In 1957 I was returning to Seattle from Navy training at Treasure Island, near San Francisco. I was driving my '54 Buick Century, which was lowered, had carb and ignition work, headers, and a 3.9 rear end ratio for drag racing. On a long straight stretch (Williams Cutoff..?) I had the speedo needle about an inch past 120, and reading "O." I knew that was not accurate, since I had not changed the speedo gear to match the rear end ratio. Any way, I heard a "whoop-whoop-whoop" sound outside and my buddy looked out his widow. He saw a helicopter above us with a CHP shield on the bottom. I let off the gas and was probably still going about 100 when I saw 3 black '57 Pontiacs in a small clearing along side the road... with a CHP officer leaning on each hood watching me go by. I knew I was going to jail...but none of them came after me. It must have been coffee break, and it was sure my lucky day!
180 mph in a *cough* tuned *cough* turbo charged 1999 Toyota Supra 3:00 am Sunday morning on the 101 Racing a guy in a 98 Porshe 911 turbo S Made it from Topanga Cyn. Rd. to Lindero in what seemed like 2 min Ahh good times, good times
I did 112 mph in my '57 Bel Air on Garden State Parkway 2 days after I got my license. No seatbelts and all the windows dowm, I had my girlfriend calling out my speed to me while I tried to keep it under control. That car rocked n rolled all over the road, fuckin scary. 283 s bbl and a turboglide got the job done. 115 mph in my '88 Acura before I lifted, smooth as glass. 110 mph in my '95 Honda civic beater, I almost soiled myself. I've done about 110 in the '57 Ford as of now, I don't dare push it any further until I get the brakes and suspension ironed out, too much to lose there. She's got more left in her though.
I love bench racing, every car does 140mph, Runs the quarter in the 10's, gets 30mpg and does it with 4 passengers and the dog with the ski rack on the roof and a couple cases in the cooler. I'll just say I've been fast enough to scare the shit out of myself in a bunch of different cars and bikes. Also there's usually a pretty big difference between what the speedo says and what the car is actually doing once you get over about 100mph. Most American cars are at least 3 miles an hour off at 70 anyway. That's about as close as you can get with changing speedo gears. The faster you go, the more that spreads. Changing tires, trannys and rear gears all have a big effect too. Lots of guys seem to be able to do 160+ on the freeway in stock cars that pro drivers top out in the 140's. I had a buddy once that swore his Z-28 Camaro would do 140. He had the 160 speedo in it. We went side by side on the freeway where there was nobody around and it was straight for miles. When his speedo hit 140 I was alongside doing about 115 in my Impala. I had the tranny shop swap the speedo gears to match my 2.73 rear and the tires & tranny I'm running on the Chevelle according to their chart. I'm still 10% off. 1 mile should take 48 seconds at 75mph according to the speedo check station signs near my house. The Chevelle does a mile in 43 seconds at an indicated 75. So much for the chart. I put the cruise control on 68 to 70 in the fast lane and pass everybody when I'm traveling. That's better than it used to be. I used to set it at 55mph and pass everybody before they fixed it...
I re-read my original reply to this thread and I must admit I sounded like a wimp......"105 mph in the Fairlane" Jeez, what am I an old lady? You guys ALL put me to shame with your 160 mph camaros and stuff... ....soooooo..... I took it out today and tried to go a little faster. I got it up to 160 mph pretty easily although it was sliding a little in the turn. Its kinda squirrelly since its up in the air on that straight axle and all. I slowed a little in the turn to about 130 and then went into a 1/2 mile straight away....I punched it hard and hit 205 mph before I lifted. I coulda got it up to 210 I'm sure, but it was raining a little and I'm running cheater slicks on the back so I didn't feel like pushing my luck. BOY! that was a rush, I'm still shaking. .....I'm getting ready to take my 1958 Chevy 3/4 ton truck out now. Its got a stock 235 and a 3 speed tranny... I figure in all honesty I'll get it up to 110 mph. Wish me luck. VT.
