What was your best street car?

[JeffW]

OK from my humble perspective (is everyone sitting down?).

1940 Morris Series E coupe - best little car to learn how to go round a roundabout as fast as possible - even on two wheels. Bigger tires, shaved the head, painted it red (with a brush) and thought I was cool.

1936 MG TA. Nice looking car (also red) that people loved. When I needed a part folk would get or make the piece for me or help out in any way. Case in point: a mechanic friend would arrange for a safety check sight unseen - the car was described as concours - only two packs of smokes. Car was terribly slow however and roundabouts were of no interest to it.

1964 MGB. Previously owned by an Abingdon engineer who modfied the motor - sweet car and was able to apply everything and more that I learned about roundabouts with the Morris.

1968 Firebird 400. Monster car - took my racing drivers school in it. No speed limits in those days....no roundabouts however, but would like to own it now.

Today a Miata and a Cayman S. Both great cars.

Jeff W

[might return]

My plan was to return to racing this summer but during my physical a little problem was found, and instead of racing I've been doing Chemo and a little radiation for variety, man what a drag. Well, I still have the need so at the spur of the moment I bought a Mustang, an 08 GT. I've had to drive trucks mainly for my job and the fact that I have two 200lb. Newfoundland dogs. The last fast car I've was in 1977 a European 930, and it was a fast car in it's day. Well I drove the Mustang for a few days and thought it could handle much better, and so the journey begins.
Eibach 4 corner fully adjustable coilovers.
14 in. Baer brakes
Watts Link
heavy bars front and rear
Liquid filled Alum. drive shaft
Bassiani exhaust port back SS exhaust with dual high flo cats.
Steeda short throw shifter
and last but not least an Aluminator Ford Racing forged rods and crank low compression long block which will make an easy 550hp. with the right blower, and will when I decide what blower to use.
I have a feeling this will be one BAD ASS car when finished.
I'm probably going to have to post a couple of pics. of this thing.

[marc sproule]

Only if it was snowing in your car when it happened.

Snowing in the car????????????

You absolutely have to expand on that a bit.

Was it a ragtop, the top wasn't up and, and,..........????

Inquiring minds just gotta know!!!!!!

[Fast04]

This was the first car I bought, I picked it up in Eugene, OR in January of 2004. It wasn't running and needed some restoration but in between school and chores I got the car running in time to drive it to high school for my graduation! The car puts a smile on my face every time I drive it and makes even going to the dentist fun!

(Apologies to the dentist's on Apex)

Mark

[Roux]

This was mine. 2nd car I ever owned. Mostly "great" due to the memories. I really regret selling it.

Anyone want to guess what the year, make and model is?

[glenn cooper]

Lancia?, or maybe a Maserati?
Wha?????????

[Dennis Valet]

I'm young, leave me alone








I hope I can update this thread in 10+ years

[dc]

So I guess any car story after this one is gonna be kinda anti-climatic???

Only if it was snowing in your car when it happened.

Snowing in the car???????????? You absolutely have to expand on that a bit. Was it a ragtop, the top wasn't up and, and,..........???? Inquiring minds just gotta know!!!!!!

Climatic and climactic are two VERY different words.

[Franklin Futrelle]

my 03 Mitsubishi Evo. my wife even wants another 1

[glenn cooper]

Dude, you got ma, mahr, (hold on) mahhareesh, wait, muh, muh, dang it, married?

[brownslane]

When I was 17, I bought a 1969 Chevelle SS-396-375. Would not turn or stop to save your life, but BOY would it accelerate! And how I did not kill myself in that car was a mystery! I kept that car for 6 years.

Next car was a 1971 Triumph TR-6. By the time I was done, it was cammed, ported/polished, ran 235/70/15's , lever shocks converted to tube Spax's. I couldn't accelerate like before, but I could brake and turn! What a revelation. I kept that car for 26 years. Met my wife in that car

Early Honda Civic (1980). Tiny little car, tiny, cute little engine with the teeniest, cutest carburetor, but a LOT of fun. the car would be up on three wheels at 35 mph! And doing backwards donuts in parking lots in the snow was a blast. I took my driver's school at Mosport in that car...

