"Sleeper" Cars

[y2blade]

I'll have this one please...owned by Guy Martin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BjI1lG2q4A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djguAxWPQJA

[y2blade]

......Or a Volvette

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=volve...

[rouge59]

My crappy old 4x4 dogshed does 0-60 in around 5.5 seconds, completely unmodified.

[Pit Pony]

PoleDriver said:

Fittster said:

When is it ever safe to drive 'to the limit' on a public road?

When the road is quiet.
When the car can handle it.
When you drive within your own capabilities.

NB.'the limit' does not always equal 'illegal'. Neither does it always denote unsafe!

Thought for the day:- If I were to drive at 130MPH on a motorway in UK and got caught I would have the book thrown at me because the speed limit is set at 70MPH as it is too dangerous to drive faster than this.
If I travelled at 190MPH on derestricted Autobahns in Germany the Police would say...Cool!

Why?

What is unsafe is NOT knowing where the limit is.
And how would you know where the limit is, unless you actually loose it ? So if you haven't reached the limit, are you on the limit, or a good way from it?
There is no safe way or really finding out these days. In the bad old days, you could get a soggy old sierra sideways at about 40 mph, and then catch the fecker, before it took you backwards over a central reservation into oncoming traffic (or not as I found to my cost in 1985), but these days you'll be doing 80 backwards if you really drive on the limit.

As far as the autobahn goes, only some of it is derestricted, but if you do crash, you'll almost certainly get a conviction for dangerous driving, if you survive. Basically, it's okay to drive as fast as you think safe, but if it turns out you were incorrect in your assumptions then you were driving badly. But I see this as a good thing. It's about personal responsibility.
Get rid of 20 mph zones. If you run a child over, you get 20 years. We'd all drive more sedately then?

[fozluvscars]

toon10 said:

The trouble with really fast Q-cars/sleepers is fighting the urge to take on anything known to be fast that comes along. You could end up racing all the time and losing your license

I have a 3mps and agree with this. My main bugbear is powerful diesels on the motorway, and how some of the drivers try to bully you because they think you're in a slower car, or 'stty mazda' in my case.....once the red mist has lifted and you've finally managed to shake them off (unless it's a 535d of course), the speeds can be quite scary. Saying that, I could still be in an M5 and these wallies would probably still do the same.

[blearyeyedboy]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

However, this one's worth it- probably the best example of a brand new sleeper today.



A new Skoda Superb with 276bhp á la Leon Cupra, 4wd and 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds. It has no badges or spoilers except a discreet "4X4" badge. The only external sign that anything's amiss is a pair of (still discreet exhausts).

I imagine no one will buy it except a few mentalists and the boys in blue. I suddenly really want one.

Edited by blearyeyedboy on Saturday 12th March 07:52

[clarkmagpie]

Maybe not a total sleeper but to the average Joe it was just an old A6 saloon.
Loved it!

[LittleEnus]

I think a particular 'type' opt for sleepers. I don't see the point.

[blearyeyedboy]

Each fan of sleepers has their own reason, but I'll give mine.

I want to enjoy a car for myself, not be bothered by people around me. When I've driven flash things before, I've found the reaction from others annoying- people wanting to race you at traffic lights, for example.

I want to enjoy the drive and have everybody around me ignore me. My ideal car would handle like a Cayman but look like an old Avensis, really.

[Stickyfinger]

Cars that do not "draw attention" do it for me. I do not need the hassle from boys with bucket exhausts at traffic lights or pushy Audi/BMW TD's trying to be the BigMan....if needed just let them go or if you feel like it embarrass/shock them to the point they end up leaving you alone.

[Nickbrapp]

I like understated fast cars, I think anything bigger than a fiesta size with a body kit looks a bit stupid in my eyes, with the exception of big saloons, but I wouldn't want a suburu or something like that.

I'm looking at A45s as my next car, and I won't be having it with the body kit.

[bomma220]

Stickyfinger said:

Cars that do not "draw attention" do it for me. I do not need the hassle from boys with bucket exhausts at traffic lights or pushy Audi/BMW TD's trying to be the BigMan....if needed just let them go or if you feel like it embarrass/shock them to the point they end up leaving you alone.

Exactly my view too. I've even taken the Aero badge off the back of my 9-5 estate

[Stickyfinger]

I like the fact that bugger all people know what an old Citroen can do and the fact it is not a "modders car" either so the suspicion is even less.

