Opinion: Can the internet’s outrage over car design be curbed?

ManicCarGuy83 is angry. I’m browsing popular internet car forums trying to verify obscure bits of trivia about the Ferrari Daytona SP3, and I’m haunted by ManicCarGuy83’s musings. Sorry, I’m not a Daytona fan.

Over the course of dozens of vitriolic posts, ManicCarGuy83 has accused Ferrari designers of various crimes (paraphrasing lightly in the name of politeness): betraying Italy. Treating customers like cretins, defecating forcefully and repeatedly on Enzo’s own grave. He is a charming person, ManicCarGuy83.

Such vitriol might be justified if ManicCarGuy83, for example, paid a deposit for an invisible SP3 Daytona and was disappointed with what actually happened in the driveway.

However, judging by the content of his post, ManicCarGuy83 does not seem to own a Daytona or any other Ferrari. I’m not entirely sure if he’s old enough to get a driver’s license.

The SP3’s design, as far as I know, doesn’t have as much impact on ManicCarGuy83’s daily life as former England goalkeeper David Seaman’s breakfast cereal of choice (Weetabix). But here he is driven to a maddening rage by the ratio of glass to bodywork.

On the one hand, it is a free country. As Voltaire almost put it, “I may object to your heavily punctuated and ill-informed forum posts, but I will defend to the death your right to post”.

But on the other hand… can’t we all be a little more temperamental?

Because it’s not just ManicCarGuy83. Every corner of the automotive web is gunnelled with anger, filled with furious, disappointed people, furious and disappointed with everything.

Unsurprisingly, the world of automobiles has a lot to offer, as it should be. For example, one can legitimately question whether an 800 hp, £1.7 million supercar is perfectly suited to the current state of the world. (By the way, the answer is yes, but at least it would be a valid argument.) Sustainability, safety and social acceptability of cars: these are all valid and ripe for a proper ding-dong. It’s a topic.

But the internet’s automotive rage is rarely focused on sustainability, safety, or social acceptability. appear.

And if you deny the appearance of the new car, for some reason it is not enough to simply say, “I deny the appearance of the new car.” Hmm. The SP3 designers not only let themselves down, they let the entire automotive industry down. The taste police are out and stuffing emojis.

Angry people of the internet! No need to monitor new car designs. We already have a neat mechanism for that. It’s called a “market”. If a car company offers a fanatical design of guanopile, no one will buy it! It’s from!

OK, there may be a bit of hypocrisy involved in online comments that get you offended by people who are annoyed by online comments. Still, can’t we all keep our anger in check? There’s more than enough in the world right now to be angry or sad without racking your brains over the silly red supercar rear end.