About 140 in my '91 300ZX...real early on a Sunday morning on a long stretch of dead-empty highway...it amazed me how short that "long" stretch became at that speed...

 

approximately 130 MPH - 66 Jaguar E-type

 

Why is this not in "off topic"?

~120 mph in 4th gear (a few 100 rpm's under redline in my '84 300zx Turbo). This was at Virginia International Raceway, back straight.

Anyone who does more than 80 or 90 on public roads is a complete idiot.

 

I've got you all covered easily. 195+MPH (315km/h).
Ferrari F40 down the streight at Mosport on a hot lap. Although I was not driving. It was a charity Ferrari day and I got three laps with a professional driver. Best day ever.

 

Kinda harsh, don't you think? I would agree with more than 80 or 90 in traffic, but I can't see what would be wrong with giving it a run on a deserted highway...the only person who's gonna pay is you.

 

158, still accelerating strongly in my modded 91 Twin Turbo. Pacific Coast Highway, heading north coming out of the twisties in front of Pt. Mugu NAS at 3 in the morning. Took the wide curve just past Las Posas underpass at 140 and it was VERY scary. Scary, but also very stable.

 

130 in a Porsche 944S. But the scariest thing to ever happen to me was, I wanted to find out what the top speed in my 88 300ZX was. I was driving on a new freeway at 6 A.M. in Louisanna with not a car in sight. I had the car up to almost 120 with plenty of engine left when I felt the tires lose traction. The car began drifting into the left lane and I felt if I tried to do anything (steer, brake) I would roll the car. I took my foot off the gas and just went along for the ride, after the car slowed down to a little less than 110 I felt the wheels grip and I had control of the car again. That was the LAST time I ever have, or ever will try to see how fast a car can go.

 

So the fact that you are likely only to injure yourself makes it significantly less idiotic?

With the prevelance and affordability of safe track events (both competitive and educational), my position doesn't seem harsh to me.

Ethan

 

140 in my Mustang racing my father in his Maxima SE in FL on the toll roads. His car is faster, but I have better burnouts and louder pipes. The V8 has been fun, but its time for my Z.

 

155mph in my 96 Integra Turbo.
1/4miles = 12.13@113

 

115 in a '76 Chrysler New Yorker on an empty (we thought) country road.

Once we realized that the spec in the distance was a car that we were approaching very fast, we learned that the only thing harder than keeping a New Yorker on the road at 115 was trying to get it back down to 45 quickly enough.

 

About 132 in my '95 BMW M3.

Someone was stupid enough to let me take the controls of a Lear Jet once, but I don't think that counts.

 

dang. all the sudden my ****-in-my-pants 100 mph stint in my rsx seems wussy.

but then again i was doing it on horrible los angeles traffic on the 210 freeway.

 

Man, I miss crusing the 405. The typical speed is really about 80, with spurts to 90 when passing. The driving here in CT is somehow just not the same. Think about the 405, that's just one freeway in LA, and it's probably about 6 lanes wide at some points. Here in CT, the 95, which connects Boston to Providence, to the southern coast of CT, to NYC, to all points south, is just 2 lanes! Aaargh, with the tractor trailer traffic and the old ladies headed toward Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, the road crawls. In LA, we have some respect for the other drivers, because stupid maneuvers may result in violent acts of road rage..

Here, I've developed a method of driving I call "New York Style." Basically, if you're trying to merge, or cut in front of somebody, or change lanes, you take a look at the space available, at the worth of the car you're about to cut off, and the Kelly Blue Book value of your car. If your car is less, go ahead and merge. The other guy will probably back down. If your car is worth more, well, go ahead and merge anyways and if the guy honks, honk back, or yell something out the window.

Never until I moved to the East Coast have I seen people try to jam in a left on a green light BEFORE the oncoming cars start. I was always taught that you should wait till the cars had gone. Guess driver's training is different out here.

 

Driving motor vehicles at high speed is inherently dangerous, be it on a highway or a racetrack. If you consider all activities that risk bodily harm to self as idiotic, well, that's a long list, and it includes driving cars on racetracks.

You infer that I would not be an idiot if I was doing 120 MPH on a racetrack as opposed to a deserted highway. So what is the real difference if it isn't the possibility of injuring others? Do they use a special kind of tarmac at racetracks that makes me less likely to lose control? Do I become a better driver simply by entering a racetrack? I understand that what you're saying is more about attitude and education...these can still be used outside of a racing venue. I just don't consider a little speed in the presence of only myself and the almighty in a capable automobile as a completely idiotic act.