Well on a better note it caused me to move beer o'clock up about 30 minutes.
edit: and page three of a joke post on a freakin Prius!
Last edited by Nixer; 02/13/2109:29 PM.
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Look for me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tic Toc...or anywhere you may frequent, besides SimHq, on the Global Scam Net. Aka, the internet. I am not there, never have been or ever will be, but the fruitless search may be more gratifying then the "content" you might otherwise be exposed to.
"There's a sucker born every minute." Phineas Taylor Barnum
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
We have a Honda S2000 and a Honda Civic Type R and love them both. We went with muted colors, though. Gray for the S2000 because that works best with the soft-top, and white with the Type R, in order to tone down the extravagance of the car's funky aerodynamics. I've long since rolled into my 50s and so may be considered too old for such cars. But I figure: so what And our daily driver is yet another Civic which is boring and blue to the point of invisibility on the road.
Bah. Don't feel bad, DKM, I was still driving a Civic into my 40's. In fact, I didn't outgrow econo-sport Hondas, they outgrew me. Once the dash went funky digital and a new Si exceeded $20k (despite a boost in power), I lost interest. I'm still driving the 2008 Element that replaced the Civic (was more practical at the time). Almost 200k miles on the Element, I might get another 10 years out of it.
I miss my '99 Civic Si sometimes (maybe not as much as my '89 CRX Si) and kept it in tip-top shape (last two pics at my FL home right before I sold it to my brother in 2008 EDIT: GA plate, had to be 2009 when he returned for a visit)...
Last edited by MarkG; 02/16/2102:12 AM.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
As I alluded to earlier, if I was to do another fast car build I'd strongly consider a 92-95 Civic hatch as the basis, they're dirt cheap and only 2200 lbs, throw in a 600ish horsepower built turbo'ed K motor and it will move.
Before we get back to the Prius, I just wanted to show what I feel is absolute perfection in elegant styling, inside and out (from the early 90's, modern safety requirements including mandatory backup screen be damned)...
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
There's a reason I still play The Need for Speed SE, and not just because I'm a retro gamer (I have many versions of NFS from over the years after this edition of the original)...
Acura NSX (0:00) Chevrolet Corvette C4 ZR-1 (0:40) Dodge Viper RT-10 (1:27) Ferrari 512TR (2:11) Lamborghini Diablo VT (2:56) Mazda RX-7 (3:39) Porsche 911 Carrera (993) (4:22) Toyota Supra Turbo (5:07)
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
The NSX is pretty much design perfection. They have started to appreciate quite a bit. People are recognizing what modern classics they are.
The video of Ayrton Senna throwing one around Suzuka in loafers and tennis socks is a classic
In all my years I've never seen the like. It has to be more than a hundred sea miles and he brings us up on his tail. That's seamanship, Mr. Pullings. My God, that's seamanship!
I've never driven an NSX but love its clean design and appreciate how completely it changed the landscape for near-exotics when it came out. And though I'm pretty much a Honda guy (inexpensive and reliable etc.), I have to confess that if I had 50 or 60k burning a hole in my pocket, I'd be temped to plunk it all down on a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. The 350's naturally aspirated 5.2 liter flat plane crank Voodoo engine revs like nobody's business, and the sound it makes is to die for. Plus, the 350 comes with a six-speed manual transmission. In an era of wall to wall turbos, slick-shifting dual-clutch automatics, governmental regulations, and a constant push towards an EV-only future, the 350 is very nearly the last of its breed. And I'd likely wrap myself around a tree if I tried to really hoon a GT500, so the 350 it is . . .
I'm actually looking forward to EVs, as not only are they interesting in their own right, but with new major factory offerings out of the picture, it should really open things up for the little companies that offer gas powered resto mods and reproductions.
< I'd better get this post in before the winter sky once again blocks my satellite (internet has been *really* spotty this morning). >
1. DKM, I watched a couple of current Civic Type R videos last night; performance is now in a whole different league than what I'm used to. Will your Type R outgun your S2000?
2. I miss my '89 CRX Si because, despite high interest rates in the late 1980's, I paid less than $12k. This included A/C (~$1k), an option I didn't get on my '87 Dodge Colt because, who needs A/C in the Deep South when that money would be better spent on aftermarket amps and speaker components?! But then you get a wife with different priorities.
