What's the fastest 'feeling' car you've been in?
Discussion
My owned since new in 1998 E36 BMW 2.5.
The noise of the wind getting through badly fitting doors (since a theft attempt) is terrifying at 110 and at 120+ it feels like it's going to take off. I must remove my roof bars.
My Mustang GT was a cocoon of peace and quiet in comparison, at 150.
My Vespa 300 is frightening at 70. Much more sphincter factor than my previous motorbikes ranging from Kawasaki 900 to Triumph 675 Street Triple.
The noise of the wind getting through badly fitting doors (since a theft attempt) is terrifying at 110 and at 120+ it feels like it's going to take off. I must remove my roof bars.
My Mustang GT was a cocoon of peace and quiet in comparison, at 150.
My Vespa 300 is frightening at 70. Much more sphincter factor than my previous motorbikes ranging from Kawasaki 900 to Triumph 675 Street Triple.
NickGRhodes said:
Caterham R500 race car.
Yeah. Sevens for me too. Don’t know which one. They all feel like they’re doing 1000mph all the time. One of my Westfield’s was probably the quickest but stuff always feels scarier as a passenger so a Caterham r400 ride sticks in my head. The first car like that I ever went in had a 1400 Vauxhall race engine. Only about 130bhp but it all came at the top end where it just felt absolutely crazy.
The less windscreen the better too. Nothing makes 30mph feel faster than a bee strike in your face!
My Gran driving her original white mini on the mean streets of the Isle of Wight.
Both my Gran and FDL 4D are long departed.
Edit - actually, according to a VED check, FDL 4D is on a SORN but it's black now! Must have gone to the other side!
Both my Gran and FDL 4D are long departed.
Edit - actually, according to a VED check, FDL 4D is on a SORN but it's black now! Must have gone to the other side!
Edited by ctdctd on Thursday 7th November 07:56
Edited by ctdctd on Thursday 7th November 07:56
Phil Dicky said:
bennno said:
no question, it was an AJP engined Cerbera.
had a R35 GTR, Caterham and a F Type V8 and none close to the feeling of raw speed
Was just going to post the same car...my old Cerbcertainly had that raw appeal.had a R35 GTR, Caterham and a F Type V8 and none close to the feeling of raw speed
I was going to say Rowen Atkinsons McLaren f1, that felt properly fast when booted at Goodwood and the noise was glorious, but then a Tesla 110D in ludicrous mode is something completely different, quiet and stupidly quick.
When I was 19 I bought a Saab 9-3 convertible 2.0t, which at the time felt insane compared to the Nissan Almera it replaced!
Then when I test drove a 2.8 V64mo Golf, it scared the crap out of me so I bought it. I know if I drove either of these now, I’d be very underwhelmed!
After that, the next car to shock me, keeping in mind I was still young and didn’t have masses of driving experience, was a Saab 9-5 Aero I bought. It was surprisingly cheap on the insurance for such a fast car!
More recently I bought a Mk7 Golf R, which has almost the opposite effect, it felt very capable at silly speeds, so didn’t give the sensation of speed.
I’ve been a passenger in a V10 M5 which just felt relentless, still pulling as hard at 120 as it did at 30. That’s probably the fastest feeling car I’ve been in.
Then when I test drove a 2.8 V64mo Golf, it scared the crap out of me so I bought it. I know if I drove either of these now, I’d be very underwhelmed!
After that, the next car to shock me, keeping in mind I was still young and didn’t have masses of driving experience, was a Saab 9-5 Aero I bought. It was surprisingly cheap on the insurance for such a fast car!
More recently I bought a Mk7 Golf R, which has almost the opposite effect, it felt very capable at silly speeds, so didn’t give the sensation of speed.
I’ve been a passenger in a V10 M5 which just felt relentless, still pulling as hard at 120 as it did at 30. That’s probably the fastest feeling car I’ve been in.
Hmm, I've been in some fast cars and as fast as they were, the gearing was long so they haven't felt alarmingly quick.
I guess two cars that jump out at me. The first being my mates turbocharged Fiat Strada Abarth. That car feels quick as standard due to the high gearing but after the turbo was fitted, it was squeaky bum time and I held onto those Recaros for dear life.
Another was my previous Fiat Coupe 20VT when modified. As standard they don't feel very fast as the gearing is pretty low even though the speedo is actually gathering pace more so then the rev counter. I tuned mine to close to 280bhp and the difference was incredible. The revs just shot around to the limiter.
I guess two cars that jump out at me. The first being my mates turbocharged Fiat Strada Abarth. That car feels quick as standard due to the high gearing but after the turbo was fitted, it was squeaky bum time and I held onto those Recaros for dear life.
Another was my previous Fiat Coupe 20VT when modified. As standard they don't feel very fast as the gearing is pretty low even though the speedo is actually gathering pace more so then the rev counter. I tuned mine to close to 280bhp and the difference was incredible. The revs just shot around to the limiter.
I was expecting the R35 to feel incredibly quick, but it didn't. Sure it felt faster than any 'normal' car, but around a track it just felt very capable, just not the mind-bogglingly fast experience YouTube encourages you to anticipate.
On the flipside, being a passenger in a C63S felt incredibly fast, but it always feels quicker being a passenger than being in control at the wheel. I think a lot of that particular cars' appeal was also the aural sensation, it sounded like you were going fast as well as being pinned back in your seat!!
On the flipside, being a passenger in a C63S felt incredibly fast, but it always feels quicker being a passenger than being in control at the wheel. I think a lot of that particular cars' appeal was also the aural sensation, it sounded like you were going fast as well as being pinned back in your seat!!
