an '03 'Vette beat me!

I so *loved* my well-abused '68 XR-7 back in the day...

But modern engines and trannys... are so much much more refined.

A wistful memory on a hot Labor Day weekend...

Dana P.S. My fun ride today is another Ford-family relative, though it's cut from a different cloth entirely, from Hiroshima.

How stock is your car? He shoulda kicked your ass much worse, unless he was concerned over spilling his Starbucks concoction on his leather. I wouldn't call a 2003 anything a classic for at least another 23 years or so.

Yeah, like stopping two fools from killing some innocent people. Grow up.

John

Slap a 390 Marauder in there you woulda matched him

Yeah, you're probably right. I don't think he was going all out, but he was still reasonably aggressive on the pedal, and my car still moves better than 90+% of the rice burners I see out there, so it was a brief, fun jaunt down the EMPTY highway. (Wouldn't think of doing something like this if I hadn't seen that our lanes were empty ahead of us.) I assume he had the AT rather than the 6 speed.

Now if I'd had a beefed-up 351, not to mention a Cobra Jet--he'd have really had to work for it!

Yeah, but shucks, I consider just about any 'Vette a classic. That's one of the few lines that has consistently striven for excellence throughout the decades (with some exceptions, of course, due mostly to govt. smog and mileage regs). And the '03 is pretty hot. :)

You have to expect someone to come along that does not condone performance driving on a public highway. That happens *every* time a street race post goes up.

I have no idea what that Vette is supposed to run stock, but a Cobra Jet in a Cougar with traction would probably stay ahead.

To be honest, I wouldn't know an '03 if it ran me over and swiped my high octane frappe mocha latte cappuchino with a Meyer's rum floater. Gimme a '65-'67 BB Vette any day.

You seem to have grown up, and old enough, for all of us.

I've seen people like you. They buy new Carerras, and go down to the local wealthy shop areas in Toronto and just park. They may as well be driving taxicabs. Why bother wasting a Mustang on yourself?

-Rich

Thanks Mark, I was looking at this thinking "I wonder just how many in this group have NEVER done something like this.

Glass houses and all that. Kate

| >

| >>we fly down the highway for about a mile, and then the 'Vette and I | >>break it off, not wanting to risk further enticing any wandering CHP | >>with nothing better to do than go to town on us. | >

| >

| > Yeah, like stopping two fools from killing some innocent people. Grow up. | You seem to have grown up, and old enough, for all of us. | |

Some people want to jump to the conclusion that all street racing encounters are dangerous to bystanders. It all depends upon the location and the time of day.

Interesting Rich; you're able do conclude that from my post? I don't now, never had, nor will I ever own a Carrera. As for not thrashing my Mustang now and then, you are wrong as well.

But take a look at the original post. He was racing for about a mile. I don't know what your car will do, but my car will do about 140 at the end of a mile.

John

I didn't know precise measurements were necessary to tell the story. But for your benefit, it was over 1/2 mile but less than a full mile. Also, my '68 can't come anywhere close to 140 MPH no matter how much space you give it.

By the way, if you don't illegally operate your own vehicle at racing speeds yourself, how do you know it can do 140 in a mile's distance?

Apparently you want to risk killing innocent people by driving at speeds like that. Grow up. :)

Two fools were killed in Los Angeles, last night, while street racing. Their car was ripped in half. Police estimate they were doing at least 100mph.

They don't get to grow up.

Bob '03 Cobra coupe

Thank goodness they weren't doing 140....

for the record, though, let me agree that street racing is often a bad thing. Personally, I don't have a problem with car clubs finding an empty strip of pavement in the boonies to have fun with, where the chance of harming anyone other than the drivers themselves is nil, whatever the cops may think of that. A street race on a normal city street with the potential of hitting other cars or houses I agree is a no-no. Was that the case with these guys, or were they in an isolated area where no one else was placed at risk?

My bro-in-law's place, as an example, has a great wide road nearby running along orchards for about a half mile. It's a perfect place for "safe" street racing and power plant testing, and that's what it gets used for by car nuts in the neighborhood.

My two cents...

In the re-made (most kids don't know that) and God why -did- they re-make it movie Fast & Furious, Vin Diesel says "any racer... any real racer knows, it doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile..." something like that. I remember it because I was so intrigued by what "any -real- racer" knows. I used to race myself.

What any real racer knows is that you only race on a track.

Known places where you can test engines and friends can race each others' cars do certainly exist. And the burnout marks prove that people know where these are.

However there is still an inherent risk, if to no one else but the drivers themselves.

Pe> v>

But what, kids and adults who think they are kids are invincable, and often someone close to them has to die before they learn (maybe). "Oh, my car is bulletproof and my abilities infalliable, and furthermore, I understand every risk there is 100%." So those of us who err on the side of caution are just pissing in the wind anyway. I know it is, and forever will be the case.

I am not saying you can never find a situation where you mitigate the risks to a very low level. And I am not saying there are people who can't do this 1000 times and never get hurt, or have some catastrophic mechanical failure.

All I am saying is that defending street racing is defending something that by definition introduces risk of injury and death to the general innocent public going about their business. Over the past 10 years, many, many more cars have crowded our streets, and many, many new little racer wannabe punks who put N20 and blowers in their Civics or Mustangs or whatever have been spawned out of romanticizing this activity.

It's not a question of bravado or wimpiness; it's not a question of being exempt from this because you took every precaution. It's simply a question of mathematical probability, and encouraging an on-average needlessly dangerous activity. Getting on it once in a while, enjoying the power of your car for a few seconds here and there, and running through the gears on a nice, wide on-ramp, for example, is enough for the street. Wringing the piss out of your car for 1/4 mile or a mile over and over on the street is irresponsible and stupid. Sometime, somewhere, you're going to screw up, err in judgment, or just have bad luck, even if no one gets hurt. It doesn't affect just you, ever.

Go to a track.

If the stupid f*ck want to race on an empty road, let him. With any luck--and it'll happen, eventually--he'll end up a bloody, mangled corpse in a slag heap of twisted metal and raise the IQ of the human race in the process. I don't mind kicking in a few bucks more on insurance when these morons waste themselves, especially when the overall benefits to the rest of us are so huge. Go, speed racer, go!

I know what you mean, you can try to state fact all day long with the idiots of the world, and they won't listen, for they are what they are. I've known, been acquianted with, or had some connection to a few people who ended up like that. New fast car, bad judgment, a lack of skill, or bad luck. "He/she -knew- that road" or "it was 2am, no one was around" or some other apparent head-scratcher someone will say afterwards... well, apparently it didn't matter, now did it? Family is heartbroken, mangled car is picture in paper. Good job, you've just created a lot of needless pain, and killed yourself in the process. You really proved something, too.

My brother-in-law with his SS Camaro he got at 20 is alive only by the grace of God, he admits it... But still... "that Cobra was messing with me", etc. So what? So far, worst thing was 130 in a 70 ticket (!), and losing his license for a year. I just hope he outgrows this before he kills himself.

He once said to me, "I'm not talking about knowing how to race shift (heel-and-toe) or any of that other fancy crap, just steering equal cars on any track, I could beat you. I have faster reflexes, I've seen you drive [on the street] and know I could be quicker." I said, "when you race, you do a lot of steering with your right foot. And If you don't know what that means, you could never beat me." I guess he was thinking about a video game :)