RE: Speed Matters? PH Blog

RE: Speed Matters? PH Blog

Author
Discussion

E65Ross

35,100 posts

213 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
rogerhudson said:
When a man in a Veyron beats my Brighton (St.Peters) to London (London Bridge) time of 46 minutes i will concede he has a quick car. You just can't drive fast in England any more, time for slow luxury, the Veyron looks like a giant squashed frog, horrible.
Bugatti were mad not to produce that replacement saloon. A high tech Napoleon replacement please.
Well done on totally missing the point of a fast car like this. For example, when your train can give you anything like the acceleration thrill as a veyron or the luxury and refinement, then I'll concede the train is better.

Plus, the UK isn't the only country in the world.

gigglebug

2,611 posts

123 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
suffolk009 said:
gigglebug said:
It annoys me that there are always far more negative comments than positive on any given subject, maybe it's just easier to put down then praise. If you have no interest in a particular car or find it pointless why spend the time reading the article then posting a comment merely stating that you have no interest or find it pointless?
Are you annoyed at the posters on this forum or with Chris Harris for the original article?

I'm not surprised by the arguments against impossibly fast cars (I largely fall into that camp), but I was very surprised at the tone of the article.
It's more of a general observation rather than a reaction to this particular subject. It's not just here on Pistonheads either, it just seems easier to moan than to praise. As far as this subject is concerned I should probably be the last person interested in mega performance cars. I've taken a car over 100mph only a hand full of times so top speed has never been of any interest to me. How a car feels day to day is all I'm worried about and I've always loved the Lotus ideal of "fun at 50". I also however love reading about the very fast cars and how the engineers use technology and creativity to overcome the necessary hurdles as much as I like reading about any other sort of car. Comments like the one below really grind on me and show a complete lack of understanding

humblesabot

"The Caparo rather than was closer to what i think of as good engineering; that is: any idiot can make something more complex it takes real skill to make something simple."

So your saying that there was no skill shown by Bugatti in making a 1000hp car usable and more importantly reliable and that idiot could do it? Are you saying that an idiot could produce a winning F1 car but it would harder to produce a winning Gokart?? I just don't get it

Edited by gigglebug on Saturday 9th August 13:37

suffolk009

5,433 posts

166 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
gigglebug said:
suffolk009 said:
gigglebug said:
It annoys me that there are always far more negative comments than positive on any given subject, maybe it's just easier to put down then praise. If you have no interest in a particular car or find it pointless why spend the time reading the article then posting a comment merely stating that you have no interest or find it pointless?
Are you annoyed at the posters on this forum or with Chris Harris for the original article?

I'm not surprised by the arguments against impossibly fast cars (I largely fall into that camp), but I was very surprised at the tone of the article.
It's more of a general observation rather than a reaction to this particular subject. It's not just here on Pistonheads either, it just seems easier to moan than to praise. As far as this subject is concerned I should probably be the last person interested in mega performance cars. I've taken a car over 100mph only a hand full of times so top speed has never been of any interest to me. How a car feels day to day is all I'm worried about and I've always loved the Lotus ideal of "fun at 50". I also however love reading about the very fast cars and how the engineers use technology and creativity to overcome the necessary hurdles as much as I like reading about any other sort of car. Comments like the one below really grind on me and show a complete lack of understanding


The Caparo rather than was closer to what i think of as good engineering; that is: any idiot can make something more complex it takes real skill to make something simple.

So your saying that there was no skill shown by Bugatti in making a 1000hp car usable and more importantly reliable and that idiot could do it? Are you saying that an idiot could produce a winning F1 car but it would harder to produce a winning Gokart?? I just don't get it
I don't think we disagree on much. I'm a huge fan of good engineering. I don't see that as separate from being able to enjoy having fun at slow speeds (I currently have MX5 and a midget) but have also owned fast cars in the past (Caterhams, TVRs). I'll never be able to afford even a very old 200mph supercar - but I'm very glad they exist.

