Adventures with NSX, Viper, 911TT, and Corvette (pics and video)

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06-11-2004, 07:51 AM

cfusionpm

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Adventures with NSX, Viper, 911TT, and Corvette (pics and video)

copied and pasted from my live journal thing:

so i visited family in minnesota recently (actually right now, as i am posting this from the hotel on their internet) anyway i got to hang out with uncle kurt yesterday and tool around with some of his cars. he has actually downsized quite a bit since we last visited; getting rid of the ones that he just didnt drive much, or didnt like as much as the ones he still has. his goal was to get it down to a dozen, 12. i dont remember all of them, but the standouts were still there: Viper, NSX, 911 Turbo, Benz SL55, Corvette, BMW M Roadster and etc. some of the ones missing from last year are the bmw Z8, Lotus Esprit, Mustang SVT Cobra, Benz SL600, and a few others i cant remember. all of which he sold for one reason or another. other than the SL600, which some

ing tool ran a red light and hit it. doesnt make too much of a difference though, he is getting that

ing BEAST of a machine the SL65 once that is out. also, on the talk of new cars, he is on the list to get a porsche carerra GT, but has no intention of buying one. as a track car, it truly is an amazing vehicle, but his cars he drives every day and enjoys on regular public roads, with the occasional spirited driving on the winding rural roads of east st. paul (which there are many of). the cars he has are cars that are fun to drive; or if they arent fun to drive, theres some other substantial reason to keep it. he actually told me in pretty deep detail how and why he picks the cars that he does, and its completely understandable. he said to me, that "if i cant go drive a car, and say to myself that 'this is my favorite car' than i shouldnt have it." and such. there was a ton discussed, but i forgot most of it. ANYWAY, now to the

ing meat of this post: the cars. first up is:

Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet.

Now from driving the turbo coupe model last year (even though it was the auto), even from how i was driving it [then], i never really got that sense of speed and acceleration. but oh boy, jesus

ing christ, did i get it today. i really have to say that is the fastest car i have ever driven or ridden in. it is a new 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet with the X50 power package making 444 hp through the twin turbocharged flat-6 engine powered to the ground through glorious all wheel drive. it was a convertible, which im not too particularly fond of, but it was still amazing. now. driving this

ing beast of a car was a blast. i began by just driving around the streets and areas around his house just seeing what it could do; waiting for a stop sign so i could stop and accelerate again. when i punched it in 1st gear, it just THREW my head back, and by the time i put it in second and opened the throttle, it felt like someone was punching me in the chest; it was really that fast. and when i say fast, i mean scary fast;

ing monumentally fast. i dont remember too much else from driving it (it was the first car i drove today; about 9 hours ago) other than the gear throws were a bit long, and i expected a little better shifting from such an expensive performance car. really though, if i had about 150 grand in my pocket right now, and i could only buy one car to use for fun and practicality, i would have that glorious

ing insane machine in my driveway by tomorrow. i liked the car that much. next up is......:

Acura NSX

now, i have liked this car for some time, and even got to drive it last time i was here. the only problem with last time though, was that i was a bumbling

ing moron when it came to driving a stick. since then, i have become quite versed in controlling those three fabulous pedals and 5 to 6 wonderful gears. because of that, i was actually able to tear up in this car and use it to its potential rather than slugging around looking like a moron who had never driven a stick before. so getting in and driving for the first time again, my first impressions of driving it are a magnificent gearbox (better than anything else i have driven), great clutch engagement as well as throttle response and braking, but what i really liked was just the noise it makes. it makes a very distinctive "VROOM!" i kid you not; that is what it sounds like as you rev it. and with the engine placed right behind your seat, that amplifies the experience even more. now, driving the actual car though, was a little disappointing. of course i can knock it for power, but thats obvious; it certainly isnt going to have the kick that a 911TT, viper, or even corvette is going to have, but there was something else. and it was the steering. i was very disappointed with how dull it felt. the steering ratio was quite large (something like 18.5:1), and you could really feel it. i did not like that very much, but neither of those two things detracted from the great experience of driving the car. it really is a fantastic machine, and would be a very nice, comfortable, easy-to-drive semi-exotic car that you could drive every day. so coming up next is the king of kings:

