Did you really drive *that* quickly 'back in the day'?
Discussion
The doors were flapping the whole way 
I don't ever remember being overtaken for probably my first five years of driving. 
And those midnight races on the Lower Road in Higham.....
No cameras, hardly any unmarked police cars...
Wales to Kent happened quite quickly one early morning..
I wasn't a complete idiot like some. I knew where to have a play and where not to, but yeah, we got up
to some crazy stuff.
And those midnight races on the Lower Road in Higham.....
No cameras, hardly any unmarked police cars...
Wales to Kent happened quite quickly one early morning..
I wasn't a complete idiot like some. I knew where to have a play and where not to, but yeah, we got up
to some crazy stuff.
I have been on roads, that I used to drive down when I was a lot younger, that I used to belt down, and when driving down them now, have asked myself, did I really use to drive down `this' road at x y z speed?, (and in cars that were not as fast as the ones I have now, nor could they corner, or brake any where near as well as the cars I have now.)
On one such road there was a width restriction, which was just wider than the car I was driving at the time, and when taking a mate home from work each evening, he would shut his eyes, and emit a low pitched scream when I went through it at speed.
I asked him why he did that, because to me, whether I was doing 30 mph, or 60 mph both the car and the width restriction were going to stay exactly the same size!
On other roads I remember overtaking other cars, in places I would not dream of doing so now, even in much faster more powerful cars than I had then.
So for me at least, the answer really has to be a yes.
On one such road there was a width restriction, which was just wider than the car I was driving at the time, and when taking a mate home from work each evening, he would shut his eyes, and emit a low pitched scream when I went through it at speed.
I asked him why he did that, because to me, whether I was doing 30 mph, or 60 mph both the car and the width restriction were going to stay exactly the same size!
On other roads I remember overtaking other cars, in places I would not dream of doing so now, even in much faster more powerful cars than I had then.
So for me at least, the answer really has to be a yes.
I had a mini city 998ccin early 90s and used to drive flat out everywhere. On a long downhill got the speedo well past 90 and hit a bump at the bottom and launched onto the opposite side of the road.
Luckily nothing coming hit the brakes and just about stopped before ploughing over a traffic island!
A change of undies needed!!
Another time a long straight with a tight left corner leading to a humpback bridge with taking the corner and carrying as much speed was the game.
About 30 was realistically the max until the local farmer cut the hedge and you could see clearly all the way.
Using the full extent if the road i hit the bridge around 50 i think got some serious air, smashed my head on the roof and the exhaust fell off and bonnet lifted up ripoing off my wipers.
I learned exhausts get VERY hot!!
Insane driving looking back but at 17 was crazy.
Ive hit 140+ on numerous occasions since but choose much more appropriate roads!
Luckily nothing coming hit the brakes and just about stopped before ploughing over a traffic island!
A change of undies needed!!
Another time a long straight with a tight left corner leading to a humpback bridge with taking the corner and carrying as much speed was the game.
About 30 was realistically the max until the local farmer cut the hedge and you could see clearly all the way.
Using the full extent if the road i hit the bridge around 50 i think got some serious air, smashed my head on the roof and the exhaust fell off and bonnet lifted up ripoing off my wipers.
I learned exhausts get VERY hot!!
Insane driving looking back but at 17 was crazy.
Ive hit 140+ on numerous occasions since but choose much more appropriate roads!
Ultrafunkula said:
When I first started driving in the early ninties, I drove as fast as I could everywhere but the cars were slow compared to what I drive now. From A to B, if I caned it in my mums MG Metro, I'd probably still arrive later than I would just cruising briskly there in the Cayman now for instance.
I am not so sure, those old slow cars were still capable of getting you banned and possibly imprisoned at today’s standards. It just needed a lot more commitment that you typically have when you are young. Looking back it seems insane!Yes, without a doubt. Passed test in '87.
No cameras, if you got caught you deserved it.
Motorways at 100+ were no issue for hundreds of miles, country roads not much slower. Never crashed, did 25k a year. Always slowed to limit for villages and roadworks.
Definitely wouldn't do it today, far too many cameras, oh and more responsible now.
No cameras, if you got caught you deserved it.
Motorways at 100+ were no issue for hundreds of miles, country roads not much slower. Never crashed, did 25k a year. Always slowed to limit for villages and roadworks.
Definitely wouldn't do it today, far too many cameras, oh and more responsible now.
My Dad told me that flat out through the Wallasey Mersey Tunnel on a GS850 was fun and sounded great. I doubt you'd get away with that now.
