No need for noise

Many years ago and following a determined savings regimen, I purchased a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. The acceleration, at the time, was exhilarating, but even more so the hushed and effortless whoosh of the exhaust note. Fast forward to today, I am the happy owner of a powerful electric car, equally almost silent.

I read, from time to time, in The Dominion Post’s motoring column how the reviewer laments the lack of a loud exhaust note in some new high performance cars.

Recently, a report on the forthcoming new all-electric Ferrari revealed that the traditional loud exhaust note would be artificially replicated for the enjoyment of the driver.

Fine – but pipe it exclusively into the car through the hi-fi speakers (and only when the windows are closed), not out onto the road for everyone to hear.

Those of us who live near busy roads are already subjected to the ongoing noise from boy racers with their pretend high-performance cars (more often than not merely comically enormous exhaust pipes – how are these even legal?), not to mention the occasional deafening crackle of private jets taking off from Wellington Airport.

We don’t need any more unnecessary noise, especially artificially created to bolster the egos of a few recalcitrant petrolheads.

Chris Calvi-Freeman, Hataitai