Sports car chat

[tiggers]

Agreed. For the longest time, I thought sports cars had to be RWD, uncomfortable and totally impractical. Then I test-drove the latest Honda Civic Type R. That may not be viewed as a sports car by some, but holding the crown for fastest FWD around the 'Ring must qualify it for me. It doesn't handle like a typical understeering FWD, offers more practicality than other 'affordable' hot-hatches and looks a bit more grown up. I'm seriously tempted.

Honda know a thing or two about FWD cars. In the early 2000s my then wife and I owned three cars... An Impreza STI, an S2000 and an Integra Type R (DC2 for those that are particular about these things). I used to take the Impreza and S2000 to track days and enjoyed the S2000 experience more due to the car being lighter and a bit more nimble. One day I thought I'd try the Integra on the track to see how FWD would cope in a track situation.... it was bloody incredible. Sure it was lacking on the straights (Oulton), but through the corners it was more nimble than anything other than a few hardcore track cars (Caterhams, Elises etc.). In fact it was so good that an instructor there asked if he could take it out as he'd never driven one and declared it the best FWD he had ever driven by a country mile. It needed new tyres after his excursion however

I drove that car for a few years and then in 2008 had it fettled and brought back to a very good standard and decided to keep it for a few years mothballed as felt one day prices would rise. In 2012 with the prices seemingly flatlining I sold it for a little bit more than I paid for it back in 2002... if I'd kept it it would fetch a lot more now, but that's the way it is. Have another S2000 now as a fun car... but I'd equally have an Integra DC2 if I could have got one for the right price.... that said the S2000s are now increasing in value too.

 

[-alan-]

Interesting how other drivers react to what you happen to be driving. When I had my TVR Griffith 500, I had no one try to race me, and they seldom overtook, only when I was pootling along gently. The Lotus S1 Elise was a different story - everyone and his granny wanted a race, which became quite tedious after a while. My last car, a Lexus LC500, would get other drivers tailgating me to see what they were following & it got lots of attention, which I didn't enjoy. It's a bit of a relief driving my Honda Civic eHEV, which I'm very pleased with & I expect will see me out.

That's an interesting observation about the Elise Tony. Quite the opposite of the Exige - which definitely had more of your Griffith type effect on the neighbours.

I wonder if it's down to the fact that the Elise (particularly the S1 version) despite its rip your face off cornering capabilities, does actually look like a happy, pleasant and largely harmless little thing. Maybe it's simply that the Griffith with its hairy-chested AC Cobra type looks (and sounds) and the Exige with its chicken-wire engine cover / slashes, scoops and full-on Mohican roof scoop both look like massively more aggressive and just downright dangerous things

 

[Tony Lockhart]

With our 911, drivers ahead would often try to move as far left as possible, just in case I wanted to pass. That meant debris from the gutter flying into the air, so I soon learned to stay five seconds or so behind, leaving them in little doubt that I was in no hurry.
Never had a tailgater!

I was in that Lexus driven by @Suffolk Tony one day on the A14. I really didn’t mind the buffoon in the knackered old Merc tailgating, as the acceleration and sound were just wonderful as the Merc turned into a miserable dot in the mirrors.

 

[-alan-]

With our 911, drivers ahead would often try to move as far left as possible, just in case I wanted to pass. That meant debris from the gutter flying into the air, so I soon learned to stay five seconds or so behind, leaving them in little doubt that I was in no hurry.
Never had a tailgater!

That was another facet of driving a properly interesting car I used to love. Coming up behind a people carrier or family saloon with lots of kiddies in the back and seeing all the little heads turn around in anticipation. I used to think it was the kids hearing the car that triggered the attention, but in later years realised it was dad (or indeed mum) up front who spotted the car and alerted the kids.

You obviously had an obligation to pass in those circumstances. I used to milk it for the kids - sitting back, then closing up for one or two dummy attempts with maybe a little pull out to pretend to check what was coming the other way, and then once the expectations were at a peak, plenty of fore-warning with the indicator (maybe a little headlamp flash even) to let everybody know it was on..and then time the pass so the engine was at full noise just as you drew level with the kids.

(Childish I know - but one does have one's duty to one's audience, and the next generation of gear-heads coming along behind us )

 

[Tony Lockhart]

That was another facet of driving a properly interesting car I used to love. Coming up behind a people carrier or family saloon with lots of kiddies in the back and seeing all the little heads turn around in anticipation. I used to think it was the kids hearing the car that triggered the attention, but in later years realised it was dad (or indeed mum) up front who spotted the car and alerted the kids.

You obviously had an obligation to pass in those circumstances. I used to milk it for the kids - sitting back, then closing up for one or two dummy attempts with maybe a little pull out to pretend to check what was coming the other way, and then once the expectations were at a peak, plenty of fore-warning with the indicator (maybe a little headlamp flash even) to let everybody know it was on..and then time the pass so the engine was at full noise just as you drew level with the kids.

(Childish I know - but one does have one's duty to one's audience, and the next generation of gear-heads coming along behind us )

I experienced similar when I was young. An XJ220 appeared behind us, and the sound of a Le Mans car at full throttle overtaking us made me so happy. I was 32

 

[Jezzer]

Way back in 1986, when I was 14, my 18 year old cousin was given a new Porsche 911 Carrera by his father for getting into Imperial College (in green with Carrera stencilled on the side and a big whale tail). We drove from London to the Birmingham Motor Show and I remember everyone looking at us when we arrived, two teens in a 911, with my cousin saying, ‘That’s right! Welcome to the motor show. The show starts here.’

