When I learned to drive the first thing I would do when driving any car would be see how fast it would go. A '32 Ford got up to 43 mph, my '52 Ford showed 100 on the speedometer but it went past 100 and the needle was out of sight. My buddies Plymouth would go 120. My fastest was in a Corvette showing 130.
100 in a Triumph GT6, 110 on a Yamaha 1000cc Virago, back in my young immortal heathen days. God, how I miss them!
101 mph because I wanted to see if the digital speedometer had a third digit. 2 lane country road with nothing in sight until I hit 101 and then there was a slow truck loaded down with hay I had to pass with a car coming in the other direction. 101 didn't scare the beans out of me but maneuvering at 101 sure did. It took a lot longer to get stopped from that speed than I had planned. Will never do it again.
150 in a BMW 750s for the car, indicated 185 on a Honda Super Blackbird. Motorway corners become interesting at those speeds.
The thingy is about going fast is one won't have time to look at the speedometer.After reaching around 120 their isn't time to watch the speedo gauge.Especially on a motorcycle.Same principle for a car.I have an Evo with a top speed of 159.I think I hit 140 m.p.r. just a few times.Even on a track the straightaway won't allow much past 140.Now The Best Track for speed in Germany or { Nurburgring } on the few straightaways the best top speeds are around maybe 150-160 m.p.r. So I gauge the competency of speed by a much better indicator. or O - 60 time.Anything under 5 seconds is fast.They now have full pickups like my 2015 F-150 with a 6 cylinder twin turbo { Ecoboost } post a 6 second 0-60 time.I get me a real kick out of whipping most supposed fast cars and even a few Harleys.The downside of course is that Turbo vehicles are hard on engine life.Butt what the Hay.You only live once.
Read 120 mph on the speedometer but pushing hard on that upper reading so likely more than that. If the cops had pulled me over I’d likely still be in jail. This was on I-90 about 90 miles west of Chicago! Did a lot of stupid things but that ranked near the top.
162 in a 2015 Porsche Panamera GTS Was on Nova road that runs between St. Cloud FL and Cocoa Bch. 140 on a Honda Interceptor 1000
Way back in 1957 my high school friend's aunt purchased a new '57 Plymouth with power pack (4-barrel carb and dual exhaust), 2-speed tranny with push buttons on the dash. Of course we borrowed that car every Friday night. Once we challenged a '53 Olds to a race. That night we started from a stopped position on a lonely straight highway through a national forest. The Olds walked off and left us in his dust. Then the Plymouth reached 120 and the Olds' tail lights began to grow larger. The Plymouth had a round speedometer that only showed 120. We rolled up behind the Olds with the needle past 120. My buddy swung out and we passed the Olds. Looking at the spacing between the numbers on the speedometer I judged our speed at 130. Later we and the Olds pulled over to talk. I asked the Olds driver how fast he was going when we passed him and he replied, "120".
Over 110, in a 1979 Trans Am (gold with prism dashboard!) on the New Jersey Parkway on a Friday night, headed to Atlantic City.
I recall a drive-in movie or two where things went really fast! It was a '68 GTO, called it the "green goat"!
Over 120 with *speedo buried, wifey's Lexus has 130 on the speedo... but I haven't pushed to that.. I might survive the wreck , but I'd never survive her ire. Used to take new (used) car I'd obtain out for a top speed test.. sometimes the whole thing would be rattling like a spacecraft reentering the atmosphere.
Car's of that era { 40's & 50's } could barely reach 100 m.p.h. Basically due to weight.The engines were capable of being hopped-up but not by much.Cast Iron engine blocks weight a ton adding to the weight of those solid but heavy frames.I once went for a ride with a guy who worked at my job.He constantly bragged on his ' 57 chevy. The car was a very hot looking vehicle as ' 57 chevy's are much sought after. To this day that car { which I went for a ride in } was without question the cruddiest ride I ever took in a car.Yeah it was fast { but Only in a straight line } I coulda sworn going around a corner the car was gonna bend or something underneath was due to break.Totally unsafe when cornering.It was basically a box on wheels with gutsy V-8.
80 in a '51 Chrysler eight-in-line. It was 3/16" sheet metal and probably close to 8,500 pounds. Shoulda had air brakes.
