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I drove fast only once. I bought a 5-yearold 1958 Jaguar MK-1 2.4 sedan. with overdrive. The speedometer calirrated to 120 Mph. I found myself one early Sunday morning on a lonely, straight stretch in Upper Michigan. and opened her up.
The needled walked right to the peg -- 125 and then some, over 200Kph.
Never the hint of wheel shimmy, there were no radial tires yet then. Wind resistance produced no rush or whistle. The Jag was perfectly built for speed. It was a totally surprising to me, to feel that kind of engineering, compared to my Dad's Dodge of the 50's, which I might have hit 80 once.
It wasn't the speed that thrilled me, but the unsuspectedly awesome engineering, now 60 years ago..
I held it for about a minute, and then never did it again.
I'm not a fast driver -- right lane until I have to pass an older fart than me. But I did it. No fast car on my bucket list.
Those of you who have driven fast -- how did/does it feel to you?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The last time I pegged a speedo was about 1970, at age 18 in my father's 1964 Chrysler wagon, 413 V8. Even in the 1990s when I drove a 1972 El Camino SS I kept it under 80, and the same now with my F150 5.0 Coyote. Much as I enjoy going fast I eventually had the responsibility of being a husband and parent. There is some risk of getting caught and a high- priced ticket, or even jail at that kind of speed. More importantly is the chance of going out of control with a tire blowout or mechanical malfunction on a vehicle not designed for that kind of speed. Today the fun I get from speed is less exciting, just starting onto the freeway onramp at about 35 and getting up to 65 in the shortest possible time. Much of the fun is due to the roar of a V8.
I remember the first time I cruised the A8 Autobahn in Germany at 210 kph (130 mph) in a 3 Series BMW.
It was a white knuckle event. I became totally focused on driving knowing that I could easily be in trouble if I screwed up. What surprised me is that I had to watch the rear view mirror for people who were coming to overtake me.
I finally appreciated the BMW. If I lived in Germany, I'd buy one.
Some cars feel solid going fast, others don't inspire as much confidence.
I've driven BMW's to the point they shut off (155 mph), I have a brand new Porsche 911 that I haven't seen much past 125. The bigger thought is what goes wrong at speed rather than how fast can this go?
In my daily commute, I pretty much never go past 80MPH. In my youth, i had a few brief experiences with triple digit speeds that I would not repeat today for various reasons.
However, ive been to pretty high speeds on a closed track. I've done it in a variety of vehicles. It's not so much the speed that is the thrill but accelerating past 110-120MPH and just keeping that gas pedal planted that is a huge adrenaline rush. Some cars really do feel the same at 140MPH as they do at 65MPH. The entire road course experience is a thrill in general. My next event isn't until June
The bigger thought is what goes wrong at speed rather than how fast can this go?
Good point!
My first brand new car, was a '71 Chevelle SS with the 454 cu/in engine. One time, when the road was clear, I ran it up to about 140MPH. Yes, I know that the speedo stopped counting at 120, but I "did the math" using the RPM showing on the tachometer, to calculate how fast I was actually going.
The Corvette that I own today, is theoretically, significantly faster, but with traffic being much denser, no matter what time of day, as well as the potential cost of tickets and insurance increases, I've managed to keep the speed down, somewhat.....
The sensation of fast driving can vary greatly between a car's traits and environment. For instance, a longer wheelbase, lower co-efficient of drag, higher seating position/viewing angle, road/wind/engine noise and vibrations, mass, wind direction, transmission gearing, pavement condition, peripheral objects both stationary and moving, and being able to anticipate future changes.
The fastest I've driven was 140mph in a borrowed WRX STI on the track. It was exhilarating but very nerve-wracking given the gearing, noise, vibrations, and anticipating the upcoming braking zone while making sure I'm not blocking someone who need to pass. The fastest I've gone on a highway was in a Tesla Model S at 107mph for a second while I passing a vehicle who moved over and I was trying to clear so I move to the right for the speed demon behind me. The quiet motor, long wheelbase, low coefficient of drag, air suspension, large tire circumference, and gearing makes 100mph feel like 70mph in my other vehicles. The passing power is incredible and regenerating energy while coming back to down to a proper cruise speed is a guilt-free plus for those who like to mildly hypermile.
I'll also say that driving fast on a well paved, empty, straight-line highway among flat fields is a very different experience from fast driving through a forest with dense trees and deer warning signs.
The sensation of fast driving can vary greatly between a car's traits and environment.
This is very true. When I drove a Caterham:
...on small Scottish B and C roads, it felt like it was FLYING at legal speeds. Little car, low to the ground, and felt quite quick. But it was still at legal speeds.
My old Porsche 911 felt relatively fast, but needed to be going at least 80-90 to feel it.
Contrast those to my BMW 740i Sport, which didn't even feel fast at it's regulated limit of 155.
So my BMWs rarely got driven above the speed limit unless I wasn't truly paying attention (they could creep up on 90-100 pretty easily without actually feeling it if you were just cruising along on the interstate). My Porsches only got driven hard on the track, as they were quite fun there, and cars like the Caterham and my MINI Roadster are fun and feel fast without having to actually GO fast. Which is why I'm going to be sticking with cars like my MINI as it can feel fast without getting into trouble. Lots of fun in that.
I used to race 1/4 to 3/8 mile circle/oval tracks when I was in my mid to late 20s. I ran an 84 T-bird with a built 351 Windsor scavenged from a wrecked police interceptor. With 20 cars on the track, the 1/4 mile track felt especially fast, especially on a good night with top speeds of around 85MPH. As soon as you hit that top speed you were braking hard and diving into the turn. Those were great Saturday nights. I never really figured out the 3/8 mile oval. Our best top speeds might have 100-110MPH, but I don't think I came close to that. I only had one car so setups were elusive to me and our options were limited in that class anyway.
But 85MPH on a 1/4 mile track felt faster than 130MPH on a two-lane highway with no traffic.
I outgrew my need for speed after giving up racing. I may hit 90 on the interstate on occasion but only if traffic permits.
I doubt I'll ever be able to top a car out again... the limits have gotten very high. 120-125 can be hit fairly frequently where I live, people drive 90 on the toll road, so merging onto it it's fairly common to hit 100+, and it only takes a second or two to be back at 80-90.
I think our slowest car tops out at 175-180ish, so unless I take a road trip in the middle of nowhere (and even then, doubtful I would try to max it out at my age) it's not likely I'll see over 120 or so unless I go to a track or the autobahn.
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