What’s The Fastest Car You’ve Owned?

[wayne sheldon]

Interesting thread.

I am another life-long antique car guy that never needed to go really fast.

Fastest car I ever owned was a 2001 Audi TT roadster, one of the faster ones. I never drove it very fast.

Fastest I ever drove was probably my 1988 Chevrolet 3/4 ton Suburban with the tow-monster 400-something motor. On a long mostly two lane winding road in the middle of the night, a pulled up behind one of those morons that will NOT drive over 25 mph. Unless someone is trying to pass him! Really did not want to be stuck behind that car for fifty to maybe a hundred miles. On the first two attempts, we got well over 80 with his more nimble sedan keeping just barely enough ahead of me until I ran out of room in the short passing area. But I knew the road. For my third attempt, I held back a bit, he stayed slow. Rounding a hilly curve before the short passing lane, I dropped back out of sight, then FLOORED IT! Clearing the curve I was doing about sixty to his twenty when the 'passing' area came into view and blew around the idiot (or maybe I was the idiot???). Who knew that big old American sedan could be so fast. He kept up with me, but wasn't able to pass me. When the short passing lane ended, I was still just ahead of him, and doing a bit over ninety!

As soon as the short straight area where the passing lane was turned back into twists, he was back down to about 25 mph. I stayed at about seventy (except on the tightest turns) and never saw him again.

Just because I don't feel a 'need for speed' doesn't mean I cannot handle speed.

 

Due to family circumstances, I drove that winding mostly two lane and a few small towns 150 miles literally hundreds of times. Usually at night.

[John Byrd]

That is a hard thing for me to know for sure, as the newer cars we've had are all so much faster than our "old days" cars. BUT, my fastest quarter mile time was in my old rusty 61 Ranchero ( I laughingly called it a factory lightweight as stuff would fall out when I bang-shifted or did a bit of a wheelie, ha ! ) with a really well sorted, modified, balanced and blueprinted actual 289 Cobra engine...high 12 second times around 104 mph. Once we put tall tires on the rear, had a 3:25 gear in it at the time, let the tailgate down one night on a 4 lane north of Ft. Worth, and using the tire diameter, RPM, and rear end ratio figured I got to a touch over 140 mph. Terrifying !!!  I was all over the road before I got slowed back down. I had also just bought my 1st new car, a 428 ram air, 4 speed, positraction, Fairlane Cobra which the old Ranchero VERY firmly spanked, ha ! My fastest motorcycle was a 10 second CBX Honda six cylinder..yes, it was modified a bit too. Now I drive a 63 Mini with about 36 HP, a 55 Studebaker 259 automatic that is "classy slow", and a new Ranger truck ( which is a really fast turbo'd thingy that has got as high as 26 MPG ! )  I love telling folks we have a 4400 lb. truck with the Pinto (2300cc) engine, ha !

[TAKerry]

When I was 16 I had my Kawasaki Mach III up to around 90. That was quite fast enough for me on the widow maker!

[ericmac]

Without a doubt, my 2001 BMW M3 convertible.  It went faster than I was ever willing to drive it. I am betting my current ride, a 6.2 Vortec powered 2013 GMC Yukon XL is the fastest American made car I have owned but I've never driven it faster than the speed of traffic,  so maybe 82-84 MPH? At that speed it isn't even breathing hard.

[wws944]

11 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

Either a 68 Buick Electra 225 hardtop with 375HP 430 V8 or a 1974 Porsche 911.  I don't think either is considered a fast car.

 

I learned to drive on my parents '70 Electra Limited and '73 Electra 225.  The '70 had the high compression 455 and dad even ordered it with factory dual exhaust.  Zero-60 was about 8 seconds - great for such a heavy car.  The '73 455 was a sad shadow of its former self by comparison.  Maybe 12-13 second 0-60 on a good day, and got about 7 mpg.  Funny thing is that prior to the '73, they had a '67 Electra - which I only drove a couple of times.  But dad claimed the '67 was even faster than the '70....

 

In my case, it would be my current daily driver - an early Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD.  The 0-60 time is supposedly in the high 4 second range.  (Originally just over 5 seconds, but early on we got a couple of 5% power boosts via over-the-air software updates.)  The dual motor cars are way faster.

[mrspeedyt]

had a stock 56 pontiac safari. with about a 3:00 rear end. it would easily bury the 120 mph speedo. 

likewise my 51 mercury 2 door. previous owner put in a 327 chevy and manual transmission. car was a merc-o-matic originally. about a 3:00 stock rear end i think. 

also had a new 71 honda 750. laying down on the tank it too would easily hit 120. 

a few years ago i had a 70 mb 300sel 6.3. never tried a top end run with that.

Edited August 21, 2021 by mrspeedyt (see edit history)

[hidden_hunter]

Some really nice cars you guys drive

 

2020 VW Golf R wagon - 0-60 in under 5 seconds. Plenty fast enough

 

and of course my 1922 Cadillac Type 61 

 

I like to tell people I drive a V8 rwd manual coupe

 

[nickelroadster]

1968 W-30 442 with 3.91 gears and a few upgrades.  Would do 12something quarter mile.  Couldn't pass very many gas stations.

