Two Ways to Keep a Car Feeling Alive

Two very different brands did something genuinely interesting today, and I cannot stop thinking about why.

Mercedes-Benz revealed its AMG GT 4-Door EV. On paper, the 1,153 hp and 2.7 seconds to 100kph are impressive. But what actually caught my attention was something else.

The car now has V8 sound and seat vibration motors that basically mimic the V8 feel. They initially tried hiring music directors, failed, then went back to basics, brought in the engineers who built the 4.0L twin-turbo V8, and paired them with audio experts.

Apparently, their own engineers drove it and reportedly forgot they were not in a combustion car. That could be a made-up story, but it sounds exciting. That kind of effort does not come from a brand that has given up on feeling.

Then there is Norton Motorcycles. TVS Motor Company bought this 120-year-old British motorcycle brand back in 2020 when it was on the brink of shutting down. Today, the first reviews of the Manx R started dropping, and they are exceptional. Brembo, Marzocchi, Pirelli, no visible fasteners anywhere on the bodywork.

But the detail that caught my eye was the single-sided swingarm. An expensive detail that Ducati itself moved away from on the Panigale V4 for pure performance gains. Norton brought it back anyway, because this bike was never meant to chase lap times. It was meant to be felt.

What connects these two is not the products. Both brands refused to let the thing that makes people feel something disappear quietly. One rebuilt it with technology. The other restored it through craft. And both got it right.