Favourite Q car

[Albert Ross]

Fiat Marea Weekend 20V Turbo... debadged, of course....

[HMC]

It may not be an obvious choice, but theres something of a q car about the cross pollination of R8 5 door shell and rover T series motor.......

 

 

Take a T series lump more used to hauling about a lumbering 800 shell, and shoehorn it into the lighter , more compact R8 hull. Add no recognition points (except a small change to the bonnet pressing to allow space) and you have something thats a lot faster than it looks. A nice flat torque curve means you dont have to cane it to make progress, so it feels fairly effortless too.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

The modern Q cars are hybrids and electrics, the stupid Fisher Price looking electric BMW hatch with comedy anorexic wheels is quicker to 30 than a V8 M3.

It's all to do with instant power and DAF gearboxes I think. The only hybrid I've had much experience of is the Lexus 4x4 thing which goes like fuck when you boot it because the electric motor boosts the petrol one- terrible fuel consumption though.

Even Priuses seem to be surprisingly quick of the lights, which is the essence of a Q- surprise, by the time your opponent has realised you've got a bit more than he or she thought, it's too late even if they've got twice the power.

 

 

This is one of my favourite Q cars, in this picture the promotional number plate gives away the fact it had a 7.3 V12- same as you'll find in a Zonda, but out on the road it would be just another family wagon with slightly larger wheels. For maximum effect a E220d badge should be fitted.

The original owner was (is?) quite a useful driver too, until he fell off his skis.

[FakeConcern]

I owned this T5 from 2005 until 2012, would surprise wide wheeled Corsa types!

[bub2006]

Rover 600Ti

[Rusty Pelican]

Lotus Carlton 

[DVee8]

Nissan Primera eGT/GT looks like a mini cab,150bhp engine,light weight,very tune-able.

[Timewaster]

I never thought much to my 600ti. It was a terrible example though. I lived up to my user name on that particular purchase.

 

What would you call the opposite of a Q car?

 

I often wondered when a (then) 19 year old goon at work put his head in a financial noose to buy a quite convincing M3 coupe replica which was actually a 318.

 

He didn't appreciate being constantly reminded that the body kit and huge tyres meant it was probably slower than a standard 318.

 

To be fair to the vain twat, he did pull one or two decent sorts in it. Doubt he knew what to do with them though.

[Junkman]

[quicksilver]

I've always loved the idea of the Q car, unassuming bog standard looks and surprising power are very appealing and Mat the Cat's V8 Stellar is a favourite example of such a sleeper. The opposite of a Q car is surely a Barrymobile Saxo or similar with a silly bodykit, big wheels, loud exhaust and unmodified 1-litre engine.

[Skizzer]

Mat the Cat's V8 Stellar is a favourite example of such a sleeper

 

(Slaps forehead) Of course!  We have a winner.

 

Big exhaust for a 1.6 Hyundai Stellar by Skizzer, on Flickr

[forddeliveryboy]

I once drove a mate's Dyane10 down to Cambridge, it was probably the most surprising car on the road that day either from traffic lights, through fast bends or shovelling the Astramaxes out of the way.

[cyruspower]

Renault Safrane Bi-Turbo, Alfa 155 Q4, BMW E34 M5 on those modular wheels which looked like 13 inch trims, Audi 200 Quattro, Fiat Croma Turbo.

[Bren]

 

Audi s4. It looks like a diesel, or a 1.8 T, or any other A4 come to think of it. But it has a V8 lump and 4 wheel drive.

 

Also, it falls within the definition of a muscle car because it is an intermediate sized platform with the engine from a full sized model (A8).

[John F]

Toyota Glanza Turbo. Looks like a Starlet, goes like a rocket.

 

I once had an 'acceleration competition' with one in my V6 Calibra for a few miles on a slightly uphill section of deserted private* motorway, I couldn't lose the baby Toyota until I went past 125 mph. The Toyota pilot got a well-received thumbs up from me once sanity and normal road speeds returned. I've had lots of respect for them ever since.

 

[KruJoe]

The 606 per chance John?

[John F]

The 606 per chance John?

 

Yep

 

We'd obviously hired it for the day.

[KruJoe]

Natch

[Sigmund Fraud]

540 E34... Looks like a 518, goes like an M5.

[Sudsprint]

There was of course the RX7 Estelle..

 

The current You Tube videos of it aren't very good but years ago the previous owner posted an in car video of it that was memorable - can't find that now.

[rrsix]

Didn't a lot of the BRM 200s have the intake resprayed silver by dealers as they weren't shifting well?

 

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c337/ludsonline/Image3-4.jpg

 

I always wanted an orange one.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Just had a run in with a sort of Q car. Coming back from Heathrow, not hanging about on the M1 a red Audi A4 latched onto my bumper . From J7 to 13 it's all 'managed motorway' ie cameras in gantries and I always try not to go too fast under them. But, when I was baulked by traffic and then accelerated the Audi didn't drop back a millimetre , although the driver obviously had the same paranoia as me about the cameras and dint come past.

 

But,at j13 there's a big sign that says 'Go on then,fuck off, no more cameras ' well,that's what it says in my head anyway. I briskly pulled away as both outer lanes were empty for as far as I could see. I fully expected to put Mr A4 2.0 tdi S-Line down, he was obviously toying with me ,because he just sat on my bumper in lane 2 whilst my poor old Bavarian Dizzler donkey gave its all, I saw sense at just under Golf speeds and backed off to a cruise. As it pulled alongside I noticed the little V8,badge on the wing and as it disappeared into the distance saw 4 tailpipes and an S4 badge- Bollocks- if it had been an RS4 the wide arches would have given it away.

[Richard]

 

What would you call the opposite of a Q car?

 

 

 

Escort Harrier.

[Bren]

Golf gti

[DVee8]

 

 

[Skizzer]

Opposite of a Q car is the ubiquitous BMW 318D / Audi A4 TDI 110PS / Merc C200D etc in shouty, bespoilered, 19" wheel MSport / S-Line / AMG-Line trim.  See lane 3 of your nearest motorway for details.  

 

In fact, the drivers' names are all on that 'reinstate Clarkson' petition.

[Timewaster]

There is some fun to be had driving something obviously quick but refusing to let saxo or 316 knobbers bait you into turning then into a dot in the mirror.

Some of them get really upset

[Ghosty]

Debadged 97-03 A3 1.8T quattro has nothing to differentiate it from a 1.6.

Unmessed with 95-01 Civic VTis in both 3dr 1.6 and 5dr 1.8 are sort-of subtle.

[bigfella2]

These seem to be quite subtle to me, Audi a3 3.2 Quattro, fundamentally a Golf R32 without the look at me bodykit and wheels.

 

[rml2345]

Daimler Majestic Major

I remember reading about those in Practially Brassic some years ago and they went like the clappers.

 

The first couple generations of BMW M5 were quite subtle but once they spot the M Sport badge you're busted.

Rover Vitesse or Carlton GSI3000 for me then.

Or a CM5T...