RE: Speed Matters? PH Blog

[The Pits]

Everything is pointless apart from a Golf diesel.

Going fast in anything is pointless, it doesn't gets you there any quicker, costs you more in fuel and will get you into trouble with the fuzz.

Pointless is the whole point! Concorde made no sense whatsoever, neither did Thrust SSC.

Senseless is good. Senseless has 2 seats, lots of cylinders and lots of turbos.

Senseless is fast.

Bugatti is pointlessly making sure their name goes down as the fastest of all time. Caparo pointlessly want to try and get it right this time.

Idiots!

[Terminator X]

I've travelled at a true 158mph in my car on a runway which was bloody frightening, nearly 300 is

TX.

[matsoc]

I see the new versions of these cars an obvious development. Both Caparo and Veyorn have been around for a while but no other tried to sell something similar. This is what they have in common.

New verions won't come because they sold successfully but because the lack of competition no great effort is needed to make an updated version.

[Big Fat Fatty]

Is there not another car being built at the moment aiming for a frankly ludicrous 1000mph? Anyone dare to call that one 'irrelevant'. Thought not.

Pushing the boundaries is what we do, 300mph in a road car is an honourable target and one that, clearly, is within reach. The technology we're (I'm using the royal we, of course) creating to reach that target will enable us to reach the next one and so on. I'm staggered anyone could use the term irrelevant to describe technological breakthroughs like these.

[stephen300o]

Right now I am more interested in how light they can get a car, rather than top speed. It is more relevant really.

[zeduffman]

Anything that pushes boundaries is welcome in my eyes. A car that can do 290mph and can be driven with one finger across Europe in comfort is an impressive technical exercise. That may not mean it's exciting but I'd rather see it done if it's technically possible.

[crostonian]

As cars become faster, safer and more efficient why don't governments increase speed limits to compensate?

They dont because unfortunately driver's brains are the same as they always were but now they are more overloaded with crap and distractions.

[FrankUnderwood]

Speaking as an engineer and a car enthusiast I find designs like the original Elan and Elise more impressive in their intentions

Edited by FrankUnderwood on Friday 8th August 20:09

[E65Ross]

FrankUnderwood said:

Speaking as an engineer and a car enthusiast I find designs like the original Elan and Elise more impressive and exciting

As an engineer, why is the elan and elise more impressive? Exciting I can (and do) understand, but I'm not sure if the veyron (which has never been to my liking) is less impressive from an engineering perspective. The principles of the cars and their design briefs are very different, but not sure why the lotuses (Lotii? :hehe) are more impressive...

From a car enthusiasts point of view, I totally understand. Just not sure about from an engineering point of view why the veyron is less impressive? Surely the engineering behind the engine, aerodynamics, braking, cooling system, transmission, tyre technology, suspension etc etc are all as impressive; of not to the specific tastes in what you, and many others, might personally prefer for a car.

Thanks

[XJ Flyer]

The idea of a 300 mph road car sounds great in theory.But there's really no road where that type of speed could really be used.Either in terms of the distance that could reasonably be expected to remain clear ahead,long sweeping bends turning into knife edge on the limit cornering forces,the required sight lines etc etc etc.I've said elsewhere that if I ordered a Veyron I'd want it geared so that it hits the rev limiter at 200 mph max with resulting absolute nutter bd acceleration between 100 mph and 180.Now that would possibly/probably be useable in the right place at the right time.

[Schnellmann]

Terminator X said:

I've travelled at a true 158mph in my car on a runway which was bloody frightening, nearly 300 is

TX.

Odd. I've driven at an indicated 186 mph on an autobahn and it wasn't that frightening (car was perfectly stable). It was fun to max the car but going fast in a straight line not that great. Acceleration and cornering more fun.

[Yeloperil]

ADP68 said:

The Paul family, who own caparo, live close tomy office and they drive Ferrari, Porsche and various 7 series and a RR Ghost. You'd think one of them would actually drive a caparo around the West End to publicise their nice car!

No they wouldn't because they know it won't get them from A to B reliably. Didn't the first effort catch fire?