Way-too-fuckin'-fast in a Ferrari road-racer. I used to work at a little gas station on 13th Street in Denver in '70, while attending auto school. The owner was a crusty old bastard, had a bulk plant and more money than God. His son was pretty much a crazy shit, rich & spoiled rotten. I think he raced dirt bikes for a "living". One Saturday afternoon, I'm lounging out front on a 5-gallon 90w can, and I hear this other-worldly shrieking noise coming from the underpass where 13th goes under I25. This red sports car thing comes blasting up outa there at about 90, hangs a right into the station's lot, and proceeds to do a couple brodies, churning up a lot of dirt, rocks, and tire smoke. It's the boss's kid, in this Ferrari he just bought off the road course at Continental Divide Raceway in Castle Rock. Paid cash, drove the fucker to Denver. Numbers on the doors, no mufflers, V12. He's grinning his ass off. Asks me if I want to go for a spin. I'm worried about the old codger finding out I closed up for a half hour, but he says he'll take care of it if the shit hits the fan. So I get in this tiny little seat, and off we go. Out on the Interstate, he starts passing cars like it's his sworn duty to scare the shit out of every living man, woman, and child. By the time we're up by Thornton, he's decided to floor the fucker & see what she'll do. I have no idea how fast that thing was going, but it was too-fuckin'-fast for this kid. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or piss my pants. After 20-25 miles, he went up a ramp, across & back down, headed south. Same drill, cars flying by backwards on whatever side they were on like picket fence stakes. When we got back to the station, I got out, made it to the door without letting my knees betray me, drank a pop with the crazy bastard, and finished out my shift without incident. When I closed up & drove off in my '57 Plymouth with the 383, 2 fours, stripped interior, etc. "hot rod", I did it slower than normal. I'd found out what "fast" meant, and knew that my old Plymouth wasn't it. Last spring, while nearing the end of 35+ yeras of riding scooters, I rode a Yamaha Alphabet Special that belongs to a buddy of mine. No gloves, no jacket, 40 degrees out on a paved county road. I ran 'er up through the gears pretty hard, looked down, and the digital readout says "138". I slowed the fuck down, went back, and made him promise not to let me back on that thing. Too-fuckin'-fast is still too-fuckin'-fast!
[ QUOTE ] about 600mph in a 747. [/ QUOTE ] hahahaha me too 145mph is my tops while on a motorcycle. It was my first and only time on a track and it was as fast as I could get my 600 to go. It was the last lap and I was having a hard time passing another bigger bike, I launched out of the bus stop on to the strip, laid my chin on the tank and twisted the throttle as hard as I could. Good times.
155 in a '86 buick Grand National on a 4-lane highway at 3:00 am. Passed a cop, crested the hill, hit a sidestreet and cut the lights. He zoomed by doing a buck thirty about 45 seconds later. - The longest 45 seconds of my life.
not the fastest, but...back in the sixties in a flat bottom drag boat....killer big block chevy and a "v" drive...it would hit a hundred (plus) in a heartbeat....wildest ever for me!!!
[ QUOTE ] not the fastest, but...back in the sixties in a flat bottom drag boat....killer big block chevy and a "v" drive...it would hit a hundred (plus) in a heartbeat....wildest ever for me!!! [/ QUOTE ] 100mph on water is like 200 on land... dammmm that is crazy
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] not the fastest, but...back in the sixties in a flat bottom drag boat....killer big block chevy and a "v" drive...it would hit a hundred (plus) in a heartbeat....wildest ever for me!!! [/ QUOTE ] 100mph on water is like 200 on land... dammmm that is crazy [/ QUOTE ] My sentiments exactly.
well lessee...heading down 278 in nevada to 50 i hit the aerodynamic barrier of an '84 delta 88 which seems to be about 125 with the measly 307 in there still. rode so smooth! then there were numerous stupidities on my old '85 GS 700E which was WAY too fast...i had the speedo pinned once and only once. speedo went to 140 and it hit that at the top of 4th gear and i got halfway through 5th. never broke 100 after that. glad i got dir of that thing, i need a cruiser now.
Land: 147 - Friends '99 MulletStang, stock 4.6L 130+ - Other Friends '59 Invicta, 425 Nailhead. Water: 90+ - My '70 Hondo Flatbottom Boat, 428scj. The boat scared me more than any car. . something about it jumping far enough out of the the water to expose the rear skegs at 80+ that made me feel funny in my tummy.
About 9 years ago , travelling on Hwy 167 southbound, on the long stretch between Pacific and Sumner, at 2 am, a late sixies Nova was gittin' on the freeway just as I was driving by. I was in my '68 Charger R/T with a 440 and 3.23 gears and as I passed I could see his front end lift. I let him pull up along side of me (about 80 mph) then I turn to my girlfriend at the time and said "watch this". I dropped the hammer on the 440, the 727 shifted to second gear and the old Novas headlights got real, small real fast. When the shift light came on at 5500 rpm I held out till 6000 and when I checked the speedo it said 142. And thats the fastest I've been. So far. Josh
160+ in my old '87 Monte Carlo SS. T- Tops howling, girl in the back seat screaming, and guy in the passenger seat reciting bible verses(he was that scared). On I-40 between Needles and the state line. Wanted to go faster, but inspection station was coming up fast. Good times!! 120+ in my old '70 Hondo flat bottom, competition hull. 847hp 396 chevy!!!
