Which car to replace the thrill of a motorbike?
Discussion
Gaz. said:
Just concentrating on thrills I'd have thought a Westfield with a supercharged S2000 engine would tick a lot of the boxes. You may have to build it/get it built but there's plenty of cheap Westfields with old pintos & S2k donor cars where you could pinch the entire powertrain, brakes, wheels, ecu, instruments and a supercharger should net you 450bhp & 300lbs.ft of torque in a package weighing 600kg or under.
This is the sort of thing I first hand in mind. But I think I got it wrong, re-reading the op they seem to want gadgets and an automatic transmission. Not sure there is much like that, that can offer motorbike style thrills though.
Dusty964 said:
Absolutely.
Especially if you service it yourself, and disregard the depreciation having used it to commute daily.
They are reliable though, old electronics see to that.
Funny how when an actual Mondial owner chimed in and claimed that such opinions as yours about reliability and electrics is complete bull, that you chose to ignore it.Especially if you service it yourself, and disregard the depreciation having used it to commute daily.
They are reliable though, old electronics see to that.
LongLiveTazio said:
Lots of cars suggested known for not being torquey! He needs a VXR8. Trying to replicate a motorbike with a Caterfield will result in disappointment, he should go for something that is unashamedly a car with a big character replete with huge gobs of torque that he can easily do a few driving adventures in. They sound the b
ks too, so great at low speed.
I agree. I tried to replace a GSXR600 with a VX220 turbo, but it just didn't cut it. Part of the problem was that overtaking in anything as low as a VX/Elise/Caterham is way more difficult than on a bike due to minor crests/dips in the road hiding oncoming cars. Plus, it really could have done with another 100hp at least.ks too, so great at low speed. The VXR8 would provide different (noisy, sideways) fun.
Whatever happens, you'll still find yourself at a bike showroom again one day, needing to scratch that itch.
300bhp/ton said:
Dusty964 said:
Absolutely.
Especially if you service it yourself, and disregard the depreciation having used it to commute daily.
They are reliable though, old electronics see to that.
Funny how when an actual Mondial owner chimed in and claimed that such opinions as yours about reliability and electrics is complete bull, that you chose to ignore it.Especially if you service it yourself, and disregard the depreciation having used it to commute daily.
They are reliable though, old electronics see to that.
Are you on a mission from God to headshot as many threads as you can this week 
Back OT
I didn't suggest a Caterham as although they are great they can be annoying on the roads. The seating position is low and even when you have a properly fast one you can get stuck behind all sorts, tractors, Mondials, all sorts. Add to this for short journeys they are a faff, double faff if its wet. But definitely get one for track days and an uber barge, I'd say that would be the closest in terms of kicks/practicality.
Or stick to trackdays on a bike, when you have healed? Truth is nothing gets close to the performance unless its we are looking at seriously exotic cars. 30yr old ferrari's excluded.
Back OT
I didn't suggest a Caterham as although they are great they can be annoying on the roads. The seating position is low and even when you have a properly fast one you can get stuck behind all sorts, tractors, Mondials, all sorts. Add to this for short journeys they are a faff, double faff if its wet. But definitely get one for track days and an uber barge, I'd say that would be the closest in terms of kicks/practicality.
Or stick to trackdays on a bike, when you have healed? Truth is nothing gets close to the performance unless its we are looking at seriously exotic cars. 30yr old ferrari's excluded.
y2blade said:
How about an American V8 pick-up truck?
On a serious note I would have suggested something akin to this. But (and I'm sure many won't read the next sentence ) due to specific reasoning, namely:-no car will ever emulate the feel of a motorbike, in terms of performance, seating position and general feel and thrill.
-On the assumption this is true, any car you compare to a bike will be a disappointment. So buying a car to recoup such thrills will always be doomed to failure.
-Even more so when you are wanting gadgets, bluetooth, satnav and an automatic.
Logic would say, if it is impossible to achieve something. Then you may as well try something completely different instead.
Thus a large, blunt, OTT monster of a vehicle is as far away from a bike as you can and clearly isn't trying to emulate one, or offer the same thrills. Which means you won't be comparing it as such, and it stands far more chance of not failing. And on the country, such a vehicle can still offer big time thrills, just different ones.
300bhp/ton said:
y2blade said:
How about an American V8 pick-up truck?
On a serious note I would have suggested something akin to this. But (and I'm sure many won't read the next sentence ) due to specific reasoning, namely:-no car will ever emulate the feel of a motorbike, in terms of performance, seating position and general feel and thrill.
-On the assumption this is true, any car you compare to a bike will be a disappointment. So buying a car to recoup such thrills will always be doomed to failure.
