Sean, there two aural deserts in life besides a lovely women's voice that I love. One, is the sound of that lovely voice coming from my ever improving audio rig. And the other is the visceral experience of beautiful engine note.
I work on the west side of Los Angeles, not too far from Beverly Hills, Hollywood, etc...so I see a lot of expensive aluminum cans driving around. I can remember standing on a corner after lunch once and having my attention snatched away by the sound of an idling Ferrari 360 Modena, and the beautiful wail as it trailed away. I think that guy driving it was winding each gear out just for my enjoyment.
Then, there was the time when I was driving to school many years ago on the 405 freeway, and a gorgeous 1970 Dodge Charger in the same paint scheme as the one in Bullitt slowly edged passed me. Even 20 years after I can remember that awesome car and the beautiful sound of it's exhaust. The guy must have had a 4.10 or 4.70 rear axle to have it sound like that at 65mph.
And then, there was the time when I was cruising on the 91 freeway and an all original early 1970's Ferrari Daytona 365GTB Berlinetta cruised pass me in the same manner as the Charger. NOTHING sounds better than the song of a Ferrari V-12 motor. I love that ferocious melody so much, that there are times that I just sit and replay those moments of the movie Gumball Rally where the 365 is accelerating hard or even downshifting.
I had a blast revving the life out of the Integra GSR I once had, and the M3 I currently drive has a seductive, complex note from inside the cabin. Powerful and sexy. But nothing compares to those three moments I described. I wish I could own those on XRCD2! |
Had a '70 Hemi Roadrunner and both a '90 G-60 Corrado and a '92 VW Corrado VR-6.....I always liked cheap, mean and easy cars, just like my ex-wives..... |
Gunbei and Bob Crump, you and my "Pop" can hang out and talk about cars. He used to have a 1969 red and black Charger R/T with a .060 over 440 / 4 speed in it. His previous car was a 1966 Coronet Convertible with a 426 wedge and a 4 speed. He was sorry that he sold the Coronet to get the Charger when all was said and done. I bet that the Coronet would be worth more money nowadays too.
As to where Bob fits in, my Dad loved his Jetta and supercharged Corrado. He dumped the Corrado for a Taurus SHO and was very sorry. The SHO had a great motor in it but was WAY too "boaty" in terms of the handling that he was used to. I told him that we needed to stuff that SHO motor into his Corrado : )
Personally, i've never been a Mopar fan. Some of their cars looked great ( Charger, Challenger, Cuda, etc... ) but i never dug their motors. I would have been REALLY happy if we could have gotten Ford's racing division hooked up with Chevy's "common sense" division. THEN we would really have something. Ford made the most factory racing parts and always had the best breathing intakes but could never figure out how to get the potato out of their exhaust ports. That's where Chevy's "common sense" approach would have come in handy.
I've always wanted to stuff a massively built Old's quad four into a worked Fiero GT. Talk about a "sleeper" : )
Oh well, just like audio, to each their own : ) Sean
> |
KARTS are UNREAL. Thanks is almost too much abuse for me for any length of time though (depending on the techincality of the track). But talk about a rush!! Right on Ed!! |
Kona guy-
yeah, the old-school CRXs arent' the last word in all-around cars, but for specific jobs they are hard to beat: going fast, handling well. the lightness is the key...nothing touches them, esp. new cars... even new hondas.... all big and porky. Yeah, $10k would easily build either of what I have now, probably with newer/faster parts... or, you could also build a pretty killer turbo miata for about the same $..(maybe a touch more). Whats' up with all these SCCA spec miata guys...$10k to go a little faster than a stock miata...how about $10k and keep the miata part, lose the spec part... (eg. add boost). what kind of SCCA stuff do you do with the Focus? Mostly a road-race guy myself (and instructor for BMWCCA, COMSCC, some other sports car clubs...)
Bikes - yes, those are damn fast...scary too...as said, even a lame bike will crush the fastest of cars.. I had a friend with a whipped 1970's 2-stroke Yamaha R5 that would outrun another friends Talon AWD turbo... at least up through highway speeds...
the ultimate fast wheeled toy I think is karts... 125cc or 250cc shifters...bike-fast but with car-caliber handling and then some. F1 guys use them to 'keep sharp' in the off-season. ;> That says something.
