Tell us about when you were nearly a driving god
Discussion
Today I drove eastbound along the A38 towards Exeter in my Audi A4 1.8T Quattro. The climb up the hill towards the racecourse is a long and winding road flagged at 50mph max. It could have been made for the Audi Quattro. I know from experience the Quattro and I can go up there at 80. Normally my fellow road users prevent a clean run. But this morning I had a clear shot at it, the slower cars were tidily in the left lane agog at my abilities as I passed.
It's just that following me closely up the hill was an elderly Transit van.
It's just that following me closely up the hill was an elderly Transit van.
P5BNij said:
I drove an Inter-City HST 125 at 128mph once. Thread done...? 
The 125 and I have grown old together. When I wasn't commuting somewhere by car I was in and out of Paddington on the HST. When they were newish and allowed to leave stations at full chat I timed one, standstill in Paddington to standstill in Reading, at 17 minutes exactly. If I was right and didn't dream it, it would have been an average speed of 125. Is there a railway section here? I could go and ask if I imagined it.
Freshly into Germany. TVR Tuscan working well. Previous day I'd gone from SW London to Belgium. Pre checks had worked. The car was good for fluids, tyre pressures. I had a nearly full tank of fuel and there it was a nice stretch of Germany's finest road. I wound it up, the straight six purring. Noisy but smooth and no signs of trouble. 100, 110, 120, 130.. light traffic. . 110.. I wound her up to 130..again "buffeting .. buffeting" I said J May style. I was about to wind her up further and then....
I was flashed and indicated out of the way by a bored Mum on the school run in her Cayenne turbo resplendent with child seats. Took off as I moved aside like I was doing 80!
I was flashed and indicated out of the way by a bored Mum on the school run in her Cayenne turbo resplendent with child seats. Took off as I moved aside like I was doing 80!
BluePurpleRed said:
I was flashed and indicated out of the way by a bored Mum on the school run in her Cayenne turbo resplendent with child seats. Took off as I moved aside like I was doing 80!
Yup, not shocked at all. A mate picked me up from the airport a few years ago and drove me back, at about 150mph........ Got to say it was strange just bombing along at that speed just flashing cars out of the way...DickyC said:
Today I drove eastbound along the A38 towards Exeter in my Audi A4 1.8T Quattro. The climb up the hill towards the racecourse is a long and winding road flagged at 50mph max. It could have been made for the Audi Quattro. I know from experience the Quattro and I can go up there at 80. Normally my fellow road users prevent a clean run. But this morning I had a clear shot at it, the slower cars were tidily in the left lane agog at my abilities as I passed.
It's just that following me closely up the hill was an elderly Transit van.
It does catch people out, normally I'm all for a spirited drive but that those series of bends usually get a few hits a week at the minute!It's just that following me closely up the hill was an elderly Transit van.
It was many years ago when I achieved true godly status.
Imagine an old square surrounded by lovely buildings surrounded by patios and terraced bars. A sunny afternoon on a Saturday. Crowds of attractive people.
And me
The square was Place Jacques Cartier in Montreal. I was in my twenties I’m a rented Mustang convertible. Red. With the top down I cruised into the square.
James Freaking Bond.
Found a parking spot and reversed in expertly with the right degree of careless confidence.
Behind me was a sign embedded in a large concrete block. I hit the sign. Very gently. But it tipped over away from me and the concrete block rose up catching the rear of the Mustang and as the sign fell elevated the back of the car into the air.
I was now facing the beautiful people of the square with the car on its front wheels. The besutiful people rose up and gave me sustained applause.
I did not get a date.
Imagine an old square surrounded by lovely buildings surrounded by patios and terraced bars. A sunny afternoon on a Saturday. Crowds of attractive people.
And me
The square was Place Jacques Cartier in Montreal. I was in my twenties I’m a rented Mustang convertible. Red. With the top down I cruised into the square.
James Freaking Bond.
Found a parking spot and reversed in expertly with the right degree of careless confidence.
Behind me was a sign embedded in a large concrete block. I hit the sign. Very gently. But it tipped over away from me and the concrete block rose up catching the rear of the Mustang and as the sign fell elevated the back of the car into the air.