Road rallies around Altcar were apparently pretty quick.
My eyes were first opened to the possibilities of fast driving by a ride in my Dad's friend's AXGT when I was 13. Absolutely furious hoonage through his home town and the surrounding area. It was great.
Further formative experiences were journeys in a friend of a friend's 2L Vauxhall Carlton in about 1990, before I could drive. Flat out whenever possible, all the way down the country, on the motorway and off it. Average well over the ton on motorways. I don't know if he was ever caught.
Road rallies around Altcar were apparently pretty quick.
My eyes were first opened to the possibilities of fast driving by a ride in my Dad's friend's AXGT when I was 13. Absolutely furious hoonage through his home town and the surrounding area. It was great.
Further formative experiences were journeys in a friend of a friend's 2L Vauxhall Carlton in about 1990, before I could drive. Flat out whenever possible, all the way down the country, on the motorway and off it. Average well over the ton on motorways. I don't know if he was ever caught.
Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 21st May 21:14
velocemitch said:
FiF said:
Well yes and no. When I got my own first cars, as opposed to driving the family hack, I had to keep a clean licence so more or less behaved myself, but then out in the Peak District on dark nights things were less restrained. This was of course the days before the current set of limits, and once you'd left the 30 limit heading out on Ringinglow road it was NSL, so 70 legally though was reduced during oil crisis. It's 40 today, even on a dead straight 3 mile stretch over open moorland.
Away from that, in the 70s I spent time rallying, and of course like everyone you started with road rallying using Targa timing. This was basically road racing on open public highway, how we got away with it is probably inconceivable to the younger set today. So it was indeed pretty much flat out, even up the whites, eg for Lincolnshire-ites, they'll know Ermine Street, which on the unmade part of it is a dead straight unmade track to the west of RAF Cranwell heading north for quite some distance from Byards Leap. Public highway, 120 mph up there in an Escort, on a rough farm track. Must have been mad.
I wondered how long it would be before road rallying got mentioned. Those days were mad. Couldn’t possibly happen today could it........ Away from that, in the 70s I spent time rallying, and of course like everyone you started with road rallying using Targa timing. This was basically road racing on open public highway, how we got away with it is probably inconceivable to the younger set today. So it was indeed pretty much flat out, even up the whites, eg for Lincolnshire-ites, they'll know Ermine Street, which on the unmade part of it is a dead straight unmade track to the west of RAF Cranwell heading north for quite some distance from Byards Leap. Public highway, 120 mph up there in an Escort, on a rough farm track. Must have been mad.
Fresh Air Ian said:
Yes, without a doubt. Passed test in '87.
I passed in 87, walked back to work, gave them the good news, jumped into a RWD motor someone at work owned and approx five minutes after passing my test, went completely sideways turning left at a set of lights in the rain with my overcorrecting hands moving so fast you couldn't see them.After that, full speed j turns, handbrake parking (only hit the kerb once) and even getting the odd car onto two wheels started to creep in late at night during isolated practice sessions...
The Dictator said:
Many years ago I was an Estate Agent
I had a MK2 Golf GTI, which I ultimately ruined by chavving it up
I became a police officer
All I could think of after reading that was Jimmy Carr putting down a heckler, along the lines of -I had a MK2 Golf GTI, which I ultimately ruined by chavving it up
I became a police officer
So you knew you were a bit of a **** but decided to go further
Edited by NNK on Thursday 21st May 21:18
Bournemouth - Westover road was the raceway, its tiny! Full of cars and people queuing for ice rink or cinema..
We all hit over 80mph in under 200hp cars, 92mph was the fastest my mate achieved in an audi 80 sport, i hit over 100 on a gpx600r
We often grabbed air over bridges at Fordingbridge, matchams lane consistant jumps..
We were loons quite frankly.
We all hit over 80mph in under 200hp cars, 92mph was the fastest my mate achieved in an audi 80 sport, i hit over 100 on a gpx600r
We often grabbed air over bridges at Fordingbridge, matchams lane consistant jumps..
We were loons quite frankly.
Tony33 said:
The level of commitment on those National events was beyond belief, at that point I realised that all the talk about which road car is faster is all rather academic as it comes down to who is the most committed (or these days I would probably say irresponsible!).
I've long thought that, when people talk about others "not knowing where their car went in the twisties"; the limit of cornering speed is very rarely grip, most frequently how much you are prepared to compromise your own available braking distance. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff