SLEEPERS! Anyone have a street sleeper here?
Discussion
I have a passion for street sleepers.
There's such a joy in leaving powerful cars behind eating your dust caused by your 'old, incompetent, humble, small engined, and perhaps embarrassing' car, especially if the challenged is raised to you by a smug looking driver, constantly revving his engine at the lights, just before they turn to green!
If you have a sleeper, post your stories and add pictures!!!!
My love for these started, when I was offered a passenger ride on an ordinary Renault 5 Campus, standard on the outside with 14'' steel wheels. The biggest surprise was the 2.0 tuned lump from a Williams Clio, that was apparently pushing over 200bhp. Sorted suspension made it really firm and 'go cart' like!
I can't confirm the power output, but, what I can confirm was that it was stupidly quick. So quick in its fragile and wobbly shell... surely it couldn't have been safe! But when taking on a Scooby down a country lane and eventually leading onto a dual carriageway, whilst holding on for my dear life and couldn't believe my eyes, when the driver of the Scooby gave up!
Whilst stationary at the lights a couple of miles down the road, the Scooby pulls alongside, with the driver looking very confused. After a brief pause, he winds down his window and says, and I quote; 'what the hell is that?'
Classic!
There's such a joy in leaving powerful cars behind eating your dust caused by your 'old, incompetent, humble, small engined, and perhaps embarrassing' car, especially if the challenged is raised to you by a smug looking driver, constantly revving his engine at the lights, just before they turn to green!
If you have a sleeper, post your stories and add pictures!!!!
My love for these started, when I was offered a passenger ride on an ordinary Renault 5 Campus, standard on the outside with 14'' steel wheels. The biggest surprise was the 2.0 tuned lump from a Williams Clio, that was apparently pushing over 200bhp. Sorted suspension made it really firm and 'go cart' like!
I can't confirm the power output, but, what I can confirm was that it was stupidly quick. So quick in its fragile and wobbly shell... surely it couldn't have been safe! But when taking on a Scooby down a country lane and eventually leading onto a dual carriageway, whilst holding on for my dear life and couldn't believe my eyes, when the driver of the Scooby gave up!
Whilst stationary at the lights a couple of miles down the road, the Scooby pulls alongside, with the driver looking very confused. After a brief pause, he winds down his window and says, and I quote; 'what the hell is that?'
Classic!
A friend of mine just pulled 517hp in his mk4 Astra coupe. The engine was in an old Yorkshire Water Astra van before he bought the Coupe 
He used to tell people it was a 1.6lpg when they shouted "what the f
k is that?" at him 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu8Uy3RrFGA
That's it on the rollers, not as sleeperish now its in a normal car but I'm sure you still wouldn't expect it to have that kind of power.
He used to tell people it was a 1.6lpg when they shouted "what the fk is that?" at him http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu8Uy3RrFGA
That's it on the rollers, not as sleeperish now its in a normal car but I'm sure you still wouldn't expect it to have that kind of power.
Edited by StottyZr on Friday 15th March 11:57
There was a fantastic mk2 polo breadvan in hearing aid beige on some of the VW forums a few years ago that the guy fitted a G40 engine with a big turbo instead on the G-Lader into. Had to put it in 15" steelies (with hubcaps) to clear the brakes rather then the 13" standard ones but it still looked pretty normal- only giveaway was the intercooler peeking out through the bottom of the bumper 
StottyZr said:
A friend of mine just pulled 517hp in his mk4 Astra coupe. The engine was in an old Yorkshire Water Astra van before he bought the Coupe He used to tell people it was a 1.6lpg when they shouted "what the fk is that?" at him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu8Uy3RrFGA
That's it on the rollers, not as sleeperish now its in a normal car but I'm sure you still wouldn't expect it to have that kind of power.
A mate of mine had one of those at 300 ish bhp and that was mental, god knows what that one is like ! He used to tell people it was a 1.6lpg when they shouted "what the fk is that?" at him http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu8Uy3RrFGA
That's it on the rollers, not as sleeperish now its in a normal car but I'm sure you still wouldn't expect it to have that kind of power.
Edited by StottyZr on Friday 15th March 11:57
Can it put the power down, the 300 bhp one struggled.
StottyZr said:
A friend of mine just pulled 517hp in his mk4 Astra coupe. The engine was in an old Yorkshire Water Astra van before he bought the Coupe He used to tell people it was a 1.6lpg when they shouted "what the fk is that?" at him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu8Uy3RrFGA
That's it on the rollers, not as sleeperish now its in a normal car but I'm sure you still wouldn't expect it to have that kind of power.
Damn! That's what I'm talking about StottyZr! That Astra G must shift! He used to tell people it was a 1.6lpg when they shouted "what the fk is that?" at him http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu8Uy3RrFGA
That's it on the rollers, not as sleeperish now its in a normal car but I'm sure you still wouldn't expect it to have that kind of power.