Damn. cars or audio - now that's a tough choice on what to blow money on. |
2002 VW GTI 337.....2002 VW GTI 337.....2002 VW GTI 337..... |
1)2000 TOYOTA AVALON AND 1997 NISSAN ALTIMA (WORKING ON THE A'S)
2) DREAM CAR IS A 1937 DUBONNET HISPANO. FIND A PIC. OF THIS IF YOU CAN. |
Oh, how can I forget these two favorites of mine...
'69/'70 Dodge Charger...
Early '70's Ferrari Daytona 365GTB |
Ed_sawyer....you can get that performance out of a CRX for under $10K? I bought my car new in 2000 and my price was inflated b/c of the new car price. Solid performance isn't too hard to get out of these cars thats for sure. New or used. :) |
1 89 Ford E150 van new paint and paid for 18k miles
2 n/a
3 Ferrari F40 with the V-12 from a F50 |
Onhwy61-Check out the Ultima GTR, it does 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, which is damn close to the bikes!! for a big rig. By far the best value exotic/performance car. |
1. 2001 Mercedes CLK 320
2. Above
3.I'd just like to get back my 99 Fatboy I lost in a recent marital parting of the ways:rebuilt engine with 90+ hp, Mikuni racing carb, thunderheader exhaust, all black and chromed out. I miss it even more than my 3 legged dog..... |
A '93 Lexus SC300 w/ 124,000 miles on it. I'm aiming for 250,000 (2009 projected date). My weekend ride is a Kawasaki ZRX1100 (the Eddie Lawson Replica replica). If I had money to waste for something I really didn't need, but wanted anyway, I'd go with one them AWD MB station wagons.
I notice alot of people mentioning high performance cars, but virtually nobody mentioning motorcycles. For less than $12,000 you can get a 140bhp (actual measured horse power at the rear wheel), 430lb vehicle that will go 0-60 less than 3 seconds and 0-100 in less than 6 seconds. I don't know of any original equipment car that comes close to this level of performance. |
1. BMW E36 325i (1993); just ordered a MINI Cooper (red with white roof and wheels).
2. ?
3. McLaren F1; Mercedes S500; BMW M5 |
Viggen, I want to put one of those outdoor speakers that look like a rock in my passenger side footwell. That or how about an array of ribbon tweeters in the headliner?
Marakanetz, I like your idea of a dedicated mobile for transporting gear. Even though I buy almost all my stuff on the 'GoN and have it shipped to me, I thought it might be a good idea to have one vehicle that can actually haul stuff. |
1. 2001 Subaru Outback
2. Another one when that wears out.
3. I'd rather ride a bike if all things were equal.
What is the "typical audiophile"?
I remain, |
Gunbei, funny you should mention. I've always wanted to hook a pair of Linn Kan speakers in my car.
Years ago, I even thought about installing a pair of B&W in-wall speakers. |
Sean....the Kona is a blast to drive. They recently opened up a road course in Council Bluffs, IA and you couldn't slap the grin off my face after a dozen laps. Next I have to put some money into the sound system.....and another set of tires. :) |
1. Daily: 1996 Ford Ranger 4x4.
1. Weekends: 1984 BMW 533i that is mostly an E28 M5 without the annoying ground effects. Currently trying to decide between a Lexicon processor and a supercharger (I'm afraid the audiophile may lose out).
2. Range Rover HSE 4.6.
3. New M5. New M Coupe. |
1. 1998 SL500 2. Same 3. Ferrari 360 Modena |
Hey Sugarbrie, get your mind out of the audiofile gutter! Make that a BMW M5, not a B&W M5.
1. Chrysler Concorde (weekdays) Corvette (weekends)
2. Chrysler Concorde only, (this should free up some funds for Audio upgrades)
3. company car & wealthy future wife's car. |
Ha Ha!!! Did anyone buy the truck dedicated for transporting audio goods here? I wouldn't surprise!
Sean, does your rig fit in minivan? |
Sean, nice collection of muscle! Those must have be the ultimate rubber-laying machines. the most torquey cars I drove on track were a Viper coupe (fast. tons of grunt, but surprisingly good handling on the roadcourse! Wheelspin was outrageous, even with hoosiers, if you weren't careful), and a Shelby (replica) cobra with a maxed out Ford 460 in it...no power steering..about 2200lbs...damn that was a beast. Once it was rolling it was ok, but god talk about heavy controls. so sweet looking though.