I still have my replica LeMans 1956 D-type. Right hand drive, long nosed and full-finned car. Replica of the Belgian car as raced in 1956 (finished 5th). The PRETTIEST car in the world, IMHO. Bright Belgian Yellow. It is too hot, too noisy, too windy, too hot, too stiffly sprung, too hot, did I mention it was hot? Lou (my wife) and I have done retrospective race events with it, we drove it to the HSr races at the GLen last year....How hot was it you say? Well, Lou and I drove downtown, went for a walk and had a coffee in town. We bought a couple of books at the used book store. Drove back to our cabin up the hill, and by the time we got there, the heat from the exhaust had melted the plastic bag! We BOTH still love that car

2004 Mini CooperS. This is my wife's car. Tiny little buzzy motor. You don't think you are going so quick 'till you check out the speedo! My buddy Karl has a shop on one side of the Lake. My other buddy, Jeremy, is on the other side of the lake, 11 kilometers away. Now Karl builds race cars. He and Jeremy had built an FIA Mustang (vintage 1965) coupe for the Targa Newfoundland. The road between Karl and Jeremy's houses is the test road. It is full of off-camber turns, blind humps over beaver dams, tarmac and gravel transitions, swamp and trees right up to the sides of the road, basically everything you might experience in the Targa. One day Karl and I were at his place. He said "let's go see Jeremy"...we took Lou's mini. Karl was navigating as I had only driven the route once before. Now, this is a two lane (really kinda 1 1/2 lane) road, so I couldn't apex the far side, but I was at about 90%...the car ran in 3rd and 4th gear, bouncing off the rev limiter. Karl is calling out the crests, turns, braking points, and the speedo readings. I was just beating the crap out of that car!! Holy SMOKES!! is is quick! Karl just kept yelling out HOLY SH## every once in a while. We got to Jeremy's place. Karl jumps out and yells to Jeremy to "sell that Mustang, we're building a Mini!!"

We were hitting 165 on a road that had a speed limit of 40 (KM/HR)....the Mini just "drifts" the rear end out about 25 degrees or so...never rotated any further, and you can control the rear end position solely through throttle....the easiest car I have ever had to drive on gravel.....by far!! We still have that car.

The D-type

http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/f...MG_5693.jpg%26

Tom

[Bill Bonow]

Anyone want to guess what the year, make and model is?

Roux,

Looks Italian, but have no clue. I give, what is it?

[Mark_Silverberg]

This was mine. 2nd car I ever owned. Mostly "great" due to the memories. I really regret selling it.

Anyone want to guess what the year, make and model is?

Mr. Roux - I will take a stab - IKA Renault Torino built in Argentina?

[Roux]

A poor mans Jensen Interceptor. I was told that Gilbern was the only car built in Wales. this was a Gilbern Invader MkIII which was their last offering in 1972-3. 212 MkIII were built and Gilbern only built a total of just over a thousand cars, mostly sold as component cars. So you got a fully painted almost complete car, but you had to put the engine and trans in and attach the rear wheels, steering and exhaust. That way they got around some substantial amount of the VAT. Ford V6 3.0 with a 4 speed with overdrive. Most of the chassis was 1 inch square tubing as far as I could tell with fiber glass body. Luxury items like electric windows and dual fuel tanks etc made it fun to own as a youngster learning about cars. It was fun

[turnbaugh]

2009 Rossion Q1- Mid engine 450HP, 390 ft/lbs. 2281 pounds. Composite body over spaceframe.

Fully adjustable suspension. 0-60 3.1; 0-100 7.5; 1.1Gs on street tires

Rides well on the street but handles like crazy. Mine is the grey one.

