Your favourite sounding car?

[twosmoke300]

Slightly strange one this but the metallic clack that the brake pedal makes when you release it on a land rover just screams back to my youth driving various old series 3s round the farm. Only remembered it now I'm driving my 90 again .

[fordperv]

I get a warm feeling when I hear a sierra cosworth stretching it's legs, it really is an unmistakable sound

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

https://youtu.be/xYzhA2qxcr8

 

Ben

I'm glad someone mentioned the Triumph straight six. Every time I hear it singing in a GT6, I want one.

https://youtu.be/tmHYy7VgsvA"]https://youtu.be/tmHYy7VgsvA

 

Oh, that and a non-barried mk1 Fez.

 

https://youtu.be/IUpYGrvM6-w"]https://youtu.be/IUpYGrvM6-w

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

 

Ben

 

 

I had forgotten how good the Triumph straight six sounds.

[eddyramrod]

I was thinking about this only yesterday, as we had a meetup for the Furness Classics Facebook Group.  Of the V8s present, which for me always have a long head start on anything else, probably the best was the P6B.  I can say that, and I'd taken my Cadillac!

We were a bit low on sixes, but there was a Triumph TR6 which has always been one of my favourites.

There was also a modern Aston Martin V12, which, to be fair, did sound glorious.

Fewer than 6?  Another vote for the Daihatsu triple, having owned one many years ago.  Brilliantly raucous.

Fours?  Oh go away.

[greengartside]

Ford Cortina Mk5 for the whining box noise between 1st and 2nd.

 

Toyota MR2 Mk2 & Mk1 Metro for the same reason.

 

Ford Fiesta Mk3 1100 HCS engine.

 

Porsche 944

 

Any Vauxhall of the 90's with a induction cone fitted. Makes even a 1.2 sound like it has some balls. Many a time I fitted a cone to a Mk3 1.6 Astra and it sounded pretty good.

 

The sound of a Mk6 Transit Dizzler, from clattering into life into driving it hard.

 

Leyland National.

[Lukas]

I don´t think that all 4-cylinder-engines sound meh! The earlier Subaru Boxer-engines sound great, even with standard exhaust. 

[AlabamaShrimp]

As been said by a couple of people already the Fiesta mk1/mk2 950.

So nice I went outside and made this

 

[Skut]

The deep faintly metallic Vrooooom noise Princesses make when moving off. As if its a lot of effort.

[Pete-M]

Four pot- Impreza WRX

Five pot- all sound wrong. Focus ST.

Six pot- Golf V6 or Alfa 3.0 V6

V8 - Mercedes C63 AMG

V10 - Audi S8

12 cyl - Bentley Continental GT.

 

Not many old things there.

[scruff]

Four bangers - any A series though a really stupid exhaust can spoil the effect

 

Five - ur quattro

 

Six - Rover 3 litre

 

V8 - Rover 3.5 carburettored flavour in Landrover 101... the best factory exhaust note of the lot

 

Diesel - Love the clatter and sizzle of a 2.25 Rover diesel in a Landy or black cab

[mercrocker]

PHACKT:  A Vulcan bomber has the same window winders as a 1962 Austin A35.  This is TRUE*.

 

You mean it has little glass blocks to slide them up and down?!

 

I was pleased to see the Vickers Viscount cockpit ashtrays were the same as my Minor when I visitied Brooklands, though.....

 

Two (non-car) sounds that I will always associate with childhood are the TS3 Commers and the airbrakes on a Beddy TK.   My mate could whistle like those and imitate the sound of a Gardner-engined Atki - at least that's what he said it was.

 

Also backfiring cars - that's something you don't hear much now.   A neighbour had a decrepit Armstrong-Siddeley that used to go off like a 12 gauge every evening when he backed off to turn left into the street. 

[RoadworkUK]

Not going to traipse through the whole thread, but came here to mention Minor 1000 flatulence, Fiesta Valencia burble and Triumph Stag woofle.

 

And special mention for this:

 

 

Almost inaudible thanks to too much sound deadening - but makes me grin.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

My favourite Lancia is the fulvia with the 1300cc compact V4. Fantastic little engine, both banks share the same block and head. Bit like the vw vr6....

