I recently came across an article from the Motor Authority titled “People who like loud exhausts are sadists and psychopaths”, a piece that talks about recent research into car exhausts conducted as part of a new study from the Western University of Ontario, Canada. As an automotive enthusiast and a coinsure of exotic exhaust notes that date back to the pre-war era, I couldn’t help but take this as a personal attack and feel a little offended by this blanket statement that demonizes most car guys. The study was originally brought to light by Car and Driver with a similarly worded title but a little more open-ended in its delivery.
In this study commissioned by Professor Julie Aitken Schermer, she investigated the motivations of individuals who desire cars with louder-than-normal exhaust systems. The study surveyed 529 business students and asked them about their perceptions of loud cars, whether they see their cars as an extension of themselves, and if they would consider modifying their cars to make the exhaust louder.
In addition to these questions, participants also completed a Short Dark Tetrad personality survey. This survey is designed to measure inclinations towards personality traits such as narcissism, psychopathy, and manipulativeness. The study found that while narcissism scores were generally low, individuals who preferred loud car exhaust systems tended to score higher for psychopathy and sadism.
As a self-respecting car guy and a former psychology student (disclaimer: I was never great at it), I believe there are levels to this. Well if you have a taste for flaming exhausts, screaming Hellcats, or BMWs that make gunshot noises as they backfire, then chances are you do have some anti-social elements brewing within you. But if you like the high-pitched wail of a naturally aspirated V12 from Ferrari or Lamborghini (with a stock exhaust ofcourse), or if you admire the soulful sound of an Alfa Romeo Busso and if you have a taste for the symphony created by the exhaust system of the Lexus LFA, the one they designed in conjunction with Yamaha, the makers of some of the fines grand pianos in the world then I think that’s tasteful. And those of you who put these two wildly different segments of enthusiasts in the same category, that would make you lot the real psychopaths in need of therapy.
I would also like to draw attention to the study that Jason Camisa so eloquently described in Revelations, Ep.12 by Hagerty. He spoke about the Ferrari-built V-8 used in the first-generation Maserati Quattroporte whose sound was, thanks to a 2008 study, scientifically proven to increase sexual arousal.
The study, conducted by psychologist David Moxon, exposed 40 men and women to recordings of Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Volkswagen engines. Testosterone levels, an indicator of sexual arousal, were measured in the participants’ saliva. The results showed that 100% of women tested had significantly higher testosterone levels after hearing the Maserati engine, indicating they were sexually aroused by its sound. 50% of men also showed increased arousal from the Maserati’s engine note.
So long story short, the Ferrari-derived V8 in the 2004-2012 Maserati Quattroporte was scientifically proven to be a turn-on for women thanks to its intoxicating, high-performance sound. So does that mean all women are psychopaths? Maybe we should ask Professor Julie to subject herself to the sound of a V8 Quattroporte before we arrive to any conclusions.
Car & Driver also seems to agree with this. Not all loud exhaust sounds are created equal. As the article describes, there’s a clear distinction between enjoying the thunderous exhaust note of a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and enraging your local Karens and causing disruption with loud noise in your neighborhood late at night. This is where programmable exhaust modes come in handy. And boy what an invention that is. Many modern-day cars come with valved exhausts from the factory and they are also a popular aftermarket add-on for performance cars. As the name suggests the valve allows you to control the amount of noise/airflow which increases or decreases the loudness and those who like to keep their neighbors happy while still enjoying the sounds and performance from a free-flowing exhaust should not be classified under the same standards of psychopathy as the kid with a straight piped Subaru WRX, living down the street.
So let’s get down to the brass tacks here, studies are supposed to give us insights, and a better understanding of how things work, they aren’t laws set in stone that can be used to dictate terms that govern the human race for the rest of eternity. Not to mention, the way its delivered to the masses is just as important and it shouldn’t be a tool used to govern the mental faculties of young minds, which is the case now where good journalism is diluted or simply left at the mercy of an algorithm and headlines need to be more sensational than ever just to sell, which is especially dangerous in this woke age and might give rise to future Karens who will refer back to the spicy headlines of these very articles we discussed in the first place, without knowing the complete story and that too to a Tesla owners group who’ll be playing the latest exhaust note they downloaded off of the internet though there speakers. Haven’t we had enough of the stop oil folks that we should be more weary of such patterns?
But in a bid to appease the algorithm gods, more such articles will keep popping up. Which is why I want this article to live in some corner of the internet, not to be read by millions because it isn’t designed to appease Google’s sacred algorithm nor does it employ any fancy SEO tools to boost rankings, just one man and his rant, trying to draw people away from the negativity and sensationalist side of the internet to a more fact-based world where we can all enjoy the things we like without much hypercriticism.
So in an age where agendas get priority over truth, let’s not get caught up in sensationalism and enjoy the nice exhaust note from factory exhaust fitted exhaust system and well designed aftermarket units that not only complies with legislation but also with the thoughts of sane petrol heads the world over.