Thanks for the pic on page 12 cword. I never claimed she was the prettiest car on the salt this year. Fun stuff on your back aiming for two small, blurry dots on the horizon. Dan
You're welcome Dan, I happened to be going through all my Bonneville pictures this week while re-building the 1149 website. You and 28RPU presented an excellent oportunity to use a couple. I'm pretty fortunate to be able to say I made my rookie pass and a C license pass in our car this year. mike
hmmmmm. Well the Olds reading 105 is pretty fun, but has the potential to be real expensive. Say 132 in a guys I knows 308 Ferarri slipping inbetween the motorway traffic. I guess about the same on my buddies Yamaha FJ1200 years back, agree with all the above things about big jap bikes they are real fast..... Oh and plenty of 110 out of a poor rental V6 Mustang 4 or so years ago, damn thing woulda gone faster too if not for the guvnor, left San Diego for Phoenix at 3pm not a good look when we needed to be there at a decent hour, from memory I also have pics of an early 90's barnd new Toyota Camry with 5 of us in it topping out at about 127mph I do love rental cars and the wide open spaces of Aussie and the south west
[ QUOTE ] You guys are getting close. I'll save a spot in impound for you in August. [/ QUOTE ] That one made my day. See ya on the salt Dan.
Around 130 in a 68 Ford Torino... I was 6 months old, asleep in the back seat, my dad at the wheel. He and his buddy tried to out run a cop in the Idaho desert. They couldn't lose him, but the cop couldn't gain on them either. After about 60 miles, they gave up and pulled over after putting several bottles of wiskey around my sleeping body and covering me with a blanket. The hood of the cop car was hot enough to burn his buddies elbow when he leaned on it. Turns out that the buddy was the former mayer of the town, so they walked with a warning. Mom was a little pissed... About 22 years later, buried the 120 speedo in my '66 T-bird (factory 428) with a buddy riding shotgun. Wanted to see what it would do. It occured to me, barreling along a country road in the dark, that if ANYTHING happened into the road in front of us, we were going to die. That was the last time I felt the need for real speed. Except the 115mph in the 2000 Volvo XC wagon... That car drove like it was on rails. Pete
140 in a car 160 on a Honda VFR1000 After some of the dumb things I've done, I'm amazed I'm still alive.
'bout a hunnert n eighty five on a Ganja Fattie ,listenin' to The Wall.... and never left my Barcalounger....back in the 60's...ahhh, those were the good times..(sigh)
I had a 1990 Quad 442 W41, the SCCA racer type. It was pretty bad ass, even for a 4 banger. Before this town I live in got totally built up, my girlfriend (at that time) lived "out in the country". So, my brother and I went out there on Cherry Hill Road, which used to be a long straight stretch of road, with only 1 intersection, and they had the stop. I figgered it to be about 4 miles or so, so I asked my brother what he figgered the car would do... So we shot off, and buried the 140 Speedo that was in it, and the car was still pulling. Zak asked what would happen if a deer crossed in front of us when we hit 110, and I said "we'd go thru it. ". I backed off after awhile, more out of fear of seeing a cop than anything else. I loved that car. But it rusted out quicker than a 73-87 Chevy pickup in a salt water shower. Jay
[ QUOTE ] Way-too-fuckin'-fast in a Ferrari road-racer. I used to work at a little gas station on 13th Street in Denver in '70, while attending auto school. The owner was a crusty old bastard, had a bulk plant and more money than God. His son was pretty much a crazy shit, rich & spoiled rotten. I think he raced dirt bikes for a "living". One Saturday afternoon, I'm lounging out front on a 5-gallon 90w can, and I hear this other-worldly shrieking noise coming from the underpass where 13th goes under I25. This red sports car thing comes blasting up outa there at about 90, hangs a right into the station's lot, and proceeds to do a couple brodies, churning up a lot of dirt, rocks, and tire smoke. It's the boss's kid, in this Ferrari he just bought off the road course at Continental Divide Raceway in Castle Rock. Paid cash, drove the fucker to Denver. Numbers on the doors, no mufflers, V12. He's grinning his ass off. Asks me if I want to go for a spin. I'm worried about the old codger finding out I closed up for a half hour, but he says he'll take care of it if the shit hits the fan. So I get in this tiny little seat, and off we go. Out on the Interstate, he starts passing cars like it's his sworn duty to scare the shit out of every living man, woman, and child. By the time we're up by Thornton, he's decided to floor the fucker & see what she'll do. I have no idea how fast that thing was going, but it was too-fuckin'-fast for this kid. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or piss my pants. After 20-25 miles, he went up a ramp, across & back down, headed south. Same drill, cars flying by backwards on whatever side they were on like picket fence stakes. When we got back to the station, I got out, made it to the door without letting my knees betray me, drank a pop with the crazy bastard, and finished out my shift without incident. When I closed up & drove off in my '57 Plymouth with the 383, 2 fours, stripped interior, etc. "hot rod", I did it slower than normal. I'd found out what "fast" meant, and knew that my old Plymouth wasn't it. [/ QUOTE ] That is one of the best stories ever. That made my day.
The Jalopy Journal
