Opinion: Why fast cars are some of the safest you can buy

In the last four weeks, I’ve driven three cars which were so obscenely powerful that I hardly ever used full throttle. Now I’m terrified I might be one of those stupid people who believe modern cars are too fast.

The first was Porsche’s fastest SUV to date – the Cayenne Turbo GT – and while its 4.0-litre turbo V8 pumps out a respectable 471kW it feels like a lot more when you’re trying to drive it in an unseasonal blizzard. Next was the Ferrari 812 Competizione – a car that musters a phenomenal 610kW from its naturally aspirated V12 but when it’s at the Fiorano test track in the pissing rain the engine feels as though it’s fuelled by pure distilled evil.

And then there was the McLaren 720S which might only have a paltry 530kW by comparison but weighs about 1400kg and has to send its full might to the ground through just two contact patches.

Regardless of the vehicle type, powertrain or purpose, each of these cars is fast in a way that suggests Isaac Newton was wrong about something. Both the Ferrari and McLaren will deliver your mortal frame to 100km/h from a standstill in less than 2.9 seconds and the sensation is something you can never fully prepare yourself for. Imagine being hugged and assaulted simultaneously and you’re half way there.

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The Brit has the tighter of the gear ratios and, with your toe buried in the bulkhead, it’s almost impossible to pull the upshift paddle fast enough to keep up with the flat-plane crank V8. It’s not a lot different in the 812, the key difference being that the awe-striking accompanying soundtrack is coming not from a rear-mid-mounted engine behind but from ahead. I honestly felt like the old lady in the Aphex Twin track Come to Daddy.

The Porsche delivers its knockout punch differently but just as violently. While the supercar pair save their most offensive acceleration for the dizzying heights of the redline, the Cayenne feels like it’s trying to snap all its wheels off at any engine speed and in any gear. I’ve never driven a combustion-powered car that delivers full torque (850Nm) so eagerly and instantly that it could have been electric. Under normal circumstances, the GT is wickedly fast but when you throw an early winter snow fall into the equation, each application of throttle feels like flicking elastic bands at an unrestrained pit bull.

And yet here I am sitting at my desk with all my arms and legs attached and, even more amazingly, all three cars are back with their respective owners in perfect condition. How is it possible that I managed to unleash a total of 1611kW in the snow and rain without any period of familiarisation or special training and I am not dead? It’s actually very simple.

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Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid

Modern cars are incredibly safe and capable of so much more than we really ever ask them to do. In the case of the Porsche, it had been fitted with Continental Winter Contact tyres which meant it found traction in conditions where I would have bet hard cash there was none. As you might expect, there is a price to pay for the extra grip. With the special rubber fitted, the Cayenne has its maximum permitted speed lowered to 240km/h – that’s right – even though it had winter tyres fitted, it is still safe to equal a Subaru WRX’s maximum speed.

Want another example? In an emergency, the McLaren will come to a complete stop from the national speed limit in 29 metres thanks to exotic brakes, clever aerodynamics and light weight. Oh, and the Ferrari has a stability and traction control system so sophisticated it can actually calculate the available friction of a road surface even under normal driving conditions.

Of course, in the wrong hands, a supercar can be as dangerous to heath as plutonium ravioli but here’s the undeniable truth that even the most staunch performance car opposition can’t contest. Cars that can go around corners fast are also very good at avoiding hazards, bigger brakes are better in an emergency, cyclists can hear a V10 better than a silenced four-cylinder and BMW’s M4 hero Sao Paulo Yellow is almost exactly the same tone as a hi-vis vest. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – fast cars are safer.