The Future Of Automotive And Function Over Form

Automotive advancements in the last century were not only dramatic, but they also had a certain flare to them; people cared about performance as much as curb appeal. Form and function is a basic way of explaining any type of application, but cars have so many more dimensions to them especially when discussing them as an extension of a person’s personality. Unfortunately, the idea of form may be coming to an end with function becoming the primary motive behind automotive decisions.

When the Model T rolled off the line both form and function had a lot to do with transitioning people from the drawn carriage to the automobile. It looked like a carriage and performed like a carriage, only you were replacing the smell of a horse with the smell of exhaust. On October 1, 1908, that first production Ford Model T would roll off the production line and with an average life expectancy in the U.S. of 80 years, this would mean a diehard Ford fan last century could have been able to drive in both a four-cylinder Ford Model T and a 3^rd Generation Ford Mustang SVO V8 in their lifetime. By the time the 3^rd Generation Mustang would roll off the line in the 80’s, automotive prestige happened, stock car racing happened, the rise of the muscle car happened and Carroll Shelby happened. All of which helped give rise to a healthy relationship between form and function and the idea of “looking good while getting there fast”.

Then regulation happened. A shift in priorities started to give rise to less horsepower and greater fuel efficiency. Modern day cars are hindered by laws and regulations dictating their shape, overall design and engine power. Of course, regulations make cars, and therefore the roads, a lot safer, but they’ve arguably taken a little of the automotive spirit away. This is why modern muscle cars like the Mustang, Challenger and Camaro are important for keeping that spirit alive. The recent reveals of the Mustang GT350R and Dodge Demon offer a breath of fresh air from the emptiness that the automotive market is evolving into.

It’s obvious, the future is electric and cars like the new Challenger Demon and the internal combustion engines will be a thing of the past in a decade or two.  There’s a lot to be said about the performance and curb appeal of the various Tesla models, but will they ever be as fun as a Mustang with a 427 Cobra Jet engine? The future with no exhaust notes, more regulations and a bigger emphasis on efficiency and environmental conservation is upon us. Progress is of course a good thing and being environmentally conscious is important, but it’s sad to see this era come to an end. People who love cars have certainly experienced the best automotive time period in history and a period of time that may never exist again.

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