What is the fastest thing you have driven?

[purplebargeken]

Fastest was my 92 4.0 jag. I backed off at 137. It had more to give but common sense bit. The tailgating chav had just disappeared. Quick is my mgf with the 52mm throttle body. Bike was the zrx1100, too scared to look but it was rapid.

[New POD]

Driven ? An R reg BMW 530i Pool Car - Ex managers car used by the Garett manufacturing engineering team to rag the arse off, with prototype turbo's in the boot to visit automation and machining suppliers.

 

I used it frequently to Drive from Skem to Liecester to Bosch Automation as they were building me an automated assembly line.

 

I once picked up the keys and then spent £80 on fuel, £40 on Oil, £10 on other fluids, drove it to Liecester and back (about 135 miles each way) and put £70 of fuel back in it, and claims the whole lot on expences, to which my boss suggested we might find a diesel hire car cheaper.

 

A workmate and 2 other employees drove it to Southern Italy with a boot full of turbo's for a trial of automotation, and got half way before realising that the wet weather grip was compromised by the metal poking through 3 tyres. They spent £1000 on tyres before continuing.

 

Anyway this is the fastest I've ever been : An indicated 1.4 leptons on the A50 past Toyota at Burnaston, 6am some other Tuesday in the summer of 1999 or 2000 or both.*

 

* Note to any police reading this. It wasn't me, this is the internet, not a court room, and I don't HAVE to tell the truth and you can't prove a thing

[oman5]

Granada scorpio 24v I owned in 2001. It would kickdown into third gear at 120 and was still pulling at an *indicated* 140.  The handling was not really up to anything other than arrow straight motorways at high speed, but very few could touch it on acceleration (until someone in a very high end merc breezed passed me like I was stood still)

[New POD]

But then the £6.64 car I owned : a cavalier mk2 CDI auto once did an indicated 1.35 leptons downhill somewhere where they take speeding quite seriously.

 

In my defence, It was 5am and I believe its law that speed limits don't exist/count before 6am.

[chaseracer]

 Dyane 6.

 

 

[Bobthebeard]

Not driven much that is exactly fast, but the Raleigh Wisp that a mate and I dragged out of a skip (and managed to get running) when I was 14, felt REALLY fast as we razzed it round the country lanes..... First thing I had ever driven/ridden and scared myself silly.

[Fabergé Greggs]

A friend of mine was away with work but was on the look out for a Mk3 Supra. He spotted one for sale and dispatched me to test drive it for him on his behalf. It had a massive intercooler and the boost had been whacked waaaaaayy up- bloody fast. 

 

It was well rough- there were holes everywhere and after the test drive there was a catering portion of mayonnaise in the oil cap, and all sorts of things leaking from everywhere. He'd wired me the money in case to was a good one, it took massive restraint not to buy it just for another 15 minutes of shits and giggles before it went bang.

[Albert Ross]

Erm... Bentley Mulsanne, Lamborghini Miura, AC Aceca Bristol, Daimler 250 with Majestic Major V8 installed.... They were fast cars, but treated gently. (Belonged to my employer, an extremely rich man) A "Last dash" Sapphire Cosworth in Moonstone. I had that in the air at about 120..... thinking SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!! Also off road, a quick snort in an early Bowler. That certainly got air. Oh, and a test drive in a Sunbeam Lotus which I suspect was a copy.... That ALSO got air.

[Sloth in a bowl]

I've driven a few 200hp+ cars and the sat nav has recorded a peak of 130mph when driving the Skoda which was still accelerating nicely till I ran out of empty test track, it would definitely hit its 154mph offical top on an empty autobahn. The Kia at 88mph (sav nav again) felt more alive and the windscreen wipers start lifting on the Datsun at 110.

 

I have traveled in a friends tweaked for 300+ hp TVR Griffith 500 and that felt more alive on a 60 to 120 sprint than most things I have driven on a 0-60.

We topped over 140mph in Germany, though finding empty space to play in was rare.

[John F]

Test driven: Bentley Continental V8. Although I thought it was a bit crap for a car that costs more than a house, the PAS didn't firm up at speed so it was very twitchy at licence-losing speeds.

