Renowned automotive journalist Tiff Needell has revealed why he is not a fan of 1,000 hp hypercars anymore, arguing that it is not the driver who is driving them, but the computers.The former BBC Top Gear and Fifth Gear presenter Needell, with an impressive record in the world of motorsports, revealed that computer-aided hypercars form an additional safety layer that keeps drivers from ever gaining full control of their cars.Giving the example of the first Bugatti he drove, likely the Veyron, Needell said he realized he wasn't really driving it because the traction control system would scan the road surface and only unleash a certain amount of horsepower, enough to keep the car from spinning out of control.AdvertisementAdvertisementNeedell said modern TCSs don't even let the driver know when they're actively working behind the scenes to keep the car from spinning out. This gives the driver the impression that they're the ones driving with their feet flat on the floor, when in reality, the computer is limiting the power output.a black car on a streetThis was not the case in older performance cars, where the TCS would intervene noticeably, letting the driver know that the safety net was performing its job and, most importantly, helping them understand the car's limits. Needell said on the Cars & Money podcast:"So now you're driving a car that has got 1,000 horsepower. You haven't got 1,000 horsepower. You open your little throttle, and the computer [thinks] 'Oh, it's on a bit of a curve. Oh, it's a bit wet this morning. Oh, no. You can have 400 horsepower.'"Oh, and then you open the throttle wide, and the traction controls are working like mad. You know, you think you're brilliant, 'I'll go through this corner real smooth.' The old traction controls, you remember, used to feel them, you know, used to hesitate the car. It always used to make me laugh.AdvertisementAdvertisement"But now it's so advanced, you don't feel it working at all. So you floor the throttle, [thinking] 'I got this.' You're not driving it."According to Needell, the best supercar/hypercar was the McLaren F1. He said:"The McLaren F1 will always be the best super hypercar ever. 640 horsepower, completely manual, no traction control."Needell said that the "world of hypercars" has taken off in the last few years, but clarified that he was not interested in them, even mentioning that he disliked the Bugatti Chiron because one cannot use all the horsepower the hypercar has to offer. He said:"It's a huge 1,500 horsepower machine, but you don't drive it."AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile one may argue that safety is important and that there is always the option to turn off the electronic safety systems, at least on some cars, Needell is pointing out that just because a car produces over 1,000 hp on paper, it doesn't mean that power is available all the time, highlighting the role of a computer that steps in between man and machine.
