Saturday night drive story/Very cool/Worth reading
02-16-2004, 10:16 AM
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Saturday night drive story
This story is just amazing! Read it from European Car magazine this morning and I had my keyboard speedster daughter type it for me:
>>>>"03 Porsche 911 C4S/Education Through Being Stupid" by Scott Oldham.
Sometimes when you drive a car as special as a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, it's your duty to school others: here's why my car is better than yours. Last Saturday night was one of those times.
I was driving home from one of the many philanthropic programs I support. It was after 10, and I knew that if I got home by 11, I could settle in and enjoy a rerun of "Friends" and a nice glass of chardonay, a fine way to end a wonderful week of hard work and underpay, traffic was light, and I was making the most of the Porche's excellent high-speed stability. Usually I don't drive so fast, but I really wanted to see "Friends". My sixth sense was telling me it was the one when Ross wears the leather pants, plus I knew the California Highway Patrol changes shifts at 10 p.m.
So, with the digital speedometer reading exactly 100 mph, I was humming along the westbound free way, minding my own buisness and looking for Christina Aguilera on the radio because I think she's a much bigger talent than Britney. About 20 miles from home, I came up on a pack of tuned Hondas with the requisite big wings and load exhausts. They were cruising around 90 mph, being good citizens. I didn't even look over as I cruised past. After all, I'm in the Porsche. But one of the Honda Heads, a guy in a Prelude, felt frisky and latched onto my tail.
The school bell had rung.
Leaving it in sixth, I increased my speed to 105 mph. Then 110. Then 115. Then 120. I couldn't believe it, but but as 125 mph I could still hear his obnoxious exhaust buzzing in the blind spot over my left shoulder.
Time to teach.
I downshifted to fifth gear and hit it down. The Porsche burst forward like it had been rearended by a bullet train. I could hear his exhaust go up an octave in an attempt to keep up, but he couldn't. Not many cars could.
At such velocity, at night, on a public roadway, it's tough to check the speedometer or the mirrors, but I glanced down just after I shifted to sixth gear and reintroduced the throttle pedal to the carpet: 143 mph. My trusted sixth sense, the same one that alerted me to the "Friends" storyline, told me the Prelude had been successfully left behind.
What a car. Its behavior at that very stupid speed can only be described as dead stable. Despite expansion joints and other road irregularities, it never became nervous. Never made a bad move. Even when the suspension was forced into its full range of motion, and the chassis went into that classic corner-to-corner weight transfer every 911 driver has experienced for 40 years, the car's four big Michelins never even hinted that they might lose grip with the road.
With my luck sufficiently pressed, I slowed down to 85 and tried to blend in with the Camrys, Accords and Suburbans. I'll admit it: My heart was beating like I had to run up 10 flights of stairs and my brow wore just a hint of moisture. Fun.
About a minute later, just as I located the Christina classic, "Jeanie in a Bottle," on one of the easy-listening stations, my students came buzzing by like a swarm of killer bees, first the Prelude, then the throng of Civics. Not one looked over. Isn't education wonderful.
>>>>"03 Porsche 911 C4S/Education Through Being Stupid" by Scott Oldham.
Sometimes when you drive a car as special as a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, it's your duty to school others: here's why my car is better than yours. Last Saturday night was one of those times.
I was driving home from one of the many philanthropic programs I support. It was after 10, and I knew that if I got home by 11, I could settle in and enjoy a rerun of "Friends" and a nice glass of chardonay, a fine way to end a wonderful week of hard work and underpay, traffic was light, and I was making the most of the Porche's excellent high-speed stability. Usually I don't drive so fast, but I really wanted to see "Friends". My sixth sense was telling me it was the one when Ross wears the leather pants, plus I knew the California Highway Patrol changes shifts at 10 p.m.