[trimacar]

Citroen SM.  Maserati engine.  Would get over a hundred without missing a beat, and the hydraulic power brakes would slow one down to legal  in two heartbeats.  
 

Every old car enthusiast should, at some point in time, drive a Citroen with hydraulic suspension and brakes.

 

Best handling and comfort of ride you’ll ever have, guaranteed.  Of course, a lot of you are thinking “no way”, but trust me, fabulous cars. Failed in the US because so few service centers, and to work on one means skewing your brain…

Edited August 21, 2021 by trimacar (see edit history)

[maok]

4 hours ago, trimacar said:

Citroen SM.  Maserati engine.  Would get over a hundred without missing a beat, and the hydraulic power brakes would slow one down to legal  in two heartbeats.  
 

Every old car enthusiast should, at some point in time, drive a Citroen with hydraulic suspension and brakes.

 

Best handling and comfort of ride you’ll ever have, guaranteed.  Of course, a lot of you are thinking “no way”, but trust me, fabulous cars. Failed in the US because so few service centers, and to work on one means skewing your brain…

Funny you mention the SM, a couple of years ago before covid, I saw in person 3 of them at our local large car show, now I am seriously considering bidding on one at a car auction coming in a few weeks. It's a dream car of my.

Edited August 22, 2021 by maok (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

Fastest car owned, not a friends, not a car you've driven that was someone else's or just been in, Fastest car owned.

 

1964 Pontiac Tempest, steel body, altered wheelbase,  421" .060 over, GMC 671 Blower with Hilborn fuel injection, B&M Hydro 4, 1959 9.3" Pontiac rear end narrowed with spool rear end. Tilt glass front end.

8.50's to 8.80's @ 168mph + or -.

[ejboyd5]

1955 300 SL that I've had since 1964.  A close second was the 1963 E-Type Coupe that got away.

[trimacar]

14 hours ago, maok said:

Funny you mention the SM, a couple of years ago before covid, I saw in person 3 of them at our local large car show, now I am seriously considering bidding on one at a car auction coming in a few weeks. It's a dream car of my.

I drove mine for a couple of years, then found out that the timing chains might need replacement.  All I remember is a phone quote of 10k to do so, and I soon sold it to a friend with full disclosure.  He just wanted pride of ownership, it sat under his carport for a couple decades.

[Bleach]

Maybe not fastest off the line but our current '06 Acura MDX with cruise smoothly at a 100 mph+ without any vibration. I've never dared to see how fast it can really go. The '82 Datsun 280ZX 5 speed I had back in the late 80's was probably faster but it's speedometer topped out at 85. I raced a Porsche 911 late one night and I saw I buried the needle and just glanced the RPMs after that. The other guy chickened out after a while. I have no idea how fast I got but I really felt the sensation of the car lifting a bit.

[Marty Roth]

My Citroen SM-

2.9 (3.0?) Litre Quad- Overhead Cam Maserati V-6 engine (from when Citroen owned Maserati)

5-speed stick and Front wheel drive,

with one of the Most aerodynamic bodies ever in a 4-place Sport Touring machine,

 

and then passed it along to "trimacar" in a swap I still believe we both enjoyed !

 

On 8/21/2021 at 6:15 PM, trimacar said:

Citroen SM.  Maserati engine.  Would get over a hundred without missing a beat, and the hydraulic power brakes would slow one down to legal  in two heartbeats.  
 

Every old car enthusiast should, at some point in time, drive a Citroen with hydraulic suspension and brakes.

 

Best handling and comfort of ride you’ll ever have, guaranteed.  Of course, a lot of you are thinking “no way”, but trust me, fabulous cars. Failed in the US because so few service centers, and to work on one means skewing your brain…

On 8/22/2021 at 1:24 PM, trimacar said:

I drove mine for a couple of years, then found out that the timing chains might need replacement.  All I remember is a phone quote of 10k to do so, and I soon sold it to a friend with full disclosure.  He just wanted pride of ownership, it sat under his carport for a couple decades.

 

more disclosure,

working on then, including all three of our DS-21 sedans and all three D-21 Station Wagons,

parts availability was OK,

and working on them wasn't all that difficult,

but at times I wished that I were Triple-jointed, and with eyeballs in my fingertips.

The SM was actually easier to work on than the DS

Edited August 24, 2021 by Marty Roth (see edit history)

[maok]

10 hours ago, trimacar said:

I drove mine for a couple of years, then found out that the timing chains might need replacement.  All I remember is a phone quote of 10k to do so, and I soon sold it to a friend with full disclosure.  He just wanted pride of ownership, it sat under his carport for a couple decades.

Yes, those Italian gold chains aren't cheap....lol

 

Here is the link to the auction- Citroen SM V6 Coupe (RHD) Auctions - Lot 159 - Shannons

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by maok (see edit history)

[trimacar]

Wow, fabulous car….