The Vehron is a technical tour de force........not a term I would use to describe the Caparo

[DuckDuck]

As has already been mentioned, the Bugatti is an engineering masterpiece and that is why we should be celebrating the human achievement. If it were a space ship or an aeroplane we wouldn't give it a second thought but because its a "car" and a fast one ................. well …..we ask is it relevant? Was Felix Baumgartners great achievement relevant to anyone? It Was to me. Pushing the boundaries of what's possible is one of the defining characteristics of the human race.

At this moment, it is still legal in some countries to travel at 500km/h .......so speed matters.

Edited by DuckDuck on Friday 8th August 21:54

[Kitchski]

I've never subscribed to the "speed matters" way of thinking. Fun matters, not speed so much. Some slow cars are lots of fun.

I think saying only speed is important is a little short sighted, and slightly (putting my tin hat on) the kind of of targeting Top Gear do for their audience.

[havoc]

They exist, therefore they're not pointless. But they ARE, to a degree, opposite ends of the spectrum.

The super-Veyron is VAG at their insecure best (they REALLY DO feel the need to perpetually prove they're 'the best', don't they?!? For whatever definition of 'best' they decide...) - let's chase statistics. But equally, it's also typical VAG in that it HAS to be properly (over-)engineered and idiot-proof.

The Caparo is arguably little different to the upper-echelon Radicals etc. - it's a trackday car writ large, for those who go to a different sort of trackday than those mere mortals who make do with a caged hot hatch/old BM or a 2nd-hand Caterfield. For people with more money than talent who don't want to go competitive racing / realise they'd never get further than the Caterham Academy but want to experience the equivalent of F3.


I have zero time for the Veyron, but think it's impressive - blunt-object engineering overkill just because. I have more time for the Caparo but appreciate CH's perspective on 'finishing it off'.

[ogrimwood]

The thing I don't get is how road cars are on this endless pursuit of Nurburgring lap times yet on the other hand, F1 cars are now slower than they were 10 years ago. Seems to contradict itself quite badly IMO

[FER4L]

I hate to chip in twice but I've done 200+ on two wheels and four (probably not genuine, speedo error counts for a lot at that speed, say 185 real - both (modded Busa, modded SL55) totally composed flat out like lizards drinking

I've also owned / loved/ adored things which feel downright dangerous at 100mph

I don't get why we need to criticise a vehicle (or its designers, or its buyers) because they challenge parameters which we individually don't 'get'; it's like criticising a Go-kart for being too light and nimble, or a Drag racer for accelerating needlessly fast... And as members of the Petrolhead community we should, surely, celebrate the pursuit of the perfection of excess, and / or the excess of perfection, without question

Or is it just me?! Cheers, Matt

[Motorrad]

Personally I'd like to see an extended version of this blog, with higher production values and one that I could pay for, possibly through some sort of subscription.

How can we make this happen .

Only I don't want to see it in the country I live in, I need some kind of bodge VPN method for that. Arf!

[E65Ross]

FER4L said:

I hate to chip in twice but I've done 200+ on two wheels and four (probably not genuine, speedo error counts for a lot at that speed, say 185 real - both (modded Busa, modded SL55) totally composed flat out like lizards drinking

I've also owned / loved/ adored things which feel downright dangerous at 100mph

I don't get why we need to criticise a vehicle (or its designers, or its buyers) because they challenge parameters which we individually don't 'get'; it's like criticising a Go-kart for being too light and nimble, or a Drag racer for accelerating needlessly fast... And as members of the Petrolhead community we should, surely, celebrate the pursuit of the perfection of excess, and / or the excess of perfection, without question

Or is it just me?! Cheers, Matt

This entirely. I don't especially like the Veyron, but 100% understand why people might. I can't stand a 2CV, yet Harris loves them. If any car makes someone happy, that's good in my books. To say it's pointless is wrong in my opinion. If you don't like or understand it that's fine....but to some it isn't, and that's what counts.

[Mr Gear]

I've never been that interested by supercars. Proper racing cars, yes! Proper drivers cars, like the Elise... Yes! And interesting real-life tech like hybrid... Yes.

But silly fast, silly expensive cars for posing around Chelsea? Boring!