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In response to the comment "For those who believe CAFE standards don't affect car design, performance are simply sticking their heads in the sand.", I thought about cars of today vs. cars of the 1960's and early 1970's, before CAFE standards came into effect and concluded that pre CAFE standards cars are definitely slower, worse handling and less safe. Maybe someone can think of a 1960's car that can out accelerate a new 997, but they are few and far between. Maybe an AC Cobra could do it, but you would never want to drive one of those every day, let alone in the winter or foul weather. There are many mini vans that can out accelerate, out handle and stop quicker than the "muscle cars" that were worshiped in the 60's and early 70's. For crying out loud, a base 986 Boxster gets 30 miles per gallon on the highway and out handles just about any 1960's or 70's Porsche. It's zero to 60 times are comparable to a pre 1990 911 and it may even have a higher top end. Is there any evidence out there that CAFE standards have had a negative effect on performance and/or car design or is it just someone's opinion? Have any performance car manufacturers come out and said they would be building a 300 MPH car that does zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds if it weren't for CAFE standards? I understand that manufacturers have to work harder and build a better, more innovative product to meet the standards, but is that necessarily a bad thing?
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