They knew things about cars that I never wanted to know about, such as torque ratio and the differences between rack and pinion steering vs. worm and roller.

FORBES: So, Why Would Ford Loan Someone Like Me a Car?

Other advances included rubber cone independent suspension, designed by Alex Moulton (who incidentally, went on to design the Moulton bicycle -- another of my favorite designs), rack and pinion steering and a monocoque body that eliminated the need for a costly separate chassis.

CNN: A design classic

It also benefits from excellent rack-and-pinion steering--again, fine-tuned for this car--that's on the lighter side of sporty.

FORBES: Vehicles Feature

Another distinguishing feature is the speed-sensitive power steering with rack-and-pinion steering gear: the power assistance is implemented electrohydraulically rather than just hydraulically.

ENGADGET: Visualized: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell bares all

Yes, it does have an electrically assisted rack-and-pinion steering, and no, the steering isn't the telepathic rudder that the Porsche 911's is, but still, it's pretty awesome.

WSJ: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Review: The Beauty Is All on the Inside | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

You name it, they have run a railway up it, by hook or by crook, by rack or by pinion and by Albula and St Moritz.

BBC: Full steam ahead