What's the fastest 'feeling' car you've been in?
Discussion
I suspect the order is broadly
1. Fast race-prepped cars, usually light and running slicks - piloted with a lot of skill.
2. Superbikes, peddled by middle-aged accountants with some skill
3. Fast EVs, peddled by the very same accountants but with limited skill
4. Big power road cars, peddled by powerfully built directors of undetermined skill
5. Everything else, driven erratically and with little skill - which induces fear.
As 1 and 2 are pretty unattainable to most, I suspect the median answer would be a Tesla.
Or pass your bike license and try to get to grips that most other things feel slow in comparison. Very slow.
1. Fast race-prepped cars, usually light and running slicks - piloted with a lot of skill.
2. Superbikes, peddled by middle-aged accountants with some skill
3. Fast EVs, peddled by the very same accountants but with limited skill
4. Big power road cars, peddled by powerfully built directors of undetermined skill
5. Everything else, driven erratically and with little skill - which induces fear.
As 1 and 2 are pretty unattainable to most, I suspect the median answer would be a Tesla.
Or pass your bike license and try to get to grips that most other things feel slow in comparison. Very slow.
MrOrange said:
I suspect the order is broadly
1. Fast race-prepped cars, usually light and running slicks - piloted with a lot of skill.
2. Superbikes, peddled by middle-aged accountants with some skill
3. Fast EVs, peddled by the very same accountants but with limited skill
4. Big power road cars, peddled by powerfully built directors of undetermined skill
5. Everything else, driven erratically and with little skill - which induces fear.
As 1 and 2 are pretty unattainable to most, I suspect the median answer would be a Tesla.
Or pass your bike license and try to get to grips that most other things feel slow in comparison. Very slow.
This. I pretty much lost interest in properly fast cars once I got a bike, I’ve had reasonably quick cars but things like M5s just seem like too much hassle for the performance on offer, while being less exciting. 1. Fast race-prepped cars, usually light and running slicks - piloted with a lot of skill.
2. Superbikes, peddled by middle-aged accountants with some skill
3. Fast EVs, peddled by the very same accountants but with limited skill
4. Big power road cars, peddled by powerfully built directors of undetermined skill
5. Everything else, driven erratically and with little skill - which induces fear.
As 1 and 2 are pretty unattainable to most, I suspect the median answer would be a Tesla.
Or pass your bike license and try to get to grips that most other things feel slow in comparison. Very slow.
I’ve never owned a superbike as I’m a bit big for modern ones, but I’ve ridden plenty of them.
Having something that’ll do 100 in 1st really puts everything else in the shade and requires a brain recalibration before really going for it.
Things like Hayabusas feel totally unstressed at 140mph+, just epic power.
Speed addicted said:
MrOrange said:
I suspect the order is broadly
1. Fast race-prepped cars, usually light and running slicks - piloted with a lot of skill.
2. Superbikes, peddled by middle-aged accountants with some skill
3. Fast EVs, peddled by the very same accountants but with limited skill
4. Big power road cars, peddled by powerfully built directors of undetermined skill
5. Everything else, driven erratically and with little skill - which induces fear.
As 1 and 2 are pretty unattainable to most, I suspect the median answer would be a Tesla.
Or pass your bike license and try to get to grips that most other things feel slow in comparison. Very slow.
This. I pretty much lost interest in properly fast cars once I got a bike, I’ve had reasonably quick cars but things like M5s just seem like too much hassle for the performance on offer, while being less exciting. 1. Fast race-prepped cars, usually light and running slicks - piloted with a lot of skill.
2. Superbikes, peddled by middle-aged accountants with some skill
3. Fast EVs, peddled by the very same accountants but with limited skill
4. Big power road cars, peddled by powerfully built directors of undetermined skill
5. Everything else, driven erratically and with little skill - which induces fear.
As 1 and 2 are pretty unattainable to most, I suspect the median answer would be a Tesla.
Or pass your bike license and try to get to grips that most other things feel slow in comparison. Very slow.
I’ve never owned a superbike as I’m a bit big for modern ones, but I’ve ridden plenty of them.
Having something that’ll do 100 in 1st really puts everything else in the shade and requires a brain recalibration before really going for it.
Things like Hayabusas feel totally unstressed at 140mph+, just epic power.
Having been allowed to try out a few very rapid track prepped cars, probably the thing that scared me the most was, whilst not a "car", a long circuit gearbox kart.
For me nothing has come close to the feeling of pretty much lying on the ground, with corners approaching faster then you can believe, eyeballs shaking all over the place as you feel every little bump in the circuit, fighting a kart that felt like it wanted to flick me off the circuit if I even got a little bit lairy.
