First go in a fast car

[Supermofo]

Not driven a fast car ever. In terms of power its probably a 2 litre 1 series that's had the most power, so nope no fast cars.

Until today when I drove my brothers Jag XF. The 5 litre supercharged one with 503bhp Holy Fluck. That about sums it up, and the noise Best way to describe it is a sledgehammer of torque propelling you down the road. One second you are here, seconds later you are there wayyyy up the road and still accelerating on a wave of torque and noise. Even relaxing and chatting I happened to just very slightly rest a tiny bit harder on the loud peddle and I found 80 had become 105 on the private road I was on.

On a country road 30 to NSL I gave it the beans in 2nd and it went very floaty indeed but still buggered off. No way was I switching the TC off. It was properly addictive and very very rapid. In sport mode it pops and bangs a good un on the overrun too.

What a car!!!!!

Oh and on top of being really fast was really nice to drive normally. In normal mode and pottering it was very refined indeed. Only £13K too.

[KungFooBob]

I love a fastish car, the most powerful thing I've ever driven was a V8 Merc at Brooklands as part of the MB experience thingy.

I came away with one thought... I need a V8!

I've still got a 1.6 four pot.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I think the most enjoyable fast car I've driven is a Corvette....6 litres of V8 propels you along seemingly using the noise alone. It's something you have to experience.

The "63" series Mercs are naffing fast IME. I once followed an E63 Estate across MK and could only just stay on the back of it in 2nd gear on my VFR750. Obviously a VFR750 ain't exactly a superbike but any car that can outdrag a bike from 20-70ish is motoring.

If you want an other worldly experience through you need a ride in a modern McLaren, doesn't really matter which one! My boss took me out in his 12C and he knows how to drive. Even for someone used to motorbikes that was brain bendingly fast.

[Supermofo]

My brother has always wanted a V8 and although he has a very good job he's always been sensible and had a Ford Galaxy etc for the family, when peers had M3s, AMG mercs etc. He's finally bought himself a present and I'm properly stoked for him. I kept telling him to get a V8 Mustang and he could afford it but stayed semi sensible. And what a car.

Even better he's had nothing fast since his Fireblade was stolen in the early 2000s and stopped biking, he's now started going out late at night and driving like a tit

And again. That noise

[KungFooBob]

I once had a boss with a Kim Collins tuned RS4 (back when they were only available as an Avant).

It made 709bhp on the four wheel drive dyno at Hockenheim, apparently there wasn't a dyno in the UK at the time that would measure that high.

I didn't get to drive it, but he took me out, but holy cow, he was going for overtakes that I wouldn't have risked on my Fireblade at the time.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Forgot about the time my mate took me around Silverstone in his Radical SR3 a few years ago....now that is fast.

It was full slicks, floor and wings. He did about 2:10 with me in the passenger seat. MotoGP was there a few weeks later and was only about 4-5s a lap quicker...bear in mind this Radical with a barn door on the back topped out at about 140mph on the straights too.

Once you've experienced slicks and wings nothing else is quite the same.

[Supermofo]

I was thinking My god this car is fast when my brother says he's thinking of a stage 2 tune which apparently nets near another 100bhp. Nice. I'll have to have another go

[Nobby]

60hp in a Citroen Dyane. That's real power.

[Mr. Dazzle]

60hp in a Citroen Dyane. That's real power.

Two ways to make a car feel overly fast.

Powerful engine.
Shit brakes.

My old Cinquecento would lock both rear wheels almost as soon as you touched the brake pedal. Fastest car I ever drove.

[KungFooBob]

108bhp in my Mk2 8V Golf GTI felt fast.
103bhp in my 8V Saxo VTR felt fast.
272bhp in my E92 BMW 330i felt slow!

[Mussels]

108bhp in my Mk2 8V Golf GTI felt fast.
103bhp in my 8V Saxo VTR felt fast.
272bhp in my E92 BMW 330i felt slow!

Similar here, my XF only feels fast in the wet with the TC turned down a notch. Slower and smaller cars were far more engaging to drive, it is incredibly rare that I find somewhere to push the Jag to the edge.

[KungFooBob]

211bhp in my Mini feels quite fast, not that there's anywhere you can actually go fast in a car these days. Point to point my 60bhp Guzzi is probably faster if there's any traffic lights or more than a smattering of other traffic.

