NZFF

A 427 Cobra ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxsHIRqpKfg ...turn up the volume

I have a car dealer friend who has 2 of these among other scary things. These things are just insane .... they will cook your feet, the smell of petrol will overwhelm you, unassisted braking, no power steering ...they have a pucker factor of 7 just at idle. The only car I've ever been in that can break traction through the first 2 gear changes. When he gave me a drive, he said just aim it and hold on. Would not be able to deal with that sort of power these days sadly.
Almost 99% of these are replicas now, as are his, but built to really tight specs, to keep the history correct.
Love the bit at 1:49 or thereabouts where he( not my mate) cuts it down and floors it

Marty, thought you might like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQAftkF3ios

Oh YES ... Those closed in models were (are) special

I joined the GRRC Fellowship a few years back, as a birthday present to me. Well worth it - some great racing with real racing cars. The Merlin is a 27-ltr v-12, but what about this 28-ltr 4cyl Fiat?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eToHTf-QUBA

oH MY... 400rpm
You could have one if you put your mind to it.
Luckily for me, out of stock!

There's a bright yellow Cobra replica up the road.
When he emerges there is absolutely no mistake what has just happened to the neighbourhood.

Just won't be the same when everything goes electric...

True, but think of this: that 1911 Fiat would have had the same game-changing impact as its spiritual successor, 110 years later:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE_w1-5eHgI
50 years on, the tech had trickled down to produce the Fiat 500!
So too the latest tech will permeate the commuter fleet.

(Disclaimer; our fleet is wholly electric, and I don't miss the gas pump experience in any way.
There is no going back.)

The jet age didn't take anything away from the magic of those Merlins, if anything they became more special.
We will still have 427 Ford and small-block Chevy's in our future weekends, which is where they belong.
Nobody commutes in a Cobra.

Charl wrote:50 years on, the tech had trickled down to produce the Fiat 500!

The 'Topolino', which could nearly be garaged under the bonnet of its 1911 ancestor.
Over here, long vehicles carry a sign saying "Do not overtake turning vehicle". A guy in Sydney modified one of these to read "Do not take overturning vehicle" and stuck it across the back of his Fiat 500

Great posts thanks guys , nice to almost get from aircraft for a while.
Mike that Fiat is scary , it could star in a horror movie ....what a beast .

"Do not take overturning vehicle"

Splitpin wrote:Great posts thanks guys , nice to almost get from aircraft for a while.

Marty, flightsimmers are multi-talented!
Surprising how many petrolheads, musicians and so on, lurk beneath the simmers cloak!
So goodonya for posting.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars ... f=rbdn3PQ5

Nice of them to include the on-road costs....

That 289 Cobra does sound nice although I prefer the
hard top GT350. For me though, there's nothing like the GT40 series at Le Mans

Hey Nick - I think you'll enjoy this.
https://www.youtube.com./watch?v=s-c0YOgvUcY

GT-40 Nick and Mike ....great links

Cool commentary... that was before the Mulsanne Straight chicanes - terrifying speed.

All of the above was nicely encapsulated in the movie Ford vs Ferrari .
Better than expected I thought, Shelby at his best, up against the Ford Shirts

EDIT: Great GT40 action Mike, quite ballsy to chuck those around the way they do eh?

Goodwood is on my list of places. My old man was there for the Festival of Speed a few years ago and he said that the GT racing was the highlight.

Funny that you mention Ford Vs Ferrari. I saw it in the US with the missus and her granddad who, like me is a fan of 60s racing... I wasn't very impressed by the way they made it seem like Shelby and Miles developed the GT40 all by themselves.... no mention of all the other people involved. Oh, and Ken ignored the EZ sign AFTER McLaren and Bucknum had acknowledged it... that's how he ended up in front and had to slow down for the photo finish. Gurney held the lap record that year too, not Miles, Miles actually did race there in 65 etc etc. Typical hollywood. I watched it again last night on a flight to NZ and I actually think I enjoyed it more the second time around because I knew all of that nonsense was coming... and it's hard not to love all of those beautiful Ferrari 330 P3s...

Yeh, and Enzo didn't go to lunch in a chopper, and so on.
I saw it with people who don't acknowledge motor racing as such, and they enjoyed it.
The movie could so easily have been another Hollywood pastiche, but it actually avoided all the obvious traps.
I also cut it some slack because they showed enough of that Ferrari, being the most beautiful 4-wheeled device ever created.