RE: Focus Kona...one can meet those specs pretty easily for less $. Both my CRXs will do about that, plus the Integra-motor-swapped one gets over 40mpg when I am not driving it hard...all for well < $10k ea. Of course this on hoosiers or kumhos... it's all about power to weight. those two have about 140 and 175hp, but only weigh around 1800-1920lbs... Drove a turbo miata that crushed my Crxs, and for not much more $...
Albert - go for it, lust is a good thing... (930). Wish the driving characteristics of that car matched the sex appeal though. 935...mmm... now that was a monster! (Moby Dick)... |
This is an interesting subject. Thanks to Houndco for starting it. As for me:
1. 1997 Ford Escort SE (yeah I know, but it’s paid for?)
2. 2002/3 Ford Focus WTS
3. Saleen S7 (why not dream big?) |
Lotta M3s here. You M owners ever try transporting audio gear in your M3? I have, and it's a good thing I only have mini monitors, because I can barely fit anything other than myself and a backpack. |
Audi allroad, Audi RS6, 911 |
1993 Taurus SHO - Supercharged! Great family car! |
1. Daily - 2001 Volvo S-40
Weekends - 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II
2. Volvo S-80
BMW M-3
1921 - 1926 Rolls-Royce Springfield Siver Ghost
3. 1913 - 1915 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer
1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyder
2002 Ferrari 360 Spyder
2002 Bentley Arnage R
I have got to find a cheaper hobby. |
J_Thunders- Welcome back!! and very nice car, one of the coolest cars that can be driven everyday up here in the north east. |
KGB, now THAT sounds like a well rounded car and one that is probably a blast to drive, especially for the money involved : ) Sean
> |
A Ford Focus Kona Edition modified for SCCA racing. can nab 1.0 on the skidpan and goes 0-60 in under 6.5 seconds seconds. Oh yeah.....28mpg.......all for about $17K. SWEET. |
Ed & Perfectimage-
Ed is right on the money.
930 was an interesting car in its day, but C2 or C4 out does it in every way
(even in top speed w/o the turbo). If you compare the 930 to a
911 3.6 turbo, C4 turbo air cooled, or the new h2o version, forget it!
0-60 times are literally 2 seconds off compared to the C4 turbo's (2 full seconds, not 2/10th's),
and the wild turbo lag problems are no longer life threatening as they seemed
to be in the 930's (Porsche was sued over this, and lost). Now, the 935's are another story all together (700hp-850hp).
Porsche tiptronic? Forget it. Buy a Lexus SC430 instead (if you go that direction, go all the way).
My girlfriend drove a Boxter with tiptronic and said it was a "rich house wives yuppy car".
Same day we drove the 315 hp BMW M Coup (5 speed only) and loved it.
Tiptronics are also off by almost a second 0-60 on top of the slushy feel. |
1) 1994 Ford Tempo, 1988 Volvo 240 DL, 1988 Ford Mini-van, 1975 Corvette Stingray, 1975 Harley Ironhead
2) Same as above. Who's got money for cars ??? Besides, my feet aren't pushing through the floorboards yet ( the mini-van is close though ).
3) If i had my pick of the litter, i'd like a 1966 427 Shelby Cobra, a Shelby Daytona Coupe and an Aston Martin ( not picky ). I also like the old 930's, maybe a 1978 or so. I'm sure that the 959 is no slouch either : )
Here's one category that i'm throwing in for the "halibut". This would be cars that i used to own. I had to do this, as anyone looking at my list of current vehicles would think that i was some "mama's boy" going through a mid-life crisis. After all, isn't that what most Vette owners really are ??? : )
4) 1972 Olds 442 with a 482" motor, CJ Batten Aluminum heads, a quartet of Webers and more torque than imaginable. I could literally smolder a set of N-50's from a 50 mph roll / 1978 Trans Am with turbocharged 383" Chevy / 1966 Ford Fairlane GTA replaced 390 with 427 medium riser side oiler. Should have pulled the motor and kept it before selling !!! / 1978 Mustang Cobra 351" with dual quad cross-ram, Borg Warner T-10, etc... 1972 SS Chevelle 402" with 12:1 Arias,BIG Comp Cam, Turbo Terry 400, etc... For best results, use a split pattern cam with more intake lift but longer exhaust duration on a tight centerline. I think you get the picture : ) I really WAS a gearhead at one point in time. I still drive way too fast most of the time. Sean
> |
Elgordo-
If you don't like cars then you should check out the new Dodge SRT RAM.