But my god what a rush
For me nothing has come close to the feeling of pretty much lying on the ground, with corners approaching faster then you can believe, eyeballs shaking all over the place as you feel every little bump in the circuit, fighting a kart that felt like it wanted to flick me off the circuit if I even got a little bit lairy.
But my god what a rush
A passenger ride in a Friend's E34 M5 that got stuck for a few seconds on wide open throttle on a short stretch of dual carriageway between a pair of roundabouts..... That felt quite quick in the two seconds it took him to figure out what was going on...
Honourable mention to the Austrian Tesla Model S Taxi I got into after a well lubricated night out, any other time I'm sure I would've enjoyed the drivers demonstration of his cars traffic light gp credentials, but in that moment it felt like a queasy millennium falcon...
Honourable mention to the Austrian Tesla Model S Taxi I got into after a well lubricated night out, any other time I'm sure I would've enjoyed the drivers demonstration of his cars traffic light gp credentials, but in that moment it felt like a queasy millennium falcon...
Did a few laps in a Mercedes E63S Biturbo (612BHP), I'm more used to cars with 350-400 BHP and the way it violently pinned me back in my seat & kept pulling was something I was not used to I can't believe there are cars out there like 720s that are a big step up again in straight line power.
Personally I would worry about prison if I had a car that powerful
Personally I would worry about prison if I had a car that powerful
Yertis said:
Caterham again. I’ve a few goes in them - terrific fun - but when Bill (out of Pistonheads) took me for a ride in his I had a bit of a panic attack and had to ask him to stop.
There will be quite a number of cars which are technically much faster than a Caterham, (but not so many, if the TG fastest lap board is to be believed) but there are relatively very few cars that can give that level of the feeling of speed, that a Caterham can for the money. As this topic is about how fast a car can `feel' rather than how fast it actually is, A Caterham must be considered a reasonable inclusion. I remember the first ever time I had a ride in a friends Caterham, my only thought was, I have got to, got to, GOT to get me one of these!
Edited by Pan Pan Pan on Saturday 23 November 13:27
My Force PT, ( hillclimb single seater ).
It's only 1100cc but knocks out 190bhp. More importantly it only ways 290kg so circa 650bhp per ton on super soft slicks with big aero.. Compare that with quick supercars etc and you can see how it stacks up. Not sure re performance figures but would think 0-60 in high 2's and a ton sub 6 secs..
Granted beyond about 140mph it runs put of puff and the power to weight figure gets dulled once I clamber in but it's worth noting that if you compared two different cars , both with 650bhp per ton but one weighs say 1200kg and the other 300kg , the lighter car can stop and change direction a hell of a lot quicker.., ( and as a result blitz twisty sections ).
I've been in some quick road cars inc Cobra 427, chipped Nissan GTR, GT3s, Westfield, etc and they were all fantastic and bloody quick in a different way. Lovely and big torque is definitely a buzz but really pushing a single seater at the limit feels quick in a different way. Generally just feels less filtered and more involved at all times and at full chat...fast!
Christ knows what the big banger single seaters feel like..700 BHP+ in 500kg..
It's only 1100cc but knocks out 190bhp. More importantly it only ways 290kg so circa 650bhp per ton on super soft slicks with big aero.. Compare that with quick supercars etc and you can see how it stacks up. Not sure re performance figures but would think 0-60 in high 2's and a ton sub 6 secs..
Granted beyond about 140mph it runs put of puff and the power to weight figure gets dulled once I clamber in but it's worth noting that if you compared two different cars , both with 650bhp per ton but one weighs say 1200kg and the other 300kg , the lighter car can stop and change direction a hell of a lot quicker.., ( and as a result blitz twisty sections ).
I've been in some quick road cars inc Cobra 427, chipped Nissan GTR, GT3s, Westfield, etc and they were all fantastic and bloody quick in a different way. Lovely and big torque is definitely a buzz but really pushing a single seater at the limit feels quick in a different way. Generally just feels less filtered and more involved at all times and at full chat...fast!
Christ knows what the big banger single seaters feel like..700 BHP+ in 500kg..
Griff 500.
Had a 997 and a Vantage and the Griff makes those two feel sluggish.
Maybe it's just the fear that makes it feel so fast.
My late dad's Berlingo diesel could carry so much speed into roundabouts and understeered with such entertaining predictability that it was a great fun steer in real world driving.
Had a 997 and a Vantage and the Griff makes those two feel sluggish.
Maybe it's just the fear that makes it feel so fast.
