+ Click to Enlarge FLUFF OUT YOUR TAIL FEATHERS: Canadian researchers say driving a a (very expensive) sports car such as this Porsche GT3 really can make you feel more macho.

July 21, 2009

Women have long mocked the male obsession with fast cars, querying how a machine can make you feel more of a man.

Now scientists have found proof that sports cars really can make men feel more macho.

Going for a spin in a million-rand Porsche sends testosterone soaring, a study found, but driving a clapped-out Toyota had the opposite effect.

The Canadian researchers said it seems that men, like peacocks fanning their tails, believe the conspicuous displays are the best way to grab a female's attention.

Writing in the journal 'Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes', they said: "Men use their cars to advertise their wealth. They consider them as extensions of themselves: they feed them, bathe them, observe their age and nurse them.

"They believe that owning the right car is akin to possessing a powerful sexual charm that renders them irresistible to women.

"Through their lurid displays of wealth, Porsche owners signal to others that they could bear substantial financial costs.' - Daily Mail