Hondas were so simple to compare-shop dealerships back in the day: DX, LX, EX and Si...you knew *exactly* what features and color options you were getting just by those badges, having only to add mats and sunroof visor. The '89 CRX Si didn't even have power windows or locks...perfect. Recaro-styled knockoffs, a slick clutch and shifter and a removable top of some sort (in this case a power sunroof) was all I needed. Much fun driving that little car in the North GA mountains (usually Atlanta to Helen)...windows down, roof open and stereo blasting (within reason...the wife factor again).
3. The Miata comes closest today and would be our first choice.
4. Only car I've ever owned with pop-up headlights, a red '86 Integra LS coupe 5-speed that we bought from my wife's boss as we needed a second car and the condition was so immaculate. Wife used it as her work car. That car had the smoothest shifting action I've ever driven, and I loved popping up the lights at dusk. The first gen. Integra was really something special for the $, IMO.
5. Crane, you know you miss the seating position in your Fiero! I thought that was its best feature, having your ass so low to the ground and the shifter well above your knee.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
The seating position was fun, but my particular example had been outfitted with a rock hard aftermarket racing suspension, and together it made for a spine crunchingly rough ride even in my early 20s.
The handling was unreal though, like a go-kart, although it was very tricky to get the best out of it.
The S2000 is a unique and joyful and occasionally scary car to drive (especially the AP1 version, which is what I have). The car is unusually light and tightly spung and has a nearly perfect 50/50 weight distribution and revs to 9000 RPM before the fuel cut-off kicks in. And once the cam rolls over at 6200 RPM, that VTEC surge really does carry you into the stratosphere. It's also a car that will bite you hard if you mess up (both snap- and lift-off- over-steer can bring the back around in a flash). For canyon carving, I prefer the S2000, especially when the weather is good
The Type R is bigger and heavier and front-wheel-drive with a 60/40 weight distribution. It's less fun than the S2000 if you are simply chasing the twisties. But on the track (I live reasonably close to the Utah Motorsports Campus), the Type R pretty much obliterates the S2000. First gear isn't great, but from second gear on, the Type R pulls as hard as any car I've driven in its class (obviously it would be smoked by cars like the Mustang GT350 or the Camaro ZL1 or just about any contemporary 911). And the Type R handles corners better than I would have thought possible for a FWD car. The car is so neutral that corners are basically point-and-go. Is it as fast as, say, a Cayman S? Not even close. But then again, it's less than half the price. And it's reliable, with low maintenance costs.
If I had to give up one, I'd probably give up the Type R. But each is amazing in its own way. And with a bit of luck and careful planning, either one of them is within reach of even a working class stiff like myself. And that's a good thing
The GT500 is certainly an amazing car. And if I had that kind of money, I'd be temped to have one in my garage as well I can't help wondering, though, whether we have crossed some kind of threshold with respect to high horsepower (and high torque) cars. It seems like after a certain point (which for me is about 400 horses and maybe 350 foot-pounds of torque), additional horsepower and torque are basically unusable in most circumstances. In that sense, putting my foot into a GT500 or a Dodge Demon or even an old school Viper has basically the same effect as flooring just about any other 400+ hp rear wheel drive car: the tires light up. And that is as true in second and third and sometimes even in fourth gear as it is in first in a straight pull. Which is certainly fun, but it also means that in most circumstances, all that additional horsepower is almost never actually used (except to increase the cost of consumables a bunch) . So yeah, I kind of want a GT500, too I'm just not sure how often I'd be able to actually use most of that additional power.
I never found that, unless you're talking about truly ridiculous power levels, but I am definitely a lot more risk adverse on the road than I once was, so I'm not sure if I'd want to really push that thing hard too often.
And our daily driver is yet another Civic which is boring and blue to the point of invisibility on the road.![[Linked Image]](https://mfpclassiccars.com/img/f/1/1993-jdm-rhd-mazda-rx7-fd3s-efini-federal-legal-5-speed-mt-twin-turbo/1993-jdm-rhd-mazda-rx7-fd3s-efini-federal-legal-5-speed-mt-twin-turbo-8.jpg)
