Monday 24th April 2017

Scream if you want to go faster: PH Blog

The etiquette of demonstrating a fast car to impressionable passengers

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I'm thinking of getting a swear box installed in the PH Fleet McLaren 570GT. Because when the six months is up and I have to give the car back I reckon I'll have accumulated enough to drown my sorrows. Certainly if the reactions it provokes from the passenger seat are anything to go by, even my dad letting rip with an involuntary and most uncharacteristic f-bomb when we passed our first NSL sign and I was able to give it just a little squeeze.

Obviously you have to watch yourself in a car that quick because you're far beyond 'points not ban' in a very short space of time. Something I was especially wary of, given my dad is a magistrate and more aware of EXACTLY where that threshold lies than most. But that's the thing I'm learning about running a car like the McLaren. Everybody wants a ride in it. And I'm equally enthusiastic to share the giddiness 'ownership' (OK, temporary custody) of a properly exotic car brings. After all, what's the point of such cars if you're not spreading the love? I'd go as far as considering it an obligation!

Knowing how to 'demonstrate' a fast car in a way that is both enjoyable for your passenger and maintains a semblance of social responsibility is a delicate balance though. YouTube is, of course, full of 'watch this' moments gone wrong. Most are comedic, some end in tragedy. Neither outcome is desirable.

But the chances are you'll have been there and egged on into proving what your pride and joy can do. What are the techniques for doing so? Noisy cars are obviously useful for contriving a sense of speed, the extravagantly blipped and unnecessary downshift another key tool in the armoury. Like any good punchline the joke is in the timing too - knowing the road and lulling your passenger into a false sense of security by bimbling along and engaging in innocent chit-chat before suddenly letting rip is always a good tactic for getting a reaction.

Choose your weapon too. I know turbo cars get a lot of flak but in this respect the McLaren's old-school rush of boost is really useful - you get that kick in the back and Millennium Falcon style sense of things going blurry long before the numbers actually turn silly. For someone not used to fast cars it feels properly exciting but as the driver (and licence holder) you can remain well within the realms of respectability. Revvy, naturally-aspirated cars like the Audi R8 you might consider a rival sound amazing and are much more impressive than the McLaren from a noise point of view. But to get to the really, really impressive acceleration you need to be well up in the revs and well beyond what might be considered sensible speed-wise.

An appreciation of your passenger's threshold is always good practice too. I took my sister-in-law out for a few laps on a track day once and my brother's advice as she was strapping in was simple - "If she's screaming or giggling that's fine - if she goes quiet you're in trouble!" My rule of thumb is whooping, swearing and scrabbling for a handhold is fine. Silence, a middle-distance stare and both hands gripping the seat cushion and you've probably gone too far.

So those are my tips. Anyone got any more to share?

Dan

[Reg Local]

If you've got a passenger who is unfamiliar with high performance cars, drive along at 30, tell them to put their head back against the headrest and hold it there (to avoid the unexpected thump in the back of the head) and then change down to a gear which puts you right in the middle of the power band / torque curve.

Then count them down, 3-2-1 and give it full beans up to the red line and into the next gear.

Rinse and repeat a couple of times and they'll be hooked!

Ahem - all within legal limits, of course...

[Reg Local]

julian64 said:

Reg Local said:

If you've got a passenger who is unfamiliar with high performance cars, drive along at 30, tell them to put their head back against the headrest and hold it there (to avoid the unexpected thump in the back of the head) and then change down to a gear which puts you right in the middle of the power band / torque curve.

Then count them down, 3-2-1 and give it full beans up to the red line and into the next gear.

Rinse and repeat a couple of times and they'll be hooked!

Ahem - all within legal limits, of course...

Did you really, as a first post, try to suck the joy out of the experience?

I tried, yes, but I got a mouthful of joy & I didn't like the taste.

The experience seemed to enjoy it though.