Ad4m RST

In standard form what's everyone think is the best drivers car ever built...?

F40 a clear choice for me but anything else, up & down the price/calibre scale.

NSX & Lancia Stratos run close pound for pound IMO.


[Edit: Porkie made a good point, has to be a car you have direct experience of...]

Drove a Ferrari 360 & RUF 996 on a media trackday back when I was @ Uni, HEAVILY supervised & mentored though . Would have to go for the Porsche, to this day never been pinned back or scared shitless by another car like that did.



The List...

Ad4m RST - RUF 996 Porsche Turbo
opposite lock - 3dr Sierra Cosworth
Porkie - Caterham R400 or CSR
RS Grant - Honda DC2 Integra Type R
Sonic Boom - Mk1 Focus RS
rsmat - Lotus Exige/Mk1 Focus RS
sapph1 - Seat Ibiza
NoRubNoDub - Caterham R500
Nick.W - Vauxhall Nova SR
wilkogsi - BMW M3 CSL/Pug 306 Rallye
YOREVOL - Lancia Delta Inegrale
rs clint - Mk2 Ford Escort
alexno1dj - Honda S2000/Ford Racing Puma/Mazda MX-5
Lord Melbury - Triumph TR4A
PileOfRust - Fiesta 1.1
big hyndy - Lotus Exige/Mk2 Focus RS
Elwood - Renault Clio 182 Trophy
pani k - Mitsubishi Evo 6 Ralliart
CalibreDan - 106 GTi
STUCOS - BMW E30 M3
Chaz888 - Mini Cooper Classic
RETRO_AL - Mk2 Ford Escort/2wd Cosworths
Madgit - Ariel Atom/Mk1 Fiesta XR2/ Mitsubishi Evo 5/Nissan R35 GT-R
DanW@FastFord - Caterham Superlight/Lotus Exige
rstoughy - BMW M3 CSL [2]/BMW E30 325i/Mk2 Ford Escort/Subaru Impreza 22b
phil69a - Mk1 Ford Focus RS/Honda Civic EP3 Type R JDM
gineRS - Caterham/Westfield
DanCossie - Ferrari 360
hybridford - Lotus Elise
PeterRST - Mazda MX-5
andy130 - VW Golf Mk5 R32
mk2rstaff - Ariel Atom
Glenn. - Escort RS Cosworth/Audi RS4
phil robson - Clio 182 Trophy [2]
howie1989 - Mini Cooper Classic [2]
Magnum PI - Ford Racing Puma
warrenpenalver - Lotus Exige/Ford Racing Puma [2]
RichardPON - Pug 205 GTi 1.9/Caterham R500 [5]
Sunil FiestaRS1800 - S13 200sx
muz - Porsche 997 GT3
plynchy - Porsche 986 Boxster S/Mk1 Focus RS [4]/Porsche 997 GT3 [2]
DAN P - Mk2 Fiesta XR2
Joshy - 1.0 Vauxhall Nova
jimhc - Mitsubishi Evo 3
Rob Virgo - Pug 205 Gti 1.6/Honda S2000/Sierra 3dr Cosworth
Chip - Mini Cooper (60's)
Hoogi - Lotus Exige [6]/Renault Spider

Rick

F40 has horrid gear ratios. Not that nice to drive - apparently.

opposite lock

iTrader: (3)

Sierra Cosworth

Porkie

iTrader: (1)

clear choice?

Its not even the best Ferrari according to those that have driven them all.


NSX and Lancia Stratos in your humble opinion???

have you driven ANY of these 3 cars? FAIR PLAY IF SO!!!!

I've only driven 1 of them! never even sat in a Stratos unfortunately.....

but isnt it known for its bad handling?!?!?!?!


The winner of this for me is the Caterham 7. Probably the new Duratec R400 or CSR. Driven both amazing. Not driven a new R500. Drove an old one.

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

I thought a Stratos swapped ends pretty quickly if you were pushing on... however, it might have been an old Top Gear/Clarkson video that I picked that up from, sooo I could be wrong.

Personally, as a bog standard car... a DC2 Integra Type R is hard to beat. Far better than anything else I've driven or owned, standard for standard.

The power and chassis are so well matched; it makes use of its ~190bhp perfectly, got great balance, acceptable performance, reliability (not strictly important), great seats, etc.

Down my favorite local back road, I'd take a mint DC2 over an Impreza or Evo becase I could drive at 10/10ths and have an absolute hoot rather than dialling it down to 8/10ths and keeping one eye on the speedo and having to hammer the brakes to make sure I wasn't thumping right into three figures..


Cheers,
Grant

Sonic Boom

iTrader: (11)

I've driven loads of cars but very few proper hard and I have to say I loved the Mk1 RS Focus handling of the ones I have given some stick.
My 3 Door on the other hand is truely terrifing.
Rich

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

Focus Rs mk1 is certainly up there with the drivers cars... But really like the lotus exige aswell pound for pound.

Karl 3dr

iTrader: (9)

I think you can only really comment on cars you've actually driven, in which case, for me it's probably my Ibiza runaround lol

Ad4m RST

No haven't driven any of them! been driven in an NSX. Stratos is a bastard to handle but pretty incredible in it's element... I'm nothing special as a driver but I wasn't thinking best "laymans" drivers car, but when the best is wrung from any given car.