I was now facing the beautiful people of the square with the car on its front wheels. The besutiful people rose up and gave me sustained applause.
I did not get a date.
I drove a hired Nissan Micra up the super steep windy dirt track up the highest mountain on Corfu. All the while dispensing pearls of off road driving wisdom to my OH.
I'd almost made it to the summit when I was passed by a dustbin lorry going the other way driven by a binman smoking a cigarette and steering with one hand.
I'd almost made it to the summit when I was passed by a dustbin lorry going the other way driven by a binman smoking a cigarette and steering with one hand.
Driving my S3 Landy up a single width track on a very steep hill, my best mate burned the clutch out.
When we got to the top, he was unable to turn the truck round so we swapped over. I got it rolling in first on some wet mud, changed up to 2nd, floored it, broke traction and did a perfect donut to turn other truck round. I felt like Ari Vatanen!!!
When we got to the top, he was unable to turn the truck round so we swapped over. I got it rolling in first on some wet mud, changed up to 2nd, floored it, broke traction and did a perfect donut to turn other truck round. I felt like Ari Vatanen!!!
One time in the olden days, in my TSR golf gti mk1, I slammed it into third flying up the hill into Saffron Walden at maximum warp and everything... just was right with the world. The sun glinted off of the dimpled gear knob and the gleaming Lhasa green paint, and the 1.9 “revved out” as we didn’t say back then.
Since that day it’s all been sort of black and white and sounded far off in the distance to me.
Since that day it’s all been sort of black and white and sounded far off in the distance to me.
DickyC said:
Today I drove eastbound along the A38 towards Exeter in my Audi A4 1.8T Quattro. The climb up the hill towards the racecourse is a long and winding road flagged at 50mph max. It could have been made for the Audi Quattro. I know from experience the Quattro and I can go up there at 80. Normally my fellow road users prevent a clean run. But this morning I had a clear shot at it, the slower cars were tidily in the left lane agog at my abilities as I passed.
It's just that following me closely up the hill was an elderly Transit van.
True story. I bought one of THE Audi quattros - 2.1 urquattro 1987 modified in the 90's to spit out 300+bhp. Was for sale in North Wales and I was in Plymouth. A friend happened to be in Mid Wales and urged me to buy it so he could (selflessly) use it for the week and then deliver it to my address free of charge! Deal was done, paid for it via bank transfer sight unseen and a week later it arrived all splendid as it was. A few years later my mate fessed up that he did 145mph UP that very same A38 hill from Exeter on the way to delivering it to me. In seven years of ownership I never got anywhere near that speed in my own car on road nor track!It's just that following me closely up the hill was an elderly Transit van.
My own personal divine driving moment happened when I was 22, driving back from Bristol to Weymouth, possibly a little over a safe speed in my 2.0 mk3 chavalier I experienced lift off oversteer whilst negotiating a bend. Overcorrect, overcorrected the overcorrect, s
t, backwards, still going along the road. Saw the whites of the eyes of the driver behind and by the grace of god dropped the clutch, flicked the wheel, spun 180, into second and carried on about the rest of my 70 mile commute home knowing that if I stopped I'd freak out and likely never drive again. Learnt a lot that day!sim16v said:
DickyC said:
It's just that following me closely up the hill was an elderly Transit van.
Over Hartside Pass, driving as fast as I dared, double the limit in places.
Couldn't catch a local in a Citroen C1
Girlfriend at the time had a 118d. We were going out for the afternoon and she was wearing stilettos, so asked me to drive. On the way back we detoured via some backroads as the motorway was closed. For reasons unbeknownst to me I had the traction control turned off, and I approached a corner with a little too much gusto. Instead of backing off, I accelerated, and performed quite a decent oversteery drift around the corner. I freely admit I'm not one who can normally control a car on the limit, but I remember the A-pillar being almost in the centre of my vision, wrapping the drift up neatly, and being told that was an amazing piece of driving.
About six months later I span my VX220, doing about 10mph around a roundabout. The 911 GT3 I was trying to keep up with had just gone round at probably 70mph.
About six months later I span my VX220, doing about 10mph around a roundabout. The 911 GT3 I was trying to keep up with had just gone round at probably 70mph.
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