Aston Martin V8 VS Rev 3 tubby...

[A.BLAKE]

My mate has just bought a AM Vantage V8... Now he made much huffing and puffing about the 4000 bhp and the brakes that have 20 pots per caliper and the hand stitching on the orange seats and how it you could not really compare it to an MR2 as it was built by nasa and could fly to the moon, and then we went for a drive... We went to Essex near Onga as i know some good roads and its not to far.. Now I will admit its the most prestigious car I have yet been in and IMO its xxxx!!!! Its cramped... Very cramped... The ride is worse than my tubby... And it rattles and bangs and squeaks, not what i expected at all.. But what was far more embarrassing, especially since he paid the best part of 50k is its not as fast as a 13 year old toyota... We did 3 runs 0-120 (aston on launch control) at 120 I had a cars length on him.. We also did a little touge style drive on a an a-road and it cant keep up.. Mainly because it scrapes the front end every time you hit a dip but with me in front i he lost by a looooong way.. However we did go for a drink after our little blast and parked outside a country pub there really is no competition.. It looked amazing... Which is nice... If thats what your into...

[Odin_S]

The aston with that 380bhp V8 engine is like a SW20 with the 3S FE engine

That's why they changed it double quick, kudos to ya though

[hmltnangel]

Haha, I had a similiar incident with a V8 AM on the sliproad to the local motorway.

Sitting at the lights waiting to floor it down the sliproad and the AM pulled up beside and then he inched forward so I seen it was the V8. Quick press of the button on the Boost controller to select High Boost, then a quick grin across at him as the lights turned to green. Pull away soft, thirty mph around the tight bend onto the sliproad, then foot to the floor. To around 45 he held with me then my Tubby just left him for dead.

A mile later I slowed down and relaxed into my normal drive home from work only to find this guy boot it past me. He was pretty gutted that his expensive AM couldnt keep up with a (near) 20 year old Jap Car

[Ryan S]

this is what i loooooove about jap cars, i really do!!! so understated that the willys in the porsches etc think immediately that they can take you at the lights, their rich wee faces when you start pulling away from them priceless!!!

[Ekona]

Yeah, I'm always bothered about that when I'm sitting in my 911 with fully adaptive electric seats, full leather interior, classic Coke bottle silhouette and the flat-six singing away behind me when I pull a paddle on the PDK for the next gear. I'm always bothered that a 20 year old Jap tin can with a rattly old four pot is quicker to 100 in a straight line with zero throttle progression.

Always bugs me, that.

[Ryan S]

Yeah, I'm always bothered about that when I'm sitting in my 911 with fully adaptive electric seats, full leather interior, classic Coke bottle silhouette and the flat-six singing away behind me when I pull a paddle on the PDK for the next gear. I'm always bothered that a 20 year old Jap tin can with a rattly old four pot is quicker to 100 in a straight line with zero throttle progression.

Always bugs me, that.

typical porker response really

ah, how i long for fully adaptive electric seats when i'm p1$$ing all over porkers at a 1/4 mile day something else poeple like this forget is that i drive an Mr2 because i want to, not because it's all i can afford enjoy your seats


EDIT: i think the point being made by the OP was that best bang for buck, you cannot beat jap cars. i fully agree

[Ekona]

Do people really take Porsches to drag strip days? Never been myself so I have no idea, genuine question.

I drive a 911 because I want to, not because it's all I can afford too My point was more that generalisations are very easy to make, and I very much doubt that the AM owner lost any sleep that night.


For straight line speed, I'd have to agree with you as the Japs loved the turbos back in the day. For driving finesse though, I'd take the equivalent Bee-Em any day I think. A good 325i wouldn't be as quick, but it would be a lot more involving and with a top soundtrack too.

[Ryan S]

Do people really take Porsches to drag strip days?

last time i was at one, there was an older 911 turbo, it ran a dismal 15 second 1/4.

compared to an mr2 any car has finesse, my old 300zx was the most comfortable car i've ever driven, i was also gobsmacked at how well it handled, din't feel bargy at all. smooth and powerful, i don't know much about BMWs so couldn't really comment, i've only ever owned one and i hated it. i'd pick jap over german any day of the week.

[SrSilkie]

I love the 90's jap turbos, they are full of character and yes generally speaking they were never the most refined on the market but most have aged extremely well both performance wise and aesthetically. Theres just a certain interest about them that many modern cars lack.

