Does a low top speed in a performance car bother you?

[cerb4.5lee]

Mouse Rat said:

In a performance car yes. It would make me question stuff like why limit performance and what other restrictions or constraints have been imposed on components and durability.

On a daily, family, shed, EV etc it wouldn't bother me.

I think that is what fascinates me the most about the Cyberster really, it is a performance car, but without the performance if you know what I mean. It seems silly to me to give something over 500bhp, but then cap it to only 125mph. It just doesn't make sense to me.

As the thread has proved though, the majority don't seem interested in driving at high speeds anyway, so I guess that MG know their market far better than I do in fairness.

[cerb4.5lee]

Dog Star said:

125 mph is more than enough. Except for the IOM and parts of the German autobahn (where I’d wager that 125 is still perfectly adequate) going anywhere near that speed in Europe is going to land you in jail, getting an astronomical fine, your car taken off you - any or all of those outcomes.

Capable of reaching 90-100 and cruising at that speed in comfort will do me.

I’ve got and have had plenty of cars and bikes capable of 155/186mph and it’s a waste. You get the odd Walt/bullstter/string backed driving gloves types on here who reckon that they need to go 160mph on the family holiday across Germany but I’ve never seen one in person (I used to live in Munich too). I’d much rather the manufacturers concentrated on other aspects of the vehicle and drive train than an utterly meaningless top speed.

It is rare to see anyone absolutely tanking it nowadays as you say. I guess the threat of getting banned, plus the multitude of speed cameras, and the traffic volume puts people off now.

There was a time(even in the UK) when folk did used to drive at high speeds though. Even I remember a time when you could easily sit in the outside lane of the motorway at a 100mph, and I'm only in my early 50's for example.

I still remember how sad I felt when I saw the first ever speed camera pop up, and it only went downhill from there sadly.

[cerb4.5lee]

HiAsAKite said:

This was TVR (and a few other sportcar manufacturers) real party trick..

They managed to build cars that were both enjoyable and thrilling a license losing speeds in most of europe, but also engaging and emotive at lower speeds as well.

Just burbling and cracking along at 20-40 mph in a wedge, a S, a griffamera, cerb, tuscan etc - was equally engaging (but very different) to dooing 60, 70, 80, 100+ etc

You wouldn't want to cruise the autobahn at 150+ in most of them (At least not my chimaera - if it would get there) - but that wasn't the point.

I see the same argument and justification with caterfields and the like, etc.

My a daily (a 340hp S4) - whilst at least as quick in the real world as my Chimaera, and much quicker and calmer place to be at autobahn speeds, is nowhere near as engaging.
Buts it s 5 door estate family wagon - so it is trying to be something very different
I see the same when people write about 500hp 2.5t EVs etc

I loved my Cerbera for that as well, and you didn't need to be absolutely flogging it to have fun/enjoyment. The upgraded exhaust gives me a fair bit of theatre in the 370Z, and that is enjoyable when you tickle the throttle a bit/downshift etc, but the Cerb was a master at that though I thought.

[cerb4.5lee]

kambites said:

HiAsAKite said:

This was TVR (and a few other sportcar manufacturers) real party trick..

They managed to build cars that were both enjoyable and thrilling a license losing speeds in most of europe, but also engaging and emotive at lower speeds as well.

One could make a strong argument that the way they achieved this was by not bothering to engineer their cars to actually be safe at the speeds they could achieve.

I had the boot open on its own once at 140, and I thought who the hell is keeping up with me at first when I looked in the rear view mirror!

Plus if you forgot to lock the bonnet under the dash, that would also lift up on its own at high speed too. A TVR will always make you smile(and cry at times) that is for sure.

[cerb4.5lee]

popeyewhite said:

What 'performance car' has a low top speed?

It was the MG Cyberster that prompted me to start the thread. It has over 500bhp...but it only manages to top out at a paltry 125mph. So a great example of a performance car with a low top speed for me.

[cerb4.5lee]

wc98 said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I've always done the max out thing too. Although I was only brave enough to see 160mph in the Cerbera though, because it felt like it wanted to take off! I did see 165mph on the clock in the E92 M3 though, and that was rock solid and very stable in comparison.

I've only been to 147mph in the F82 M4 though...so I must try harder I reckon!

Doing 160 in a Cerbera takes some balls whereas 155 on the limiter in an M4 would be a doddle. I can remember my first encounter with a TVR just outside Stonehaven way back when i had a Mk2 16v GTI. Was used to harassing far more powerful rwd cars in the wet (the week before had the pleasure of seeing a 928 stepping out big time with me up his arse in heavy rain on a local road just before a rwd Cosworth joined the fun and we all had a carry on before going our separate ways at a roundabout with a cheery wave and a laugh) when this big green thing pulled out in front of me. I thought here we go, but no, he just disappeared down the road after straightening it out and the last sight i had of him was piling into a fast corner about 20 mph faster than i would have, was great to see.

Once i could afford decent sports bikes i completely forgot about getting a fast car. There was no way i could run something really quick for anything like the cost of a quick bike and the dynamics of the bike just made them far more involving and fun for me. We would do odd daft things in the evenings after work if we didn't fancy a proper run, like the near 20 mile run between two towns on a nice bit of dual carriageway jsut to see how quick we could do it. It didn't take long flat out in 6th there and back.

Back then the speed that a 1000cc bike would indicate 180 mph plus was incredible, the new stuff from BMW, Ducati and the Japanese manufacturers must be mental.

I'm currently in the process of deciding whether to get a circa 2012 Fireblade or a fun car like a 6 cylinder 1 series to do me into my motoring dotage alongside the humdrum stuff we use as daily transport. I'm erring on the side of a bike again as the fuel bill for a fun car will be ridiculous these days. I took my wifes Cla 180 to visit a friend the other night, a round trip of just under 40 miles,split roughly 50/50 between dual carriageway and lovely technical b roads. I used quarter a tank of fuel and its only a 1.6 turbo with less than 130hp so i'm thinking fun driving in something like a 130i is going to see single figure returns on mpg. Not handy on a euro trip when your not a PHPBD

Bikes are absolutely awesome for performance as you say. I always remember having a bit of fun with a chap on a ZX6 Ninja in the Cerbera. I went from 30mph to 130mph and I just couldn't get anywhere near him(he just sailed off into the distance). It was great to see how easy it is to drop a car when you're on a motorbike I thought.