I have never seen the motorway as a race track (way to easy to loose your ticket) and like to drive A&B roads, zip all but the best cars can keep up if I decide to push on when on them

Edited by Stickyfinger on Saturday 12th March 09:43

[Bonefish Blues]

blearyeyedboy said:

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

However, this one's worth it- probably the best example of a brand new sleeper today.

A new Skoda Superb with 276bhp á la Leon Cupra, 4wd and 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds. It has no badges or spoilers except a discreet "4X4" badge. The only external sign that anything's amiss is a pair of (still discreet exhausts).

I imagine no one will buy it except a few mentalists and the boys in blue. I suddenly really want one.

Edited by blearyeyedboy on Saturday 12th March 07:52

Everything's got multiple exhausts these days, so that won't arouse any suspicions. What tax band is it...

[Vitorio]

jamieduff1981 said:

The reality I found was that people see you coming, assume that you're a slow, doddering old fart then pull out in front of you - then flat refuse to get the fk out of the way. You can drive for 20 miles down the overtaking lane of the A1 behind some generic little wktank hatchback that just won't move over to let you pass because your car looks crap.

aye, but a little bumper-sprint does wonders

Had a remapped a3 tdi for a while, whenever someone was hogging the left lane without need, i'd drop back 100 yards, turn on my lights and do a small sprint to close the gap, that usually got their attention.

Now after that i got an alfa mito, 155 hp in a small hatchbak, probably a good bit quicker then the audi, but no matter what i tried, people just think "meh, another dinky hatchback behind me, no way they'll be faster then my 1.6 astra" and leave me stuck

[theboss]

Nickbrapp said:

I like understated fast cars, I think anything bigger than a fiesta size with a body kit looks a bit stupid in my eyes, with the exception of big saloons, but I wouldn't want a suburu or something like that.

I'm looking at A45s as my next car, and I won't be having it with the body kit.

The fact that so many cars are now "inverse Q" with all the AMG / M / S-line tat on a 180bhp diesel means that the real things are becoming less distinguishable. The AMG gear and big spoiler on a diesel A class looks rediculous, as did the 420d convertible with massive rims and carbon fibre M performance fittings BMW lent me once.

I know my M5 isn't a Q car by definition to anyone who knows one when they see one - but to 99% its a 520d. After DMS breathed on it last week it dyno'd 750bhp so the level of performance far exceeds common expectations, with a certain Q factor inevitably arising.

[Stickyfinger]

Vitorio said:

aye, but a little bumper-sprint does wonders

Had a remapped a3 tdi for a while, whenever someone was hogging the left lane without need, i'd drop back 100 yards, turn on my lights and do a small sprint to close the gap, that usually got their attention.

Now after that i got an alfa mito, 155 hp in a small hatchbak, probably a good bit quicker then the audi, but no matter what i tried, people just think "meh, another dinky hatchback behind me, no way they'll be faster then my 1.6 astra" and leave me stuck

That is because they are suffering from the "aww feck, I'm not moving its another pushy modern Hot Hatch/BMW/White Audi syndrome".....it is "expected" these days as most cars can do quite fast speeds so that is why they do not move over. One of the reasons it is hard for a modern production car to get the reaction an older "sleeper" gets....there is no WTF moment in the blockers mind.

[PorkRind]

theboss said:

The fact that so many cars are now "inverse Q" with all the AMG / M / S-line tat on a 180bhp diesel means that the real things are becoming less distinguishable. The AMG gear and big spoiler on a diesel A class looks rediculous, as did the 420d convertible with massive rims and carbon fibre M performance fittings BMW lent me once.

I know my M5 isn't a Q car by definition to anyone who knows one when they see one - but to 99% its a 520d. After DMS breathed on it last week it dyno'd 750bhp so the level of performance far exceeds common expectations, with a certain Q factor inevitably arising.

Does the traction control ever turn off?

[ajprice]

Bonefish Blues said:

blearyeyedboy said:

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

However, this one's worth it- probably the best example of a brand new sleeper today.

A new Skoda Superb with 276bhp á la Leon Cupra, 4wd and 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds. It has no badges or spoilers except a discreet "4X4" badge. The only external sign that anything's amiss is a pair of (still discreet exhausts).

I imagine no one will buy it except a few mentalists and the boys in blue. I suddenly really want one.

Edited by blearyeyedboy on Saturday 12th March 07:52

Everything's got multiple exhausts these days, so that won't arouse any suspicions. What tax band is it...

160g/km co2, £31,020. Also available as an estate

[Monkeylegend]

Volvo V70 with a mattress in the back, brilliant sleeper car.