Basically all one need do is go to - Jay Leno's Garage - and find the car you need to learn about. Jay has been shooting his own Videos without crew due to the Lockdown.And No he doesn't wear a mask. He lusted after Steve McQueens Jaguar { Jag-you-are } which he got a chance to drive.Due to the legendary Car Museum not far away in L.A. They allowed him to drive and film the car.It was a great sounding car that McQueen used for racing.A strong green.Roll bar and professionally tuned engine plant.About the perfect roadster. That Car was an early rendition of the much heralded Shelby Cobra. Compact roadster with a V-8.Not many were produced. McQueen Made a movie about *LeMans { La Ma }.The guy at the L.A. Car museum figured that McQueen's Green Jaguar was worth in the neighborhood of $ 10 Million.He had quite a few motorcycle also.A couple were known as Rat Bikes.Bikes that aren't pretty but solid { Old Patina } like his classic but very worn Baby Blue Harley Davidson with suicide clutch. His Green Jaguar was a mid 50's model { D chassis } or XKSS. * Jaguars won many a LeMans in cars like McQueens. McQueen raced in the 12 hours of Sebring in his Porsche 908. He finished a close 2nd to Mario Andretti who was determined " not to be beaten by a movie star ". McQueen died as a result of driving in races where he would wrap Asbestos cloth over his face in order to avoid all the fumes. He came down with Mesothelioma.Spent his last couple days driving to mexico in a pickup truck with Reverend Billy Graham for emergency operation not allowed stateside. I have a copy of his Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode - Man From the South - { 1960 } starring Steve and his sexy wife Neile Adams plus a chilling performace by Peter Lorre. Adams and McQueen divorced but she managed to keep his Last name.She was the mother of Chad McQueen and Terry McQueen. Wrote an excellent biography of Hubby titled : " My Husband,My Friend ".
145 but had to shut it down because we don't have smooth enough roads around here. When over a bridge and the car moved sideways on both approaches. Every time I get my Camaro out I hit triple digits.
I fell in love with Z-28's in college.My junior off campus roomates had cars.One a nice Corvette { he rarely used } and the other a black Z-28 with racing rear end.I swear that thing could do close to 90 m.p.r. in first gear. I was in a state of poverty most of my off campus life. When a finally flunked out of college { took 4 years } My Grandmother offered me a position at her Trucking Co.As a Dispatcher. I worked first as a dispatcher then her front office and then onto the transportation dept. of a big Oil Compant after my Grandmother finally decided to sell the Trucking company she and Grandpa started. I got shares worth around 40 k { this is in mid-1970's } So I bought my first motorcycle then a few years later got the new production of Z-28's.I think it was around 1977-78. That car sucked.It had a mild 350 c.i. V-8.Not a race engine like the original Z-28 { 302 c.i. small block }. I got the manual and the car was somewhat impressive but only in 3rd gear. I ended up totaling it.Flipped it over going around a sharp curve on a country gravel road.I shoulda died.The car ended up turned over on it's top in a ditch.I managed to escape unscathed out the passenger side.I remember getting towed back to my apartment by some dirty old tow truck.I felt kinda silly when arriving at the Apartments. The car was all squished and busted up.Sat in some high grass behind the aparttments for weeks.The few cassettes I had { maybe around 12 } got stolen.SO ... Big Deal.
About 95 in my new pickup that my mom and dad had bought me when I went to college. Dad had told me it was good to drive a new vehicle at various speeds to "break it in". So over on the two lane highway not far from home on the way to college I pushed it up to 95 (this was the age of the national 55 mph speed limit). I met another car going the opposite direction and the driver flashed me a hand signal that I remember from the pre CB radio days that was meant to warn of police ahead. I managed to quickly throttle back to just over 60 before coming within sight of the police car which ignored me.
I witnessed just last week that offensive tactic drivers have at their disposal.I was on a nice 2 lane highway and saw the approaching traffic { a lone vehicle } flash it's headlights.It then quickly dawned on me. That must mean a copper is up ahead.I got a traffic ticket like 20 years earlier on that same highway at about the same spot.Only going the other direction.Turned out that cop was at the top of that highways steep hill waiting. So you couldn't see him until at the top of the hill and he was off to the side.On the opposite side of the road.In between a couple bushes pointed straight.So he could nab cars on either side of the highway.Having looking out for him and spotting him I did the same to an approaching car.Flashed me headlights a few times.This was early morning a little past 8 am. I think there are laws about doing that { flashing headlights to warn there's a Copper up ahead }. There is no specific state law that considers it Illegal. There is a law about driving with ones high beam on within a certain distance from oncoming traffic.500 feet.
I went 130 in a brand new Ford LTD It was fun until I barely touched the steering wheel and nearly turned the car over. I never did that again.
~130 in some Subaru with a turbo. My buddy was showing it off. The roads around here are straight, empty and few cops, so wasn't a big deal. I've done ~100 in my Tundra by accident.
1990 Nissan 300zx (I now own the 'black beauty' garage queen) which is about as old as I am, lol... Going back to SoCal on Interstate I-40 just east of Kingman, AZ we hit 135ish. One of those straight sections of roadway where you could just tie the steering wheel off & take a 5 minute nap, lol... (not sure if it was before or after that "checkpoint")