How fast have you driven?

Mercedes W215 CL65 AMG twin turbo V12, stage III modified. Only 194 of the W215 series were made and even in detuned form had the most powerful production motor - horsepower and torque - in world history to that date. And that was with them seriously detuned to ONLY 604 horsepower and 738 foot/pounds torque. Not much to undo the detuning. However, they weren't anything special too look at. Just a big 2+2 coupe (lightened 800 pounds by alloys and carbon fiber), though the body unique only to them and the first to return to a pillarless coupe since Cadillacs in the 1970s. They were so expensive (most costly model) - but didn't look it - they didn't sell. Basically made one-at-a-time. After selling only 194 in 2 years they dropped the model. The horsepower (no longer detuned) at nearly 800 is impressive, but not that astonishing. What is astonishing is the over 1000 foot pounds of torque. Bought mine used. Cheap. Very.

They also are considered one of the highest maintenance cars ever made for costs, very high tech computers, suspension, brakes etc, not all that reliable. So they sell cheap used. Very cheap. One of those forgotten hyper speed cars. Even in stock form it will beat a 2 seat, alloy Lambo Galardo AWD by 2 seconds in a 1 kilometer drag race (2 seconds is almost an eternity in drag racing). It rides like a luxury car until you punch it and the 28 psi twin turbos kick in, and then it is insanity. Violently throws you back in the seat. The dual independent brake system with 26 pads then tries to throw you into the windshield when you go for the brakes. I virtually never drive it. A gloriously ridiculous car. Too frustrating to go the speed limit maybe.

 

300 KPH [186 MPH]. I love watching these.

 

Minis were terrific fun, weren't they?

 

That makes sense because the corners were getting tighter and tighter the closer we got to the top and I know that I was pushing hard through every corner. Alternatively she wasn't benefitting from the same adrenaline rush I was having.

Ouch! That could have ended badly! I know that I nearly had hyperthermia heading out to a rally when we encountered a massive temperature drop coming over a mountain range. Fortunately I stopped shivering as we came down the other side.

Bikes can be dangerous and close calls are something I always tried to avoid as much as possible. Everyone in the club used to wonder why I would cut through traffic at the speeds that I did and my explanation was that the less time I was around cars the less time they had to do something stupid that would kill me.

 

That was insane!

 

Yup, and they still are today!

 

I've only ever done like 105-110.. I'm not much of a straight line speed demon..

My new build I'm hoping will be capable of 170 from 145 stock but I will never do it..

 

Did you see nightrider doing the Perpherique?

 

Ever have one of the old Coopers?

 

Didn't own one myself but a buddy of mine did and he let me take it out on the track on practice days. It was a complete blast to drive.

What about you? Ever own a Mini Cooper yourself?

 

Nope, can't say that I ever have.

 

Nuh, dad wouldn't let me! I had one of the other minis and I loved it.
The fastest I've ever driven was 100mph in my brothers GTHO Ford.
I didn't get too many chances to drive it though.

 

Even the standard Minis were fun. I taught my wife to drive in one and then I had to go on a business trip right after she got her license. My best friend and his GF dropped round to see her while I was away and they decided to go out for pizza with my wife driving her Mini. She literally floored it down the road and never lifted off when she came to the corner. My buddy told me afterwards that it was obvious that I was the one who had taught her how to drive.

 

Someone once said that a Mini sits on a corner like a broody hen!
And that's the only way to drive a mini-flat out or stopped.

 

I stopped riding street bikes after I almost died the third time. But only recently did I see the stats: Cyclists are 35 times more likely to die than car drivers.

I've gone down on dirt bikes many times but always limped away. However I still have scars on my knees and elbows from going down in the gravel. OUCH!

One time, ugh, I was riding in the desert without my boots on and caught a cactus doing about 60 mph. Drove a 2 inch spike right into the soft center of my ankle! Man, that hurt!!! And it was hours before I could get it removed.

One of these guys or similar

 

That must have ruined your fun!

Made the mistake of not putting on socks to ride home from the beach one scorching summer afternoon. By the time I got home the wind burn on my ankles was excruciating.

There are so many ways to get hurt riding a bike and that one surprised me because I was not expecting it at all.

 

I swallowed a 60 MPH bug once.

How can you tell a biker is happy? By the dead flies on his teeth!

 

Thank you. This is one of my old videos. Promise to self: return to making videos and make one within a week!

 

Yeah but its fun to watch! Puckers me right up every time.

 

Riding at those speeds right up next to the grass verge where there is all the loose sand and gravel must make make those bikes twitchy and need instantaneous reflexes.

 

It made me cringe when I saw him leaning hard and crossing the paint line. I've had my front tire slip when leaning hard and crossing paint lines before. It was just a fast twitch but could be enough to put you down at those speeds, I would think.

 

Paint lines were only slippery when I wasn't riding my Italian bikes. But, yes, I was thinking the same thing.

 

One of my closest calls was due to a diesel spill on the freeway. I hit that stuff and it was like driving on ice. Both tires lost traction. The bike would try so slip right so I would slam my left foot down. Then it would try to slide out from under me to the left and I would slam my right foot down. This happened several times at something over 55 mph with trucks and cars all around me and behind me.

Another time I was in the right lane, on a curve to the right, getting ready to exit the freeway. It was late at night and raining pretty hard. As I came around the curve, suddenly I saw that a car was stalled in my lane with no lights on! I only had a moment and laid it down hard to the left. I remember clearing the corner of the car by a matter of inches. But that sent me fishtailing on a slippery freeway. It was in Los Angeles so even late at night there were cars all around me. If I had gone down it was hamburger time.

My other closest call occurred when moving from the leftmost lane to the right, at a major interchange. I was changing freeways and had to cross about 5 lanes. At the same time, a woman was moving from the right to the left. As we intersected, my fuel filter plugged and the bike stalled with her right on my ass! I could even see her shocked expression in my rear view mirror. Luckily she turned hard to the right, spun out, went off the freeway but onto a clear grassy area. Dozens of cars, probably hundreds, came skidding to a stop with me sitting dead in the water right in the middle of it all. But no one hit anyone!!! No damage at all. It was a miracle that nothing happened.

 

Stupid. Taking other people's LIVES into your uncaring and untrustworthy hands.

 

Hopefully you would have been the ONLY one harmed by your carelessness and stupidity.