suggestion for a race car

[pianoplunker]

I know this might be a little off topic but recently so many piano players have been asking for suggestions for pieces I figured you may be able to help me with a slightly different matter.

I am going to be in a race in a few months and I just wanted some suggestions for a car. I have recently driven a Saturn ION and a Dodge Caravan ( I mastered the Caravan in one day ). I am hoping you can suggest a car for my upcoming race. It must be fast as the judges only want fast in a race. I am hoping someone can suggest a really fast car that is difficult to drive - so the judges will be impressed . Please dont say Ferrari or Porsche, those just wouldnt keep my attention, they are so easy. It must be difficult to drive. Thanks

[wwalrus]

go for a buick

[hfmadopter]

A Stutz Bearcat, don't forget to bring a mechanic along ! Goes fast but very hard to drive fast for sure.   https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=SStudz+Bearcat&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz35

Or perhaps you could visualize yourself going over 150 MPH in this 1950's vintage Indy Race car ( I built a model of this car when I was a kid actually).   https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=1950%27s+indy+car&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz35

[the_fervid_pig]

Pagani Zonda.

[j_menz]

You have no choice:



Now, go!!!

[senanserat]

You have no choice:



Now, go!!!

You stole the post out of my fingertips XD

[faulty_damper]

[pianoplunker]

You have no choice:



Now, go!!!

I forgot to mention, it must #23 or less. #53 is considered a little slow . Porsche engine can make it sneakily fast though. Cute car, I'll think about it. Thanks

[pianoplunker]

My driving instructor  mentioned this car too. Says the level of difficulty of this vehicle is unsurpassed. Even at slow speeds, the difficulty level remains high. Probably level 8+. My teacher says if I try this I must practice with only with a wheel-barrow as practicing  it in the actual car might burn out my legs before the race. What do you think ?

[iansinclair]

go for a buick

Don't knock Buicks, my friend.  Some of the fastest and most agile sleepers in the business wear that Buick badge.

But for wicked fast and almost suicidally hard to drive well?  Try anything with swing axle rear end and some power.  Like, for instance, an early turbocharged Corvair ('64 or earlier; after that they got a really fine independent rear suspension and handled like a dream).  I have a friend who got a speeding ticket in his '64 TurboSpyder once... for 145 mph in a 35 mph zone... (it was very late at night in a little tiny town on Rt. 66, if you must know).

[thalbergmad]

American cars are universally crap.

Fine as long as you don't want to go round a corner.

Thal

[iansinclair]

American cars are universally crap.

Fine as long as you don't want to go round a corner.

Thal

Oh Thal -- come now.  I quite agree that at one time American cars were only built to travel in great comfort at significant speed without many curves involved, and they did it quite well (say from New York to Chicago in a day, without fatigue; roughly from Lands End to John O'Groats and back to Birmingham).  Just as, say, an MG is a hoot to drive on some of the narrow sidewalks which pass for two lane roads in the UK.  The two groups -- European and North American -- were built for very different purposes, on very different roads, and both did what they set out to do rather well.  But to say that American cars are universally crap, or are fine as long as you don't want to go around a corner?  I have had the privilege of driving a variety of high performance road cars of one flavour or another over the years, and there have always been a few American cars which would handle just as well as all but the most extreme German and Italian machines (parenthetically, at least one German make -- the old swing axle Porsches -- had, at or close to the limit, really dangerous handling); the only two UK cars which came close at anything but stratospheric prices were the Jaguar XK-120 and E type, and both of those were terminally cursed by Lucas, Prince of Darkness (they were just fine when fitted with Delco electrics, though).

Of vehicles available today?  I would be quite willing to say that a Corvette will stay with any other make you care to name, among street legal cars (it won't stay with an F1 machine -- but neither will any other street legal car) -- at, I might point out, anywhere from a third to a tenth of the price, and without any sacrifice in creature comfort.  In any given group of cars, based on purpose, I think that if you look with an unbiased eye that the offerings by the American "Big Three" (which are almost all, except the Corvette and the Viper, really European/North American cars) are the equal of anything which is strictly European (pretty well limited to Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes, these days) or Far Eastern.

I might add that I can find at least one almighty dog from every continent today!

[thalbergmad]

Of vehicles available today?  I would be quite willing to say that a Corvette will stay with any other make you care to name, among street legal cars

If it can outperform the Nissan GTR I was in the other day, I would be impressed.

Almost 200mph and 0-60 in 2.84 seconds for under £80,000.

Thal

[thalbergmad]

If you are referring to the ZR1, which I admit I had not heard of before, it would seem to be a close comparison performance wise and with price compared to the Nissan GTR.

No idea what the comfort is like in a ZR1 as I have not been in one, but the GTR is as snug as a rug and even the absurd acceleration does not make it uncomfortable. You can also get your shopping in the boot, good economy if you drive like a old git and due to all of the "computers", even a twonk like me can handle it and it requires no more driving skill than a Micra. I would also wager that it is a bugger site more reliable.

You can keep your ZR1 and I will get a GTR which I hope will happen rather shortly as I am getting a little bored with my remapped S3.

Thal

 

[iansinclair]

If you are referring to the ZR1, which I admit I had not heard of before, it would seem to be a close comparison performance wise and with price compared to the Nissan GTR.

No idea what the comfort is like in a ZR1 as I have not been in one, but the GTR is as snug as a rug and even the absurd acceleration does not make it uncomfortable. You can also get your shopping in the boot, good economy if you drive like a old git and due to all of the "computers", even a twonk like me can handle it and it requires no more driving skill than a Micra. I would also wager that it is a bugger site more reliable.

You can keep your ZR1 and I will get a GTR which I hope will happen rather shortly as I am getting a little bored with my remapped S3.

Thal

 

Verily.  The Nissan GTR is a very nicely done little beast.  I've not had the pleasure of driving one, but the stats certainly add up to a healthy sort of machine!  And yes, I was thinking of the ZR1 variant of the Corvette.  Or the Z51 variant of the new C7, which is reputed be even better (haven't driven that one, either -- yet -- although my dealer has one).

Got to admit that I'm not really keen about all the electronic magic on these newer cars, but one does have to admit that it does improve the efficiency of the engine and transmission (hard to imagine this kind of performance from a car which can achieve government ratings of more than 26 mpg, for what that's worth) and it also makes it possible to push the things much closer to the edge by ordinary blokes like me.

Someday.  I can dream, can't I?

[pianoplunker]

go for a buick

the Buick Regal Grand National of 1973 was one of the fastest American made street cars .  A 455Hp engine , could keep up with most corvettes . Then came the 80's and they turned into crap cars