maybe future owner (top speed question)
maybe future owner (top speed question)
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Discussion

karluk29

Original Poster:

785 posts

280 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
hi

im thinking of buying a cerb based on insane speed figure, im a lotus esprit owner at present, but fancy a change and looking at a 4.5/4.2 cerb maybe, has anyone topped a cerb out, in fact is the 195mph top end a realistic figure, or do you need a 10 mile runway LMAO. also how much slower is the 4.2 compared? chose the cerb as it seems to be pretty realible so i have read.

thanx and sorry in advance (if the question is SOOO stupid)

gazm

886 posts

273 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
Hi

Its not a stupid question and I'm sure a few have - personally whilst on a private road I had it up to about 160 but for me its the acceleration in 'everyday' driving that makes the cerb stand out (not to mention the looks, the noise, the road pressence, the looks you get, I could go on!)

Gareth

BossCerbera

8,188 posts

272 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
You can hit 170 so often, and in so little space, you end up not thinking much of it.

The maths say you run out of puff at 192 on standard box/diff IIRC but if VMax was really your thing a taller diff and a bottle of laughing gas would have you chuckling your way to the double ton.

brummiewedge

5,284 posts

250 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
The maths on my project are 6200rpm on the TKO Gearbox= 202mph, i'm not sure 500bhp is enough though. Are they stable enough at anywhere near that? I know my Chimaera was really scarey at 165-170 if i dare look at the clocks!

gazzab

21,640 posts

311 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
Mine was OK at 185 except when the road got very bumpy.

byker28i

91,630 posts

246 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
I never understood why Top Gear took and Esprit and tried to push it over 200mph when they could have taken something nearer like the Cerbera. What's the claimed top speed of the Esprit - 175mph?

Mind you - I'd have one in my dream garage any day. Such a great looking car.

My 4.2 Cerb has been to 160 on the M6 when the missus said enough was enough and 175 indicated on a local runway. The car was stable enough - much more so than my bottle.

karluk29

Original Poster:

785 posts

280 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
my esprit is a gt3, and had it at 172mph on that private m42 road LOL, but now with the nods and huge wing for downforce it would prob only see 160mph. a v8 book is 175-180mph i belive, i really love the tuscan but the s6 engine scares me to death, because of the horror bills you get. and the cerb seems stable. would like more crazy looks like i have with the esprit thats the only draw back i have at present. like the idea of having insane power standard

byker28i

91,630 posts

246 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
Honestly - when do you fast on uk roads? There's more to a car than just top speed surely. Handling, performance, looks, desireability. For me the Esprit has that in bucketfulls, just like the Cerbera.

karluk29

Original Poster:

785 posts

280 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
you have a valid point, both nice cars, i need to go in a cerb though, been told there crazy cars and i like the thought of that and the figures just speak for themselves. but i do like the fact that the esprit is very lambo like (a car i dream of and never will own, thats why i bought a esprit becuse its the closet thing, ooopppsss sorry im suppose to say "its because of 007" LMAO, funnily enough when i said the lambo thing on a lotus special for tv,,,they cut it,,,weird LOL)

mars

10,107 posts

243 months

Monday 29th January 2007
quotequote all
I'm intent on finding the max out of mine at some point. So far I've noticed that while I've got the power hard on, the car feels very stable even as it approaches warp 4. Perhaps it's the rush of adrenaline when I come off the power but whilst coasting down, it loses some of the feel and I start to get nervous.

I need more experience driving it really.

From the speed I've managed to achieve so far, and given the amount of revs left, I can see that it is not geared to hit 200 but it is close. I've no doubt that it has enough power to hit over 175 rediculously easily. The speed it gets up to my best vmax so far is quite honestly better than laughing gas. There seems to be no slowing down owing to wind resistance at all. It just keeps going. It'll get to 175 without breaking stride. How it combats the wind resistance after than is the subject of my next experiment.

jensena

5,671 posts

259 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
Fatest I've been is 130 - It got there ridicolously quickly and felt really stable, but my bottle went, I just thought "I bet there's a friggin speed camera just over the brow" - i dont fancy that 6 month ban.

Back to the original question...In standard form there is nothing between the 4.2 and 4.5 in terms of performance, and the 4.2 does 'feel' quicker. The 4.5 has more potential for tuning though, if you spend about £2k!