 

Owned: another vote for the excellent Calibra V6, probably. Although I never did a speed test in my old XJ-S 5.3.

 

Bike: I topped out my tuned GSX1100S Katana years ago, but the speedo loses the plot above 110 so I don't know how fast I was actually going. The real shock came when I was serenely overtaken at terminal velocity by some grey-haired old gent in a big Merc with "S600" on the boot lid.

 

Flown: Cessna 150

[Honey Badger]

S2000 on a private* road in Scotland, still had more to give at 135mph but I really didn't have to balls to go faster, still felt planted even at that speed. Not something I care to repeat in a hurry as I just don't have the reactions for it.

 

My fat accord V6 doesn't feel fast until you notice everyone disappearing behind you at pace and that you will soon be losing your license, the V6 vtec manual coupes the yanks get must go like fook.

 

 

Well Jel of twosmoke300 and his drive in an NSX.

[RoadworkUK]

Fastest car I've driven is a Merc SLR. Fastest I've ever put any serious mileage on was a Nissan GTR R35 which I had to drive from Glasgow to Frinton-On-Sea at the dead of night.

 

That was a good trip.

 

I've had loads of quick company cars, but the fastest I've owned is my poor old Audi which hit 137 on the GPS somewhere near Stuttgart.

[wuvvum]

Probably a tweaked Saab 9000 Turbo - certainly the quickest in terms of acceleration, once it stopped spinning its front wheels.  S60 T5 probably wasn't that far behind in real terms, but it didn't feel anything like as quick.  Top speed wise probably a derestricted 750i, although I never took that up to its top whack (perished front tyres didn't inspire confidence). 

 

The most overpowered car I've ever driven was a Bond 875.

[richardmorris]

Fastest is probably this merc, but I haven't tested the top speed. I did get the CX DTR to an indicated 120mph on the continent at 4500rpm - had to close the sunroof then as it got noisy

 

Off the mark the x1/9 is the quickest, but the merc is relentless in acceleration. The 2CV is fun but not a sportscar, although it is the only one that I regularly "max out".

[Cheggers]

Tickford Capri...probably not the actual quickest (that'll be my old 911 C4), but it felt the quickest.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Probably a tweaked Saab 9000 Turbo - certainly the quickest in terms of acceleration, once it stopped spinning its front wheels.  S60 T5 probably wasn't that far behind in real terms, but it didn't feel anything like as quick.  Top speed wise probably a derestricted 750i, although I never took that up to its top whack (perished front tyres didn't inspire confidence). 

 

The most overpowered car I've ever driven was a Bond 875.

You've reminded me that the first car I ever drove with a limited top speed was a 750iL. It was a demo and me and two other chauffeurs all had a go 'taking it to the limiter' on a private road that runs between the M1 and Coventry. Acceleration wise it was a bit disappointing not as quick as my usual XJ12 or even a swb 735 ,but it felt as solid as a rock at an indicated160 before gently stuttering at the limiter.

[richardmorris]

Going back to the 2cv, it's obviously not fast (you don't say), but it has now done track circuits round Montlhery, Le Mans, Monaco and Anglesey.  Montlhery was the best - round the banked track at 70mph. Looking out of the open roof and seeing tarmac was quite an experience - Have no idea how I'd have explained a bump to the insurance company!

[mercrocker]

Some good replies here and there is a lot of truth in some of the slow stuff.   I have mentioned the infamous company Renner 4 on here before.  Well that was the fastest thing I have driven.   Because I drove it EVERYWHERE absolutely flat-bonkers-out.   Really, I mean it.  If I had to adhere to a speed limit because of lurking jam sandwiches or crazy lollipop ladies then it went down to second gear whilst it did so.  I have never, ever, cornered a vehicle flat out before or since.   Why?  Not just cos itwern't mine but because I really, after a while, didn't realise I was doing it.   When I got to drive faster stuff (memorably 1900 Mk 1 Cav and Mirafiori twincam) as a still-17 year old I nearly killed me bloody self.    Its a funny thing, now, that everybody that sees me driving the Minor thinks its either tweaked or I drive it like a twunt.   Neither is true, I simply remember the knack of driving a slow car.   Looking ahead, being in the right gear at all times, watching traffic lights against my red, paying attention and not ever wanting to have to build up speed again.  Pointing and squirting something fast is still fun, when I get the chance, but you soon have to back off and the fun tends to wear off a bit....Oh, and just for the record fastest vehicle I have driven was a 911 Carrera.  Enjoyed every minute of that but don't wish to own one.

