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What is the neatest automobile you have driven?


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Remarks in another thread gt me to pondering, and we all know that that is nothing but trouble.

What is the neatest automobile you have ever driven?

Being in the lowest ranks of racing in my youth, I got to drive some pretty danged nice cars -- at least for a little while.

I have never been a fan of Italian exotics and having driven Ferraris, Maseratis, Alphas and a bunch of Fiats, I still think that way.

The only exception would be a Pantera.  I liked that one.

Thinking back, it's hard for me to pick just one drive out and say, That was the one!

How about y'all?

 

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The newest one.

the electronics package, rear view, auto braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, 4 cylinder with a supercharger and a turbo, 318hp.

its an Engineering Masterpiece. Never needs a tune up, muffler, plugs and points, brake job, oil changes are at 7500 miles

but I do miss the sound and feel of the old muscle cars

Edited by Dric902
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I've driven fast cars/motorcycles since about 1978.  GTO, 911T, GPZ 1100, YZ250, BMW 2002, RX7 Twin-turbo, Subaru STI. 

My  current Camaro SS 1LE is easily faster than any car I've driven before.  0-60 in less than 4 seconds, quarter mile in the low 12s, top speed of about 180, 455 hp and 455 torque.  The back tires are 305 30/20s and if I turn the nannies off I can spin them easily at 30 mph going into second.  Recaro seats fit me like a glove.   Holds the road to over 1 g.  I've blown away sports cars that cost 4 times as much.  There are some pretty surprised Porsche/BMW/Mustang GT350 owners out there. 

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6 hours ago, tous said:

Remarks in another thread gt me to pondering, and we all know that that is nothing but trouble.

What is the neatest automobile you have ever driven?

Being in the lowest ranks of racing in my youth, I got to drive some pretty danged nice cars -- at least for a little while.

I have never been a fan of Italian exotics and having driven Ferraris, Maseratis, Alphas and a bunch of Fiats, I still think that way.

The only exception would be a Pantera.  I liked that one.

Thinking back, it's hard for me to pick just one drive out and say, That was the one!

How about y'all?

 

I have always liked the lines of the Pantera.  A buddy of mine briefly had one.  It had an engine fire and poof, it was gone.

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1964 Vetta Ventura, custom imported Italian body, Buick Aluminum V8. Only 6 manufactured that I was involved with. While not impressive these days, cruised easily at 160+ mph.

I helped build the first two. Created by Vanguard Motors in Dallas, was the coolest thing I ever drove, especially as an 18yr old kid. I believe that there are only three left, the others wrecked. It was designed and built as a street-legal race car. One of them was totaled at a road race here locally that same year. The driver Tom Johnson had a brake pedal bracket snap off at the end of the straightaway. Damned it I can remember the name of the track though.

Interesting times, what?

Google for pics and more info...

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Mine.  I built it myself.  There are more that might look better, there are more that are faster, there are some that may handle better.  But, this was mine!

1620 lbs. 10 lb./HP.  4.56 to .89 transaxle.  0-60, 5.5 sec.

My-Car.jpg

Edited by janice6
Memory needs refresh
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1 hour ago, janice6 said:

Mine.  I built it myself.  There are more that might look better, there are more that are faster, there are some that may handle better.  But, this was mine!

1620 lbs. 10 lb./HP.  4.3 to .89 transaxle.  0-60, 5.5 sec.

My-Car.jpg

Was that a kit car?

 

.

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1 minute ago, Dric902 said:

Was that a kit car?

 

.

Yes.  The body was Fiber Fab, but took a lot of work with the warp in the pieces.

Found a junkyard that was specializing in Corvair engines just down the road from me.

Edited by janice6
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4 minutes ago, janice6 said:

Yes.  The body was Fiber Fab, but took a lot of work with the warp in the pieces.

Found a junkyard that was specializing in Corvair engines just down the road from me.

Oooh. Frat bro had a '67 -68? Corvair with the turbo 6. Car would fly!

Scary handling, though.

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1 hour ago, BamaBud said:

Oooh. Frat bro had a '67 -68? Corvair with the turbo 6. Car would fly!

Scary handling, though.

Yeah, I tracked down the 4 carb version of the spider engine, I wanted a better hole shot than top end.

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I drove a DeLorean once.  My dad went to school with him at Lawrence Tech and said he was a good guy.  My Uncle used to be a dealer rep and brought one over once.  It was pretty uncomfortable actually but cool.  It was the non flux capacitor trim level though.

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3 minutes ago, GT4494 said:

I miss my Sunbeam Tiger.  sigh...

That was a real Tiger!!

Friend of mine had a little English two seater (I forget the make) that he shoehorned a small block in.  He got rid of it after a year or two.  So much torque it was frantic to drive.

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2 minutes ago, janice6 said:

That was a real Tiger!!

Friend of mine had a little English two seater (I forget the make) that he shoehorned a small block in.  He got rid of it after a year or two.  So much torque it was frantic to drive.

NO traction control, no electronics., leaked in the rain, heater was a laugh , no AC.  it was a handful but never failed to put a smile on your face

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7 minutes ago, GT4494 said:

NO traction control, no electronics., leaked in the rain, heater was a laugh , no AC.  it was a handful but never failed to put a smile on your face

My oldest daughter bought the year Mustang when it was touted as being the most powerful production car that year.

It had all of the virtues you listed for your tiger including the leaky T roof.

She said, "Who needs a man with all this horsepower!".

One year in the winter, she was going to work and coming down an entrance ramp to the highway during rush hour and the road was icy.  She said she started to do a slow spin all the way down the ramp and across 4 lanes of traffic into a snow bank along the median.

I asked her about damage.  She said their was none.  But when there was a break in the traffic, she had to go home and change her pants and underwear, it really was that exciting.

Wasn't too long and she bought into something else.  She really is a fun kid!

Edited by janice6
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I had the advantage of working in my dads auto shop in my youth and got to drive everything from funky little V4 Saab to 427 Tripower Vettes.

I really never had the need for speed though and while the 65 Vette was cool. I actually found the 63 Mercedes with a 4 on the column shifter was a really cool car.

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I had a period in my maturing where I thought power performance was everything.  I had an epiphany one day (literally), and the thought that I could get killed this way, changed me into performance but without drag racing.

I realized that I didn't have the temperament for pure power, I swear this is true, my next vehicle was a 4x4 Plymouth Trail Duster.  That brought out all kinds of different things to be afraid of.  But I always got to work!

Driving a car should be fun, even in rain and snow/ice, not abject fear.

Edited by janice6
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She was a former state highway patrol Ford mustang.

No power steering. In a straight section of road I owned the suspect.  You needed a pilots license for that beast..it said she could do 180 but no mortal dared.

Edited by Historian
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3 minutes ago, jmohme said:

Bet that was a real chick magnet! ?

They were available manual or automatic and 2- or 4-wheel drive. Somewhere, maybe in Canada, a racing class was created for them. 

Short comparatively speaking, thus easy to parallel park. Those doors without center post made loading easy. 

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