bimbeano
11737
'Feel' ....
Last year i could try an Elise like Don's ... me and a friend just had a blast in the Clio Rs and a minute later i could take the steering wheel of his Elise ... The first minutes were difficult .... very very difficult, no powersteering made me realize my arm muscles were inexistent ... 
... So after an hour drive i finally had the guts to drive the car at maybe 70 % ... and then my friend took me for a drive in this Elise at 90+ % .... (he really does know how to handle the wheel, more than most of my bike-crazy friends) ... .
I still remember having loads of fun in my 1987 90 hp - 900 kilo VW Jetta (light wheels, upgraded brakes and KONIsuspension equipped) .... as you can see from 2:18 in this movie
You have also heard me bragging about my 200 hp Clio (1240 kilo) that it is such a fun car and gives you ultimate (well, almost) driving pleasure ... i was shocked by this 136 hp (850 kilo?) Elise, i expected a lot but NOT as much as i got. And Don is completely right about the comfort, sure it has a tiny smallish cabine but the suspension setup is soo much better than the Clio (my wife hates me when we take that Clio).
Couid the ultimate driving machine (to me and Don at least ) be a 90 hp - 600 kilo twoseater ? It probably would ... okay, a kart weighing 80 kilo and producing 30 hp is extremely fun and quick but offers no comfort whatsoever so it does not count here.
Now what could be even more extreme, offering enough comfort for a 1000 km road trip ??? Something with 125 hp, no ABS, EBD, EDC,GHT LOL, WTF etc .. weighing some 170 kilos ,maybe this ???
Well, not really but if you really love to ride bikes it's the ultimate alternative ... errrr .... wait a minute ... the European parliament just voted that ABS will be obligatory on all bikes from 2016 ... and the new Ducati Panigale R has over 200 hp, ABS, traction control and some other stuff .. weighing 160 kilos ... it will surely give you a lot of speed ... and a lot of scary moments asking yourself 'Am i going to die today ?' ....
My personal preferences?
a 1998 Ducati 916 with Ohlins suspension for my bike-thrills ... (maybe a Multistrada) ..
my very own Clio Renaultsport for the job ..
A Lotus elise for fun
A 4 door 420 hp BMW M3 V8 automatic for my wife (and a bit for me too ..
.. and perhaps a Peugeot 205 GTI because it's also fun (860 kilo - 115 or 130 hp) and it's my young boys dream car, a true icon ...
I know i'm not asking a lot
Oh and while we're at it a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO maybe ?????
I do think you probably get my point Thomas , fun fun fun, as long as it's not artificial fun ( i can better buy a Playstation and NOT risking my life hitting a tree at 150+ mph) ...
, fun fun fun, as long as it's not artificial fun ( i can better buy a Playstation and NOT risking my life hitting a tree at 150+ mph) ...Ze Bimb
PS.
My scariest (and most epic) moments while driving (and riding) ?
1. A speed whobble with my Bimota at around 85 mph, trees on the left and right side of the road and shouting to myself not to give up ... which i didn't ... obviously.
2. A jump on a viaduc with my CBR 600 ... at over 120 mph ... i think my arse left the saddle for at least 10 to 20 inches ...
3. While overtaking a load of cars at 75mph, crossing the white line with the Jetta ... i suddenly saw a flashing light some 200 metres behind me ... i got rid of them with a bit of luck but most of all using my brains ...
4. In the wet with the Bimota, a nice slide at around 85 mph ... actually no time to be afraid, just handling the situation .
5. I once took a tightening bend (i didn't knew it was going to be so tight) while trying to catch up with a speeding Alfa Romeo at way too high speed ... the poor old Golf went on three (i don't think two) wheels which wasn't scary ... the scary thing was the fact i ended up just not hitting the speeding Alfa in the back ... i saw the guy checking his mirror and thinking "Wow, i've got a PRO up my arse" ... and me thinking "WOW, i nearly binned it"
... i saw the guy checking his mirror and thinking "Wow, i've got a PRO up my arse" ... and me thinking "WOW, i nearly binned it" PS Graham was once in the passenger seat of my Clio in this same bend ... the only time my front wheel hit the inside of the wheelarche ;-) ... .
6. Mini Cooper Diesel, those Mini's are very tricky if you dare to brake or loosen the throttle in a bend ... it really gave no confidence and i really thought i was going to end up in the trees ... just barely got out of the slide from left to right
7. Jetta again, i once fitted worn rear tyres at the rear so i could drift like a RWD car by just loosening the throttle in the bendies ... but if you loosen too quickly ... ... eventually i did end up in the ditch ... only once .. almost only once that is ...
... eventually i did end up in the ditch ... only once .. almost only once that is ...8. Jetta again, trying to catch up with a 205 GTI some 300 metres in front of me (stupid me i know) , i took the quite fast left-hander but by then i knew i would never make the very very tricky right-hander because my speed was simply too high, so i kept the throttle open but apparently not enough ... it was the closest call in my life as i ended up some 10 inches from a very large concrete lightning pole ... front wheels in the ditch. Then i realised i would probably have made it if i held the throttle at 100 % ... errr .... i think .
9. Last week i overtook a 'slow' car crossing a full line (again) at a moderate speed (errrr) .... stopped for the traffic lights ... to see blue flashing lights in the car i just overtook ... the cop (without uniform) was pretty pissed ... i told him to bugger off ... in my mind ... he told me he would send me the bill ... i firmly said 'Thank you' LOL.