So, with the digital speedometer reading exactly 100 mph, I was humming along the westbound free way, minding my own buisness and looking for Christina Aguilera on the radio because I think she's a much bigger talent than Britney. About 20 miles from home, I came up on a pack of tuned Hondas with the requisite big wings and load exhausts. They were cruising around 90 mph, being good citizens. I didn't even look over as I cruised past. After all, I'm in the Porsche. But one of the Honda Heads, a guy in a Prelude, felt frisky and latched onto my tail.
The school bell had rung.
Leaving it in sixth, I increased my speed to 105 mph. Then 110. Then 115. Then 120. I couldn't believe it, but but as 125 mph I could still hear his obnoxious exhaust buzzing in the blind spot over my left shoulder.
Time to teach.
I downshifted to fifth gear and hit it down. The Porsche burst forward like it had been rearended by a bullet train. I could hear his exhaust go up an octave in an attempt to keep up, but he couldn't. Not many cars could.
At such velocity, at night, on a public roadway, it's tough to check the speedometer or the mirrors, but I glanced down just after I shifted to sixth gear and reintroduced the throttle pedal to the carpet: 143 mph. My trusted sixth sense, the same one that alerted me to the "Friends" storyline, told me the Prelude had been successfully left behind.
What a car. Its behavior at that very stupid speed can only be described as dead stable. Despite expansion joints and other road irregularities, it never became nervous. Never made a bad move. Even when the suspension was forced into its full range of motion, and the chassis went into that classic corner-to-corner weight transfer every 911 driver has experienced for 40 years, the car's four big Michelins never even hinted that they might lose grip with the road.
With my luck sufficiently pressed, I slowed down to 85 and tried to blend in with the Camrys, Accords and Suburbans. I'll admit it: My heart was beating like I had to run up 10 flights of stairs and my brow wore just a hint of moisture. Fun.
About a minute later, just as I located the Christina classic, "Jeanie in a Bottle," on one of the easy-listening stations, my students came buzzing by like a swarm of killer bees, first the Prelude, then the throng of Civics. Not one looked over. Isn't education wonderful.
Last edited by Carrera Mike; 02-18-2004 at 08:09 AM.
02-16-2004, 05:49 PM
#2
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Admit it, it was really you!
Got up to 165mph in my 928S4 in Germany (or was it Austria?) Absolutely fantastic and the car felt completely fine, I only stopped accelerating because there were a few cars ahead in the slow-lane (didn't want to wake them up!!)
Got up to 165mph in my 928S4 in Germany (or was it Austria?) Absolutely fantastic and the car felt completely fine, I only stopped accelerating because there were a few cars ahead in the slow-lane (didn't want to wake them up!!)
02-16-2004, 09:54 PM
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Mike,
What a wonderfully written article. I really enjoyed it, my partner and I found it very funny and I think it is safe to say that we have all been there in that situation.
I actually have a story now. My Father who is a driving instructor and I were in a BRIGHT RED '87 930 driving through town (where my Father is a key figure) one afternoon. This guy in a Nissan 240SX, pulled up behind us at a traffic light and flashed his lights at us. We laughed and waited for the light to turn green. Mind you that my Father is a 60 year old man with a reputation to up hold, so he drove away like normal. We drove about a 100 yards and the guy was still on our bumper flashing his lights. My father was beginning to become anxious, and was speeding up a little (no turbo boost yet). The guy still on our bumper was still flashing his lights, finally my father had had enough, we went from 60 mph in 4th gear to 2nd gear and put the petal to the metal. No joke we broke the rear tires loose and left that "tin can" in our dust. I won't say how fast we went through town but when we finally slowed down my Father was blushing hoping no one had seen him. It had to be done though, I was so proud. Way to go POP! - Jay Gratton
What a wonderfully written article. I really enjoyed it, my partner and I found it very funny and I think it is safe to say that we have all been there in that situation.
