"Sleeper" Cars

[V8RX7]

LittleEnus said:

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

I love them.

I used to commute through a town with a bypass with 4 sets of lights on it at least a couple of times a week I'd get someone pull alongside, look down at my shabby MX5 distainfully and then I'd laugh as I left them in a cloud of tyre smoke.

276bhp sub 1 ton

[Davie]

I love the "sleeper" concept no matter what form it may take.

I started down that path a few years ago when I got fed up being paranoid about stone chips and where I'd parked my freshly painted Cavalier. So, I got a shot of a mates J plate, faded, rusty old 1.6L Cavalier hatch for a few weeks and ended up buying it. It had been fitted with an SRi130 engine with undisclosed mods, decent suspension and latterly R888 tyres. It went remarkably well (relatively speaking) and yet no one even gave it a second glance. Fabulous old thing.

It died eventually and lead on to a succession of Volvo T5's and I've been there ever since. Of all the versions I've had, yes the R models were all very nice and lovely but the rusty, ex traffic white 850 estate and my current 1998 V70 were the ones that were the best to own. The V70 is so non-descript it's nigh on invisible or is assumed to be carting around a couple of pensioners by white Audi types.

I like the non-showy thing... I like that I can dump it anywhere and everywhere and not care or worry that some cretin will have run a key down it in utter spite and I like that it simply disappears in to the sea of equally boring garbage out there. On the other hand, it's also more than capable of giving a fair chunk of stuff a run for their money... unless there's a corner...

[K321]

I like sleeper cars
Currently having lots of fun in a saab aero estate with 320 bhp and 350lbt torque
People assume it's an old saab estate not a rocketship that seems to accelerate stronger the faster your go

[jogger1976]

I love the Superb. Very cool. Probably coming to trafpol near you soon.

Going old skool, but I would imagine these two surprised a few people back in the day.

[F1GTRUeno]

clarkmagpie said:

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

Silver mirrors, big wheels and the front bumper being big giveaways to Joe Bloggs that the car is at least not just 'an old A6 saloon'.

The general populace may be idiots but they have a vague idea of what a faster model looks like.

[Deisel Weisel]

rouge59 said:

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

So what is that?

[Leins]

F1GTRUeno said:

clarkmagpie said:

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

Silver mirrors, big wheels and the front bumper being big giveaways to Joe Bloggs that the car is at least not just 'an old A6 saloon'.

The general populace may be idiots but they have a vague idea of what a faster model looks like.

Every second '00s Audi here in Ireland seems to have been converted to this spec, with an additional "RS4" or "RS6" badge stuck on the back to complement the TDi one. It's extremely easy to blend in with a real one here

[Stickyfinger]

F1GTRUeno said:

clarkmagpie said:

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

Silver mirrors, big wheels and the front bumper being big giveaways to Joe Bloggs that the car is at least not just 'an old A6 saloon'.

The general populace may be idiots but they have a vague idea of what a faster model looks like.

Yep, NOT a sleeper

[Stickyfinger]

swerni said:

I liked having this.
Everyone assumed it was a 2.5 oil burner

I would expect that could do fast speeds on motorways/lights if unloaded

how is that a sleeper ?

[Narcisus]

ajprice said:

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

Amazingly it's better on fuel than my old 1.8 Scout. Costs less to tax and only about £30 more to insure !

[Narcisus]

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

If you get underneath those 2 exhausts are actually 4 exhausts.

[V8RX7]

Deisel Weisel said:

rouge59 said:

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

So what is that?

Subaru Forester - I presume it's the 2.5 XT Turbo - circa 230bhp as standard.

Mine's not standard

[rscott]

K321 said:

I like sleeper cars
Currently having lots of fun in a saab aero estate with 320 bhp and 350lbt torque
People assume it's an old saab estate not a rocketship that seems to accelerate stronger the faster your go

Used to have 9-3 Sportwagon ( Hirsched v6 with about 275bhp) but looked exactly the same as most 1.9tid Saabs with the Aero body kit.
It was great fun in the traffic light gp some days - took a second or two to get moving but then blew last most other cars!

[JimbobVFR]

This is my "Sleeper car" (it literally sleeps 4)

It has got a mid mounted 2.5 V6 Petrol engine and rear wheel drive.

[Marvib]

JimbobVFR said:

This is my "Sleeper car" (it literally sleeps 4)

It has got a mid mounted 2.5 V6 Petrol engine and rear wheel drive.

The Mazda bongo frendiee 2.5 hightop? mad name

Edit ... just looked on your profile, I only had half the name.

Edited by Marvib on Saturday 12th March 14:11

[JimbobVFR]

Marvib said:

The Mazda bongo frendiee 2.5 hightop? mad name

I'm not sure if this is in the right order but mine in full is :

Mazda Bongo Friendee 2.5V6 RS-V Aero Autofreetop

Edited by JimbobVFR on Saturday 12th March 14:19

[Bonefish Blues]

They missed off "Sport", shirley?

[F1GTRUeno]

Leins said:

F1GTRUeno said:

clarkmagpie said:

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

Silver mirrors, big wheels and the front bumper being big giveaways to Joe Bloggs that the car is at least not just 'an old A6 saloon'.

The general populace may be idiots but they have a vague idea of what a faster model looks like.

Every second '00s Audi here in Ireland seems to have been converted to this spec, with an additional "RS4" or "RS6" badge stuck on the back to complement the TDi one. It's extremely easy to blend in with a real one here

And why have they done that? Because they want people to think they've got a better, faster model. So it doesn't change the fact that it's not a sleeper, put an S6 next to a base model TDI with no mods whatsoever and I guarantee you only the biggest cynic on the planet would think the S6 was slower.

[v8250]

Deisel Weisel said:

rouge59 said:

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

So what is that?

One of motoring's very best kept secrets...SG9 2.5ltr FXT

[v8250]

V8RX7 said:

Subaru Forester - I presume it's the 2.5 XT Turbo - circa 230bhp as standard.

Mine's not standard

V8RX7, what have you done to yours?

PS I do like your car history, a splendid mix of sporting chariots, especially the humble TVR S2 and the 944 Turbo, chalk and cheese...and both hugely entertaining.