Is Less Really (Worth) More?

Hello followers of Tuned, all for of you that are left. Sorry its been so long since my last post, but its been the week from hell. However, while at work, Rebel and I had a bit of a debate. We did this to keep from envitably lynching our supervisor, but its been stuck in my head ever since. Can less ever be more when it comes to cars?

We were specificly talking about the Catheram R500 Superlight, one of my Top 3 Favorite Cars Ever. Rebel was questioning why the little Catheram costs so much (in his opinion) when you get so little in it. The options list includes such luxury items as a windscreen, radio,  carpets, and paint, none of which come standard. In Rebel's mind it was hard to justify the money.

Now a car is always going to cost more than the some of its parts, as labor has to be factored in and both the company and dealer need to make a profit. Even on the Catheram, which has no labor costs as you assemble it yourself, its easy to see where the money goes. The engine has to be purchased from Ford and sent to Cosworth for tuning, the body parts have to be made out of carbon fibre, which is quite pricey, and the whole kit has to be shipped to your door. All for a car that's quick, and kinda neat to look at, but not much else.

So the question is, are stripped down, single purpose cars worth the money? Its quite relevant as many car companies are following this trend. Ferrari has the 360CS, and the F430 Scuderia, Porsche the Boxster Spider, and the 911 GT3 RS, and Lambo has the Gallardo Superleggero. And every one, despite having less parts (the Boxster Spider doesn't even have door handles!) costs more than the standard model. A lot more.

Rebel says its hard to justify where the money went when you drop thousands on a barren car. And he's right. But you don't need to justify it. As long as the car is good at whatever that single purpose is, that's justification enough (and for what its worth the little 45k Catheram is faster around a track than the $1.5millon Veyron). And yes you probably can get a different car for similar money that's "more balanced" (read, normal), but as we said in our "what makes a car post" we all have our reasons for choosing a car, and if we're looking at car A and not B, there's a reason. Plus chances are its rarer than a normal car, which is always cool. So yes, less can be worth more, and when someone asks where the money went, say "watch this!"