Glimpses of vintage luxury

In the next two decades, if you say your car is manual, it would probably mean it has a steering wheel. In fact, we are upon a time where the breakfast cereal is gathered by a driverless harvester and remote controlled drones strike from mid-air.

But the creation of autonomous vehicles (AV) ventured far beyond these mere mortal attempts. It was all because of the cars needed to navigate through the complex nervous system of roadways—like memories that are meant to pass like electrical pulses; this entire inhuman chore while passing inches away from fragile litigious humans.

“With autonomous vehicles proliferating and multiplying, we are sure of one thing – microprocessors and sensors will be driving the cars of the future.

Even Google, like other autonomous vehicle, advocates and believes that the technology will increase safety, reduce congestion and ease emissions,” shares William E (Chip) Connor, an avid vintage car enthusiast and one of the world’s leading collectors. William was one of the judges at the recently conclude Cartier Concours d’Elegance.

But, what does the future await? Will there be a market for exclusivity and rarity, “As far as I think, there is always going be those buyers, who are willing to write off those fat cheques. People will always want to own the rare and the exclusive.

This has nothing to do with the manufacturers willing to take that risk of making one. Rather, what I worry is about the regulations, and the norms that are put up,” Connor says.

He adds, “The regulations might homogenise the industry. For the younger generations are more device-driven.”

More than a mere concept, more than a possibility, cars like the Bugatti Chiron are a real marvel in modern-day engineering and design.

A million dollar price tag, on a planet full of econoboxes and fuel-sipping hybrids, engineers rarely have the freedom to build machines powered by excessiveness.

Regardless of the final numbers or the finished design, these cars represent important pieces of the automotive industry that are desperately needed. -