Cars that were too fast at the time

[Onzlouk]

Mental

[Mr2Mike]

The Group B cars weren't too fast, the moronic crowds of people standing on the special stages just weren't fast enough.

[Baryonyx]

Mr2Mike said:

The Group B cars weren't too fast, the moronic crowds of people standing on the special stages just weren't fast enough.

Although the RS200, with it's very short wheelbase, was supposed to be quite twitchy and looked like a handful, as opposed to something like the S1 Quattro which looked a little more comfortable on the limit...despite being a complete beast itself!


The car I'd nominate is the MR2 Turbo. Not that it was too fast, it wasn't. But it has evidebrlyt proved too fast for a lot of drivers. Consider that, as a car that arrived in 1989, by the early 90's it was making 241bhp in standard tune, houses in a decent handling chassis that that rewarded smoothness, punished cack handedness and was twitchy at the limit, and could easily be spun out. Not that it was too fast, you understand. More that it was quick and required a little finesse to push on, and I'm sure many that met their end did so because they weren't treat with the respect they deserved. I've driven anything like one, though I guess the VX220T would be similar, they feel like a minor supercar with the mid engine, dramatic turbo noises and useful performance. I often thought, short of a Ferrari or a Lotus, where else would you find a mid engined turbo car in the early 90's? The time of 5.1 seconds 0-60mph is still impressive now, but it was the midrange shove that impressed me most.

[skene]

LasseV said:

And for the topic: Golf R

Just no.

Trick AWD system and huge brakes. Add in all the electrical safety gizmos etc and its chalk and cheese with the cars in this thread

[Pan Pan Pan]

jeremyc said:

In 2002, having won it's class (and come 11th overall) in the Nurburgring 24 Hours, the Caterham R400 was banned from the next year's race.

Simon Nearn at the time said:

I guess it’s embarrassing for us to roll up with a car that costs a fraction of the price of the rest of the field, can be driven to and from the track and run for 24 hours without a glitch.

This was not the first time Lotus / Caterham 7`s were deemed to be too fast, they were banned from racing because they just kept on beating the much bigger much more expensive machinery that other teams were fielding, and the other teams did not like it.
Whilst money forms probably the biggest element of appearing, or not appearing at the Goodwood Festival of speed, and the Goodwood Revival, I wonder if there is still an element of this going on even now, with the other (well heeled) entrants not wanting to be upstaged by what they might view as a (relatively) cheap UK kit car?

[Pan Pan Pan]

P.s I have not been to a Birkett six hour race for a number of years now ( it was much better when it was run at Snetterton ) but even then, the Caterham teams always seemed to win it, such that the result despite keen handicapping, became quite predictable.

[Baryonyx]

Neith said:

Are we counting motorsport?

If so then surely the R32 GT-R? Unbeatable for multiple seasons of JTCC (winning 29/29 races) as well as the dominance at Bathurst earning it the Godzilla nickname.

I always remember the road-going R32/33/34 being routed as 'Porsche killers' at the time; whether it was true or not I'm not sure.

But the same token, the Sierra Cosworth dominated it's era of Motorsport practically unchallenged. It flouted the limp competition of the M3 and and saw rules being changed in effort to reign it in. You know you've made a world beater when the governing body is fiddling the rules to stop your car's dominance.

[Pan Pan Pan]

Pps. The Seven is still the only sports car ever to have been entered in a F1 race, and surprisingly did not even come last.

[R_U_LOCAL]

There was a long standing motoring myth that the 70mph motorway speed limit was introduced after AC had been caught testing one of their Cobra coupe Le Mans racers on the M1 at 185mph.

The speed testing story is true, but the introduction of the 70mph limit was nothing to do with it.

Bit of a story about it and an interview with Jack Sears here:

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport/day-j...

Still - 185 on the public road in 1964! Perhaps this qualifies as a car which was rumoured to be too fast for the road.

[General Price]

Porsche 930 3.3 Turbo.

Lamborghini Countach.

BMW 2002 Turbo

[CDP]

FiF said:

Personally I would define this as vehicles where the performance exceeds the stability of e.g. the chassis such that either the vehicle is potentially dangerous in the wrong hands e.g. Lamborghini Miura apparently where the aerodynamics are reputedly a bit dodgy or the original Stratos which requires exceptional ability to drive it anywhere close to the edge. The latter is the only one of those two I've experienced and believe me I don't/didn't have the ability or cojones to really give it welly.

Apparently the front wheels of an Austin 7 chummy can start to wobble extremely badly at more than 40mph with all sorts of stability issues...

[matchmaker]

Mk 1 GT6 or 2-litre Vitesse. 95bhp, 100mph+ and swing axle rear suspension.

[HaplessBoyLard]

I never even sat in one, and I'm sure they weren't overly quick, but didn't the mk3 fiesta RS turbo have a chassis that really wasn't good enough for the engine it was bolted to?

Edited by HaplessBoyLard on Saturday 30th May 13:32

[CDP]

matchmaker said:

Mk 1 GT6 or 2-litre Vitesse. 95bhp, 100mph+ and swing axle rear suspension.

Having maxed a 1960 948cc Triumph Herald to a very shaky indicated 65mph I can really see where you're going with that one. (A hedge most readily springs to mind).

[ian2144]

The pre production Hillman Imp test mules were too fast.

The story is, that one of Roots is company directors was out in his Jaguar following one of the test cars and could not keep up at over 100mph. A phone call was made and the engines were detuned, for production.

[KarlMac]

God knows what it was but when I was 17 my boss dropped me off in his wedge TVR (not too good with older TVRs, might have been a 400) and that thing felt it should have had wings. Only time I've ever been scared in a car .

[s m]

HaplessBoyLard said:

I never even sat in one, and I'm sure they weren't overly quick, but didn't the mk3 fiesta RS turbo have a chassis that really wasn't good enough for the engine it was bolted to?

Edited by HaplessBoyLard on Saturday 30th May 13:32

Excerpts from a twin test with the 205 1.9 which everyone seemed to decide was the best in class





It seems to suggest not as good as class leader for handling but not too shabby

Depends what you want to 'read into it' though

You have to bear in mind they drove the cars when new and alongside each other

Don't remember the RSTurbo ever being slated - the XR2i didn't get great reviews though
Most of the SVE cars at that time were pretty competent handling wise

[ChemicalChaos]

Fiat S76 anyone?



300bhp and 135mph (in 1911) from a 28.5 litre engine

... in a car with chain drive and no diff, tiny drum brakes on the rear axle only, 3" wide tyres and a rather flexible chassis (in the name of weight saving)



The following year, the rules were revised with a maximum capacity limit and a much lower weight limit.....

[Toltec]

KarlMac said:

God knows what it was but when I was 17 my boss dropped me off in his wedge TVR (not too good with older TVRs, might have been a 400) and that thing felt it should have had wings. Only time I've ever been scared in a car .

The standard 400SE was a bit of a pussycat really, some of the cars where owners have pushed the power closer to 300bhp are probably more fun.

[CDP]

ChemicalChaos said:

Fiat S76 anyone?



300bhp and 135mph (in 1911) from a 28.5 litre engine

... in a car with chain drive and no diff, tiny drum brakes on the rear axle only, 3" wide tyres and a rather flexible chassis (in the name of weight saving)



The following year, the rules were revised with a maximum capacity limit and a much lower weight limit.....

We have a winner.