Edited by StottyZr on Friday 15th March 11:57
Thats a lot of power... wheelspin through all the gears?!
Told this story before:
I have a BMW E36 323i bought almost new back in '98. Never thought that I'd still have it 15 years later.
The last road before my house is a long straight downhill mile and as I was sitting at the traffic lights a guy with a late model E46 coupe pulled up and started revving his engine and looking at me.
I'm too old for this, I thought but sod it!
My car has it's original 15s with fat profile tyres, great for bumping up kerbs and speed bumps, of which there are a lot of very big ones on the downhill mile.
His car had 19s with hardly any profile to speak of.
Lights went green and we both raced off and then I heard the squeal of brakes as he panicked on seeing the first speed bump whilst I sailed over it.
It's not always about engine size
I have a BMW E36 323i bought almost new back in '98. Never thought that I'd still have it 15 years later.
The last road before my house is a long straight downhill mile and as I was sitting at the traffic lights a guy with a late model E46 coupe pulled up and started revving his engine and looking at me.
I'm too old for this, I thought but sod it!
My car has it's original 15s with fat profile tyres, great for bumping up kerbs and speed bumps, of which there are a lot of very big ones on the downhill mile.
His car had 19s with hardly any profile to speak of.
Lights went green and we both raced off and then I heard the squeal of brakes as he panicked on seeing the first speed bump whilst I sailed over it.
It's not always about engine size
Waaaay back in 1965,l lived in Nor Flundun and had a 100E Anglia, that had a bit of tweeking, GN twin SU Manifold, slightly lowered suspension, bucket seats,remote gear shift, home made ash with more dials than you could shake a stick at. Anyway at the lights was merrily burbling away when a Ford Pop ( sit up style) pulled up. Looked at me and did a blip, sounded nice so i blipped and lights changed...... and off he went. Caught him up at the next set and had a chat.
Turned out he worked at Lotus ( at the time they were at Cheshunt) and he had bought an Elan Chassis and bolted this body on top. Used to make pounds having Traffic light GPs with the local Mini Cooper boys.
Turned out he worked at Lotus ( at the time they were at Cheshunt) and he had bought an Elan Chassis and bolted this body on top. Used to make pounds having Traffic light GPs with the local Mini Cooper boys.
Had the pleasure of a day driving round in my local VW specialists Corrado VR6 turbo.. putting out something in the region of 370BHP. Looked completely standard outside apart from some nice 17" OZ alloy wheels and a custom exhaust system.
If you believe everything you watch on Top Gear you'd think such a car was undriveable.. and indeed if you slam your foot to the floor in first or second, you got no traction at all. But if you don't do full-bore launches and then get more progressive once you got into 3rd and beyond the performance of the thing was staggering.. it honestly felt as quick as any of the real supercars I'd ever driven, or maybe it was just the shock of going that fast in a car I traditionally associate with half that power.
It was utterly fantastic fun. But very thirsty. And fairly "Q" until you opened the taps as it did make a fair amount of noise!
If you believe everything you watch on Top Gear you'd think such a car was undriveable.. and indeed if you slam your foot to the floor in first or second, you got no traction at all. But if you don't do full-bore launches and then get more progressive once you got into 3rd and beyond the performance of the thing was staggering.. it honestly felt as quick as any of the real supercars I'd ever driven, or maybe it was just the shock of going that fast in a car I traditionally associate with half that power.
It was utterly fantastic fun. But very thirsty. And fairly "Q" until you opened the taps as it did make a fair amount of noise!
I dont have a street sleeper. I'd quite like to drop a Zetec turbo engine into the Escort, leaving the 1.6 and Finesse badges on, but that might take a while
In the meantime, I've always liked the Royal Nail van
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGT08670Xds
In the meantime, I've always liked the Royal Nail van
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGT08670Xds
I haven't seen anything that beats the 'transit' that hammond raced the aussies in on TG
Edit: 4:30 for the drag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSAWrswE3Yo
Edit: 4:30 for the drag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSAWrswE3Yo
Edited by Bear Phils on Friday 15th March 22:14
Loving the Saab up there.
I've not much to add myself, aside from saying that I was also embarrassed by a crappy looking Nova a few weeks after I got an Astra VXR back in 2008. Was showing my new motor off to a mate and the Nova caught up to us and sat right on my arse. Then I uttered the immortal "Watch this" as we joined a dual-carriageway off a roundabout and the rest is history. Never spoke to the guy to find out what it was running, but he quite easily pulled away from me...
I've not much to add myself, aside from saying that I was also embarrassed by a crappy looking Nova a few weeks after I got an Astra VXR back in 2008. Was showing my new motor off to a mate and the Nova caught up to us and sat right on my arse. Then I uttered the immortal "Watch this" as we joined a dual-carriageway off a roundabout and the rest is history. Never spoke to the guy to find out what it was running, but he quite easily pulled away from me...
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