But if all you are looking for is car with insane power that you just want to drive flat out all the time, then take a tip and buy yourself a really cheap one, cos you'll be crashing it really soon!

karluk29

Original Poster:

785 posts

280 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
hi

thats the thing i dont really drive like i knicked it lol, i def dont drive the lotus like that, i prefer to go fast when i need to. which is not often at all. prefer the fact that ppl stop me and takes pics all the time and ask is it a lambo LMAO. this is why im torn, as i know (no disrepect here at all) the cerb will not make as much of an impact as the modified lotus. there is a matt black one for sale on PH i was thinking of if anyone knows it, with carbon all over it, but its 4.2, and if i did have a cerb i would want to be able to have that top speed figure and 0-60mph. (havent sold mine yet though LOL, swop anyone)

gazzab

21,640 posts

311 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
Is this some form of teenage posting? Very strange.

itsallyellow

3,879 posts

249 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
gazzab said:
Is this some form of teenage posting? Very strange.


OI!!! Whats wrong with teenagers......


Yea mine feels stable enough at the 180-185 mark(just have to try and not look at the bonnet). Once above 185 there isnt loads left though........

mike

Steve_T

6,356 posts

301 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
gazzab said:
Is this some form of teenage posting? Very strange.


With you there. I get the impression that Karl lives his life "a quarter mile at a time".

BLUETHUNDER

7,881 posts

289 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
karluk29 said:
hi

thats the thing i dont really drive like i knicked it lol, i def dont drive the lotus like that, i prefer to go fast when i need to. which is not often at all. prefer the fact that ppl stop me and takes pics all the time and ask is it a lambo LMAO. this is why im torn, as i know (no disrepect here at all) the cerb will not make as much of an impact as the modified lotus. there is a matt black one for sale on PH i was thinking of if anyone knows it, with carbon all over it, but its 4.2, and if i did have a cerb i would want to be able to have that top speed figure and 0-60mph. (havent sold mine yet though LOL, swop anyone)
I think the Cerbera makes more of an impression than a Lotus.You will find that out if you get around to owning one.And thats coming from some one who was torn between buying a Lotus V8 or a Cerbera when i sold my Chimeara.To be honest i think the look(and dont take offence)of the Lotus is seriously dated now,where as the Cerbera still looks fresh.Getting back to speed.Take a look at the Clarkson video.It sold TVR to me,and i suspect the vast majoriety on this forum.

byker28i

91,630 posts

246 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
Now that's a valid point. The Cerbera still looks fresh and modern, more so if you change the rear lights for for the afterburner.

karluk29

Original Poster:

785 posts

280 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
yeah im a 34yo teen, im so happy now. sorry but looks is a massive part for me, if
you know my car you would understand, and yes i also agree with the dated comment.
this is why every panel of my car has been one off altered. this is also the reason
im in 3 dvd's/ one calender/ 4 tv shows/ and got invited to all the shows for free
last year. sorry if thats a teenage trait but hey, why be old if you dont have to be.
oh and i do like fast and furious, and used to organise cruises and sbs racing (shoot me).

i did watch the clarkson thing (about 3 times) on you tube the other night and just
kept thinking wow its destroying them all. plus there isnt a out there that can beat
it really for a sensible price. even the new audi r8 is slower and thats brand new.
the only thing that does seem strange, why quote 195mph when the box cant do it.

steve/gazza - if you see a lotus round your neck of the woods tomo, in light blue
its me (going to top gear). just noticed your in surrey. damn i dont own a burberry
cap or a tracksuit, you 2 will be dissapointed.






Edited by karluk29 on Tuesday 30th January 13:05

Mista_V

748 posts

258 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
karluk29 said:
yeah im a 34yo teen, im so happy now. sorry but looks is a massive part for me, if
you know my car you would understand, and yes i also agree with the dated comment.
this is why every panel of my car has been one off altered. this is also the reason
im in 3 dvd's/ one calender/ 4 tv shows/ and got invited to all the shows for free
last year. sorry if thats a teenage trait but hey, why be old if you dont have to be.
oh and i do like fast and furious, and used to organise cruises and sbs racing (shoot me).

i did watch the clarkson thing (about 3 times) on you tube the other night and just
kept thinking wow its destroying them all. plus there isnt a out there that can beat
it really for a sensible price. even the new audi r8 is slower and thats brand new.
the only thing that does seem strange, why quote 195mph when the box cant do it.

steve/gazza - if you see a lotus round your neck of the woods tomo, in light blue
its me (going to top gear). just noticed your in surrey. damn i dont own a burberry
cap or a tracksuit, you 2 will be dissapointed.






Edited by karluk29 on Tuesday 30th January 13:05


Pretty sure i've got your car on a cover of an old mag somewhere, looks crazy got any up to date pics?

karluk29

Original Poster:

785 posts

280 months

Tuesday 30th January 2007
quotequote all
nice supra matey, misses has a veilside supra.

was never on the cover, 4 page inside redline 2 years ago now.

look in the classifieds on PH under lotus esprit its in there


Edited by karluk29 on Tuesday 30th January 13:30