The JCW would annihilate the Guzzi on track tho'

[JamJar]

I think the most enjoyable fast car I've driven is a Corvette....6 litres of V8 propels you along seemingly using the noise alone. It's something you have to experience.

The "63" series Mercs are naffing fast IME. I once followed an E63 Estate across MK and could only just stay on the back of it in 2nd gear on my VFR750. Obviously a VFR750 ain't exactly a superbike but any car that can outdrag a bike from 20-70ish is motoring.

If you want an other worldly experience through you need a ride in a modern McLaren, doesn't really matter which one! My boss took me out in his 12C and he knows how to drive. Even for someone used to motorbikes that was brain bendingly fast.

I have an 8 year old C63 ... has the the 6.2 litre V8 which puts out about 450 hp and makes a great noise, I love driving it enthusiastically and it makes a lovely barking sound when it changes gear.

[Mr. Dazzle]

The modern trend for artificially massaged in pops, cracks and farts winds me up intensely. AMG are the worst culprit

The popping and cracking sounds come from highly tuned engines with loads of valve overlap, carbs, straight through exhausts etc. There's simply no reason a modern variable valve timing, fuel injected engine with cats should be making that noise.

It just sounds totally artificial and stupid to my ears. It's the Casio keyboard 'trumpet mode' of exhaust notes.

[KungFooBob]

The modern trend for artificially massaged in pops, cracks and farts winds me up intensely. AMG are the worst culprit

The popping and cracking sounds come from highly tuned engines with loads of valve overlap, carbs, straight through exhausts etc. There's simply no reason a modern variable valve timing, fuel injected engine with cats should be making that noise.

It just sounds totally artificial and stupid to my ears. It's the Casio keyboard 'trumpet mode' of exhaust notes.

I have a button that makes my steering really heavy and the exhaust pop every time I let off the throttle... it also sharpens the throttle so much that it becomes so stupidly sensitive I almost redline it pulling away from junctions.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I always drive my car in Eco Pro mode, cause that's the default. All that "sport" mode does is make the pedal twitchy and introduce stupid noises

I have to say, the most impressively fast car I've driven recently is a Jaguar iPace. They're "only" 400bhp and lugging around a fair old mass of battery, but a 400bhp electric car feels (and is) alot quicker than a 400bhp petrol one.

It's got 400bhp everywhere. If you're tootling along at 5mph and you stamp on the throttle it deploys all 400bhp instantly. There's no turbo lag, no powrband, no wait for the downshift. It just goes and keeps on going without letup until you let off the pedal.

[Greenman]

I used to love ragging my old 1993 WRX 300bhp Impreza along the local ring roads and race tracks.

That thing was pure loon material, it suited me so well!

Point and squirt mentalness.

I nearly killed myself in it a few times but is that not what it's all about, living on the edge, feeling alive, enjoying your life...

I never forget talking to a guy at Castle Coombe Race Circuit who had a brand new Ferrari 355, he said he would never drive it flat out as he might not be able to control it and crash it, it's worth loads he said, "well get yourself a micra then mate, ya c.unt" should of been my reply!

[Supermofo]

Similar here, my XF only feels fast in the wet with the TC turned down a notch. Slower and smaller cars were far more engaging to drive, it is incredibly rare that I find somewhere to push the Jag to the edge.

Dunno what engine yours has but my brothers felt very fast indeed to me. Apparently it goes very sideways with no TC but as a first go TC was definitely staying on as it felt like it'd go very wrong very quickly when it got a tramp on.

[Couchy]

Mate dropped by in his new M4 competition, 400 ish up. I grabbed keys and tbh it was ok. Lots of wheelspin though and numbers came up quick but not compared to a bike. For £70k it was a bit disappointing and dull. By comparison my old 911S was far more exciting as was my MGZT260.

[Couchy]

211bhp in my Mini feels quite fast, not that there's anywhere you can actually go fast in a car these days. Point to point my 60bhp Guzzi is probably faster if there's any traffic lights or more than a smattering of other traffic.

The JCW would annihilate the Guzzi on track tho'

Go to Cadwell with both, you may be surprised how close the Guzzi gets. My Enfield did a 2m lap and they’re similar, cars don’t use the chicane so need to do a 1m55 and that’s quite an ask for a road car.