Anyway, about 19 seconds into this video there is a nice downshift and a tunnel....

 

https://youtu.be/D3bd-4N1cCw

 

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

[forddeliveryboy]

Yes, I know.

You will have to agree, that I am not exactly the type, who hails anything German.

But the 3.0 Si is one of those cars, where it doesn't matter who built them, let alone which country.

I am convinced, that it wasn't even intended to be what it is. It just coincidentally turned out to be what it is, by pure dumb luck.

A bit like the 77-78 Caprice with the 350/350 and "export/police" 2.41:1 rear axle.

Those cars were never intended to be as good as they are, it just coincidentally fell into place.

 

Just drive a 3.0 Si and you will understand what I mean. And for God's sake, just listen to it.

 

 

Lovely, lovely engine, though sounds a bit smug to my ears. Especially when in the almost too-pretty E9 body. 

[EssDeeWon]

For me:  

 

Old Rover V8 

Classic Rangie EFi

MK1/2 Fiesta

MK4 XR3i  (floored in 2nd or 3rd)

 

 

 

 

[EssDeeWon]

Yes RoadWork, A well kept and serviced KV6 is also a lovely sound, especially on cold start ticking over but in gear.  I sometimes put my window down and switch off the radio to listen to it when on cold and reversing it out.

[Faker]

My nova sport on sidedraught carbs. No better sound in my opinion. Added to that the whine of the straight cut box!

[Fabergé Greggs]

I get a warm feeling when I hear a sierra cosworth stretching it's legs, it really is an unmistakable sound

 

https://youtu.be/g866wQJqCrY

Holy fuck that's entertaining. That guy is flying.

[Yoss]

Add another vote for the Triumph straight six in any car but a mk1 2000 would be my choice. Club Triumph do several long distance events that involve driving through the night and the sound of a straight six howling away several miles away at 3 o'clock in the morning in the middle of the Peak District does it for me.

[TagoraSX]

[Fat_Pirate]

My favouritist V8:

 

https://youtu.be/y2yeMGGijCo?t=1m10s

 

This is a great thread, and I'd love to know why these sounds are so appealing to the ear.  Some of them could be described as sounding like fearsome, powerful animals, but that's not always the case; for instance, Dollywobbler's Daihatsu sounds brilliant despite being a tiny harmless bunny.  And I can see some folks like particular noises because of the memories associated with them - perfectly understandable, but I reckon that's more of a noise fetish (for example, liking the horrible drone of a Pinto engine can only be explained as a fetish, and a bloody weird one that you should be ashamed of).  Perhaps it's the rich timbres, lighting up the same parts of your brain music does?

[willswitchengage]

These Oldsmobile diesels are strangely alluring:

 

[AndyW201]

Pretty much all of my favourites have been mentioned here. My favourite sounds over the years have been,

The Alfasud-like rasp of a mk1 or 2 Astra 1300 ohc.

The gearbox in sump A series is a long standing favourite of mine. Driving my old Allegro for the first time, took me straight back to the Metro I had as a first car. That snorty induction noise alongside the gearbox whine and farty exhaust note when giving it the beans...

The burble of my mate's dad's 2.0 Ambassador when booting it away from the lights.

As mentioned previously, the raspy mk1 and 2 Fiesta. I used to love booting my old mk2 1.4 S in third through tunnels etc.

The first van I ever drove for a living was a mk3 Tranny 2.5 Di. I loved that van, especially the noise. As much as I detested the Citroen C25 that replaced it...

There were a few other diesels I got to like the sound of during my years on the taxis. The old GM 1.7 n/a diesel in a mk3 Cavalier was a slow old thing but sounded like a good old honest-to-goodness diesel that would go forever. I also liked the sound of the 1.9 xud when a firm I worked for started to buy Peugeot 405s.

Then back to van driving, I was given one the earliest Sprinters. I loved the old 2.8 turbo'd 5-pot, especially in the slightly more powerful 312d. Shame Sprinters still don't come with them.