Talksteer

4,887 posts

234 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
foliedouce said:
The Caparo T1 was purely a vanity project by Angad Paul spending his Dad's money. Given that Caparo Group turnover is down 60% since 2008 and it's lost over £30 million in the last 2 years, I'm surprised Daddy Lord Paul as the Chairman of the group is letting this happen at all.

It really should go the same way as their Film24 project, left to go into insolvency.

Anyway, I really don't get the T1 at all and the T1 Evolution is just about ego as far as I can see.
I think the big issue for the Caparo is the Radical SR8, EVO went faster in that than the Caparo and it costs a fraction of the price and if you buy one you can compete with plenty of other people in race series around the world or go the fastest at any track day. Very few are ever driven on the road.

The key element is that Radical didn't start trying to build a super car they started with relatively cheap track day/race cars. Hence they sorted out most of the technical issues over the development of multiple models, attempting to start at the top is much more difficult.

Note even Pagani started off at Lamborghini where he developed a carbon fibre Countach. Plus the first Zonda was relatively unextreme compared to the current cars.



XJ Flyer

5,526 posts

131 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
rogerhudson said:
When a man in a Veyron beats my Brighton (St.Peters) to London (London Bridge) time of 46 minutes i will concede he has a quick car. You just can't drive fast in England any more, time for slow luxury, the Veyron looks like a giant squashed frog, horrible.
Bugatti were mad not to produce that replacement saloon. A high tech Napoleon replacement please.
The inconvenient fact is that the Veyron,or any other really fast supercar,isn't designed to be driven within the UK speed limits.That doesn't mean that it is always going to be impossible to find somewhere to use most of the available performance.Wether that might be an unlimited section of autobahn or other foreign road type scenario,at the right time or one of the supercar airfield runway type events etc etc.My question is just wether there is a point where it is better to use lower gearing to trade ulitimate,probably mostly unusable speed like 250-300 mph,for massive acceleration in the lower 100-180 mph speed range.

As for 'slower speed fun' v outright supercar type road car speed.I'd choose the latter every time together with the challenge of finding somewhere to use as much of the performance as possible.

gigglebug

2,611 posts

123 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
suffolk009 said:
gigglebug said:
suffolk009 said:
gigglebug said:
It annoys me that there are always far more negative comments than positive on any given subject, maybe it's just easier to put down then praise. If you have no interest in a particular car or find it pointless why spend the time reading the article then posting a comment merely stating that you have no interest or find it pointless?
Are you annoyed at the posters on this forum or with Chris Harris for the original article?

I'm not surprised by the arguments against impossibly fast cars (I largely fall into that camp), but I was very surprised at the tone of the article.
It's more of a general observation rather than a reaction to this particular subject. It's not just here on Pistonheads either, it just seems easier to moan than to praise. As far as this subject is concerned I should probably be the last person interested in mega performance cars. I've taken a car over 100mph only a hand full of times so top speed has never been of any interest to me. How a car feels day to day is all I'm worried about and I've always loved the Lotus ideal of "fun at 50". I also however love reading about the very fast cars and how the engineers use technology and creativity to overcome the necessary hurdles as much as I like reading about any other sort of car. Comments like the one below really grind on me and show a complete lack of understanding


The Caparo rather than was closer to what i think of as good engineering; that is: any idiot can make something more complex it takes real skill to make something simple.

