Tell us about your first fast car experiences

[BTB 500]

My grandfather had a Jaguar XK150 S drophead coupe, mist grey with carmine red wire wheels and registration "S 150". He owned it from new in 1959 until 1976, and as a small boy I used to ride in it regularly, sometimes in the back (with a WW2 leather flying helmet and goggles, which were a blessing at high speeds!). He was a bit of a nutter and took the 'racing line' round all bends, regardless of whether he could see if anything was coming the other way! Jaguar's motor racing PR guy was a personal friend of his, and the car was reputed to have had a 'tweaked' motor fitted at the factory. It was kept in concours condition and went to the Heritage Motor Collection at Gaydon - it's come up for sale a few times since then, still in pretty original condition. I found these pictures on the web:

 

[whitenemesis]

Lotus Europa, rebuilt in the '80s by our cleaner who was a retired tool maker and a totally fastidious engineer. I've never experienced cornering like it before or since.
(not the actual car)

 

[ringway]

My grandfather had a Jaguar XK150 S drophead coupe, mist grey with carmine red wire wheels and registration "S 150". He owned it from new in 1959 until 1976, and as a small boy I used to ride in it regularly, sometimes in the back (with a WW2 leather flying helmet and goggles, which were a blessing at high speeds!). He was a bit of a nutter and took the 'racing line' round all bends, regardless of whether he could see if anything was coming the other way! Jaguar's motor racing PR guy was a personal friend of his, and the car was reputed to have had a 'tweaked' motor fitted at the factory. It was kept in concours condition and went to the Heritage Motor Collection at Gaydon - it's come up for sale a few times since then, still in pretty original condition. I found these pictures on the web:

View attachment 95468View attachment 95469View attachment 95470

WOW!
That's lovely with a solid account to back it up too.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

First really memorable ride in a car was in a MkII Jag in the late 60's. First time over 100 mph. I wasn't driving though, was only a kid at the time.

I’ve never been in a MkII Jaguar but their reputation for being fast - and a criminals favourite - puts them firmly on my list of cars to drive.

In fact a MkII Jaguar and an E-type Roadster would make an amazing two-car garage. Two truly beautiful and fast cars - a rare combination.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Lotus Europa, rebuilt in the '80s by our cleaner who was a retired tool maker and a totally fastidious engineer. I've never experienced cornering like it before or since.
(not the actual car)

Car cleaner or house cleaner? Sounds like a interesting peraon.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Wow Rob, what an experience and at such a young age, no wonder it left an impression on you and certainly set the foundations for your life long passion with cars.

Although I truly adore cars I've never really owned an awesomely fast one. As a kid my parents had used cars costing around £3k and nothing really exciting. Family and friends were kind of in the same boat so no fast cars there either. Quickest one we've had was the ST220 we had delivered when our daughter was just a few weeks old. Not particularly fast, 0-60 was around 7.6 seconds I think. But being a 3 litre V6 petrol (and brand new) it did sound nice.

My first and only time in a really fast car was about 13 years ago. We'd just moved up here from Manchester and a good friend and his wife came to visit for a few nights. They pulled up on the drive in this bright silver 911 turbo, mahooooosive drilled brake discs and red callipers. it was not even a year old and as clean as could be. Now, my mate was/is a plumber, he employs a few men, and is VERY good at his job. I assumed he'd treated himself but no. Apparently he was working at a house in Hale Barns (quite an affluent area of MancLand) and his client had asked him what he was up to at the weekend. Lee told him he was going to Scotland to visit a mate and the guy turned round and said: "Really, why don't you take the Porsche?"

The guy opened up his garage to reveal this car that Lee didn't even know existed. Anyhow, Lee was 'popped' on the insurance within the hour (paid for my the owner) and the travelled up in it.

After a nice meal, and a catch up Lee took me out in this rocket and we explored some awesome country roads around Langholm, Eskdalemiur and Moffat. The acceleration was relentless and something I'd never experienced before.

Wow, that’s an incredibly generous gesture and what an opportunity for Lee. You live in such m a beautiful part of the world too, the perfect place to drive a car like that!