[Leyland Lawrence]

I've never even been 100mph.

[beko1987]

My old xm! Pulled like a train one night on the m1 up to 120ish at which point I backed off and stayed at license keeping speeds! Always enjoyed pissing off people on back roads as they went up my arse as we came out of a 30, and I left them as we went into an nsl!

 

Getting rid of that car was the best thing I've ever done for my wallet! Hope the new owners having some fun in it!

[twosmoke300]

Oh Yeh , forgot a tvr cerbera v8. My God the sound !

[New POD]

'taking it to the limiter' on a private road that runs between the M1 and Coventry.

The second most empty motorway in Britain after the M58 ? That would be the M45 then ?

[cobblers]

About 3 years ago I bought a MK2 golf gti from a local dullard for £600 with no seats or wheels, a stuck sump plug and 2l too much oil.. Clearly the previous owner (before the dullard) had half a brain as it had got a breathed on ABF 16v engine out of a mk3 and a dyno printout showing 175bhp. It was an absolute assault on the senses, it was hilariously low with knackered wishbones, the exhaust was essentially a 2.5" straight pipe from the manifold to the back with a "silencer" at the back which was a gesture of goodwill more than anything. The only wheels I had were 14" mega wide carlos fandango affairs with super stretched tyres. 

It would change lanes with a stab of the throttle , not due to torque steer (which I reckon is just imaginary anyway) but because the entire front suspension bent all over the place it was so wonky and shagged. I measured a 6.2 second 0-60 in it. Probably moments before I lost my licence/crashed it into a tree at 140mph I had the mental whereabouts to swap it for a t25 panel van. I'm glad I did, but I do miss it.

[pilninggas]

I bought a manual Laguna 1 3.0 24v a few weeks ago.  Did some testing on a private road that goes from Bristol to the River Severn and is always quiet - still pulling at 140mph, will take it out all the way once i've sorted all the niggles and done the oil.  Once did the same speed on a similarly private road that links the south coast in a works Rover 620 Turbo.

 

Topped out on an FZR1000 on a private road near Yeovil @ 170mph.

 

Done 155mph on the Autobahn a few times too, on bikes.

[catsinthewelder]

Oh bugger ,

 

I was hoping that the fastest was my old 8v calibra but it was probably the golf gti that we owned for a day before ms c wrote it off.

 

At least it's better than the rental Vectra that is still the fastest I've driven in a car.

 

Too fast?   A HiJet @ 85 is best kept in a straight line.

[forddeliveryboy]

I'm just happy there's so much private road in this country, which most of us seem to be able to use.

[PhilA]

Erm.. fastest? Current daily driver, 5.7 V8 Dodge Challenger. It just goes and goes and goes until you bottle out. Or hit 155.

 

Felt like the fastest? It's all a matter of perception, I think. Driving an 899cc Fiat Cinquecento off the end of the speedo* (100) is a nerve-wracking experience because every slight curve or use of the steering wheel to do anything other than a straight line feels like you're going to lose control and go rolling very, very quickly into certain death. The same speed in the Dodge feels like 40 did in the Fiat.

 

Fastest accelerating-feeling? Probably my mate's "1.3L base model" RS turbo, which had been tweaked a little to a dynoed 220 bhp at the wheels. I think it was fast feeling because it liked to crack the windscreen if you stamped on it in second and the dash fell off doing 90+ on the M5 due to the suspension. That was like a very fast shopping trolley.

 

--Phil

 

 

* Believe it or not it is possible

[Matt]

Just looked at some data and apparently I did 150mph in the Fezza, not sure how believable that is but there you go.