Do I speed? Constantly, on NSL roads. Have I ever gone over 100mph on the road? Guilty as charged. Do I beat myself up for doing it? Nope, not in the slightest. But, I just can't muster up the interest, nor understand the fascination, in straight line speeds as they have no relevance too me or my enjoyment of the car on the road and are only fractionally more important on the track.
I've no idea what my SC'd VX is capable of from a standing start to some arbitrary speed (that might have been an indicator of a cars performance 30+ years ago but has little bearing nowadays) nor do I ever plan to find out what it's top speed is. I've got too much respect for the mechanicals to ever bother trying and not enough interest in some twat in a [insert name of any warm/hot hatch, executive express or supercar] to want to bother racing him away from a set of lights. Miraculously, my manhood seems to have remained largely intact, despite a Nissan Micra "beating" me away from a set of lights on a dual carriageway yesterday.
Even the most cursory of searches on the internet will supply the
The thing is, 197bhp (as if that's any indication of performance) just isn't going to cut it in the all important pub/shopping centre car park p!ssing contest when your mate's boasting about his 300bhp 1.5 tonne hatch and your mums VW Golf has 180bhp. I'd just rather people looked beyond the numbers and actually tried the car (in all it's guises) before deciding they absolutely, positively, beyond any shadow of doubt, instantly need a 1,000bhp Stage 66.6 conversion in order to make any progress on the road. Learning how to drive this kind of car well and how to make safe but quick progress on the road without attracting too much attention, is probably worth an extra 100bhp but unfortunately earns no credit in the car park.
But, hey, that's just me.
P.S. I stand by my original advice to get an Evo (or something of it's ilk). Personally, I think the VX corners better but it makes you think and work properly for it. It's most definitely not a throw it at a corner any which way and all the trick bits will get me around it kind of car like an Evo and therefore may feel slower.
........
just the bloody itb's who are noisy..
this came mainly from the cornering speeds (I could see him instinctively going for the brakes when approaching a corner). So while you may initially be thinking about straight line speed, I doubt it'll take you long before really appreciating the cornering abilities of these cars.
You will really only know if one is for you by going for a ride in one - but remember, these aren't astras. The heater is shite and de-misting the windscreen can take an age in winter. You have to show real respect in wet / slippery conditions and the lack of creature comforts means that some people just can't live with them on a day to day basis. Added to that, many of them have issues with flaking paint and all manner of other TADS - you need to consider these too if you're coming from a 'run of the mill' motor.
