Surprised by Sleeper/Q-Car
Discussion
Having never happened to me before until the other week I thought I would post up to see if any of you have had similar experiences.
The story:
really badly beaten up dirt black VW Beetle circa born around 1974 crawling along in front of me, doing about 30mph on a 50mph dual carriageway/motorway section. doing this speed as the traffic flow in front of the VW is doing a similar speed. Get to motorway section and the cars in front of the VW move into the left hand and middle lanes, me and the VW still in outside lane, now at this point I am expecting the VW to move over and I drop a gear ready to make progress, when this VW suddenly (nearly literally) takes off, I put my foot down and the VW is still pulling away, anyhow I catch up alongside the VW as it moves to the left lane to take a junction slip road and put my thumb up to the driver, who does the same and smiles back. It was a great moment, clearly a fellow car nut with what I can only assume is a sleeper VW with a porsche engine coversion (or similar).
So have any of you had similar scenario's occur like the above?
The story:
really badly beaten up dirt black VW Beetle circa born around 1974 crawling along in front of me, doing about 30mph on a 50mph dual carriageway/motorway section. doing this speed as the traffic flow in front of the VW is doing a similar speed. Get to motorway section and the cars in front of the VW move into the left hand and middle lanes, me and the VW still in outside lane, now at this point I am expecting the VW to move over and I drop a gear ready to make progress, when this VW suddenly (nearly literally) takes off, I put my foot down and the VW is still pulling away, anyhow I catch up alongside the VW as it moves to the left lane to take a junction slip road and put my thumb up to the driver, who does the same and smiles back. It was a great moment, clearly a fellow car nut with what I can only assume is a sleeper VW with a porsche engine coversion (or similar).
So have any of you had similar scenario's occur like the above?
Edited by Romanymagic on Thursday 5th March 17:29
early 90's, me and my mate in a Peugeout 205 1.9GTi, thinking we're the absolute nuts.. about to pass some crappy jap estate, we pull out expecting to waste him, our jaws hit the floor as he dissapeared.
caught up eventually, the dialogue was something like....
"Impreza? Impreza? wtf is an Impreza!!!???"
caught up eventually, the dialogue was something like....
"Impreza? Impreza? wtf is an Impreza!!!???"
About 15 years ago, on the way to watch some Stock Car Racing somewhere in Yorkshire with Dad, Uncle, brother and cousin in my uncles car. He worked for Nissan, and I can't remember what car it was, but it was new and fairly quick.
We pull up at the lights, and a Land Rover Defender pulls alongside. The Landy revs it's engine, and my Uncle goes 'watch this' (or other classic immortal words along those lines)
Needless to say, the Land Rover launched like a drag car, and went off like a shot. My uncle was a little embarrassed to say the least. God knows what was in the Landy!
We pull up at the lights, and a Land Rover Defender pulls alongside. The Landy revs it's engine, and my Uncle goes 'watch this' (or other classic immortal words along those lines)
Needless to say, the Land Rover launched like a drag car, and went off like a shot. My uncle was a little embarrassed to say the least. God knows what was in the Landy!
Edited by ol on Thursday 5th March 17:38
Had similar experience with a local electrician who had a Ferrari replica based on a MR2 N/A.
We used to start work early mornings and would reguarly see him on the motorway heading towards town, Used to lose his "Ferrari" all the time when i had my Cooper-S, wait on him, then boot it away again.
Hadnt seen him in ages, til just before christmas when i caught a glimpse of it in the distance, As i got closer i saw it was his private plate etc and the car looked as if it had been repainted, I drove passed in lane 2 all smug as i knew if he tried it i would horse him again..
I pulled back into lane 1. He sat behind me and as i accelerated towards his normal 'dropping off' speed, But he didnt drop off, Kept going and going and going...
Eventually i chcuked it as it was getting to silly lepton's and he shot past still pulling at a fair speed.
Turned out he had bought an actual Ferrari.
We used to start work early mornings and would reguarly see him on the motorway heading towards town, Used to lose his "Ferrari" all the time when i had my Cooper-S, wait on him, then boot it away again.
Hadnt seen him in ages, til just before christmas when i caught a glimpse of it in the distance, As i got closer i saw it was his private plate etc and the car looked as if it had been repainted, I drove passed in lane 2 all smug as i knew if he tried it i would horse him again..
I pulled back into lane 1. He sat behind me and as i accelerated towards his normal 'dropping off' speed, But he didnt drop off, Kept going and going and going...
Eventually i chcuked it as it was getting to silly lepton's and he shot past still pulling at a fair speed.
Turned out he had bought an actual Ferrari.
CraigW said:
early 90's, me and my mate in a Peugeout 205 1.9GTi, thinking we're the absolute nuts.. about to pass some crappy jap estate, we pull out expecting to waste him, our jaws hit the floor as he dissapeared.
caught up eventually, the dialogue was something like....
"Impreza? Impreza? wtf is an Impreza!!!???"
I think a lot of us went through this in the early 90's. I think it's the sign of a petrolhead. I forget many important times/dates/occasions, but clearly remember as young lads the first time we got literally blown into the weeds (we were in a 16v Clio) by a 'Jap saloon' and had the "wtf is an Impreza?" conversation caught up eventually, the dialogue was something like....
"Impreza? Impreza? wtf is an Impreza!!!???"
Edited by matt uk on Thursday 5th March 17:42
Back in the late 90's I had a Rover Tomcat Turbo. It was reasonably quick and up until then was the fastest thing I'd ever driven, so I thought I was the mutts nuts..
