Unwelcome attention

[MattS5]

Monkeylegend said:

I remember being young and sitting at traffic lights with a car full of friends, revving the engine to the max on my 850 cc, 34bhp Mini, with it's peco big bore twin exhaust, getting ready for the green light to drag race the young lads in the car next to me, and just as the lights turn yellow, the dhead in the passenger seat gently nudges the 3 foot long gear lever into neutral without me noticing,...... and it's green......

Funnier when you do it to somebody else. Those were great times.

Can't really do that so easily with automatics nowadays.

Hahahah. Great memories. I I’d forgotten stuff like this from my younger days.

[Monkeylegend]

The engine mounts were knackered on the same car so the engine was tilting backwards towards the bulkhead and as a result the gear lever dropped so I had to hold it in 2nd and 4th gear, if not it would jump out.

I solved it by cutting out the back part of the hole in the floor the gear stick came up through so it would stay in gear. I didn't know much about cars then and didn't realise it only needed new engine mounts.

I also had a leak in the dreaded hydrolastic suspension so it ran very low at the front and knocked over bumps.

Twenty or so house bricks in the boot soon solved this but did nothing for the fuel economy, but in those days you could get 4 gallons of petrol for a pound and 4p worth of chips with the change. I drove round like that for about 6 months before I got it fixed.

I loved that car.

[MattS5]

Lol, my first car was a mini 850 too. Dark green with Hammeriite white hand painted wheels.
Looking back I’m amazed I didn’t have a serious accident, but I guess everyone was travelling slower back then, and far less traffic on the road.

[Weekendrebuild]

All M5s are fast . End of story, my current car build is 720bhp and 980kg.

I Personally still consider an m5 very fast !

[Monkeylegend]

Different times back then, much more enjoyable to drive and even the police normally just gave you a friendly talking too if you did get stopped for being a bit naughty.

When did it all go wrong

[Geomac79]

Wills2 said:

And that X3 will do 100 in 8 seconds and 1/4 mile in 11.6 which you really wouldn't expect from an X3, it's a bit of sleeper looks like a school run car goes like the clappers.

Thanks you saved me from writing it 😀

The X3MC is the ultimate sleeper car, and with the new map that is out makes it quicker than most of the big boys out there. I can testify to that as my mate had it done to his today and it certainly put a smile on our faces.

If this is what the S58 engine is like on a X3 I can’t wait to see what it will be like on the new M3.

[Tony B2]

m3jappa said:

Bloody hell, some of you need to remember being young!

Whats better at that age than seeing some great car being thrashed off up the road, im 40 and still like seeing it now

Nothing more odd than someone who has a proper performance car and drives it to about 3krpm. really odd imo.

Theres obviously no need to drive like an idiot in built up areas etc but whats wrong with giving a little dig somewhere a bit more open.

I don't know why people get so touchy about it, i mean if your in a totally normal car and some tt is constantly up your arse then yes that's properly tttish behaviour but otherwise just give it a little dig, might make some kids day. And to think our generation moans that the youth of today isn't into cars anymore.

I still have very clear memories of being parked in one of the service roads just off the A4 near Osterley and spying a Ferrari Daytona waiting at traffic lights on the other side of the dual carriageway. I was thinking "Oh yes, just open it up a bit, please!"

The lights turned to green and wow what a fantastic noise - especially then (1979) when big league supercars were a rarity in the UK.

Full throttle, maximum revs in at least 1st and 2nd, and then brakes on for the next set of lights.

Sublime.

[bmwmike]

MattS5 said:

Lol, my first car was a mini 850 too. Dark green with Hammeriite white hand painted wheels.
Looking back I’m amazed I didn’t have a serious accident, but I guess everyone was travelling slower back then, and far less traffic on the road.

ha, mine was a mark 1 fiesta 1.1 ghia in orange. I painted the wheels black (this is back in 1994 or so ) but couldnt afford proper paint so i used inderseal. It looked like st when stopped but fine when moving. I remember showing off (as much as you could with 1117cc's) and an engine mount dropping out over the road. Drove it without an exhaust at one stage just an open manifold. Now that was loud and had bangs too.

[Mr Tidy]

m3jappa said:

Bloody hell, some of you need to remember being young!

Whats better at that age than seeing some great car being thrashed off up the road, im 40 and still like seeing it now

Nothing more odd than someone who has a proper performance car and drives it to about 3krpm. really odd imo.

Theres obviously no need to drive like an idiot in built up areas etc but whats wrong with giving a little dig somewhere a bit more open.

I don't know why people get so touchy about it, i mean if your in a totally normal car and some tt is constantly up your arse then yes that's properly tttish behaviour but otherwise just give it a little dig, might make some kids day. And to think our generation moans that the youth of today isn't into cars anymore.

Exactly, in the right circumstances I still just can't help myself.

Even though I had my 1st car in 1976! It was a clapped out rotten 1967 MK2 Cortina 1500 with rubber mats rather than carpets, but it had a 1600E dash and I added GT badges and 6 and a half inch wide banded steel wheels on the rear then drove it like I stole it. That's what teenagers did back then, or at least all of my mates!