 

[AMGeed]

My own cars weren't quick at all and I was in my late 20's before got myself a Mini Cooper. It wasn't really that fast at all, but inside something not much bigger than a go-kart, 90mph seemed damn fast.
I progressed through the Fast Fords with a Capri, RS Turbo and finally a Sierra Sapphire Cosworth which at the time was stupid quick.
Then I got into my E55 in 2013 and that was an incredibly fast car with so much torque. I had 6 great years and now find myself in something even quicker. I doubt I'll ever fully explore its limits as I value my licence too much. In the hands of a really skilled driver I imagine it would be equal to supercar performance.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I guess that what you call “fast cars“ are a matter of experience and age. My parents never had a car and my four older brothers had left home before they had cars. So until I bought my first one at 17 I’d hardly ever been in a car. When I bought my second car at 18, I certainly thought it was fast - a Jaguar MkVI M. But with so much weight pulled by just 120 horses it wasn’t really that fast.

Over the years I went through a long succession of cars, but none that I classed as fast. But after taking early retirement from my career in telecom I went to work part time at a local sports & prestige car sales garage. I got to drive many potentially fast cars including many AMGs, M-Series, Porsches and even the occasional Ferrari and Aston Martin. But none of them was mine and I was well beyond boy racer age, so I never really gave them a thrashing.

During that time I did spend one day at Thruxton in single seaters and another at Silverstone in an AM then a Ferrari, but on nice wide circuits with everyone going in the same direction even they didn’t strike me as particularly fast. Anyway, back at the garage where I worked a guy came in one day to look at a “tweaked” M3 that we had in stock. Although not in sales, I was asked to go out with him for a test drive, which I’d done a few times with customers. I drove the car out to the location I usually chose for its winding country road and good surface, then we swapped over. His first action after donning the full harness was to slam his foot hard down on the throttle and give the tyres some smoke and we were off like a rocket. I knew the road well but it was his first time in the area, so to say I was concerned would be an understatement. On some bends that we could see round he had the car going sideways. Speed limits - what speed limits? But within a few minutes my heart started working again and I began to relax, a tiny bit. He seemed to know what he was doing. We got back in one piece and he bought the car. The salesman told me afterwards that the guy was Perry McCarthy, the first Stig. That was definitely a fast car experience.

Now that’s a claim to fame, to be driven by The Stig! A money can’t buy experience. Sounds like a great job too.

 

[whitenemesis]

Car cleaner or house cleaner? Sounds like a interesting peraon.

House, set standards in cleanliness never to be attained since...

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I bought an HS chevette with the HSR spec engine, 2300cc 16v twin overhead cam with twin 48s, I'm sure it was an amalgamation of a cosworth block and lotus head, or something like that.
Bucket seats, harnesses and 4x cibie super oscars
All shoehorned into a 1976 chevette!

I had this in the Sierra Cosworth(rs turbo,astra gte etc) heyday, it used to shame most of them, but boy it was hard to drive hard on the twistys

All good fun but parts were difficult to come by.

What I wouldn’t do for a well sorted Chevette HS! I have a real soft spot for them, although given the choice I would perhaps just about rather have a Droopsnoot Firenza, or better still a Sportshatch! All great cars.

In that Cosworth/GTE period I remember a lad having a Lotus Sunbeam. A left field choice but my goodness it was fast!

 

[Deleted member 150136]

My mates uncle is the new stig.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I also could do the rear-taillight identification or cars from a distance too. I think you are born with that interest!

I don't recall being transported in anything remotely fast.

When we were younger, my dad sometimes like to put the hammer down but in standard cars which were not particularly fast - so I got used to the sensation of speed and enjoyed it.

So my fast car experiences built up along the way with the cars I bought (albeit I had some crappers in between).

Notably it started with the Manta GTE which was 110BHP and not bad for a first car.

The next quick car were two Astra GTE 16vs in succession (I wrote the first one off which was better than the second).

Dropped back slightly to an EFI 90 spec XR3i because I couldn't afford a turbo and wanted to get another car (XRs were £2k and turbos were £4k so quite a difference at uni working part time).

Then went up to an E36 325i running 192BHP albeit heavier - but that went well.

Then up to an E36 M3 Evolution running 321BHP. This was the first properly-fast car I had and I loved it.

Then the next quickest car was a 2001/Y Alpina B10 V8 which were 347BHP but slightly heavier than the M3 but that went well!