I actually have a story now. My Father who is a driving instructor and I were in a BRIGHT RED '87 930 driving through town (where my Father is a key figure) one afternoon. This guy in a Nissan 240SX, pulled up behind us at a traffic light and flashed his lights at us. We laughed and waited for the light to turn green. Mind you that my Father is a 60 year old man with a reputation to up hold, so he drove away like normal. We drove about a 100 yards and the guy was still on our bumper flashing his lights. My father was beginning to become anxious, and was speeding up a little (no turbo boost yet). The guy still on our bumper was still flashing his lights, finally my father had had enough, we went from 60 mph in 4th gear to 2nd gear and put the petal to the metal. No joke we broke the rear tires loose and left that "tin can" in our dust. I won't say how fast we went through town but when we finally slowed down my Father was blushing hoping no one had seen him. It had to be done though, I was so proud. Way to go POP! - Jay Gratton
02-17-2004, 04:22 PM
#4
People have a lot of time on their hands with these stories. Jay, obviously yours is fact based but the opening story in this thread seems more like the idol internet chatter you find all over the place. The Christina loving Friends watching guy that needs to prove a point on public roads to a bunch of kids? Me thinks its a kid telling a story himself. Then again I could be way off base and all the people in the stock chat rooms are as rich as they say and of course they all own C4s's or TT's too.
02-17-2004, 05:29 PM
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MMMmmm I don't see what's so special about going 145mph on a C4. C'mon EVERY car now does 150mph... A Mercedes C-Class 320 wagon does 155mph... Any bimmer (apart from entry level 3 series), Most Audis... a Golf VR6 would have kept up to 145.
Also what's there to teach... an $80k car vs a $12k with $3k of wings and loud muffler on it? Please..... Had it been a Skyline R34 it was bye bye Porsche
Now show me 175mph.... That's something, then u'd be right saying that not many cars can keep up....
Also what's there to teach... an $80k car vs a $12k with $3k of wings and loud muffler on it? Please..... Had it been a Skyline R34 it was bye bye Porsche
Now show me 175mph.... That's something, then u'd be right saying that not many cars can keep up....
02-17-2004, 10:51 PM
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Jay, pat your dad on the back for me. Way to go!
Mamaroso , you've seen lots of cars go up to that speed, but non of those will accelerate from 70 to 140 in a heart beat as the P cars. I lived in Japan for 7 years, your skyline GTR will never see the front end of a Porsche. This is the only site you will see.
Mamaroso , you've seen lots of cars go up to that speed, but non of those will accelerate from 70 to 140 in a heart beat as the P cars. I lived in Japan for 7 years, your skyline GTR will never see the front end of a Porsche. This is the only site you will see.
Last edited by Carrera Mike; 02-18-2004 at 10:21 PM.
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02-18-2004, 06:05 PM
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It is sometimes difficult not to answer a challenge, even when you know you are going to be driving at insane speeds. You kinda get caught up in a situation. I too have had a few Hondas for lunch, but my most exciting loss of common sense was with a 350Z and my Corvette powered 29 Ford street rod. I also had a 350Z at the time. I was sitting at a red light and a 350Z pulled up along side. I admired his wheels and rolled down my driver's side window to inquire as to where he got the 20" wheels, etc.
I guess the young man thought I was going to say something like "...you wanna run that thing .........or whatever" The light changed and he looked over at me and smirked, and smoked his tires through the intersection.
My 29 has about 400 Hp with 4:11 gears. To say it is VERY fast to 100 mph is an understatement. I passed him at 80 mph and chirped the tires going into third. I have never seen a more shocked look in in my life. We proceeded along side each other for a couple of miles, catching two more red lights. He never once looked over, but then it was my turn to smile!!
Larry
I guess the young man thought I was going to say something like "...you wanna run that thing .........or whatever" The light changed and he looked over at me and smirked, and smoked his tires through the intersection.
My 29 has about 400 Hp with 4:11 gears. To say it is VERY fast to 100 mph is an understatement. I passed him at 80 mph and chirped the tires going into third. I have never seen a more shocked look in in my life. We proceeded along side each other for a couple of miles, catching two more red lights. He never once looked over, but then it was my turn to smile!!
Larry