[tintopdave]

1988 Mustang GT- got it for cheap in '96(I was 18) with minor dents/cosmetic issues. None of my friends Datsuns/Hondas could touch it. Even though I've had Honda race cars & a street 510 since, they still make fun of my "5.0"- it got stolen in '98, so it stands undefeated...

[veefan]

[FONT=Verdana]This car has my vote, it's actually my sons now...[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]From the outside, ugh, another kid in a Black Audi 1.8... [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]Not, de-badged 2004 Audi S4... Audi was bored and dropped a slightly de-tuned version of the V8 Audi R8 super car engine in a little Audi A4 body... he loves to embarrass old rich guys in their shinny new Vettes [/FONT]

[Scala]

1997 Suzuki Swift. 1,850lbs. from the factory. 1.3-litre single-cam four, 70 hp. Same power/weight ratio as a BMC Mini Cooper. 155/80-13 tires that cost $25 each to replace.

Brought it home new, stripped the interior, bled in some ATE Super Blue and drove the snot out of it for years. Most fun I ever had on the road.

[chrisw52]

my 03 Mitsubishi Evo. my wife even wants another 1

I just sold my best car today to make room for the new FF 1600. I had a 2003 Mitsubishi Evo, but in blue.

Why was it the best?
I was my autocross car since I bought it new in 2004. I never got to participate a lot at the national level with this car, but in the SF region I earned

3 Street mod championships with 3 second place finishes split between the regular season and our winter slush series.

the car was amazing to drive. I traded my Subaru STI on the spot for this car after the test drive because the feedback that the car gives you is like nothing else I have driven.

It was very easy to modify and with the cast iron block (shared with the fuzo/mitsubishi diesel) it is incredibly strong and the stock internals can easily hold 500+ hp at the wheels and still pass smog without too much of a hassle.

In bad weather I never hydroplaned more than one wheel at a time. NEVER, not even when the forecast called for an inch of rain in an hour.

I'll miss that car.

[racer27]

Car I miss the most, 1981 FIAT Spider Turbo... It had classic looks, speed power. Wish it had the reliability. Sold it to buy the VD FF.

Tied for Second,,, 2nd Gen Toyota MR2 (A Mini Ferarri). I'd buy one today, if I came across a nice Turbo , T-top Version....

First Gen Miata

86 Alfa Spider Quad- Best looking, but least reliable, most expensive to mintain, car owned.

Enjoying my Current Madza RX-8 40ths Annaversey Edition. 15MPG takes some of the fun out of ownership.

Worst Cars - Saab 900 Convertable (Ruined by GM) and Lincoln Aviator

[wake74]

This is an easy one. My 1973 MGB V8, Sold after it sat unused for 6 months after Alex was born (common story I'm sure). It was my first big mechanical project, as I did the conversion myself, rebodied it one point, when I found the original one was rotted beyond repair, etc.

It was a blast to drive around town and in the twisties, with the Rover all aluminum 3.9 engine, and a T5 trans out of a mid-80s Camaro. Less fun on the highway, as I never got around to swapping out the stock 3.9 rear.

Always got a lot of smiles as the car didn't match the dual exhaust note





Even managed to find the web-site I created when I put her up for sale if there are any British Car guys on this list: http://www.wakefieldweb.org/mgb.htm

I didn't realize how much I missed her

[dc]

Hey! Thread from the dead, cool!



I just got the best car I have ever owned only a few months ago. It was one of the few realistic "bucket list" cars that I have wanted to own for a very long time. I got to a good point with the new business and my old car and said, "it's time." I absolutely love driving it every day and likely will have it for quite a while.

1996 BMW e36 M3 Coupe, TechnoViolet Metalic w/84k miles and completely stock (for now).









[Jan 2014 Edit] Now with 105,000 miles of interstate commuting. ::

[marshall9]

It's a tie between my 1996 Tahoe with 210000 miles on it, that still blows ice cold A/C and doesn't leak or burn any oil and my current toy, Porsche Cayman. The Cayman is near 50/50 weight distribution, handles better than any production Porsche, with the exception of the GT3, is affordable to buy and affordable in insure. Not blindly fast at 5.8 0-60 and 160mph top end, but it does corner well.

