[Hutnicks]

Quote:

I don't mind rain, it's the torrential downpours we were having that are a problem. Slipping and sliding is run, but not being able to see is a b****.

Not surprised about the Altima, I owned one a long time ago and kept it for 2 months before trading it. Most vanilla, generic, uninspiring vehicle I've ever driven. It made an Accord feel exotic.

---

* Rant Mode On *

My guys are working on the Buick GNX, the one with 12 miles on it, and it's a complete cluster****. If a person is going to collect cars, that's great, I'm totally with you, but please for the love of God start the thing up and let it run every once in awhile. Everything on it is ruined, no we didn't try to start it, of course, but all the lubricants are now like paste and the block is seized. Right now I'm wishing I'd never bought it. Even the window motors are messed up, and the washer pump, and well, just about anything else with moving parts. (The stereo works, hah!) My guys are like, "No, no, we can fix it" and I'm sure they can, but I don't want them wasting weeks completely tearing it down and replacing most of the powertrain, with expensive hard-to-locate parts, just to get it back to some semblance running order.

Essentially we're going to get it back to where it's cosmetically and electronically sound and then I'll donate it to the local muscle car museum for a tax write off. I'd like to give the previous owner a good shake and box his ears, though, there's no excuse for this type of idiocy and neglect. It's absurd. I doubt I'll bother trying to find another, the car itself just isn't cup of Joe anyway, it feels cheap and poorly designed, even compared to a Mustang of that era. I'm surprised these things have such a rabid following, TBH.

* Rant Mode Off *

I think a lot of the GNX worship is due to the begining of the rise of NASCAR at the same time. There really was no other product out trying to capitalize on that at the time.
 
Still, Probably should have gone for a Shelby GLHS

 

[Magick Man]

GLHS? You mean Carroll's souped-up Omni? I've driven one, and even though they had really good straight-line speed, they handled very poorly. Like Humpty-Dumpty with a large turbo. The worst understeer and torque steer I've ever encountered, kinda scary stuff. The GNX was much loved because it was the fastest US production car that year, even beating out all the vettes. Despite my feelings about the car I was swayed by one of my mechanics who made a plea to save its life. I'm sure it's going to be a money pit, but I know if I don't let him fix it he'll whine and sulk for weeks, and I'd rather not listen to that.

---------------------

In other news, the Diablo SV was given the green light for road use and we have the numbers, after the engine rebuild: 568bhp and 455ft/lbs of torque. That's ~10%, from stroking it out to 6L and a remap. In a word, it's brutal. The clutch is heavy, but not the worst I've seen, by far. The steering is direct and precise for such a large car, with loads of feedback, and the shifter is fantastic with short throws and a very tactile feel. Overall it's pretty easy to drive, really, except for the visibility which isn't that great, but that's not a surprise (better than the Countach, though). We did pull out the stereo, speakers, and subs, because that's 70lbs of weight that's entirely unnecessary. There's TC but you can adjust it manually or turn it off entirely, no ESC but that's fine with me. What's amazing about it is how it changes when you really give it some stick. Up to ~half pedal you're thinking, "what's all the fuss about?", but beyond that it turns into, "Jesus, this must be how bull riders feel". :blink: With a little work off the line, you can get a 0-60 time of near 3.5secs, and a 1/4 mi. in a shade over 12. It's no slouch, at all.



(Note the rework of the SV graphic, and the cheesy 90s magazine style border I added to the pic.)


Reviewers talk about cars that are trying to kill them, and I think this one really would, if you aren't paying extra attention and are taking liberties with it. Go into a sharp turn, downshift, give it the beans, then some opposite lock, and hold on for dear life. It's just stupid fun. And the sound! FFFUUUUUU... :eek: It's the noise that I imagine would be made by an angry, psychotic T-Rex that's had a burning tree shoved up its arse. Lamborghini should have never stopped making big RWD cars, they're way too awesome. What were they thinking? It's so disappointing that relatively few people, even current Lambo buyers, will never know what it's like to drive these insane cars. Of course the party came to an abrupt halt after about an hour because I broke something in the differential. Oops. Oh well, better now than later and at least I was close to the shop.

The Carrera GT... that's an entirely different kettle of sauerbraten. I'm still hashing out my thoughts in it, I need more time in the saddle, but so far it's near the top of the heap (if not the top). That's a very, very special car.

 

[gikigill]

Glad the Diablo is just as psychotic as I imagined it to be.

 

[Achmedisdead]

I think I  remember reading somewhere, back when it came out,  that the Carrera GT had a really lightweight flywheel, so that the engine picked up and dropped revs insanely fast, like a motorcycle, so it really took an expert to drive it well.  Does that seem to be the case with yours?

 

[Magick Man]

It revs so quickly that the tach can't really keep up. That's a fact. It may "only" have 605bhp, paltry by today's supercar standards, but the magic of it is how top loaded the power is. It's like an S2000 on steroids & crack. It's a V10 that redlines @8250RPMs, and it's happiest >6k. If you don't put your foot into it, it feels like a more surefooted Boxster with ADHD.

 

[veyrongatti]

Quote:

It revs so quickly that the tach can't really keep up. That's a fact. It may "only" have 605bhp, paltry by today's supercar standards, but the magic of it is how top loaded the power is. It's like an S2000 on steroids & crack. It's a V10 that redlines @8250RPMs, and it's happiest >6k. If you don't put your foot into it, it feels like a more surefooted Boxster with ADHD.

I want one, now. But I can't even get an S2000 

 

[VortexBlast]

Quote:

It revs so quickly that the tach can't really keep up. That's a fact. It may "only" have 605bhp, paltry by today's supercar standards, but the magic of it is how top loaded the power is. It's like an S2000 on steroids & crack. It's a V10 that redlines @8250RPMs, and it's happiest >6k. If you don't put your foot into it, it feels like a more surefooted Boxster with ADHD.