 

[stevec67]

Way back in 1986, when I was 14, my 18 year old cousin was given a new Porsche 911 Carrera by his father for getting into Imperial College (in green with Carrera stencilled on the side and a big whale tail). We drove from London to the Birmingham Motor Show and I remember everyone looking at us when we arrived, two teens in a 911, with my cousin saying, ‘That’s right! Welcome to the motor show. The show starts here.’

That's when I was at Imperial. I don't remember anyone with a 911 though. Lucky lad. How the hell did he ever get it insured?

 

[gintonic]

about 5 years ago we had a student with a McLaren that spontaneously caught fire in the student residences carpark

 

[Jezzer]

That's when I was at Imperial. I don't remember anyone with a 911 though. Lucky lad. How the hell did he ever get it insured?

What? You never noticed a metallic green 911 in the car park?! I think he studied engineering then became a banker. No idea how he got it insured but it wasn’t so tough getting insured those days. My uncle had three sons. The eldest was given the 911, son number 2 had a 325i and son number 3 had a 190e 2.3 16v…!

I had a Renault 5…

 

[wacko]

Would never buy my 18 year old kid a fast car. I knew some who did and it ended badly.
My son saved his own money and bought a motorbike aged 32. I still worry when he rides, which fortunately is not often.

 

[gez]

Interesting how other drivers react to what you happen to be driving. When I had my TVR Griffith 500, I had no one try to race me, and they seldom overtook, only when I was pootling along gently. The Lotus S1 Elise was a different story - everyone and his granny wanted a race, which became quite tedious after a while. My last car, a Lexus LC500, would get other drivers tailgating me to see what they were following & it got lots of attention, which I didn't enjoy. It's a bit of a relief driving my Honda Civic eHEV, which I'm very pleased with & I expect will see me out.

With respect to the TVR: they probably didn't want to encourage you to drive it quickly as they were concerned for your safety. They'd rather not be responsible for someone being bitten by the TVR death grasp.

 

[stevec67]

What? You never noticed a metallic green 911 in the car park?

It was South Kensington, Coy's of Kensington was around the corner and Sotheby's auction house on Queensgate Mews the other way. 911s were like Metros when DB4 Zagatos and 1950s Aston Martin race cars were burbling around the place. One I do remember I think was a lecturer's car, it was a Caterham 7 Super Sprint, the 1.7 crossflow version. Yellow and BRG. That was nice.

! I think he studied engineering then became a banker. No idea how he got it insured but it wasn’t so tough getting insured those days. My uncle had three sons. The eldest was given the 911, son number 2 had a 325i and son number 3 had a 190e 2.3 16v…!

I had a Renault 5…

I had a bike. Still have it actually, tucked away behind a few others.

 

[MartinC]

My MX-5 is around 6 seconds for 0-60 which I find good enough except yesterday trying to pass a string of Sunday afternoon drivers on the only section of a long and twisty road where one could get past... ended up behind the front one and was stuck there for another 10 miles.

 

[-alan-]

I experienced similar when I was young. An XJ220 appeared behind us, and the sound of a Le Mans car at full throttle overtaking us made me so happy. I was 32

Ah man.
At exactly twice that age, I'd still giggle like a toddler loaded on 1/2 kg of sugary sweets with all the wrong E-numbers..

 

[Tony Lockhart]

Ah man.
At exactly twice that age, I'd still giggle like a toddler loaded on 1/2 kg of sugary sweets with all the wrong E-numbers..

It was a special moment.
It ranks alongside the Bugatti EB110 moment I had in Saudi in 1992 ish. Supercars on the road can be very special when not driven by idiots in Kensington.

 

[richardg]

My MX-5 is around 6 seconds for 0-60 which I find good enough except yesterday trying to pass a string of Sunday afternoon drivers on the only section of a long and twisty road where one could get past... ended up behind the front one and was stuck there for another 10 miles.

Is it a recent 2.0 180bhp version?

 

[Yank]

Ah man.
At exactly twice that age, I'd still giggle like a toddler loaded on 1/2 kg of sugary sweets with all the wrong E-numbers..

Sometime last year, during my afternoon commute, I saw someone in a Lamborghini Aventador really open it up when the traffic light changed. Normally I think it's tacky as well as dangerous to do this in traffic, but it was such a wonderful sound with the V12 on full song.

 

[stevec67]

Is it a recent 2.0 180bhp version?

I imagine that it must be to get a 1 tonne sports car to 60 in 6.something seconds.

 

[Space is the Place]

Interesting how other drivers react to what you happen to be driving. When I had my TVR Griffith 500, I had no one try to race me, and they seldom overtook, only when I was pootling along gently. The Lotus S1 Elise was a different story - everyone and his granny wanted a race, which became quite tedious after a while. My last car, a Lexus LC500, would get other drivers tailgating me to see what they were following & it got lots of attention, which I didn't enjoy. It's a bit of a relief driving my Honda Civic eHEV, which I'm very pleased with & I expect will see me out.

Yes i've get this, i think to a lot of people the Elise looks like some kind of flash Ferrari or something, you get a completely different reaction in a Caterham that people think looks like Brum (despite it being twice as fast and bordering on being the much more antisocial car).

 

[Enfield boy]

Always felt that with a bit of fettling an Elise could look like a Chaparral 2D. Needs a big V8 tho. But not the (2?) speed slush box.