The old Ford four pot comments also ring a bell. In the 80s and 90's there were always crossflow and pinto engined old Ford's snorting and rasping around our town. Two that stood out were a white RS2000 with 7J RS 4 spokes and a Holbay twin-cam conversion and twin 45s that was featured in C&C magazine, and a red de-striped 1600 sport sleeper that had a BDA in. Both were proper underwear spoilers when you heard them getting some wellington!

One of my current favourites is, selfishly, one of my own. The Mercedes M103 six pot is a jewel. Stick it in a 190e, preferably with the sportline suspension package and with the 190e 2.6 you have a great little compact saloon that, despite everyones idea of German cars, rides nicely, handles like a sports saloon and can bimble around like a pensionermobile, or go like a stabbed rat with a touch of kickdown, going from a pleasant burble to a banshee wail in no time. There are probably better straight sixes but it remains my favourite!

[Lacquer Peel]

VW D24 engine, I've loved the sound of them since hearing our neighbour's Everest van as a child which was a late Mk1 LT.

It's the guttural deep straight 6 diesel burble they make at low revs that does it for me. Not a great engine, but a great noise.

[oman5]

I was always obsessed with the noise of the VW LT six cylinder diesel. It's why I still have a Volvo 940 diesel with that engine. I even got a custom stainless sports exhaust made for it, it's got a lovely deep, bassy burble turning into a thrum when you get up to speed.

Anything with a proper big capacity yank V8, and Audi's magnificent 5 pot.

[oman5]

The deep faintly metallic Vrooooom noise Princesses make when moving off. As if its a lot of effort.

I know exactly what you mean! This was mine back in the day. Cool, huh?

 

[Lacquer Peel]

I was always obsessed with the noise of the VW LT six cylinder diesel. It's why I still have a Volvo 940 diesel with that engine. I even got a custom stainless sports exhaust made for it, it's got a lovely deep, bassy burble turning into a thrum when you get up to speed.

 

Video and/or audio please.

[oman5]

Video and/or audio please.

Ooh, special request...ok, I haven't got a vid/audio file handy but I'll try and collar one of the kids to hold the camera tomorrow

[martybabes]

Oh dear, where do I start.

 

OK - let's start with four cylinders (cos singles [except on big bikes] don't do it for me, and twins and threes just don't cut the mouse turd).  For distinctive 4-cylinder sounds, there's always the Moggy 1000, but the Metro is curiously singular too.  But the Impreza flat four is not only distinctive but still makes my head turn just to listen to it. (Example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGml84qMsgc ).  However, the Ford Escort twin-cam from the 70s, in a Welsh forest, at night, on song, is unbeatable.

 

As for 5 cylinders, the Saab gravel crew cars run by the Ford works team had a lovely rumble to them.  But the Audi has the growl that just beats it, possibly. (example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io-1niBbbt8 ).  I still haven't properly come off t'fence for that one. 

 

Sixes is difficult.  There's the straight six of any Beemer giving it the beans.  The old Triumph 2000 and 2500 PI were also music, but the V6 2.5 Ford duratec also sang a good tune.  I think the Bavarian anthem may just carry the day - see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSMsQJMRX04

 

V8 - nothing beats the rumble of a V8. Proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6zyDPIPlEE&index=115&list=FLJ3Y4uL4de6R82NqTTlSjTQ

 

V12 has to go to Aston Martin or maybe to the Paxman Valenta.  I may have to bin AML and go for the Valenta scream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q2o7QUzY6k&index=70&list=FLJ3Y4uL4de6R82NqTTlSjTQ

 

W16 can only be the Veyron.  The start-up sound is simply awesome, let alone the rest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BT777GBf4o&t=13s  (go to 1.12 for the start).

 

And the winner of all time?  Try the Napier Deltic, all 18 cylinders.  Now there's a sound you'll never forget. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6gd1OECL_8 (and go to 23 secs for the real sound - beautiful).

 

 

I daresay I have missed out some lovely sounding engines, and I'll maybe edit this list in time to come.  For now, tho, these'll do...