Cars that were too fast at the time

[ChilliWhizz]

Some of these posts smack of 'drivers that were lacking in driving skills at the time' rather than cars that were too fast

[bigvanfan]

Leins said:

Edited by Leins on Friday 29th May 17:33

Yip it took a b10 bi turbo to match not beat the Carlton,even the later v8 m5 was left behind mid range

[Leins]

bigvanfan said:

Leins said:

Edited by Leins on Friday 29th May 17:33

Yip it took a b10 bi turbo to match not beat the Carlton,even the later v8 m5 was left behind mid range

Yes, but the point being the B10 came before it, yet it was the LC that grabbed all the attention

[vrooom]

MR2 turbo. It gave people scare.

[s m]

ChilliWhizz said:

Some of these posts smack of 'drivers that were lacking in driving skills at the time' rather than cars that were too fast

GTE 16v would lift off oversteer in extremis just like many hot hatches of that time... 205 GTI included

Nothing unsafe about it

The brakes were excellent - definitely a drivers' car though

[skeeterm5]

I am fortunate enough to own a Lotus Carlton and can state without fear of contradiction that it is still a very fast car today, not just at the time!

S

[Neith]

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.

[coetzeeh]

Griffith 200 must rank up there in the lethal category?

[NotNormal]

Leins said:

Yes, but the point being the B10 came before it, yet it was the LC that grabbed all the attention

The B10 in its day was not seen as a "production" car but more of a low volume tuner mod to the existing M5. Same can be said gor the AMG Hammer.

[Eighteeteewhy]

300zx Twin Turbo

[Athlon]

1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, that was a car that really was far to fast and powerful for the time.

[Leins]

NotNormal said:

Leins said:

Yes, but the point being the B10 came before it, yet it was the LC that grabbed all the attention

The B10 in its day was not seen as a "production" car but more of a low volume tuner mod to the existing M5. Same can be said gor the AMG Hammer.

Alpina is a manufacturer in its own right, not a tuner, and has been since 1983. The B10 BT was not based on either of the E34 M5s, but the 535i. There were over 500 cars produced

[Joeguard1990]

Bugatti Veyron

[Mr10secs]

Pretty much any TVR

[poing]

Dakkon said:

McLaren F1?

No but only because it was properly developed. Now if you have said Jaguar XJ220 then yes, even the dials couldn't keep up with the speed it could accelerate.

I would imagine lots of American muscle cars of the 60's fit into this category, massive engines and power but handling and brakes were a very secondary consideration! Damn good fun I imagine though.

[Mr_Yogi]

Leins said:

NotNormal said:

Leins said:

Yes, but the point being the B10 came before it, yet it was the LC that grabbed all the attention

The B10 in its day was not seen as a "production" car but more of a low volume tuner mod to the existing M5. Same can be said gor the AMG Hammer.

Alpina is a manufacturer in its own right, not a tuner, and has been since 1983. The B10 BT was not based on either of the E34 M5s, but the 535i. There were over 500 cars produced

I think the point was more that most people would never have heard of an Alpina, and they were foreign and essentially tuned versions of already fast cars; i.e. large engined BMW's, so nothing too out of the ordinary. This is in stark contrast to the LC which was fast and British, so grabbed headlines initially and then being based on a Vauxhall (which many of the population owned) propelled it into the tabloid press.

[Leins]

Mr_Yogi said:

Leins said:

NotNormal said:

Leins said:

Yes, but the point being the B10 came before it, yet it was the LC that grabbed all the attention

The B10 in its day was not seen as a "production" car but more of a low volume tuner mod to the existing M5. Same can be said gor the AMG Hammer.

Alpina is a manufacturer in its own right, not a tuner, and has been since 1983. The B10 BT was not based on either of the E34 M5s, but the 535i. There were over 500 cars produced

I think the point was more that most people would never have heard of an Alpina, and they were foreign and essentially tuned versions of already fast cars; i.e. large engined BMW's, so nothing too out of the ordinary. This is in stark contrast to the LC which was fast and British, so grabbed headlines initially and then being based on a Vauxhall (which many of the population owned) propelled it into the tabloid press.

I take the point about it being based on a Vauxhall/Opel so more impact in Britain, but other than that the similarities are numerous IMO. Even the models used as a base for each were original rivals

And as the top speed was the main media point when the LC was launched, I just think it's interesting to note that the Alpina, fulfilling a very similar role, possessed a higher one a year earlier

[wjb]

When I was about 16 a mate gave me a lift in a Toyota Corrola gti 16v. Frightened the life out of me!

[mikef]

sc0tt said:

Renault 5 turbo

This. Never been so sh!t scared as a front seat passenger

Felt like sitting on a turbo charged roller skate

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

s m said:

A

Pat H said:

1989 VX Astra GTE 16v.

Stonking engine.

Not so stonking chassis.

Fast, but horrible to drive.

And horrible to look at.

And horrible to sit in.

And that digital speedo was horrible too.

Not my actual experiences.....nor those of many mags at the time

They did rust though!

Yeah.

Since I was around 18 (so back in the late 80's) I have been lucky enough to have gorged myself silly on a vast array of superbikes, both on the road and track. And once you've experienced all that big bikes have to offer, most cars seem extremely dull and pedestrian in comparison. Even my last 911.

However a few years ago, I was building a Westfield, and I needed to source a donor Vauxhall Red Top engine. A mate who is a car dealer called me one day and offered me a 1990 MOT failure Astra GTE for a good price. It hadn't failed on anything terrifying, but the owner decided that the investment wasn't worth it.

I went and bought it, and drove it home.

Despite the fact that it was a 15 year old car with a fair whack of mileage on the clock, it drove well and everything still worked - including the digital dash.

I have to say, that even though it was old and old tech - it was an absolute hoot to drive. I had also owned a Pug 205 GTi of a similar vintage back in the day, but this Astra was in a different league I reckon? For new owners in 1990 it must have been an absolute revolution!

I did even consider keeping it and pouring some love and money into it to get it up together and back on the road. It was really good.