Also I think they sound great, personally I prefer the note from a v engine or straight 6 but they dont sound bad...a 1.2 corsa with a backbox sounds bad.

My uncle has a AM v12 vantage, it is a masterpiece. He used to have a v8 vantage and owned TT Supra for 15 years...could have built a 600hp Supra for far less that would beat his v12 Aston but he didnt...he also must love fully adaptive electric seats :p

I reckon its about what makes the overall driving experience more enjoyable for YOU whether it be fully adaptive electric seats or completely surprising a high end sports car owner.

[Ryan S]

I love the 90's jap turbos, they are full of character and yes generally speaking they were never the most refined on the market but most have aged extremely well both performance wise and aesthetically. Theres just a certain interest about them that many modern cars lack.

Also I think they sound great, personally I prefer the note from a v engine or straight 6 but they dont sound bad...a 1.2 corsa with a backbox sounds bad.

My uncle has a AM v12 vantage, it is a masterpiece. He used to have a v8 vantage and owned TT Supra for 15 years...could have built a 600hp Supra for far less that would beat his v12 Aston but he didnt...he also must love fully adaptive electric seats :p

I reckon its about what makes the overall driving experience more enjoyable for YOU whether it be fully adaptive electric seats or completely surprising a high end sports car owner.

exactly mate, i've been in all manner of cars and nothing does it for me the way 90's jap cars do, nothing gives more bang for buck, the styling of the mk2 mr2 is simply stunning, for me, modern cars just don't cut it at all, i bought a brand new rx8 in 2004 and while it was nice etc....it just didn't have the same feel as the 90's stuff, i feel the same with bikes, the stuff made in the 90's just feels so much better than modern garbage, although, this could be me getting old

[JD]

Do I worry too much? I feel uncomfortable about going head to head on the public highway. Each to their own ways.

The only similar experience that was totally by accident was an XJR that I only noticed when I eventually lifted off and he came soaring past - I'd just been for a blast through an underpass on my way down the Kingston bypass late at night. He made a nice noise but I wouldn't like to think we were racing.

I also remember that afternoon having some xxxx in a lowered 3-series sat a foot from my bumper all the way down a narrow residential road. Once an opportunity presented itself I just pulled over so he'd fxxx off. He only assumed I wanted to remonstrate so he stopped as well and I just ignored him until he drove off. This is the kind of person I worry about encountering if I were to casually compare acceleration.

A touge-style drive with a mate does sound like a much better idea. Always safety first though, of course.

I'm the party pooper.

[hmltnangel]

I dont really do the head to head to be honest. Occassionally I'll have a wee blast with someone on a deserted road. Its just not worth the risk to me, my car or other road users.

I love my jap cars, Rx7 in particular. hence buying another soon. but if im honest and won the Euromillions, itd be a Ferrari for me. Not just any, but the best of them all. The F40. IMO its the pinnacle of cars. That late 80s moment before everything became electronic where cars reached a level they never will again.

[ryan]

Do people really take Porsches to drag strip days? Never been myself so I have no idea, genuine question.

I drive a 911 because I want to, not because it's all I can afford too My point was more that generalisations are very easy to make, and I very much doubt that the AM owner lost any sleep that night.


For straight line speed, I'd have to agree with you as the Japs loved the turbos back in the day. For driving finesse though, I'd take the equivalent Bee-Em any day I think. A good 325i wouldn't be as quick, but it would be a lot more involving and with a top soundtrack too.

For those of you that are old enough

[Gullzter]

I love the mr2 for that reason, not purposely but you always get the snobby plonker that looks down at you then i guess its just an urge to show him up.
My mate bought an audi s5 recently (peer pressure from me) as i would take the reliability anyday of a german car but he started getting ratty about how my car was scrap and ugly etc.. So i put him in his place by giving him 2 shots at taking me on, not by much but still did nose ahead of him. I used to love everything about the s5 til he started driving it and getting ratty, i dont know if he brings that from originally being one of dem honda bois init.
A way i look at things is usually if i spend this much is there going to be anything else i could have instead..
ie 911 or r35? No braine.. R35 all day and night!

[ryan]

edit

[gnzyza]

The ol'tubby was a very good recipe and suprises many cars off the line and in gear performance.

But it's not all about that some exotic cars have other qualities too.

Do miss mine sometimes but bikes and track days are far more fun x1000