1998 Dodge Viper GTS

wow. just wow. my boyhood dream car (and still is), and im able to not only see it, but drive it. i have been looking forward to driving this beautiful masterpiece of a car for, shit.. probably 10 years. i know i have loved the viper since i first saw pictures of it when i was 9 or 10 years old, and since then have fantasized about owning one, and have collected several 1:18 scale models of them. but now.... now i am able to finally meet my hero and enjoy the wonder that is: the Viper. on first impressions, i was impressed with the doors. the handles arent really normal handles that would open a normal car door, they are just something for you to hang on to to open the door. the actual door is opened electronically by pressing the round button in the middle of the handle. now with the door finally open, its time to step in..... erh...*bend*.... *contort* OK! now that we have managed to navigate that tiny opening, its time to put on our seat belts and start the car. sitting on the drivers side, the seat belt is actually coming from over my right shoulder; from the center of the car. with this finally latched in, we can head on our way. the first thing you notice though, is the offset pedals. they are placed about 5 inches to the left of where normal pedals would be, meaning that the clutch is about where the foot rest would be, brake where clutch would be, and gas where brake would be. it was a little awkward at first, but you get used to it quick, and the offset feels normal. WOW. this car has a HEAVY ASS

ING clutch. first of all, the thing feels like it weighs a ton and a half, and second, you have to press it in nearly a foot and a half. this also seems like a huge pain in the ass, but again, you grow used to it after even a few minutes of driving. the clutch engagement is pretty high, but grabs nicely and is very easy to control. the gearbox is another very heavy mechanical piece of machinery. he put on a special viper shift knob, lowering the actual throw by about 3 inches. there was no shifter kit installed or anything, but the knob just sits much lower on the stock shifter, which makes for much easier shifts (similar to my razo knob on the talon). pushing it in and out and between gears takes a good amount of force, but my god, the reward makes it all worth the while. hearing that glorious V10 growl as you surge forward with 450 hp driven by monstrous 275 width tires. no ABS, no traction control, just you, the car, and raw

ing POWER. it is truly worth every bit of effort as you fly past 100 mph in a matter of seconds. i actually raced someone too, while i was out. we came to a stop light, and some punk ass kid in a

in joke of an integra pulls next to me and revs his engine. kurt said to show him what american muscle can do, so when the light turned green i eased out so as not to wear the clutch badly, and also to give the guy a bit of false hope. though... heh heh... quickly thereafter, there was a yellow integra disappearing in my rear view mirror. now, not only did i beat the guy, i completely

ing obliterated him. i dont think i have ever pulled so hard on another car before. you know, driving around in these cars, you really lose track of how fast they really are in comparison to normal cars. but wow... you could fit an aircraft carrier in that

ing gap. so anyway, this car is simply amazing. i never could have imagined it to be such an awesome car to drive. one of the things people always do is talk shit about how poorly made american cars are, and actually, for this viper, in the six years that he has had it, the single and only problem he had was that the passenger side window toggle switch sometimes didnt work. thats it. so anyway, overall, iduno if i could see myself driving one of thee everyday like i could with the nsx or the 911, but i would give just about anything to have one as a second or third car; it really is a fantastic car to drive, and in my opinion, the best looking, most beautiful car ever made. lets see if the corvette can beat it. NEXT.

Chevrolet Corvette C5

so he sold his Z06 because he never seemed to drive it. he said it was always so small, cramped and gloomy inside. he was reluctant to get another corvette before the C6 came out, but as luck would have it, they happened to have a glass-roof targa top there when he went to the dealership one day. he said how much more he liked it since it could actually let light in through the roof and cheer up the inside of the car. now, it may only have 350 hp as opposed to the 405 hp in the Z06, but it still has all the gadgets and displays and things that its older brother has. the heads up display is probably the coolest thing i have seen in a car. it takes a number of inputs, from a digital speedometer, tachometer, oil temp, outside temp, and a buncha other things i cant remember, and display up to 3(i think) of them at one time, along with your turn signals on your windshield right in front of you, via a small projector in the dash. this way, you can keep an eye on your revs and/or your speed without ever having to take your eyes off the road. that is really

ing cool, and i wish they had that in more cars. anyway, driving it was ok, it had good power, but after driving the viper and 911, it seemed pretty weak (as it should by comparison, it has 100 less hp than both). though still, it had very nice pull, cornered like a dream, and stopped on a dime. really, a very well-made, well-rounded sports car. the thing people usually trash on for it though, is its cheap interior. and to them, i say

you. yes its a cheap shitty interior, but its also a

ing fast car for its price tag, and an even better value with the Z06. and actually, the interior wasnt that bad at all (other than the HORRENDOUS shifter, which looked straight out of the

ing 80s). when compared to the shitty viper interior, which is saved only by its 4 horizontally mounted gauges, it actually looks fine. people who nitpick about interiors have obviously never driven the car, or obviously have other priorities for buying a sports car. these people would be much happier with a more expensive NA porsche or even an SLK benz or something.

ing whiners.....

so now, heres to the meat, the video:
right click -> save as. my own site where it is hosted has really poor bandwidth, so if anyone else could host it after downloading it, that would be awesome. anyway, heres some pics too: