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clee1982

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Why not a Fit? I mean, why not just get the smallest ******* thing out there?

smallest for the size I actually need, had G20 M340 been out (or M340 wagon was available), I would happily downsize vs. my current 540
 

clee1982

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I think Gordon Murray got it exactly right. The appeal of ICE is not specs, but the feel of it, which is all going to go away when we switch to electric vehicles. If this is ICE's last hurrah, Murray picked the best ICE config with the best controls for it. Don't forget that for both the McLaren F1 and this car, Murray did not spec 0-60, top speed, etc. It was all about driver involvement and feel: the specs he did care about all affect that, like weight, torsional rigidity, power to weight ratio, driver placement and view, etc. Even the intake snorkel placement and sizing is designed for driver enjoyment.

McLaren F1 was a different era, even if he didn't meant to be break 0-60 then it stand the record for like a decade? Couldn't you get more pleasure out of a even smaller car (Aeril Atom kind of car) if that's what we're looking for.
 

RSS

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Why not a Fit? I mean, why not just get the smallest ******* thing out there?
I don't know you personally ... but I don't see a Fit as a good fit.

I'm also considering changing from MB to Volvo.
 

A Y

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McLaren F1 was a different era, even if he didn't meant to be break 0-60 then it stand the record for like a decade? Couldn't you get more pleasure out of a even smaller car (Aeril Atom kind of car) if that's what we're looking for.

Both this car and the F1 have the footprint of a Porsche Boxster but with more storage room: they are small by contemporary standards already.

You may know that one of the F1's original goals was to be a comfortable car that you could drive from London to the French Riviera with a companion for a driving vacation. Murray himself used his F1 for grocery runs, and the dihedral up-swinging doors were designed and sized so they'd open up fully in a low-ceilinged apartment garage structure. The car is purposely sprung softly as well. He wanted a nice sound system in the F1, and commissioned Kenwood to make a lightweight stereo just for the car. And even though he now says the AC in the F1 was rubbish, its development was benchmarked against Honda's in his NSX because that system just worked all the time and he never turned it off.

In other words, this car was also designed to be as practical as it could be and livable, which is about as far as you can get from an Atom, which is basically an overgrown motorcycle.

He wanted it all for this car: driving performance as well as reasonable practicality, and that's what elevates him as a designer compared to all the other supercar designers out there.
 

HRoi

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Pure lightness was the late Colin Chapman’s mantra. Gordon was a Chapman disciple but his twist was that he wanted to also get the very best tech, most engaging drive, and lightest weight without sacrificing anything between the three if he could. That’s why the F1 is still at the mountaintop even though it’s slower than a 720s. Putting in a DCT violates principle #2 and #3...plus GM got an ultimatum from some of his early committed buyers to offer a manual or else.

the reason I said this is the last greatest hurrah is that he took every single characteristic that people commonly agree make a ICE sportscar pure, and made it the purest, best version that money, creativity and tech could buy today. And after today, all this tech will die out after this final ultimate example goes out swinging...kinda like the final battle of the Yamato.

n/a
V12
Throttle response
Manual transmission
Center seating
Never will we see a hyper car with this light a weight because of battery packs
F1 car redline
Hydraulic steering
(Unassisted steeri!!)
Obsessive tuning of the induction noise

I don’t like the external looks either but it’s purely functional - for aero and to eliminate any inessential frou frou pièces that add weight. The F1 was not the prettiest 9s car either
 

clee1982

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well for same era I thought F1 looked better than F40, XJ220, Bugatti EB110
 

A Y

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Just to be technical, there is no hydraulic assist or hydraulics in the T.50's steering. It has an electric assist at low speeds to help with parking, but otherwise it's pure mechanical rack and pinion.
 

gnatty8

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Look out for gomestar and gnatty. Showing up with tattoos (wow so badass) and their Volvos, and oh **** whaaaat did gome really just change lanes without a signal oh **** he messing with the lane departure warning system like he's the boss man ...

You too huh? Lane departure system is a blast on roads undergoing construction and temporary lane shifts; I've had to wrest control back from the on-board system more than once, heart pounding and oh **** sounding in my brain..
 

gnatty8

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Mrs. Piob has had one for a year now and loves it. I've driven it and it's a fun vehicle, handles well, great tech. XC90 is on my list for this fall of possibles. I think her ride looks pretty damn good too.

Yes, I agree, I was a lot more impressed by handling than I thought I would be, being a sort of SUV and all. The onboard system is pretty seamless, and the vehicle itself just has a pleasing clunky functionality that I seem to enjoy at this stage of my life, with more performance-oriented cars in my rear view for one reason or another.
 

Dino944

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Pure lightness was the late Colin Chapman’s mantra. Gordon was a Chapman disciple but his twist was that he wanted to also get the very best tech, most engaging drive, and lightest weight without sacrificing anything between the three if he could.

The F1 was not the prettiest 9s car either

Even Alois Ruf says nothing is better than lightness. I have a friend who was a young engineer working at Lotus in the late 70's and early 80's. The stories he tells of Colin Chapman and his Lotus days are very entertaining. He said Colin was a horrible driver and they had guys working full time in the body shop and paint departments fixing cars the that Colin was hitting on public roads.

well for same era I thought F1 looked better than F40, XJ220, Bugatti EB110

Not sure I'd say the F1 was better looking than an F40...but yes its far better looking than the XJ220 which is ugly and comically long in person, since it was designed for a 12 cylinder and only got a turbocharged 6...and the Bugatti EB110 is a pig (hell, I think the Veyron is ugly and young people today love with it because they have heard it's over a million dollars and has over 1,000 horsepower so it must be great... oh yea and it's an automatic so they can drive it if they win the lottery :wink: )
 

gomestar

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You too huh? Lane departure system is a blast on roads undergoing construction and temporary lane shifts; I've had to wrest control back from the on-board system more than once, heart pounding and oh **** sounding in my brain..

this reminded me to check back at the dmv website site to see if I can order some Harry Potter vanity plates.

still Covid delays, have to check back at the end of the month.
 

gomestar

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Yes, I agree, I was a lot more impressed by handling than I thought I would be, being a sort of SUV and all. The onboard system is pretty seamless, and the vehicle itself just has a pleasing clunky functionality that I seem to enjoy at this stage of my life, with more performance-oriented cars in my rear view for one reason or another.

I find the 90's handling to be fine if uninspiring.

seats are great.

the rest is solid. **** just works and keeps working and all makes total sense and I don't have to think much about it.

"but don't you want to feel alive???" No, I'm slowly dying, I want to get to point B without air suspension issues. Ford just noted that their warranty claim costs are up 30% for one of their most recent tracking periods, and I believe it as 2 family members with relatively new Fords are all dealing with reliability issues (including the loaded Explorer, SVR or SRT or whatever, which we gave a good look at. My uncle's had a breakdown on the highway in his, and because life is lol, I'm noting that it was while on his way to a chemo treatment, which i think he may have preferred over a an appointment with the Ford service center).

At the end of the day i do love having the Volvo and if it were to be totaled we'd just get another.

Although I really want an early 2000's high mileage 4Runner. Or a Tacoma. Or a Land Cruiser. Or a 996 911. Second car would be my choice this time.
 

bawlin

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This Sport Turismo GTS just came up for sale and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t considering selling off the Range Rover and trading in the RS for it.

98CC633B-A664-4029-AB46-2D51F1C59AAC.jpeg
 

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