Funniest occasion lately was on a Sunday just before lockdown. I had been to an early morning car meet and had to go round most of a roundabout to get onto a 2-lane slip road onto the A3 and a 5 Series joining further round had to give way. Then I looked in the mirror, thought it looked a bit moody but was probably one of the myriad of M-Sport 520ds, then it was closing fast so I gave my Z4MC the beans but in relative terms I went backwards because it was an E60 M5! Driver, passenger and I all had grins plastered across our faces and exchanged thumbs-up as it went past. Very civilised, and I'd be surprised if we got much past 70 as the M5 seemed bonkers quick.

[LJFoley]

I get this a lot (M3 Comp) people are always up my arse and trying to push me to a race. Just leave me alone

[xjay1337]

LJFoley said:

I get this a lot (M3 Comp) people are always up my arse and trying to push me to a race. Just leave me alone

Miserable bloke you have a nice car, enjoy it and the fact other like minded enthusiasts want to have a play#

if not might as well buy a 320d

[Monkeylegend]

It's a real drag having to drive around in an M3 Comp all day

[KPB1973]

Of all the performance cars i've owned, the current one - an Elise 111R special edition - provokes by far the most people into trying to race. I do think however there's a lot of goodwill towards it, as opposed to jealousy or aggression.

[Shanksy87]

xjay1337 said:

Miserable bloke you have a nice car, enjoy it and the fact other like minded enthusiasts want to have a play#

if not might as well buy a 320d

It can be pretty un-nerving when some clown is sat 2m from your bumper when you're just trying to get home from work, knowing that if you need to brake suddenly you're getting shunted, all because someone "likes your car".

"might as well buy a 320d", grow up.

[MDubyaB]

MattS5 said:

Monkeylegend said:

I remember being young and sitting at traffic lights with a car full of friends, revving the engine to the max on my 850 cc, 34bhp Mini, with it's peco big bore twin exhaust, getting ready for the green light to drag race the young lads in the car next to me, and just as the lights turn yellow, the dhead in the passenger seat gently nudges the 3 foot long gear lever into neutral without me noticing,...... and it's green......

Funnier when you do it to somebody else. Those were great times.

Can't really do that so easily with automatics nowadays.

Hahahah. Great memories. I I’d forgotten stuff like this from my younger days.

I used to knock the car out of gear then when the driver reached for the gear lever I’d pull the handbrake, then when the driver reached for the handbrake I’d knock it back out of gear.
I’d repeat this process until someone in the car died from head explosion related injuries.

Aaaaah, youth.

[Monkeylegend]

MDubyaB said:

MattS5 said:

Monkeylegend said:

I remember being young and sitting at traffic lights with a car full of friends, revving the engine to the max on my 850 cc, 34bhp Mini, with it's peco big bore twin exhaust, getting ready for the green light to drag race the young lads in the car next to me, and just as the lights turn yellow, the dhead in the passenger seat gently nudges the 3 foot long gear lever into neutral without me noticing,...... and it's green......

Funnier when you do it to somebody else. Those were great times.

Can't really do that so easily with automatics nowadays.

Hahahah. Great memories. I I’d forgotten stuff like this from my younger days.

I used to knock the car out of gear then when the driver reached for the gear lever I’d pull the handbrake, then when the driver reached for the handbrake I’d knock it back out of gear.
I’d repeat this process until someone in the car died from head explosion related injuries.

Aaaaah, youth.

Sadly all just memories now.

[JMBMWM5]

wormus said:

Meaningless. Choose a different circuit and you get a different result:

https://fastestlaps.com/tracks/hockenheim-short

It’s a 2 tonne saloon, not some sort of track weapon. It’s going to be compromised as it’s obviously designed as executive transport.

Not rubbishing it, but calling it out for what it is and if it wasn’t compromised, it wouldn’t fulfil its brief to be the boss’ wheels.

Edited by wormus on Sunday 5th July 10:13

think you need to drive one in Sport+ before saying another word, at Snetterton the only car that passed me was the Porsche turbo S, STD GTR's could not keep up and that is not just a straight track........................................ anyway on UK roads it's a king.

[DoubleD]

More of a Queen

[anonymous-user]

JMBMWM5 said:

think you need to drive one in Sport+ before saying another word, at Snetterton the only car that passed me was the Porsche turbo S, STD GTR's could not keep up and that is not just a straight track........................................ anyway on UK roads it's a king.

My M3 was keeping with an R300 at Croft but was much less lithe than a 997 GT3 RS.

The unwanted attention it got there was "it's fking quick in a straight line mister", followed by my own on the front Michelins as they got well and truly chewed by the aggressive front on the M3.

[Toma500]

Ive had my Griffith for 16 yrs + now used to get a lot of attention off people wanting to race never seems to happen much now must be the white haired old codger (me) driving that puts them off ,Either that or because the Griff is so small compared to newer cars they think its an old Mx5 .