Performance Cars Should Take a Back Seat to Everybody

I’m rather impressed with Mazda’s latest MX-5 Miata. It’s minimalist and focused, with crisp handling and an enormously entertaining demeanor. But it’s also a selfish car. You see, I have a family. They love cars, and they love riding in cars. It’s rather difficult to stuff me, my spouse, and a pair of kiddos into a two-seater. It’s also something that Johnny Law doesn’t look too kindly upon.

Enter the rear seat and its importance for a majority of today’s automobiles. I don’t need a large back seat, just enough space to occasionally throw in a couple of kids. My present daily drive is a Scion FR-S, and the rear-drive coupe’s third and fourth perch are a key reason why a Miata doesn’t live in my garage.

AUTOMOBILE Detroit bureau chief, Todd Lassa, questioned my reasoning for the love of performance cars with back seats. Ford recently announced it would offer an optional rear seat through dealers’ parts departments for the new track-focused Ford Shelby GT350R. When I told Lassa how excited I was for this $999 accessory, he looked at me like I was drunk. It’s as if he feels us procreating types should be banished to minivans until the rugrats leave home. Fancy-free Lassa and his wife own a Miata and have no children. He can’t quite get his head around why manufacturers waste their time with small back seats in cars like the BMW M2 or Porsche 911.

I’m not alone. I’ve mentioned my good friend, Darren, in a previous story. Since that article, Darren sold his ultra-rare 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0, replacing it with a brand-new 2016 911 GT3 RS. While ordering his new car, Darren asked Porsche if he could add rear seats from the more pedestrian 911, because his young children enjoy motor-car journeys. The German company denied the request, saying the 911 GT3 is certified only as a two seater. There you have it — German automakers and their rules.

I’m sure some of you are screaming at your computer at the idea that I — well, Darren and I — want to dilute the purity of a car like a GT3 with rear seats. We should just buy damn three-row SUVs and shut up. Darren also owns a BMW M4, and he gets far more use from it than his new 500-hp 911 GT3 RS. He loves his 8,800 rpm, rear-engine 911, but it’s selfish to leave the kids at home with your spouse while you take a Sunday morning blast through the countryside.

Read more from this article…