Some of the cars in between were OK like a few other 325s, 328 and a Saab 9-5 Aero HOT (250BHP) but nothing to set the world on fire.

That was it until I got the E55K in 2011. That was in a different league!

Then after doing runway days I got to experience other fruity cars, some of which I forget now but Maf's Ferrari (599?) was fast.

Then I modified the E55K and that was the quickest thing I've ever owned and ever will own!

I was very tempted by Cyclone's TTE 900 CLS but it would never end well for me.

Subsequent cars in the 450s don't seem that quick then...

John you have very similar taste as me. Some superb cars in your car history.

When I was a lad I used to pass the Irmscher showroom every Saturday morning and there was always a white Manta in the window. I’m sure that’s why I went on to own several Vauxhall’s.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The first fast-ish car I owned was a V6 Ford Cougar that a previous owner had fettled - mundane compared to some exotica out there, but to me and my background it was a big achievement being able to own something like that. I loved that car. Never understood why it did not take off in the UK

Two other fast ones that I did not own:

Company I was with at the time gave a Porsche 911 SC to salesman of the month. I was business manager at the time and the sales director told me to take it home for the weekend - 135mph on the M62. That was scary (but I felt safe, testament to the build quality of those things)

I must have made it onto an Mercedes owner list as the local Porsche place called and asked if I'd like to test drive a Porsche for the weekend? Then asked my if I'd like the standard Cayman or the S version? What a stupid question!!! I actually took it back early as I'd either have killed somebody/myself or at the very least lost my licence. That car was stupidly, insanely fast!! I do remember the only way to get out was to roll onto the ground then stand up LOL

The Cougar V6 was a lovely thing. I had a test driver in a silver one having gone in to drive a Puma - I had a go on both but bought neither. I believe the Cougar is used as the basis for some kit cars these days.

The Cougar was almost certainly underrated as the Puma got the headlines, and it was launched just as the large car and coupe market was moving to over Mercedes, BMW and Audi. The Peugeot and Vauxhall coupes were great cars too.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

That made me smile. A few years ago my wife and I sat is a lotus Elise in a dealership. That is exactly how I had to get out of the thing. I think I need to stop my dream of an Exige and aim more towards an SUV

Nothing makes you feel your age like stepping out of a sports car

 

[whitenemesis]

What I wouldn’t do for a well sorted Chevette HS! I have a real soft spot for them, although given the choice I would perhaps just about rather have a Droopsnoot Firenza, or better still a Sportshatch! All great cars.

In that Cosworth/GTE period I remember a lad having a Lotus Sunbeam. A left field choice but my goodness it was fast!

I had a Droopsnoot great looking car in it's day, bit of a sleeper..
Also had the HSR, built from the standard Chevette by myself and bro-in-law. Possibly the most ridiculous road car I ever had, immense fun. Managed to punch the rear diff nose through the floor jumping a humpback bridge in the Lakes....

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Nothing makes you feel your age like stepping out of a sports car

The secret is to enter the car within your garage. Go for a blast. Exit the car within you garage.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

When I was around 10 years old, my grandfather used to own a Vauxhall Ventora PED 888H.

3.3 litre straight 6 with a manual gearbox with overdrive, similar to the one in the image below. Quite a looker in its day.

View attachment 95448

I started out with a 1978 works Marina van - JJO 823S.

I've had a few nice cars but not really anything I'd call fast compared to the cars I've bought in the last few years.


All estate cars.

Granada 2.5TD was a good car.
My S210 320CDI is one that I enjoyed driving, as much as my E430.
S202 2.6 was nice.
I had a couple of VX Omegas a rare manual 2.5CDX.
Then a 3'0 Elite auto which I kept for around 8 years. Heavy, but a good car all the same and both were equipped as standard with the Police, Camera, Action! engine growl.

An Audi A6 3.0TDI 242BHP, which was a good car.
My Range Rover 4.2SC is just fabulous.

Not to be underestimated, my 3.0 Vito Dual-liner compact. 204BHP and for a van, it was damn quick.
If I hadn't had the spine injury, I would never have sold the Vito.

Jaguar XF 3.0TDI. A good-looking car that was in Italian Racing Red. 0-60 in circa 6/6.5 secs and comfy too!

