What's the fastest 'feeling' car you've been in?
Discussion
Time makes it sound very pedestrian in an age where the hot golf is loads faster, but in the early noughties my dad's X308 XJR. As another poster said, in the days when ordinary cars would do 0-60 at about 10 seconds a saloon with a torque mountain V8 was breathtakingly fun.
Now it's my bike that gets me every time- 85hp and 250kg with me on it doesn't sound like much but it still gets me on a full throttle 2nd gear pull to the limiter. The wind trying to rip you off it certainly focusses the mind!
Now it's my bike that gets me every time- 85hp and 250kg with me on it doesn't sound like much but it still gets me on a full throttle 2nd gear pull to the limiter. The wind trying to rip you off it certainly focusses the mind!
I was once a passenger in a Reliant Robin. 20mph felt more like 200!
Bloke I worked for 20 or so years ago had an E36 M3 which felt significantly faster than the Lotus Esprit GT3 which he had next, even though the Lotus was actually quite a bit quicker.
In my experience fast saloon cars "feel" faster than more focused supercars, maybe because the extra weight and higher centre of gravity means less perfect balance which accentuates the sense of the mass being moved.
Bloke I worked for 20 or so years ago had an E36 M3 which felt significantly faster than the Lotus Esprit GT3 which he had next, even though the Lotus was actually quite a bit quicker.
In my experience fast saloon cars "feel" faster than more focused supercars, maybe because the extra weight and higher centre of gravity means less perfect balance which accentuates the sense of the mass being moved.
Probably a Sagaris.
My 4.0 Chimaera had a good fun "punchit" type of thing where you held the revs at 3k for a second or two then planted your foot down it would just launch off up the revs.... The 5 sadly has a much smoother power delivery so whilst it goes a lot faster, it doesn't feel like it.....
My 4.0 Chimaera had a good fun "punchit" type of thing where you held the revs at 3k for a second or two then planted your foot down it would just launch off up the revs.... The 5 sadly has a much smoother power delivery so whilst it goes a lot faster, it doesn't feel like it.....
Fastest feeling for me was an Ariel Atom 3, just the 240 but holy s
t it felt absolutely ballistic!!!
Back when I was about 15/16ish, a guy used to give me a lift home from work in his 205 GTi with an Mi16 engine on individual throttle bodies mated to a 1.6 box. If my memory serves me right it was around 175ish BHP but across the highland Perthshire moors nothing felt quicker.
When it comes to bikes, my MT10 has about 160 BHP, 200kg and no wind protection so that feels a bit bonkers too
Edit to add, I didn't own the atom, it was my wifes uncles. Got to drive it once though
t it felt absolutely ballistic!!!Back when I was about 15/16ish, a guy used to give me a lift home from work in his 205 GTi with an Mi16 engine on individual throttle bodies mated to a 1.6 box. If my memory serves me right it was around 175ish BHP but across the highland Perthshire moors nothing felt quicker.
When it comes to bikes, my MT10 has about 160 BHP, 200kg and no wind protection so that feels a bit bonkers too
Edit to add, I didn't own the atom, it was my wifes uncles. Got to drive it once though
Edited by DuncsGTi on Wednesday 6th November 22:13
My caterham.
Nobody maintained conversation when zipping up through the gears at full throttle. A six speed close ratio box, 3.91 final drive, 13” wheels and about 300bhp/tonne was quite quick.
They normally then blurted our an expletive through the first set of corners when they realised braking was not required. Warmed up R888 Toyos were very good on that car.
I miss it.
The current Boxster S is more civilised and usable, but often feels like a soft, squidgy convertible saloon car in comparison. On track it doesn’t even come close..
Nobody maintained conversation when zipping up through the gears at full throttle. A six speed close ratio box, 3.91 final drive, 13” wheels and about 300bhp/tonne was quite quick.
They normally then blurted our an expletive through the first set of corners when they realised braking was not required. Warmed up R888 Toyos were very good on that car.
I miss it.
The current Boxster S is more civilised and usable, but often feels like a soft, squidgy convertible saloon car in comparison. On track it doesn’t even come close..
Plate spinner said:
My caterham.
Nobody maintained conversation when zipping up through the gears at full throttle. A six speed close ratio box, 3.91 final drive, 13” wheels and about 300bhp/tonne was quite quick.
They normally then blurted our an expletive through the first set of corners when they realised braking was not required. Warmed up R888 Toyos were very good on that car.
I miss it.
The current Boxster S is more civilised and usable, but often feels like a soft, squidgy convertible saloon car in comparison. On track it doesn’t even come close..
Yep, any decent 7 will do it every time. So raw and immediate.Nobody maintained conversation when zipping up through the gears at full throttle. A six speed close ratio box, 3.91 final drive, 13” wheels and about 300bhp/tonne was quite quick.
They normally then blurted our an expletive through the first set of corners when they realised braking was not required. Warmed up R888 Toyos were very good on that car.
I miss it.
The current Boxster S is more civilised and usable, but often feels like a soft, squidgy convertible saloon car in comparison. On track it doesn’t even come close..
Krikkit said:
Yeah, for a bike it's middling at best, what the new breed of 220hp 275kg (with rider) bikes must feel like I don't know!
I haven't ridden one of those, but pinning the throttle in 1st and red lining it through the gearbox to 6th using the shift assist felt pretty quick on a S1000RR.In terms of the sensation gained from the speed being travelled rather than the acceleration (although still a quick car in that respect) I'd say a Caterham 7
It was "only" the 360 version but 30mph felt like 50mph, 50mph felt like 80mph and 100mph like the end of the world
It was fantastic, I want one
Acceleration wise, a McLaren 720S (passenger not driver), it was unbelievable, other worldly levels of fast, I could not believe how quickly it could pile the speed on
It was "only" the 360 version but 30mph felt like 50mph, 50mph felt like 80mph and 100mph like the end of the world
It was fantastic, I want one
Acceleration wise, a McLaren 720S (passenger not driver), it was unbelievable, other worldly levels of fast, I could not believe how quickly it could pile the speed on
Edited by FN2TypeR on Wednesday 6th November 22:39
I found an 1,100cc Lotus 22 scary sitting still. Objectively speaking it’s obviously not very quick, however it’s geared for 135mph and it has the frontal area of a drinks coaster so from the moment it comes on cam at 7,000rpm in 5th it seems to accelerate as though it’s running in a vacuum and it’s invariably still pulling when a corner rushes up... and you’re peering between a pair of 4.5” bias ply tyres which look like they belong on a ‘60s motorcycle.
Edited by HustleRussell on Wednesday 6th November 22:52
Two different cars did it in two different ways.
My S1 Elise felt like a Kart in terms of steering, throttle response and turn-in, which overall made it feel properly fast.
Recently I’ve had a P100D Tesla, and using launch control, with a battery fully charged and at the right temperature it feels disorienting, the acceleration is so brutal, but...
The way it tails off, rather than building with speed as a petrol engines car does means that it just doesn’t feel as fast as it actually is. It makes me feel nauseous, and confused, but my significantly slower R8 actually feels more exciting even in a straight line.
My S1 Elise felt like a Kart in terms of steering, throttle response and turn-in, which overall made it feel properly fast.
Recently I’ve had a P100D Tesla, and using launch control, with a battery fully charged and at the right temperature it feels disorienting, the acceleration is so brutal, but...
The way it tails off, rather than building with speed as a petrol engines car does means that it just doesn’t feel as fast as it actually is. It makes me feel nauseous, and confused, but my significantly slower R8 actually feels more exciting even in a straight line.
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