... he told me he would send me the bill ... i firmly said 'Thank you' LOL.10. VW Jetta ... while 'racing' public roads with a friend in his Honda CRX V-tec up my behind ... i suddenly hit a low soft-ish kerb with my right wheel in a nice smooth right-hander, speed maybe just 55-60 mph .... what happened ... it felt a bit like an outer body experience ... so we stopped and asked my friends following us in the V-tec what happened .... The answer? Well if i'm correct they said the following: " I think both your right wheels left the ground some 30 inches ... well, more like 40 to 50 inches to be honest" .. so i guess that explained the outer-body experience ... LOOOOOL
Note: All i'm writing here is not true and happened a few centuries ago, and it certainly didn't happen in Belgium .... ;-)
I know i posted this pic a million times already ....
the "feel" of a car...
One of the most consistent recurring themes in the follow up discussions to my recent spate of Quick Looks click here for blog links to individual quick looks at: Bugatti Veyron; Ferrari FF; Porsche 991; Chevy Corvette 427 CE; Bentley GT V8; Audi S8: Clic...
i think i preferred cars from the 80's and 90's
They had less or even no driver aids so you drove using the feel through the seat of your pants. Modern power steering is often too light so you lose the feel of what the front wheels are doing and suspension with adjustable settings often means there is ...
You hands and assometer...
Hi, Graham, Interesting observation you made, one that is not obvious - the more driver seat "adjustadable" (maybe "selectable" is a more apt term?) suspension settings a car has, the likelihood the more "dead" and artificial the "feel" of the car. hmmm.....
I may be a radical example...
and I have never driven any of the cars in your list of quick looks, but from my probably very unusual perspective: Outside of the usual "means of transport" that I have to drive from time to time, the only cars I have driven recently are the Lotus Elise ...
Excellent commentary, Don, and coming from someone I know who can...
drive well (ah, those fun days in Las Vegas and the karting session! Thanks, Chopard!) much appreciated. "Elise - the driver is not only in control, but does the controlling in detail. Maserati - the driver directs, but lets the automation in the vehicle ...
Easy.
The most enjoyable car I've driven in the last 6 months was a '34 MG. No synchro, tiny clutch travel, Very direct steering, cable brakes, cammy engine, super skinny tyres on lovely wire wheels.... just braking and dropping a gear required finesse...so muc...
Simplify and add lightness
Thomas, I think optimum "feel" does involve some filtering by the engineers and good mechanical condition of the specific vehicle you are driving, but also as stated by the other posters, a minimum of weight and a maximum of connection between the driver ...
Some very interesting points, Cazalea, with some revealing comments.
Hi, Mike, To a certain extent, it is about preferences, which of course has a lot to do with what we cut our teeth on. Two frequently repeated statements say as much - "I seem to keep getting cars that were, or similar to, the cars of my youth." "My girlf...
'Feel' ....
Last year i could try an Elise like Don's ... me and a friend just had a blast in the Clio Rs and a minute later i could take the steering wheel of his Elise ... The first minutes were difficult .... very very difficult, no powersteering made me realize m...
Most frightening drive of my...
Most frightening drive of my life was probably being your passenger on that bend when the wheel met the wheel arch. I think i would have more fun in mr b's vintage mini than in any car that i would actually buy to live with on a daily basis. Stripped out,...
Why I will always be fan of the 50s and 60s Euro cars
...and I say this as I have torn down the motor on my Renault Caravelle and completely going through the rear end suspension. Just love the tactile experience with being able to tweak and modify these simple mechanicals to perform better.
Absolutely, snak.
I replaced the upper control arms on my erstwhile Giulia to convert it to positive camber...which got wound up for track days and hill-climbs. Plus adding an LSD off a 2000...polyurethane bushes....reinforcing the rear trailing arms...fiddling with roll b...
One query Ben...
why positive camber ? I thought a bit more negative camber would suit the track better to give a bigger contact tyre contact patch on bitumen when car corners at speed. Having said that I am totally against the insane over 1.5 degree ( 1 degree negative i...
I'm looking forward to Ben's response, Dreamer. I had a chance to drive
"a track mod'ed" S2000 recently. It drove like a dream, up to the limit - very well planted, balanced. But it lost traction at much lower speeds, and felt light at the limits, than I would have expected given how it handled just below those limits, as wel...
Simple.
I typed it wrong. And the screen on my phone meant my proof reading went awry. :-) Should have read 'convert *from* positive camber'. I used to run about 1.5 on the road. And more on the track. These were 185/65 tyres, the high profile could take it. Not ...
Thanks ....
for clarifying. You are right , the amount of negative camber can be greater for higher aspect ratio tyres ( more rounded shoulders ). Interesting information about auto unions having positive camber to balance out oversteer from rear. The notorious rear ...
Positive/Negative
Other old open wheelers did it, too. Next time you see one, have a look at how upright or splayed the fronts are. I should have added that the Alfa standard camber was something like +0.5 which sounds wrong, but was probably a consequence of eve. narrower...
Older cars
Getting on a bit now, so my dream garage pretty much all comes from the 70's :-) I am lucky enough to have a Giulia GTV 2000 from 1972. No gizmos of any description and just so wonderful to drive. The greatest thing about older cars is the lack of extreme...