Then things started to get faster.

My Audi 3.0 BiTDi was a revelation. Twin turbo 0-60 in just over 5 second and over 50mpg if you wanted that sort of economy. A great car.

Three RS6 Avants.
The first two 2014 cars, 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.
The one below is the 2017 performance model and 3.6 to 60.

They all sound delightfully wicked!


View attachment 95455

I'm thankful and very lucky to own what I consider to be some lovely cars.

That’s quite a car history Paul. Sounds like you’ve had more fast Audi’s than Audi UK! The RS6 is a sensational car.

I absolutely agree, I felt like I was in Police, Camera, Action! whenever I was driving our Omega, the V6 growl was intoxicating.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I have been in the motor trade since I was 18 years old, and I have driven plenty of fast cars over the years. Back when I was an apprentice I owned an SD1 Rover with a 3.5 V8 in it and a manual gearbox, quite rare in those. As part of my college project I fitted Vitesse heads, Crane cam, Rhodes lifters and a four barrel Holley carb. It made almost 200bhp on the college dyno, and I gained two distinctions and a credit. It was still slow, and only returned 12mpg after that.
Anyway, around that time I nearly killed myself in a Maserati 428 biturbo. Testing it in the rain I pulled out to overtake at about 70mph... Half way past the turbos spooled up, the rear wheels span and I think I closed my eyes. I didn't die, but it taught me to have some respect!
Other standout properly fast cars that I have built include a series 1 Lotus Elise which I removed the asthmatic Rover engine and replaced with a Honda Civic type R engine, Spoon cams and a Hondata ECU. We exactly doubled the power output the car left the factory with. Somewhere on YouTube there is a video filmed from the cockpit of a Porsche 911GT3RS travelling at 170mph along the Dottinger Ho. The passenger pans the camera round to the rear to reveal a small green Lotus right up their chuff. Same car.
Probably the fastest modern I look after is an R35 GTR Datsun. My pal Garry races it in the Goodwood Sprint series. We have won the Spring Sprint event three times, notably beating the Works Noble driven by Anthony Reid one year. The car is currently running with circa 1000bhp.
I'm very fortunate to get to play with lots of special toys. Couple of recent examples...






And some of the less salubrious...



Noel Edmonds' DB9 Volante



Katie's Beetle.

I knew you would have played with plenty of fast cars!

Noel Edmund’s car, do you maintain it for him?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I really only have a couple of memories of going really quickly as a child. The first was doing and indicated 80mph on the newly opened Preston by-pass with my father in his 100E Anglia. I'm sure it must have been downhill with a following wind, and 34bhp....
One of the most looked forward to events as a child was my summer stay in Scotland and the Lauder 'Common Riding' which spawned a number of social events including a 'Treasure hunt'
Shorthand for 'Motor Rally' and I was fortunate enough to ride with a local solicitor and his wife in an MG a twin-cam. That was mad with his wife encouraging him on single track roads with a 'gime a toot an' go by on the grass!'
I had to wait until 1978 and my first year in motorsport to be showed how a skilled Grand Prix driver really does it when my first ever driver Alex Ribiero took me around Goodwood in his BMW road car. Why did he not slow down for those corners?
I'd go on to sit with many great race drivers, and see how skilled they actually are.
Then, I'd get to develop the world's fastest road car of its time and be the first to drive it at over 200mph.

I guess I was an impressionable youth!

I love reading your posts, so many incredible stories

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

My grandfather had a Jaguar XK150 S drophead coupe, mist grey with carmine red wire wheels and registration "S 150". He owned it from new in 1959 until 1976, and as a small boy I used to ride in it regularly, sometimes in the back (with a WW2 leather flying helmet and goggles, which were a blessing at high speeds!). He was a bit of a nutter and took the 'racing line' round all bends, regardless of whether he could see if anything was coming the other way! Jaguar's motor racing PR guy was a personal friend of his, and the car was reputed to have had a 'tweaked' motor fitted at the factory. It was kept in concours condition and went to the Heritage Motor Collection at Gaydon - it's come up for sale a few times since then, still in pretty original condition. I found these pictures on the web:

View attachment 95468View attachment 95469View attachment 95470

Wowsers! That’s stunning, what a beautiful car.