Memory escapes me whereabouts this was, but I followed what I now know to be a Griff round a roundabout onto a dual carriageway of about a mile (until the next roundabout) - pulled out to overtake thinking "Ha this will be easy" when it just simply f
ked off into the distance with a bellow. Wound my window down and even at many leptons I could still hear the exhaust over the wind noise...Quality.
Memory escapes me whereabouts this was, but I followed what I now know to be a Griff round a roundabout onto a dual carriageway of about a mile (until the next roundabout) - pulled out to overtake thinking "Ha this will be easy" when it just simply f
ked off into the distance with a bellow. Wound my window down and even at many leptons I could still hear the exhaust over the wind noise...Quality.Edited by juice on Thursday 5th March 17:52
Was in Preston while at Uni' driving through town in my Jetta 16v that was fairly nippy, came to traffic light, two lanes into one after the lights, pulled up in lane two next to a stty looking Morris Minor.
Didn't really launch but accelerated hard to get in front..... Minor blows me into the weeds. Sadly never saw it again. Twin Cam conversion maybe?
Another in Preston, me and flat mate in our 8V Golf GTi's driving round looking for races (yes I know we were tossers) come across two standard looking Mk3 Astras - They proceeded to absolutly destroy us, it was just embarrassing. later found out they were both running Turbo'd XE's.
tty looking Morris Minor.Didn't really launch but accelerated hard to get in front..... Minor blows me into the weeds. Sadly never saw it again. Twin Cam conversion maybe?
Another in Preston, me and flat mate in our 8V Golf GTi's driving round looking for races (yes I know we were tossers) come across two standard looking Mk3 Astras - They proceeded to absolutly destroy us, it was just embarrassing. later found out they were both running Turbo'd XE's.
Back in the late 80s I had a Renault 5 Gordini, suitably fettled, it was great fun. I'll never forget whilst out one day, I went to overtake an old rusty-looking Cortina Estate. As I pulled out, the old barge lifted its skirt and promptly entered Warp, leaving me to pull back in and wonder just what the fk had happened. I found out later that the bloke had put a Cosworth lump in the thing, complete with running gear - just enjoyed having a ste looking body/car, so he could waste people (like me). You live and learn 
k had happened. I found out later that the bloke had put a Cosworth lump in the thing, complete with running gear - just enjoyed having a ste looking body/car, so he could waste people (like me). You live and learn I was travelling upto Croydon iirc in my Almera GTi P2 with my brother in law and we were passing cars on the motorway, not doing silly speeds - just going with the flow. We came across a tatty mk2 golf, lowered on what I now know to be porsche wheels, lovely girl (iirc) driving it, we both looked, she looked i promptly floored it and left her behind.
Later in the trip I saw the golf in my mirror and dropped mine down a gear - she came along beside me, dump valve sounded and she was a set of taillights in the distance...
Shocked, now i never judge a book by it's cover!
Later in the trip I saw the golf in my mirror and dropped mine down a gear - she came along beside me, dump valve sounded and she was a set of taillights in the distance...
Shocked, now i never judge a book by it's cover!
ol said:
About 15 years ago.... somewhere in Yorkshire.... Needless to say, the Land Rover launched like a drag car, and went off like a shot. My uncle was a little embarrassed to say the least. God knows what was in the Landy!
I navigated for a chap in the NORC championship(1959 S1) a few years ago who's brother was building a drag racing LR. 2wd V8 fibreglass front etc etc..Never actually saw it, but it turned out a bit of a beast by all accounts
matt uk said:
I think a lot of us went through this in the early 90's. I think it's the sign of a petrolhead. I forget many important times/dates/occasions, but clearly remember as young lads the first time we got literally blown into the weeds (we were in a 16v Clio) by a 'Jap saloon' and had the "wtf is an Impreza?" conversation
For me it went like this:17 years old, hammering down a country lane in my Bluebird Turbo. That was the nuts. Way faster than anyone else's car I knew at the time, even handled alright with its adjustable suspension malarkey.
Anyway, I see some lights in dusk behind me, gaining, gaining...I push it harder, almost entirely using up the fiver's worth of LRP in it...and this thing is still gaining.
Get to a long straight, and it comes alongside, pulls in front, then rockets off with a squat on the rear suspension. It's a dark grey coupe, and I'm sure it had a Nissan badge on it..?
About a two miles down the road we come to a level crossing. It's better lit, and as we pull up behind it, my mate says "what the f
k is a Skyline?".R32 GTR. Pwned.
The driver did give us a thumbs up though. After all, we were in a Nissan Turbo as well.. ;-)
I was told a story a few years back that may contain some urban myth but here goes...
Friend on M1 in a tuned 1835cc Beetle when a citroen 2CV appears in his mirror. He puts his foot down and takes it upto about 80, 2CV still there. Keeps foot down and keeps going, 90mph, 100mph, 110mph and runs out of breath so pulls in. 2CV drives past and continue to accelerate. Friend, after a few miles sees 2CV pulling into services so follows him in and pulls up next him where he notices 2CV is sat on Ford Rostyle wheels. After brief compliments about how well car was going asks what is under the bonnet. Turns out 2CV has a Formula Ford chassis and running gear with the 2CV body shell mounted on it.
Friend on M1 in a tuned 1835cc Beetle when a citroen 2CV appears in his mirror. He puts his foot down and takes it upto about 80, 2CV still there. Keeps foot down and keeps going, 90mph, 100mph, 110mph and runs out of breath so pulls in. 2CV drives past and continue to accelerate. Friend, after a few miles sees 2CV pulling into services so follows him in and pulls up next him where he notices 2CV is sat on Ford Rostyle wheels. After brief compliments about how well car was going asks what is under the bonnet. Turns out 2CV has a Formula Ford chassis and running gear with the 2CV body shell mounted on it.
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