I visited my cousin who recently became a mother and presented a photo of the Supra for her newborn to see.
And, much to my surprise, it worked.
Upon seeing the photo, my cousin's baby arose from his nap and started crawling towards the photo. A miracle was taking place.
Until it wasn't.
He'd spotted the fake grilles, and decided this was the time to be sick.
Strategy 2: Pavlovian conditioning
Down but not out, I then sought to leverage another psychological phenomena: Pavlovian conditioning. Contrary to popular belief, this has nothing to do with rubbing pavlova in your hair when showering.
Rather, Pavlovian conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus (e.g. the ringing of a bell) and a consequently significant event (e.g. presentation of a dog treat) to achieve a desired outcome (e.g. the dog salivates when hearing a bell).
My plan was simple. I'd arrange to pick my younger sister up from the station at precisely four o'clock. When the bell tower chimed, I'd rev the guts out of the Supra's 3.0-litre straight-six engine. In so doing, I would pair the hourly sound of the big bell with the Supra's sonorous exhaust note. Then, from every day on, she would be overcome with a desire to own a sports car whenever she heard the clock chime. Easy.
So, I pulled up right on 3:59pm. Seconds later, as the bell rang, I slotted it in neutral and gave it the berries. I was drowning in glorious, BMW-sourced straight-six noise. But my sister? Nothing. She didn't flinch as she walked nonchalantly towards the car. I swear I saw her roll her eyes (she denies this).
Turns out, from the outside, the Supra is as loud as a whisper in the wind.
Strategy 3: Passion by association (unintentionally)
I had all but given up hope until I went out for dinner with a mate a few days later.
"Driving anything interesting at the moment?" he asked.
"Supra. Up for a drive?" I replied.
And so we did.
One thing to note, is that the Supra is a driving phenom. Sure, the manual gearbox isn't all that it's hyped up to be – it feels like rowing a spoon through half-dried cement – but the rest of the package is sensational. The engine is a powerhouse and feels stronger than its numbers suggest. The chassis is so utterly intuitive and exciting that it flatters you as a driver. The steering, too, strikes a wonderful balance between feeling both reassuring and responsive.
"I want one," my friend declared within minutes. No ethically-ambiguous psychology tricks needed. I let the car speak for itself. What a convincing speech it gave.
It turns out that the solution to save the next generation of car enthusiasts is simply passion by association.
Get out there and share your cars with your mates.
2024 Toyota GR Supra GTS Manual
Price (MSRP): AUD$97,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six petrol
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drivetrain: RWD
Power: 285kW // 387PS from 5800-6500rpm
Torque: 500Nm // 368lb-ft from 1800-5000rpm
0-100km/h: 4.4 seconds
Top-Speed: 250km/h
Weight: 1503kg (kerb)
Fuel consumption: 8.9L/100km (claimed)
