Can you resist the urge to mash down the accelerator? Can you? Because it’s like owning your own demon. A demon that wants to kill you. We all know one person that for the right amount of money would kill you. But since no one is paying, they smile in your face and go about their day.After you buy one, of course.
It’s like that except the Viper doesn’t bother to ever pretend it doesn’t want to kill you.
And it will do it for free.
And pay for the insurance, which is not cheap. That's getting into the area of how much it would cost to insure a twin-engined airplane, which will go about as fast as a Dodge Viper, but with less prospects of killing you.
I reached about 135 in this: https://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2007/05/12/11/42/1989_toyota_mr2-pic-32245-640x480.jpeg
ReplyDeleteFelt solid as a rock. 100 in a VW Rabbit, on the other hand, felt like I was about to look like a cereal box tumbling in the wind.
My speed demons, though, were well sated by my flying experiences. I think I could handle the rocket car, except that I'd hate the waste of gasoline in just day-to-day use.
I had and 1986 Accord up to 117 before running out of road on Highway 17 in SC. Car felt fine.
ReplyDeleteA `91 Civic felt as though the front end was going to lift off at 105. And a `72 Mazda RX-2 felt as though it was going to come part just over 105.
A `71 Audi-100 was stable at 125. Outran/maneuvered the CT staties in one at 4AM on I-95.
Statute of limitations must have passed for you to admit that, eh?
ReplyDeleteMy 73 Charger had a speedometer that went up to 150. I had it up to 120 before I got scared enough (which took a lot since I was 20 at the time) to take my foot off the gas. Nowadays, I just leave earlier.
Dale
My Porsche Boxster is very stable and comfortable at speed. I haven't had it past 105, but I was riding with the Gold Rush Rally folks at the time. Lots of high performance iron in that group.
ReplyDeleteI'm now old enough to know that getting up over 100 comfortably on occasion is all I really need. The consequences of, say 140 (stats say the car will do a buck and a half), increase logarithmically after 100, so what's the point?
LRod
ZJX, ORD, ZAU retired
I went 135 on a motorcycle once, but it was on a race track and I decided while it was happening that I didn't ever want to do it again.
ReplyDeleteMy Torino with a 351 Cleveland in it did 120, and I did that twice when I was in high school, and sort of got over it.
When my brother gave me back that car after our little car was totaled, I brought it to Oakland and had my friend Rob check it out. I told him that it did 120 a long time ago and he just grinned and said "It still does."
-Doug in Oakland
There are a couple of roads in the Parrish of St. Tammany that had long (4 mile plus) straight sections with no side roads or drives (but swampy ground or pine trees to the sides), perfect for that kinda stuff. So I pushed a couple of vehicles that way, the wildest was a '78 LTD Starion Wagon with a 302...solid, but slow to get over about 90. Got clocked in a '76 Mustang II doing 91 in a 55 on I-12, and the cop listened to my story for a minute and said "Son, shut-up! If I write this for more than 24 over, I have to take you to jail now. If you can be quiet for 5 minutes, I'll write it for 79 in a 55."
ReplyDeleteFastest I've done was 155 in a '99 Corvette Hardtop, on I-10 over the Atchafalaya Spillway. Nice and steady, but the windows popped about a half-inch off their gaskets at 150 due to the slipstream. That "bridge" has no entry points for traffic and was clear till I hit 155, then the traffic ahead made me back off...comes up mighty fast at 150+. By contrast, the LORAN once showed 186 across the ground in an Archer.
1. If I lived in the Dakotas or Montana or near enough to the Bonneville Salt Flats, I'd probably at least look longingly at a Viper. Alas, I live in an urban area and we have police and slow drivers.
ReplyDelete2. The car's description so reminded me of "200 MPH" that I had to laugh.
Yes in a NY second.
ReplyDeleteI've been in nearly as fast or potentially faster. Hell my 2.7 powered 'yota can
hit the speed limiter 113 and be far from running out of motor. Been faster on tracks wher there are others not out to kill me.
The beast in question can do the quarter in about 10.8 as delivered. what that means
is if you mash the gas shit happens fast. like 0-60 in under 3 sec fast, that's what insane horsepower can do. Needs bigger rubber for serious track time.
The problem ie to play at that level you need to be in 100% and dump the phone and forget the radio. Things happen too fast for play.
Had a very recent ride in a Dodge Hellcat SRT , Its quick and only 700 hp.
FYI half the buyers are not running them or maybe for cruse night, they are
buying a limited edition for its potential resale value... later. A few might be racing the quarter with it.
Eck!