-Even more so when you are wanting gadgets, bluetooth, satnav and an automatic.
Logic would say, if it is impossible to achieve something. Then you may as well try something completely different instead.
Thus a large, blunt, OTT monster of a vehicle is as far away from a bike as you can and clearly isn't trying to emulate one, or offer the same thrills. Which means you won't be comparing it as such, and it stands far more chance of not failing. And on the country, such a vehicle can still offer big time thrills, just different ones.
sleep envy said:
In other words but one of these
Would you find it thrilling? If so, then yes it'd be a good option for you.I was however thinking something more like:
510hp, 8.3 litre V10 with plenty of torque. Automatic transmission. Available for circa £20k. Has gadgets. Is petrol. On paper it would appear to meet most, if not all of the ops requirements.
300bhp/ton said:
sleep envy said:
In other words but one of these
Would you find it thrilling? If so, then yes it'd be a good option for you.I was however thinking something more like:
510hp, 8.3 litre V10 with plenty of torque. Automatic transmission. Available for circa £20k. Has gadgets. Is petrol. On paper it would appear to meet most, if not all of the ops requirements.
jamieduff1981 said:
Most of the responses seem to be answering "Which torquey car for £20k?"
As the thread title is "Which car to replace the thrill of a motorbike?" I didn't interpret the answer to be a highly refined mainstream manufacturer performance saloon or roadster. It's probably just me taking the thread title too literally though.
The Caterham suggestions above are more what I was thinking when I saw the thread title - something raw and involving, but could be driven to work and back.
Sometimes you have to read more than just the thread title. From the OP:As the thread title is "Which car to replace the thrill of a motorbike?" I didn't interpret the answer to be a highly refined mainstream manufacturer performance saloon or roadster. It's probably just me taking the thread title too literally though.
The Caterham suggestions above are more what I was thinking when I saw the thread title - something raw and involving, but could be driven to work and back.
andyukguy said:
1) Torque, oh man I love the torque. Have I mentioned torque? I want it to pull from low down, high up etc
Torque isn't something I associate with bikes. I'm not the OP though, and it was number one on his list. It might help to know what sort of bike it was.
Ok guys you are all amazing I never expected this sort of response so quickly!
To clarify:
1) I'm not meaning something like a Caterham, this thing does also need to get me to the shops, keep me dry when it's raining... do the mundane things etc
2) I feel too old to be driving around in anything like an Impreza/Evo/VXR8
3) When I said "90% < 10 miles" I guess that's what I do currently due to the motorbike being the pleasure machine. Now that's not an option for a bit the journeys are going to be more mixed.
I guess nothing will truly replace the bike but I currently have an automatic 6 year old i30 so... yeah.
To clarify:
1) I'm not meaning something like a Caterham, this thing does also need to get me to the shops, keep me dry when it's raining... do the mundane things etc
2) I feel too old to be driving around in anything like an Impreza/Evo/VXR8
3) When I said "90% < 10 miles" I guess that's what I do currently due to the motorbike being the pleasure machine. Now that's not an option for a bit the journeys are going to be more mixed.
I guess nothing will truly replace the bike but I currently have an automatic 6 year old i30 so... yeah.
jamieduff1981 said:
£20k will bag a very nice example with excellent history. There isn't much faster. They're extremely involving to drive. They're petrol engined. They're much more reliable then non-owners will warn you.
Another
for the Cerb...I am not totally convinced by the reliability bit though! 
Jamesemt said:
I know we said to stay away from Diesel but there is no better way to get huge torque.
I've got an Ibiza cupra tdi which once remapped is quite pacey (not suggesting one of these btw).
Auto, loads of toys - what about a 535 D remapped to what?? 400lbft++
They are 428lbs-ft standard, up to 520 remapped. I have one on my little hearse.I've got an Ibiza cupra tdi which once remapped is quite pacey (not suggesting one of these btw).
Auto, loads of toys - what about a 535 D remapped to what?? 400lbft++
Anyway aren't all cars crushingly dull compared to CRAAAZZZY motorbikes? £10.51 gets you a bike that does 400mph, 0-60 in 0.001s.
Apparently.
I too think that you'll struggle to find any car that will give you the same kind of thrills that you got from your bike. Whatever car you settle on I recommend that if available, that you go for a softtop - it'll still give you that 'in-touch with the elements' feel of the motorbike, if not the outright performance - however, if you're enjoying the drive then that will be less important.
Personally, depending on the road and the conditions I enjoy driving my TT (with the roof down) as much as I enjoy riding my KTM.
Personally, depending on the road and the conditions I enjoy driving my TT (with the roof down) as much as I enjoy riding my KTM.
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