I'd say it's subjective stuff & true I've got no actual experience to subject. Where F40 is concerned, just weighed in it's 25 years old & about as difficult to get the best from as anything ever built, but if driven properly has to be one of the most rewarding, horrific lag & all.

Fairplay on a Caterham, & being aware of what you own & have owned, ever dealt with a Radical?

How about GT3 RS? does that get me flamed?



Yeah, Stratos is a little widow maker, but being stupidly light with the wheelbase it's got & power delivery from that type of engine it has to be pretty magnificent on song. I didn't say easy to drive not that any real drivers cars are, but again when at their best faults & all, what's the most rewarding.

Teg is a big shout, it's put up there with the best handlers of all time, the only FWD motor that gets close. Proves more than any other car IMO, that 200hp is a shitload of power if used right. But then Honda magic in the oversteer element with Tegs, gives that on edge heart bump like the back end is flirting even smashing 9k rpm through front wheels. Never be another car like it I think.

xr_craig

iTrader: (2)

Surely the question should be most rewarding drivers car then? As opposed to best ever.

NoRubNoDub

Got to be a caterham r500


Hi Simon!

Nick.W

iTrader: (1)

Nova SR

NoRubNoDub

..................what?

wilkogsi

m3 csl

NoRubNoDub

^^^^^ too twitchy and it has a stupid gearbox

wilkogsi

you driven one? if so what tyres was it on? there only twitchy if you drive them like a 17 year old. the smg is a very good paddle shift tbo. did you have it with dsc off and in s6 mode? if no that i can see why you think the smg is poor. i thought the same when i'd never driven one lol

NoRubNoDub

The track tyres it came with, maybe michellins. I found it darted all over the place when you braked hard, very hard to change direction at speed without the rear breaking loose.

Rod-Tarry

Best drivers car ive owned was an Audi, they know how to make a car feel good. My brother has an Alfa that seems to have the same ability to make driving feel good. Dont confuse performance with an alround driving car .
Worst driving car was a Lotus Sunbeam, shite on wheels is the best thing you can say, very fast cos it was modded but no saving graces whatsoever.

YOREVOL

lancia integrale (if you can get it to start) the fastest point to point car of the 80s/90s.

rs clint

mk2 escort

Ad4m RST

But then what some people find rewarding others won't... drivers car that you work your nuts off to keep in check, or tech-machine that makes you feel like Schumacher but in effect is connecting the dots.

Ad4m RST

Will put a list up on the 1st post...

alexno1dj

ford racing puma, honda s2000 or mazda mx5

Ad4m RST

Now imagine you weren't a hairdresser...

Nah great choices, has to one though...? S2k?

PileOfRust

mk1 fiesta 1.1

animal

Lord Melbury

Certainly is a thought provoking conundrum. So many factors to give due consideration to.

However, on balance, the car which gave me the most enjoyment from a driving point of view is my old Triumph TR4A
That little car was just so much fun & surely that is a factor which is paramount in a study such as this.

alexno1dj

ha ha true, it seems hairdressers cars are also pretty good. strange.

erm the engine in the s2k is by far the best, mx5 feels abit lighter, racing puma great on B roads but awful on motorway

alexno1dj

adding to the hairdressers car list id love to own and drive a new bmw z4, funny as the z3 wasn't particularly good

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

Evo 6 Ralliart for me.

big hyndy

iTrader: (1)

Mk2 Focus RS is up there for me but the Exige is probably my favourite.

99% of the type R range is shit hot though i've owned a fair few Hondas in my time.

Elwood

Renault Clio 182 Trophy

Ad4m RST

We have a winner! always thought the 950cc Pop+ was more raw though ... either way flying into a hairpin at 10mph with 50 on the clocks is some scary shit!

Whatever factors in for you mate... added

Motorway driving isn't a drawback here... don't need to be much a driver lol. So FRP or S2k by sounds of it? I've got you with S2k for now.

CalibreDan

Guilty pleasure... 106 GTi. No matter how many better cars I drive, 106's will always have a LOT of respect from me

STUCOS

iTrader: (8)

E30 M3 could just do with a bit more power


cheeRS stu

PileOfRust

thats what its all about! not going that fast yet being fuckin terrified

alexno1dj

yeah id go with s2k mate

Ad4m RST

Thinking on this, can add a few formats... narrows down a bit.

-pure mechanical: F40, Stratos, Mk2 Escort or Porsche 993 GT2 etc
-part assist: GT3, NSX, early Evo or Scoob etc
-full assist: GT-R, Evo X, Ferrari 458 etc

Chaz888

Mini with any of the cooper engines in it ,XR3,XR2 all simple fun drives

Retro Al

iTrader: (1)

It has to be a car with no driver aids just decent power (power to weight ratio aswell) and mechanical grip
So its the old escorts for me and 2wd cosworths

Madgit

Pick any from my list:
Mechanical or bare basics -Ariel Atom, mk1 XR2.
Technical - Evo 5, R35 GTR.