My late dad's Berlingo diesel could carry so much speed into roundabouts and understeered with such entertaining predictability that it was a great fun steer in real world driving.
ks for another go 
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
Yeah, that era of TVRs are bum-chewing-a-toffee intense at speed.had a R35 GTR, Caterham and a F Type V8 and none close to the feeling of raw speed
In terms of unreal performance, the one that impressed me most in terms of how quickly it just gathered speed without any fuss was a Tesla Model S with the insane performance mode activated: four-up (none of us waif-like) and it just grabbed the horizon and flung it past your rear view mirror. Most “supercars” are take compared to a 1000cc sports bike, but the sense of being in the millennium falcon was pretty unreal.
MrOrange said:
I suspect the order is broadly
1. Fast race-prepped cars, usually light and running slicks - piloted with a lot of skill.
2. Superbikes, peddled by middle-aged accountants with some skill
3. Fast EVs, peddled by the very same accountants but with limited skill
4. Big power road cars, peddled by powerfully built directors of undetermined skill
5. Everything else, driven erratically and with little skill - which induces fear.
As 1 and 2 are pretty unattainable to most, I suspect the median answer would be a Tesla.
Or pass your bike license and try to get to grips that most other things feel slow in comparison. Very slow.
Bang on. As a lifelong petrolhead who has worked in the motor manufacturing and design industry on the likes of F1, the Veyron and other goodies, even a cheap secondhand superbike will simply eat most things this side of a McLaren P1 for dead and the Tesla model S in ludicrous mode really does feel like something out of Star Wars because it’s spacious, comfy and quiet and simply f*cks off into the distance.1. Fast race-prepped cars, usually light and running slicks - piloted with a lot of skill.
2. Superbikes, peddled by middle-aged accountants with some skill
3. Fast EVs, peddled by the very same accountants but with limited skill
4. Big power road cars, peddled by powerfully built directors of undetermined skill
5. Everything else, driven erratically and with little skill - which induces fear.
As 1 and 2 are pretty unattainable to most, I suspect the median answer would be a Tesla.
Or pass your bike license and try to get to grips that most other things feel slow in comparison. Very slow.
cybertrophic said:
the Tesla model S in ludicrous mode really does feel like something out of Star Wars because it’s spacious, comfy and quiet and simply f*cks off into the distance.
I wish Tesla would f off into the distance(along with everything else electric) and never come back! I can't see that happening anytime soon though sadly.
There have been four defining cars for me in terms of acceleration.
The first was my peugeot 205 that I'd just installed a 405 SRi engine in. In absolute terms it probably wasn't that quick but at 18 it was monsterous compared to my friends 1.1 litre fiestas and novas.
The second was a tuned Impreza P1. It was owned by some footballer or other and I was the apprentice holding the throttle to the floor whist the master tech was tweaking it in the passenger seat. I distinctly asking him if I could back off and he said not yet. I said Pleeease, we're doing 130...
The third was a Ferrari 550 Maranello. I was a trained Ferrari tech at this point and I'd been tasked with taking this thing to Donington. I didn't know the way and was trying to keep the other techs in view. It was the first car that I was actually scared to just mash the throttle to the floor in.
The fourth and by far the scariest was my MX-5. I now owned a tuning company. I had poured all of my company's marketing budget into building this thing. It had titanium valve gear, a custom made turbo (It turns out Garrett love a silly project as much as anyone else) methanol injection and ran 35 psi boost. I remember literally driving rings around a Ferrari 360 that tried to race it.
I never got an actual power figure as I couldn't find a hub dyno locally and it would just spin the wheels on roller dynos. Conservative estimates from old hands at the drag strip put the power at around 600bhp. In 850kg.
I've never driven a Cerbera 4.5 but one is certainly on my wish list.
The first was my peugeot 205 that I'd just installed a 405 SRi engine in. In absolute terms it probably wasn't that quick but at 18 it was monsterous compared to my friends 1.1 litre fiestas and novas.
The second was a tuned Impreza P1. It was owned by some footballer or other and I was the apprentice holding the throttle to the floor whist the master tech was tweaking it in the passenger seat. I distinctly asking him if I could back off and he said not yet. I said Pleeease, we're doing 130...
The third was a Ferrari 550 Maranello. I was a trained Ferrari tech at this point and I'd been tasked with taking this thing to Donington. I didn't know the way and was trying to keep the other techs in view. It was the first car that I was actually scared to just mash the throttle to the floor in.
The fourth and by far the scariest was my MX-5. I now owned a tuning company. I had poured all of my company's marketing budget into building this thing. It had titanium valve gear, a custom made turbo (It turns out Garrett love a silly project as much as anyone else) methanol injection and ran 35 psi boost. I remember literally driving rings around a Ferrari 360 that tried to race it.
I never got an actual power figure as I couldn't find a hub dyno locally and it would just spin the wheels on roller dynos. Conservative estimates from old hands at the drag strip put the power at around 600bhp. In 850kg.
I've never driven a Cerbera 4.5 but one is certainly on my wish list.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff