Tell us about your first fast car experiences

[alabbasi]

Doing 115mph in my 1971 Mercedes Benz 250CE. The chassis felt as stable as a table but the engine got really hot. I suspect that the radiator had seen better days.

 

[Darrell]

My dad had a twin plenum Vitesse which he got after a V8s. Both were superb cars.

 

[Merc220cls]

I know how you feel, the driver’s window failed on my Jaguar XF at the ticket machine at Edinburgh Airport. I was uplifting friends coming in from Malta and had to drive home 70 miles on a cold January evening.
It’s a poor design where water falls onto the operating cables causing corrosion and subsequent failure yet the motor itself still works.

 

[Darrell]

I had a new shape Honda CRX with the trick electric roof from a year old (the car not me), my first decent car. That was quick but actually with only 165 bhp it probably wasn't.
My 944 turbo is mildly modded to about 320 ish so quickish, never felt mindblowing but a nice drive.
I bought my 996 turbo with a Manthey remap to 500bhp and that was a whole order of magnitude faster. With 4wd it was just ballistic. I've never travelled so quickly or accelerated so fast. For those that know it there is a section of dual carriageway on the A350 coming north towards the A36 just before Warminster. I usually aim for the outside lane whatever I'm driving as lots are really slow but in the 911 the first time I tried this, third gear and floor it, the damn thing just took off. I have no idea how quickly I was going by the top but we went past a lot of cars!
The e55 is pretty swift but not as fast as the 911. Just rather more capacious and useful. These days I look at anything with less than 400bhp as mildy swift. Adequate but no more.

A 996 Turbo is probably the only car I will part x my 996 C4S for.
They don’t have the IMS probs either.

 

[mikez328]

And along the same lines, I remember the Rover 600Ti. There was one in the local Rover dealer when I was a teen. It was British racing green. Lovely wide (at the time) silver alloys with ultra low profile tyres. It looks the dogs and I believe they were very quick. But 200bhp through the front wheels, it also suffered from silly torque steer.

Sorry but I had a 220 Tomcat turbo in 1992 & it had zero torque steer compared to the brand new Ford Escort Turbo that I bought in 1988. That Ford almost broke your wrists accelerating hard out of a junction & suffered from so much steering wheel vibration above 60mph that I never bought another Ford again because FoMoCo refused to replace my car as they could not solve the vibration problems . - I traded it in for a Honda Prelude 4WS after 4 months of ownership in 1988. The 220 turbo was a brutal car at the time. Prior to the Rover I had a Porsche 944 Turbo & I have to say that the Rover was the more brutal & exciting car in terms of when you put your foot down....

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Sorry but I had a 220 Tomcat turbo in 1992 & it had zero torque steer compared to the brand new Ford Escort Turbo that I bought in 1988. That Ford almost broke your wrists accelerating hard out of a junction & suffered from so much steering wheel vibration above 60mph that I never bought another Ford again because FoMoCo refused to replace my car as they could not solve the vibration problems . - I traded it in for a Honda Prelude 4WS after 4 months of ownership in 1988. The 220 turbo was a brutal car at the time. Prior to the Rover I had a Porsche 944 Turbo & I have to say that the Rover was the more brutal & exciting car in terms of when you put your foot down....

Don’t be sorry.

 

[BTB 500]

My dad had a twin plenum Vitesse which he got after a V8s.

I always lusted after those. As an 18/19 year old my best mate's dad always had nice cars which he (very trustingly) let us go out in sometimes, including a standard 3500 SD1.

 

[alabbasi]

A friend of mine has a Tomcat turbo. Those were neat cars and very very fast for their time. It's a shame i don't see any whenever I visit the UK. They were really good looking cars.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

A friend of mine has a Tomcat turbo. Those were neat cars and very very fast for their time. It's a shame i don't see any whenever I visit the UK. They were really good looking cars.

I agree, IIt’s a shame they’re such a rare sight. They were great cars, and looked fantastic too, especially in dark (Tahiti?) blue.

 

[C43AMG]

It goes back to 1967, i was 20. I worked for Bailey ( David ) He had a Cloud 111 Rolls not fast but very comfortable . He then took delivery of a new E-Type 4-2 in white, in the day very special, even more so today. That was my first introduction to special cars and driving fast.

When i left Bailey in 1970 i was personal Chauffeur to Jim Slater ( Slater Walker Sercurities ) who was the main man in the City in those days. He wasn't a great lover of cars. He had a Bentley S3 + a Cloud 111 Convertible as i mentioned before very comfortable + in the day quite desirable especially the Convertible

It was the Directors who where the Petrol Heads and subsequently influenced me becoming one. Start off with the Daytona Ferrari, V12 E-Type, D-S Citroen, BMW 350iL, Jensen FF, BMW 2002, a Bristol ( Sounds dull but had a 7 Litre Chrysler lump and went like hell ) and the reason i have been a fan of Mercedes is the 300 SEL 6.3 I managed to own one in 1986, which was the first serious car i owned. Over the next five years i managed to drive all of them to numerous parts of the country. When you are in your early Twenties and can drive such very special cars, you count yourself very fortunate The Daytona was the most spectacular and SEL 6.3 was the most comfortable going very fast. ( It was the fastest saloon car in the world )

In 1980 i worked for a company that armoured cars. In those days it was the 450 SEL 6.9 which i use to pick up from Austria bring back to the UK then deliver them to the customers in Europe. What a great car and drove very well after being armoured ( We used Kevlar + Ceramics so not that heavy, the Glass was the heaviest part ) compared to the standard spec.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

It goes back to 1967, i was 20. I worked for Bailey ( David ) He had a Cloud 111 Rolls not fast but very comfortable . He then took delivery of a new E-Type 4-2 in white, in the day very special, even more so today. That was my first introduction to special cars and driving fast.

When i left Bailey in 1970 i was personal Chauffeur to Jim Slater ( Slater Walker Sercurities ) who was the main man in the City in those days. He wasn't a great lover of cars. He had a Bentley S3 + a Cloud 111 Convertible as i mentioned before very comfortable + in the day quite desirable especially the Convertible

It was the Directors who where the Petrol Heads and subsequently influenced me becoming one. Start off with the Daytona Ferrari, V12 E-Type, D-S Citroen, BMW 350iL, Jensen FF, BMW 2002, a Bristol ( Sounds dull but had a 7 Litre Chrysler lump and went like hell ) and the reason i have been a fan of Mercedes is the 300 SEL 6.3 I managed to own one in 1986, which was the first serious car i owned. Over the next five years i managed to drive all of them to numerous parts of the country. When you are in your early Twenties and can drive such very special cars, you count yourself very fortunate The Daytona was the most spectacular and SEL 6.3 was the most comfortable going very fast. ( It was the fastest saloon car in the world )

In 1980 i worked for a company that armoured cars. In those days it was the 450 SEL 6.9 which i use to pick up from Austria bring back to the UK then deliver them to the customers in Europe. What a great car and drove very well after being armoured ( We used Kevlar + Ceramics so not that heavy, the Glass was the heaviest part ) compared to the standard spec.

There are some incredible cars in there Peter.

 

[ringway]

It goes back to 1967, i was 20. I worked for Bailey ( David ) He had a Cloud 111 Rolls not fast but very comfortable . He then took delivery of a new E-Type 4-2 in white, in the day very special, even more so today. That was my first introduction to special cars and driving fast.

When i left Bailey in 1970 i was personal Chauffeur to Jim Slater ( Slater Walker Sercurities ) who was the main man in the City in those days. He wasn't a great lover of cars. He had a Bentley S3 + a Cloud 111 Convertible as i mentioned before very comfortable + in the day quite desirable especially the Convertible

It was the Directors who where the Petrol Heads and subsequently influenced me becoming one. Start off with the Daytona Ferrari, V12 E-Type, D-S Citroen, BMW 350iL, Jensen FF, BMW 2002, a Bristol ( Sounds dull but had a 7 Litre Chrysler lump and went like hell ) and the reason i have been a fan of Mercedes is the 300 SEL 6.3 I managed to own one in 1986, which was the first serious car i owned. Over the next five years i managed to drive all of them to numerous parts of the country. When you are in your early Twenties and can drive such very special cars, you count yourself very fortunate The Daytona was the most spectacular and SEL 6.3 was the most comfortable going very fast. ( It was the fastest saloon car in the world )

In 1980 i worked for a company that armoured cars. In those days it was the 450 SEL 6.9 which i use to pick up from Austria bring back to the UK then deliver them to the customers in Europe. What a great car and drove very well after being armoured ( We used Kevlar + Ceramics so not that heavy, the Glass was the heaviest part ) compared to the standard spec.

Your'e very lucky to have had those cars at your disposal, Peter and to have met some high-flying people and celebrities in your time.

How is that lovely 215 doing these days? I seem to recall you saying it had gone to a family member?
What a car that was, Lovely colour too.

 

[Deleted member 149005]

Probably shouldn’t mention the first fast experience in a car.,, her mother might be reading...

 

[Cyclone1]

First genuine fast car experience for me was being taken for a test drive in an Audi Quattro 20v, it was around 1989 and I would have been 18. I was literally blown away with how capable it was, instantly fast, incredible breaking and went around corners like nothing else I’d experienced. I became a big Audi fan thereafter, buying a non turbo Audi Coupe a year later in oceanic blue with grey leather! Loved it!

 

[Jonesy161]

I built an 850cc short stroke mini, straight cut gearbox, no seats or other interior, very unsociable, but vvvvvvery quick, don’t know how quick because of lack of instruments. Never been in anything quite as frightening since.

 

[C43AMG]

There are some incredible cars in there Peter.

Yes, not sure i really appreciated how special there where.

Your'e very lucky to have had those cars at your disposal, Peter and to have met some high-flying people and celebrities in your time.

Very lucky, as they are now quite iconic.

How is that lovely 215 doing these days? I seem to recall you saying it had gone to a family member?
What a car that was, Lovely colour too.

No not a family member, it did go to a 215 enthusiast though. I'm very pleased with the 216, a totally different experience to the 215. The next level is the best way to explain it.

 

[Vintage Racer]

Way, way back in time, I tested a F3000 Lola at Brands Hatch...........that was entertaining!

 

[Wolfie1]

Only proper fast car i have been in was an old workmates 900bhp stripped out evo 4 track car weighing about 900kilos, we were at crail raceway doing the 1/4 mile and i was in the passenger seat on full boost up the strip it actually made me feel sick, i have driven and been in plenty fast cars since like c63 e63s porsche turbos, my rx7, noble, lambo, m3, toyota supra, jag f type svr, escort/sierra cosworth, r35 gtr and many others but nothing compares to that evo its in a whole other league and something that will stay with me forever