What old performance car compares...

[austinsmirk]

threespires said:

I'd love to see a race between 2020 MX-5 and a 1965 E Type.
Which would be quicker round the Top Gear track for instance.

Top gear have certainly had an original e type v the “new” e type/ retro engineered one that cost something bonkers like 300 k.

The old e type was dreadful as you’d imagine

Sure they’ve done the same with DB5’s etc

Tbf: no shock that such old cars are not that amazing around a track etc.

I’d imagine any generic Diesel would be far quicker and handle better than anything “ performance “ from 70’s/80’s etc

[cerb4.5lee]

Joey Deacon said:

nunpuncher said:

cerb4.5lee said:

It isn't very exciting to drive though...so I'd much rather have the Sierra Cosworth for sure!

This is the issue. Performance, reliability, comfort, economy have all moved on while excitement and fun have all but been eradicated.

It's funny looking back at what we thought was quick back in 80s/90s. I remember discussing with a friend him looking at getting an Astra GTE 16 valve but they were all crashed because "they are too quick"

I remember when I got my Sierra XR4X4 when I was 20 and I remember thinking that 150bhp seemed like fair bit! It did 0 to 60 in 8.2 seconds...that is absolutely glacial performance wise now though for sure.

Performance has moved on so much for certain. I did used to really like how much lighter cars were back then when compared to now though.

[Boobonman]

Remember buying an E30 325i sport as a teenager and getting whooped in the traffic light GP by a diesel Focus.

[rsbmw]

I expect the XFR would make most supercars from not too long ago look a bit silly, in a straight line at least!

[LordFlathead]

threespires said:

I'd love to see a race between 2020 MX-5 and a 1965 E Type.
Which would be quicker round the Top Gear track.

Horses for courses. What would be quicker around Le Mans?

[Heaveho]

My '88 MR2 was regarded as quick back then. I get in it now and can't believe how slow to rev it is. My van's probably quicker more of the time.

[Mave]

Joey Deacon said:

It's funny looking back at what we thought was quick back in 80s/90s. I remember discussing with a friend him looking at getting an Astra GTE 16 valve but they were all crashed because "they are too quick"

I think the context is "they are too quick for the chassis"....

[MrGTI6]

Looking at it the other way round, my main car is a 1998 Peugeot 306 GTI-6. It's dimensions are similar to the new three-cylinder Fiesta ST, but it has about 30bhp less!

Just looked it up and the Fiesta ST does a claimed 40mpg. My old Pug does a claimed 30mpg, but I average 36mpg.

[swiveleyedgit]

TEKNOPUG said:

Is the only measurement of performance accelerating in a straight line?

Apparently.

[havoc]

Are we allowed to fit modern tyres to the older cars?

...because that will make a big difference to both acceleration and lap-times (assuming anyone cares about lap-times on road cars...hell, 0-60 doesn't matter away from a drag strip unless you're a teenager).

[Cold]

V88Dicky said:

Ferrari Testarossa:

0-60 - 5.2 seconds
0-100 - 12 seconds

/snip/

Give or take whichever magazine you read, these figures are the same for my Range Rover.

[832ark]

Cold said:

V88Dicky said:

Ferrari Testarossa:

0-60 - 5.2 seconds
0-100 - 12 seconds

/snip/

Give or take whichever magazine you read, these figures are the same for my Range Rover.

Indeed. My wife’s MINI Countryman would also beat those stats!

[Johnnytheboy]

swiveleyedgit said:

TEKNOPUG said:

Is the only measurement of performance accelerating in a straight line?

Apparently.

We need an SI unit of how little time you would see which way a car went in "the twisties".

[PH User]

LordFlathead said:

threespires said:

I'd love to see a race between 2020 MX-5 and a 1965 E Type.
Which would be quicker round the Top Gear track.

Horses for courses. What would be quicker around Le Mans?

My money would go on the MX5

[Johnnytheboy]

PH User said:

LordFlathead said:

threespires said:

I'd love to see a race between 2020 MX-5 and a 1965 E Type.
Which would be quicker round the Top Gear track.

Horses for courses. What would be quicker around Le Mans?

My money would go on the MX5

Every time. Braking performance would clinch it.

[Chubbyross]

832ark said:

Cold said:

V88Dicky said:

Ferrari Testarossa:

0-60 - 5.2 seconds
0-100 - 12 seconds

/snip/

Give or take whichever magazine you read, these figures are the same for my Range Rover.

Indeed. My wife’s MINI Countryman would also beat those stats!

My measurement of car enjoyment is which car would get me out of bed at 5am on a weekend morning. Alas, it wouldn’t be the Range Rover or Mini, as good as they may be. For an old fart like me performance statistics have become meaningless over the last few years.

[BGarside]

I'd sooner drive most of these older cars than some bloated, over complicated modern bland-mobile any day.

With overcrowded roads and cameras everywhere I'd rather drive something with lower limits that is fun to drive at realistic speeds than something unusably quick.

[gazza285]

Bearing in mind that a Sierra Cosworth is now thirty five years old, look how that would compare with a car from 1951, when something sporty like an Aston DB2 had just received an increase in horsepower to 125, and an all out super car like the Ferrari 340 had 220.

[legless]

rsbmw said:

I expect the XFR would make most supercars from not too long ago look a bit silly, in a straight line at least!

It’ll drop a V8 R8 in a straight line without too much bother at all - https://youtu.be/53W8PEOVXvo

[s m]

Mave said:

Joey Deacon said:

It's funny looking back at what we thought was quick back in 80s/90s. I remember discussing with a friend him looking at getting an Astra GTE 16 valve but they were all crashed because "they are too quick"

I think the context is "they are too quick for the chassis"....

I think by that yardstick all hot hatches of that era “were too quick for the chassis”!

Plenty of 205 Gtis departed through hedges

In fact even the guys behind the 205 Gti admitted they couldn’t make something like it now as it was ‘wayward’ in some hands



The edginess was what some people miss about older cars

Take all the traction/stability controls off a modern Mini and they are much like an 80s hatch

Edited by s m on Thursday 22 April 21:15