So your saying that there was no skill shown by Bugatti in making a 1000hp car usable and more importantly reliable and that idiot could do it? Are you saying that an idiot could produce a winning F1 car but it would harder to produce a winning Gokart?? I just don't get it
I don't think we disagree on much. I'm a huge fan of good engineering. I don't see that as separate from being able to enjoy having fun at slow speeds (I currently have MX5 and a midget) but have also owned fast cars in the past (Caterhams, TVRs). I'll never be able to afford even a very old 200mph supercar - but I'm very glad they exist.
It's a good thing that engineering solutions can come from both ends of the scale. I'm as big a fan of the money no object throw everything at it attitude as I am of the back of the shed innovations. I've tired of the constant narrow minded comments suggesting that if something is expensive then it is somehow pointless and irrelevant and that the buyers of such cars must be idiots in some way?? I guarantee if I had endless amounts of money I'd be the first one trying out a few of the mega expensive hypercars, after a good deal of training of course, and I'm no idiot!! I'd also be just as interested in trying all the small sports cars, luxury barges, hot hatches and even a few classic's I've lusted over. No one accuses Jay Leno of being an idiot just because he has the money to sample all of the cars that we would love to have a go in ourselves do they?

dan1502

686 posts

216 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
A few laps of Silverstone (short circuit) in the Caparo with Phil Bennett is the most memorable motoring moment of my life and one of the most memorable of my life in general. A huge thank-you to Phillip to succumbinbg to my blagging and to Caparo for building it. You'll get no criticism for me even if it did burn Jason Plato a week later :-)

FER4L

122 posts

161 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
rogerhudson said:
When a man in a Veyron beats my Brighton (St.Peters) to London (London Bridge) time of 46 minutes i will concede he has a quick car. You just can't drive fast in England any more, time for slow luxury, the Veyron looks like a giant squashed frog, horrible.
Bugatti were mad not to produce that replacement saloon. A high tech Napoleon replacement please.
Wow. Great time!

Car, or bike?

;-)

goron59

397 posts

172 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
Terminator X said:
I've travelled at a true 158mph in my car on a runway which was bloody frightening, nearly 300 is nuts

TX.
I did 161 on a bumpy autobahn and it's utterly terrifying when a truck pulls into your lane up ahead doing only 60.


FER4L

122 posts

161 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
rogerhudson said:
When a man in a Veyron beats my Brighton (St.Peters) to London (London Bridge) time of 46 minutes i will concede he has a quick car. You just can't drive fast in England any more, time for slow luxury, the Veyron looks like a giant squashed frog, horrible.
Bugatti were mad not to produce that replacement saloon. A high tech Napoleon replacement please.
Wow. Great time!

Car, or bike?

;-)

simonpeter

188 posts

160 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
Performance figures quoted by many manufacturers don`t mean much on the roads of Britain. Nurburgring times that impress usually mean you will loosen any fillings if you hit the pot holed excuses for what we call roads.
Track times only matter on track. It reminds me of how many young Saxo drivers used to lower the cars so that they had little suspension movement left, every roundabout they would go around like it was a fifty pence piece as camber changes pitched the car about.

converted lurker

304 posts

127 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
I am not remotely excited by anything that does 200mph. If I want fast I can just rent an aeroplane that does fast in 4 dimensions.

For a car I want something that:


a) I can afford to own

b) I can afford to thrash

c) I can afford to insure

d) I can afford to exploit to its limits on the open road with my average ability without recourse to a track

e) doesn't need a lot of ruinous garage work to keep operational



My daily drive is a 300bhp 535d.

Whilst not rich I earn in the top 2%.

I could have lots and lots of different fast cars. Amongst the very last consideration in vMax. It is pointless and cringeworthy. A man boasting about his vMax is one who is truly lost in the world of blokeness.



Top Speed is for twunts.

smilo996

2,798 posts

171 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
Well at least Hennasassy are the first American company to realise that going faster is about horses and weight. Pointless as it is.

I heard (from Bristol) that the Bristol Fighter S was capable of 275mph but they were not interested in marketing it in that way, so they restricted it to 225mph. Shame it might have kept them in business.

E65Ross

35,100 posts

213 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
converted lurker said:
I am not remotely excited by anything that does 200mph. If I want fast I can just rent an aeroplane that does fast in 4 dimensions.

For a car I want something that:


a) I can afford to own

b) I can afford to thrash

c) I can afford to insure

d) I can afford to exploit to its limits on the open road with my average ability without recourse to a track

e) doesn't need a lot of ruinous garage work to keep operational



My daily drive is a 300bhp 535d.

Whilst not rich I earn in the top 2%.

I could have lots and lots of different fast cars. Amongst the very last consideration in vMax. It is pointless and cringeworthy. A man boasting about his vMax is one who is truly lost in the world of blokeness.



Top Speed is for twunts.
Has it not crossed your mind that someone can afford one insure it, afford it bin it etc and may like top speed. Just because it doesn't appeal to you, to say it's for twunts full stop is idiotic.

lukefreeman

1,494 posts

176 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
FrankUnderwood said:
Speaking as an engineer and a car enthusiast I find designs like the original Elan and Elise more impressive in their intentions boxedin

Edited by FrankUnderwood on Friday 8th August 20:09
That doesn't make sense, veryon is far more of an engineers wet dream.

Fury1630

393 posts

228 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
lukefreeman said:
FrankUnderwood said:
Speaking as an engineer and a car enthusiast I find designs like the original Elan and Elise more impressive in their intentions boxedin

Edited by FrankUnderwood on Friday 8th August 20:09
That doesn't make sense, veryon is far more of an engineers wet dream.
I'm an engineer (35 years in military aircraft from apprentice A/C fitter to Designer).
I'm with Frank. Throwing money as a project until you achieve the numbers you want doesn't excite me. As the sainted Sidney Camm once said "sophistication = complication = ruination.

Is top speed irrelevant? Pretty much these days, my Fisher Fury is only a little faster than my 102,000 mile 1800 Zafira & probably slower than my wife's 2.0d Focas, but it's much much QUICKER. What would you rather pilot, a Spitfire (around 400mph) or a jumbo (around 600)

Dagnut

3,515 posts

194 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
We are the irrelevant ones not the the car. This car is the ultimate for the super wealthy. That's the point. No one cares if you're not impressed. This car will crush everything else at any speed not just the top speed, I'd say that's more relevant for highway show downs than track times or any "handling" qualities you care to invent. More Hyper cars get pitted in drag races and rolling races than around tracks.

The Wookie

13,964 posts

229 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
Have to say a 290mph super car awakens the inner child and makes me remember being 10 and drawing my own ridiculous cars with 8 gears, 16 cylinders, 4 turbos and a 300mph top speed.... Little did I know!

As for the advent of the mechatronic super car, I find it hard to resent them as they're all as exciting and pioneering as they always were, there's always something out there upping the game again and again. If there's anything to despair for it's looking to the future and seeing the some of the possibilities of what might be next

scarble

5,277 posts

158 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
Sooo.. the Bug is too day-to-day usable and the Caparo not enough?

XJ Flyer

5,526 posts

131 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
Fury1630 said:
lukefreeman said:
FrankUnderwood said:
Speaking as an engineer and a car enthusiast I find designs like the original Elan and Elise more impressive in their intentions boxedin

Edited by FrankUnderwood on Friday 8th August 20:09
That doesn't make sense, veryon is far more of an engineers wet dream.
I'm an engineer (35 years in military aircraft from apprentice A/C fitter to Designer).
I'm with Frank. Throwing money as a project until you achieve the numbers you want doesn't excite me. As the sainted Sidney Camm once said "sophistication = complication = ruination.

Is top speed irrelevant? Pretty much these days, my Fisher Fury is only a little faster than my 102,000 mile 1800 Zafira & probably slower than my wife's 2.0d Focas, but it's much much QUICKER. What would you rather pilot, a Spitfire (around 400mph) or a jumbo (around 600)
The whole issue is one of driver preference.I would prefer to pilot something with 200 mph + performance over the Silver State Classic Challenge course than the same distance around Cadwell with something like a Radical for example.By that comparison more like English Electric Lightning v Spitfire.It doesn't actually need 'sophistication' to do it either.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W_JFuohZxI