 
Is it quicker than the LFA's V10? BTW Magick, have you driven an LFA before? If so what did you think about it?
 
In other news, who's excited for this year's 24h LeMans? I hope that Toyota will show a much better performance than last year's race. I'm not sure if they'll be able to win against Audi but if they're able to bring some exciting competition against them, I'll be more than happy.
Other than that, I really want the SRT Viper team to at least get a podium finish and win against the Corvettes but that's a tall ordeal. The Corvette Racing team has a much bigger experience in endurance racing than Team SRT.
Talking about the SRT Viper: got around $450'000 to spare? The SRT Viper GT3-R is just what the doctor ordered


DO WANT!!!! 

But ultimately, I'm still waiting for the day when they'll revive the GTS-R name.

 
Imagine a street legal race homologation of the GT3-R.

 

[Magick Man]

No, not driven an LFA, but I did get to walk around one. TBH, I'm not sure I understand the hype over it, likely I'd need to drive one to appreciate it. It was the same with the NSX, that car still blows my mind, and it's 17 years old. It's been one of my daily drivers ever since I bought it, and it's better than most of the cars I've purchased that were 4-5x its price. The turbos really make it though, they work so well with it you'd think it came with them from the factory.

However, I have driven a Viper, and they're very uncomfortable (for me), I couldn't see over the long nose, and the interior in the one I was driving was falling apart after only 3 years. It was fast, though.


Hey billy! http://www.osenat.fr/html/index.jsp?aff=1&ordre=2&npp=20&id=15397&lng=en&np=1
Specifically: http://www.osenat.fr/html/fiche.jsp?id=3098943&np=4&lng=en&npp=20&ordre=2&aff=1&r=

Yowzah! May be time for more imports. Starts tomorrow.

 

[customcoco]

[quote name="Magick Man" url="/t/600088/an-audiophile-and-petrolheads-journal-does-life-seem-worthwhile-to-you-heres-how-to-order/3465#post_

Hey billy! http://www.osenat.fr/html/index.jsp?aff=1&ordre=2&npp=20&id=15397&lng=en&np=1
Specifically: http://www.osenat.fr/html/fiche.jsp?id=3098943&np=4&lng=en&npp=20&ordre=2&aff=1&r=

Yowzah! May be time for more imports. Starts tomorrow.[/quote]

Cool!

Drop me a line if you want me to translate, even though they probably have someone paid for that....

 

[customcoco]

This Bnc looks great :

http://www.osenat.fr/html/fiche.jsp?id=3098933&np=1&lng=fr&npp=20&ordre=2&aff=1&r=

 

[Magick Man]

Cool!

Drop me a line if you want me to translate, even though they probably have someone paid for that....

I can read French, just not very quickly. If I get stuck I yell for my Mrs, she's practically fluent.

 

[VortexBlast]

Quote:

No, not driven an LFA, but I did get to walk around one. TBH, I'm not sure I understand the hype over it, likely I'd need to drive one to appreciate it. It was the same with the NSX, that car still blows my mind, and it's 17 years old. It's been one of my daily drivers ever since I bought it, and it's better than most of the cars I've purchased that were 4-5x its price. The turbos really make it though, they work so well with it you'd think it came with them from the factory.

However, I have driven a Viper, and they're very uncomfortable (for me), I couldn't see over the long nose, and the interior in the one I was driving was falling apart after only 3 years. It was fast, though.

Hey billy! http://www.osenat.fr/html/index.jsp?aff=1&ordre=2&npp=20&id=15397&lng=en&np=1
Specifically: http://www.osenat.fr/html/fiche.jsp?id=3098943&np=4&lng=en&npp=20&ordre=2&aff=1&r=

Yowzah! May be time for more imports. Starts tomorrow.

 
Maybe you should try it. That car did win Jeremy Clarkson's heart, he likes it a lot.
No surprise on the NSX. For me, that car in stock form is begging to be tuned. Its chassis and suspension could handle way more than 280HP.
 
I love Vipers for their character. It's one of those very rare cars that even without ever driving it once, you know it's going to be a thrill ride. It's a car filled with soul and that's why I love it. Yeah, the first to the fourth generation Viper wasn't acclaimed for their comfort and interior, heck even the third generation Viper had issues with the airbags where it would literally punch you in the face inadvertently. It's a comedy car, a car that really gives the finger to government regulations and emission standards. It kind of reminds me of TVR.
 
have you considered importing classic French hot hatches like the Renault 5 Turbo or the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16?
BTW, that white Alpine A110 badly needs to be taken care of. According to the description of this car on the website, this car is a 1300VC model from 1972 but there are no mention on the identification papers when it was first registered. The red upholstery is conserved but the driver seat needs to be repaired. The instrument binnacle is still present but they don't mention if they are still working. The engine is not in the car and is in an unknown condition but the transmission is still installed on the car. The wheels are lightweight wheels that was a factory option during the day, no spare wheels though. The whole car hasn't been fiddled with which is uncommon.
Someone needs to buy this car! She badly needs to be revived!

 

[VortexBlast]

Quote:

I can read French, just not very quickly. If I get stuck I yell for my Mrs, she's practically fluent.

 
Oh good then. I'm also fluent in French since I was mostly educated in a French school.

 

[customcoco]

Quote:

I can read French, just not very quickly. If I get stuck I yell for my Mrs, she's practically fluent.

Oh, cool.
 
I may just go there and take a look btw, but that's not sure.

 

[customcoco]

A driver has died au mans. Allan Simonsen, he was 34.