Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Crashing the car?

No idea about the BMW but most modern cars have traction control to stop you losing traction.

Also in Switzerland, isn't the minimum tyre depth at least 2mm if not more?

Is that the future?

So the thinking is..drive high performance car on public roads at its limits, if it done get crashed, fuck it, get another one. Some great stuff here people.

You forget blame everyone and everything else for your inability to drive.

I think that's a bit unfair. M2 can be quite snappy at surprisingly slow speeds in damp/greasy conditions, defo doesn't take ragging it at the limit to bin it.

I was riding shotgun in a mate's M140 when he spun it in a roundabout. We were chatting away so he was maybe not 100% fully engaged, damp conditions and before we knew it we'd done a 180. Fairly sedate pace, I genuinely thought something had broken in the car for it to let go like that. Didn't have a chance to catch it either, arse just snapped round in a blink.

Saw this sweet as fuck Alfa while out in the van earlier.

I think everything I enjoy about driving could be satisfied in a car like this. Simple pleasures.

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So, driver error then and beyond their limit? Perhaps this M2 is really only for heroes, which means the majority shouldn't be considering it at all.

There are some cars that can be surprisingly easy to get caught out on, that's all I'm trying to get across. Particularly if you're coming from fwd or awd/4wd to a rwd car which is what OP was alluding to.

Was a sunny day yesterday so finally installed some alloy scuttle vents and steel coolant tank, unfortunately noticed that the radiator is coming apart so that’s the next job, thinking of cutting the bumpers down and getting an older vertical grill next.

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Oof that is lovely.

Yeah, isn’t the s2000 supposed to be fairly crashy as another example?
Seems wise to be asking these questions IMO.

Drive these cars sensibly, there isn't a problem. Drive near or at their limits, on (UK anyway) public roads, is asking for trouble. If those limits are lower then drive accordingly/don't buy/get training. I'm an average driver, I had a number of rwd cars, including a 300bhp MR2 mk2 turbo, notoriously tricky, I've only ever spun once, on a track.

Totally in agreement. Too many clueless owners. The Golf GTi had the same reputation in it's time because of clueless drivers.

Aye anything's dangerous if you don't drive appropriately - a mate rolled TWO grandma-spec micras in his teens.

Totally agree. You could get away with it in the days of low power and skinny tyres. Things happened predictably. Now, with sticky tyres, electro assist steering and other "feel" barriers, cars like the M2 snap. Plus there's a huge driver talent component missing.

I should add that if I were in an M2 and smashed the throttle out of a corner I most likely wouldn't catch it if it stepped out. I know my limits and it keeps me in fwd hatchbacks until one day have the time for proper driver education at a track.

In modern times with driver aids, is this still true?

The s2000 was fairly crashy because of the dicks that bought them in the UK.

We all know what happened to the Roush ford GT on the road about on the a127,...

Think you have hit the nail on the head in the first line. Fast car therefore I must be a good driver. Is the UK still the easiest place to pass a driving test?

I have spun, well did not catch the over steer or provoked understeer in most of my cars on public roads. Well cheaper cars.

Quiet large greasy roundabout are prefect to learn limits and feel when things start to go wrong.
Then I have owned some cars that I have never got near them loosing traction with out any driver aids.

Still love a snowy carpark to learn car control

At the height of the popularity of the 205gti there were big black lines disappearing into fields all over Provence. Sometimes you would see an upturned 205 at the end.

Lift off oversteer...

Again, dickhead drivers. Despite popular belief the lift off oversteer of 205 era pugs... Actually even the 306 are largely exaggerated. Don't drive like an idiot and they are fine. I did learn the hard way. I picked up a near new 306 xsi. First corner I arrived at I threw it in a little too hot and panicked, lifted a little to bring the nose in... Woah.... Fish tailed and very nearly went into a street lamp pole. Undies brown. In my defence, the tyres the dealer put on we're the cheapest bits of crap I'd seen. A detail I only noticed after.

lift off oversteer of 205

The truth and accepting you crashed as you were being stupid.

https://www.progcovers.com/motor/index.html

This is very cool. I initially thought you could buy them as prints but no reason why you couldn't download and get them printed yourself if you wanted to.

Managed to borrow enough bits to get bikes on the roof.
400 mile round trip nae bother. Although the mounting and de-mounting leave something to be desired.
Avg MPG of about 41, which really isn’t too shabby.

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