I have to remember to look at comments now that A/W actually has comments on their articles. There is one at this time.
I remember my favorite uncle buying a brand new, 1982 Z28. I supposed he was about the same age that I am now. He bought it because it could (barely) get out of it's own way. Back then, 0 - 60 MPH in 9.5 seconds or so was a big, when the auto industry was still trying to recover from EPA mandates. And he didn't like "hard riding cars," but bought it anyway.
Today we have V6 Accords and Camry that would blow that Z28's doors off without even trying.
I've owned a then new C6 Z51 LS3/6 speed 'Vette, a then new 1999 1LE LS1 Z28 (a seriously under-estimated car), and now I'm on my third consecutive VW GTI. I lease them. This one's a 2015 Autobahn performance package.
It runs mid 14 second/100 MPH quarter miles, has great breaks, a limited slip front diff, is very comfortable, extremely well finished, and a blast to drive. It would top 150 MPH with a tuner, without making any other changes than disabling the factory speed limiter.
It's simply fast enough. Ditto for its friction circle. And it's suspension can handle real world US roads without chattering my teeth. The seats are nice. They're supportive, well made, comfortable, and heated. The car is easy to get in and out of, and extremely functional in day to day life. That's just the bottom line with all of it.
I therefore have no interest in buying a new Z06 Corvette, for example, and dealing with the various headaches that I know accompanies it.
He is making an argument somewhat related to one I have made before: that absolute performance matters. And once you get to a certain level of absolute performance, you may not want to make big sacrifices to get more.
A Camaro SS costs more than it used to but bear in mind that it runs the 1/4 mile at the same speed of the 1980s superstar Porsche 959.
The 959 was pretty much a hyper-car at the time though it was built for homologation reasons.
First customer deliveries of the 959 street variant began in 1987, and the car debuted at a cost of US$225,000 per unit, still less than half what it cost Porsche to build each one. Production ended in 1988 with 292 959s from the assembly line. In total, 337 cars were built, including 37 prototypes and pre-production models.[1] At least one 959 and one 961 remain in the Porsche historic hall in Stuttgart, Germany.
Of course this is also why you could make the argument against the Camaro SS (and for a Mustang GT) from a 1/4 mile standpoint. Fortunately, automakers are focusing on other important attributes and not just pure acceleration. So the Camaro wins over the Mustang not because it is faster but because it is the better sports car (if that's what you are looking for).