[TimH]

Hands down my current 2004 RX8. Ok, the horsepower is barely adequate, but the trunk takes a surprising load of groceries and with everyone in my family under 5'6" we can easily fit four passengers in a package that's an absolute hoot to drive. It's kept completely stock and takes me to work every day. Next best car in the family is the 2006 Shinka RX8 I had to buy the wife to satisfy her envy.

Most fun, of course, was the lovingly-modified 1994 RX7 but I never dared trust it for a commute and it finally had to go to make room for the Caldwell.

[azjc]

Can I change my mind?

[starkejt]

Nobody's going to point out matching the M3 to the baby?

[marshall9]

Can I change my mind?

Nice, John. Hope you are well.

[azjc]

Nice, John. Hope you are well.

Doing well, been incredibly busy & stressful at work since the first of the year (11 hr days have been the norm).... But just got back from vacation (my second passion - Sailboating) and bought the SLK for a bit of fun / relaxation.

Race car is going together, looking to be at Mondo event (maybe at Inde but it's the week after family weekend at NAU).

[dc]

Nobody's going to point out matching the M3 to the baby?

No coincidence... I like purple.

[starkejt]

Odds are very low that you would get a Violet M3 and a Violet daughter out of pure coincidence. If you stare at "Violet" on your screen long enough, you will convince yourself it can't be a real word.

[Ranald]

1997 M3 Sedan which I continue to use as my daily driver. Bought with 30k miles on it in 2000, it now has 210k, Dinan Stage 2 suspension, and is still feels like pretty much the same car as the day I got it. A truly wonderful, versatile beast.

2006 Cayman S is just filled with thrills and a joy in its own right, other historical beasts like a Spitfire, a 240Z, a Camaro SS, an Alfa Spider, an Alfa Milano, and a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE (2+2 single headlight Series I) with the 3.0 liter v-12 and a warehouse worth of downdraft Webers have all held their attractions.....but the M3 has to be the best, most fun, most all around, most reliable.....just the most

[Siberian64]

My first car was the family hand me down 1968 VW Camper - fantastic car for a high school kid and ran like hell in the mild winter snows on the back roads of northern VA. Learned how to rebuild motors and transaxles on that car - still my favorite!

Today it's a 2004 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro - fastest I have ever driven off track (130mph) and on the twisties of North County San Diego (Del Dios for you San Diegans)... Dual clutch and paddle shift - wow!

[provamo]

any one of about a half dozen dead stock Datsun 510 beaters

[awegrzyn]

This was and is my best street car ever, while I owned or driven most of the other major cars (Ferrari, Porsche, Viper, BMW, Audi R8, etc):

[PaulT]

What happened to the little girl's left hand? Photoshop?

Paul

[RobLav]

Since this post started a couple years ago, I had the fortune to own a yellow Lotus Esprit V8 Twin Turbo. Beautiful machine, and I fit in it like a glove. But the chassis was not very stiff and the steering feel was lacking with very little self centering. Yes, the alignment was per spec. So I sold it....

[El Guapo]

Attachment 35273

Bought this in May....totally awesome machine 0 to 60 in 2.7 secs. and 196 top end plus AWD handling...

[TimH]

What happened to the little girl's left hand? Photoshop?l

That's the ghost of the little boy's dead grandmother.

Weird effect.

[Beartrax]

What happened to the little girl's left hand? Photoshop?

Paul

Perhaps she just moved her hand and it was a long exposure? Her feet are a tad blurry, too. Kids that age do not sit still for long.

[awegrzyn]

What happened to the little girl's left hand? Photoshop?

For some reason I took the picture of the car with my son only. Later on I felt bad, so I added my daughter on the fly. Not to mention she likes cars more than my son.