 

 

[Laura S]

On 8/20/2021 at 11:06 AM, Delco32V said:

Our family car...1970 Plymouth GTX, 440, 4 speed, 4:10 super trak pak.....still looking for it (in NJ I'm pretty sure)

 

 

My friend has the exact same car in green in NJ . He has had it for 38 years. 

[Ed Luddy]

I had a few fast cars in my mis-spent youth. Faster yet in my 30's and so on. But a 2006 Dodge Charger R/T Daytona when new was likely the fastest.

My 1970 Ford Cobra 429 SCJ Torino was nasty fast in its day, mid 70's when I bought it.  Then a 454 Corvette. I had those cars on the local drag strip and it was a hoot, but they were scary to drive flat out.

 The R/T Daytona was such a joy in 2006. Not scary, but darn fast!

[ramair]

When I was in high school in the mid seventies I was looking for a car to buy and our family always bought GM cars and pickups.  I came across a 5 year old used 1968 Oldsmobile Toronado for $850.00, did I mention it was during the gas crisis, it was projected that gas would exceed $1.00 per gallon ( heck I think that does not even cover the tax in California today) that car ran like a striped xss ape. I took that car up to its maximum speed that the 400 hp motor would go.  The funny thing was that it probably took 35 seconds to get there, but once it started floating and drifting I cut the power and it seemed like a eternity to drop speed 10 or 15 mph before I felt like the steering wheel actually was hooked to anything!  I drove that car for 3 years And sold it for twice the money I paid, thought I was a genius  and also found out it was one of 111 Toronado built in 1968 with a w series package Olds called it w-34 force air induction ( I shortened it to common name people use, Ram Air, for my handle) this was not just a horsepower add on, the package came with a high stall torque converter on the turbo 425 front wheel drive transmission, special cam with .472 lift, special advance curve distributor and a front grille that would swing open to allow more air to the engine. The engine produced 400 hp and 500 pounds of torque out of 455 ci. Road and track tested one of them and it would do 0 to 60 in 7.5 seconds with a max speed of 132 that’s 4,400 # of car. if you look at all the cutlass 442 or hurst packages you will see that this beasts horsepower/torque exceeded them all. Anyway after 25 years of kicking myself I found another one, this one is a garage kept one owner car with original paint and interior a very low mile car that is in such great shape.  I occasionally take it out on a nice road and push down on the gas pedal, but i am smarter now, I let up on it much earlier

[ol' yeller]

I have 3 for honorable  mention. I had a 1976 Ford F-150 that someone transplanted a 351 Cleveland Cobra Jet into it. Faster yet was my frame off restoration of a 1969 Buick Riviera with a rebuilt 430 CI bored 30 thousands over. The fastest car by far is my daily driver, a 2019 Dodge Challenger with the 5.7L Hemi engine. I don’t see a need for more HP than that.

[JamesR]

As far as top speed, I couldn't say what the fastest car I owned was because (in my humble opinion) most of the muscle cars I had as a kid weren't engineered well enough to handle their top speed. So I rarely tried.

 

As far as quickness, however, I'd say it was probably  a '71 Nova with a 350 and a 3 speed manual on the floor. Great power to weight ratio, and I'm pretty sure it had lower than standard rear end gears. I think I owned this car in about '79 or '80.

[PONTIAC1953]

well i've had over 100 cars in the past 49 years of having a drivers license, there's 4 cars that were pretty fast cars, 1966 Pontiac GTO with the 360 horses 389 tri power, 4 speed, 3.55 posi rear, 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 325 horses, 4 speed, 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS454 365 horse LS5 motor, TH400 trans 3.31 gears were changed out for a 2.56 posi rear, and a 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix where the tri power 389 having 313 horses was replaced with a 1970 455 with 370 horses, a switch pitch 400 trans and 3.23 gears.

[Angelfish]

Not very interesting but the fastest car I’ve driven is my wife’s current daily driver, a 2017 Ford Edge Sport.   Great car, wish I could get a stripped down non lawyerized version with the same engine.  The little twin turbo V-6 with paddle shift is a hoot.  
 

 

Edited August 26, 2021 by Angelfish (see edit history)

[Billy Kingsley]

A 2018 Edge Titanium is my family's daily driver. It can move. Got up to 80 on the Adirondack Northway and didn't realize it... definitely could have gone much higher. It displays up to 160 on the speedometer.

 

[junkyardjeff]

It would have to be the 53 Olds 2 door sedan,put in a 59 371 and alot seen my tail lights.  Quick out of the hole and plenty of top end and if I kept my foot out it I would get about 20 miles to the gallon.  Should have taken it down the track just to see how quick it was.

[Curti]

I curntly own a 'warmed over" C6  Vette,  and a HP Infinity Q60 twin turbo 4WD for my winter car.   One thing I have found when doing a high MPH run , is the road that looks flat is not .