Viper 8.0L the hood (Viper version, not the truck version).
Saw it in one of the new car mag's. Will they build it? Probably. |
1) Audi S4; 2) Audi S4; 3) Audi S4 (2001 silver, chipped, w/ tip, of course). |
Hey Ed, I was a part of the excess of the 80's!
Can't an audiophile lust after a 930 even with the evolution of the newer Porsche?
As for Tiptronic. My friends 911 Cabriolet will snap my neck back about as well as my other friends 5 speed manual.
Maybe it's because the top was down and I was having fun? |
Actually the tiptronic is more a slushbox with manual controls than a standard w/o clutch. The manual trans porsches are much better. The best manual w/o clutch trannies in normal production cars are made by Sachs, the SMG (sequential manual gearbox) as seen in the new M3. (too bad the car is so heavy). Of course the F360 has a nice paddle shifting trans., but at the cost of the car, hell, it should! Some of the race cars I've been in have true sequential trans., or at least dog-shifting boxes (upshift w/o clutch).... true sequential transmissions ala rally cars is sooo cool. snapping off shifts (up or down) without even lifting.. pretty brutal. Pretty expensive too.
930 (aka original 911 turbo) is a neat car, but way outclassed today, even by normally aspirated 911s. Boost management was unheard of back then, driving them was a real 'adventure'. Current 911 turbos are much more easy to drive by comparison. Still, an excellent example of early-80s wretched excess. ;-> In that vein, how about a 959?
CLK55, other mercedes: yawn. no stick, no sale. |
1.Acura Integra 2.Acura Integra 3.hmmm, this baby ;-) 
|
Wouldn't a true audiophile spend all his disposable income on his system; therefore, the audiophile would have no money left over to buy a posh automobile? After all, no way can the interior of an automobile recreate a level of acoustics that remotely resembles the acoustics at home.
Acura Legend Coupe
No car, for I plan to move to east coast in a few years.
Aston Martin Veloce or Audi 4000 Coupe Quattro Turbo |
1. a. Cadillac Seville SLS (2000)
b. Cadillac Allante Convertible (1993)
2. ?
3. Acura NSX |
Albert,
The 930 was the ultimate racing machine. The only reason I would ever consider a 911 over the 930 is the newer body style. I bet though the 930 is faster.
Porshe invented the tiptronic. What a great idea. A standard with no clutch! It must be fast but I personally would pefer a standard. I think its the control freak shinning through or it may just be its more fun to drive.
I envy you. The closest I ever came was a 1966 911. After five years of trying to restore it I gave up. I did take five years to get a $65,000 stereo. Next is a house, then the Porshe. I will own one some day. In the mean time I may rent one for a weekend to have a little fun. |
Hmmmm....
Seems to be some common thinking here, my current "ride" is
a 01 BMW 540 wagon; I may be looking closely at the Porsche
Cayenne a year or so after it comes out. Ken |
Perfectimage, you bet!
If cost was no object I would have one in a heartbeat. Two of my friends have 911's. One is 5 speed, the other with tiptronic with the cool steering wheel shift buttons.
My wife has owned one 911 since we have been together, I have owned four. Unfortunately since my son is in private school (we live in Dallas) no more cool cars. It's the GMC to haul photo gear and the closest to cool we get is a Volvo. Pretty pathetic when compared to the ultimate German machines. |
2000 Jeep Grand Cheerokee Limited 4x4
2002 BMW 740i
Mercedes Benz AMG CL55 |
|
930 turbo huh Albert? Very nice choice. I loooove Porshes |
1992 Nissan Maxima SE
used BMW 528
new BMW 530 or 540, or MBZ E320 |
1....99 modified M-3 Cabrio
2....restoring a 59 Morgan ss that I raced in the sixties
3....new M-3 Cab on order |
1. 1997 f250 4x4 or 1997 Volvo 850glt wagon
2. 2002 f350 4x4 diesel
3. no dream car |
1) 1998 Audi A4
2) Suburu Impreza
3) Audi S4 or BMW 330xi |