I've been in lots of cars that feel faster than they are (any early hot hatch, anything old but with a lot of power) and cars that feel slower than they are (MX5, RS4), but I must admit the fastest feeling cars I've been in have actually been the fastest: my much missed 2-Eleven and Formula Renault. Both felt slower than they were due to seating position, stiff suspension and grip levels (all of which change how fast a car feels), but both were just so fast that they overcame that and felt the fastest overall. Nothing else has really felt the same since, particularly the FR through high speed corners when the downforce was really working.
Phil Dicky said:
bennno said:
no question, it was an AJP engined Cerbera.
had a R35 GTR, Caterham and a F Type V8 and none close to the feeling of raw speed
Was just going to post the same car...my old Cerbcertainly had that raw appeal.had a R35 GTR, Caterham and a F Type V8 and none close to the feeling of raw speed
160 felt quick to me with the bonnet flapping about and the car bouncing all over the road! The same speed in my E92 M3 and it only felt like I was doing 70! The lightness of the Cerb and the feeling that it could drop to bits certainly adds to the fun.
In no particular order:
- Caterham 620r (or whatever it's called). Absolutely relentless acceleration around a track.
- Ariel Atom 300. As above.
- McLaren 720s at Rockingham. More impressive where the brakes slowing us from ~140mph for the hairpin and the end of the banking
- Nissan GTR (circa 700bhp) & a twin turbo Audi R8 V8 (circa 750bhp) at VMax. More than fast 'feeling' as we hit 193mph and 203mph respectively
- Tesla Model S in Ludicrous Mode. In terms of acceleration from standstill, it's probably one of the best. It left the Noble M600 next to us for dead until 120mph.
- Caterham 620r (or whatever it's called). Absolutely relentless acceleration around a track.
- Ariel Atom 300. As above.
- McLaren 720s at Rockingham. More impressive where the brakes slowing us from ~140mph for the hairpin and the end of the banking
- Nissan GTR (circa 700bhp) & a twin turbo Audi R8 V8 (circa 750bhp) at VMax. More than fast 'feeling' as we hit 193mph and 203mph respectively
- Tesla Model S in Ludicrous Mode. In terms of acceleration from standstill, it's probably one of the best. It left the Noble M600 next to us for dead until 120mph.
The first time I can remember thinking "eff ME!!!" rather than just wow this is quite nippy is when a mate took me in in his bosses CL V12 biturb.o It wasn't so much that it was violently/noisily quick more that car seemed attached to the horizon by a fully extended rubber band which had just been released. The car just surged forward - very impressive!
I think also it's when speed is unexpected. My father couldn't understand why I'd gone from a series of sports coupes to a pick-up truck (a Ford F150 Lightning) so I took him out in it loud exhaust was then supplemented with supercharger scream - as well as a scream from my father "f
k me! What're you doing?? Slow down, slow down!!". He (grudgingly) conceded that he hadn't expected that level of performance 
I think also it's when speed is unexpected. My father couldn't understand why I'd gone from a series of sports coupes to a pick-up truck (a Ford F150 Lightning) so I took him out in it loud exhaust was then supplemented with supercharger scream - as well as a scream from my father "f
k me! What're you doing?? Slow down, slow down!!". He (grudgingly) conceded that he hadn't expected that level of performance At the time my old 911 felt fast, but not crazily so. The Cerbera was fast a to b but never scary fast just on throttle alone. The race Tuscan with a dyno’d 500+ hp and a sub 1000kg weight should have felt scarily fast, and the lap times said it was no slouch, but strapped in with a 6 point harness and all too easy to spin the wheels up it never felt particularly fast.
Then we come to the TrackHawk. It’s an SUV. It’s a daily driver. I go to Tesco with the wife in it for the weekly shopping. But at least from lower speeds and certainly off the line it is truly astonishing. Yes it’s heavy, but the weight and 4wd means each and every one of the 710hp gets put down with nary a chirp and results in stunning pace forward. It feels brutally fast. The on board timers say 0-60 in 3.2 and 0-100 in 8.0. And sitting high on big comfy seats just makes the experience more surreal.
As for passengers I had 4 folks in it all used to fast cars and bikes, and even without launch control - just pulling away smartish they were gobsmacked.
It’s like Armageddon and being shot out of a cannon.
Then we come to the TrackHawk. It’s an SUV. It’s a daily driver. I go to Tesco with the wife in it for the weekly shopping. But at least from lower speeds and certainly off the line it is truly astonishing. Yes it’s heavy, but the weight and 4wd means each and every one of the 710hp gets put down with nary a chirp and results in stunning pace forward. It feels brutally fast. The on board timers say 0-60 in 3.2 and 0-100 in 8.0. And sitting high on big comfy seats just makes the experience more surreal.
As for passengers I had 4 folks in it all used to fast cars and bikes, and even without launch control - just pulling away smartish they were gobsmacked.
It’s like Armageddon and being shot out of a cannon.
cerb4.5lee said:
Same for me with my Cerbera 4.5 and the noise and rawness of the engine really gives you that feeling of speed. In reality though its probably not all that quick but it certainly feels it for me.
160 felt quick to me with the bonnet flapping about and the car bouncing all over the road! The same speed in my E92 M3 and it only felt like I was doing 70! The lightness of the Cerb and the feeling that it could drop to bits certainly adds to the fun.
Time for that photo again... Brunters - the essence of speed was more about the thumps as it went over the concrete joints, it felt quite stable160 felt quick to me with the bonnet flapping about and the car bouncing all over the road! The same speed in my E92 M3 and it only felt like I was doing 70! The lightness of the Cerb and the feeling that it could drop to bits certainly adds to the fun.
Someone said motorbikes - big motorbike acceleration is just on a completely different level to cars, so fast, so exposed...
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