Tales of speed like this are just like internet tales of shooting tiny groups at long distances. We hear them a lot, they are possible, but extremely rarely seen in reality.

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Freedom isn't free.

That's pretty neat! Drag is an exponential effect, right? Based on velocity squared? Only thing I'd question in your work above is the frontal area. 22 sq ft seems on the small side, I'd think it would be a few ft bigger, that's only 6' x 3.5' A quick google says 75" wide by 54-55" high. Also, my understanding (very limited) is that the gap between the floor pan and the road really adds to the drag since it's very turbulent and not smooth air under there. That's why race cars on smooth tracks run the big splitter up front that's just off the ground.

Fastest I've ever gone was in my 1992 Taurus SHO. Speedo went to 140 and it would do all of it and then some. At 2AM on I-5 south going from Seattle to Portland one night I had the needle pegged and it still had more to go - but then my wife woke up. Didn't get to see how much more it had....

Not bad for what Road & Track called a Q-ship (a.k.a. sleeper) that looked almost just like every other grocery-getter Taurus out there)

Drag force is proportional to velocity squared, drag horsepower is proportional to velocity cubed. Rolling resistance force is proportional to velocity, rolling resistance horsepower is proportional to velocity squared. I've got over 30 years experience in wind tunnel testing. During that time, we've performed approximately 60,000 hours of testing, half of which was automotive and half aerospace. I think my area estimate is fairly close; we used a scanner to determine frontal area; if that is not available one could use width x height x 0.75. The area under the car between the tires is not counted and the cab area has the "tumblehome" that decreases it's cross-sectional area.

I've got a Honda Element that goes about 80 . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

A guy passed me on my way to the OGCA this morning. He was driving a blue Smart for 2. I was going 61 or 62 on cruise, he must have been doing at least 65! From the sound of it, his engine was wound out and working its heart out. Anyone know if the blue color was a factor in his amazing performance? I can tell you one thing, I wouldn't want to be in Muggin's Element, or the guy's Smart car at the speeds quoted.

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Dick Burg

Thanks for the quick feedback! I wasn't sure how the shape affected things.

I was an endurance driver for Honda when they were getting ready to release the Element. I know for a fact they will do 85!

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Freedom isn't free.

I have had several of the new factory go fast cars on the rack just to look.you cant see anything for the bolted on panels. The last one was a new 427 Camaro that weighed about 600 pounds lighter than the 6.2 Camaro. The standard 6 speeds have 2 overdrives. The autos are 8 speed.

Dang, my car will only do 169*.

Probably a little more, as this R model has a big wing.

169 mph GT350R Mustang Acceleration Test - YouTube

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I've still got it made.

You were at the drive-in movie -- you had evil intentions!

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S&WHF 366

I did indeed!!!

Growing up in the 60s I had my share of fast cars.. Couple of 66 GTOs w/3.55 gears..
0ne sweet little 64 GTO 2door sported a 2.93 axle.. Also
a 67 Corvette coupe w/3.08...Got a ticket with it one night for 110 in 60
zone...He asked if l had been drinking. l told him NO, because l don't
drink..He said, "Well- You must be CRAZY''... Wonder l didn't end up in jail that night..
But l was on leave and had to be in Norfolk on Monday.

Highest geared car l ever owned was a 78 Olds Cutlass BRO-HAM..
260 Olds w/2bbl... Had a 2.29 rear gear..Some kind of Turnpike Cruiser.
l think that's what the option was. Great gas mileage tho...Zero to 60 in
maybe 4 minutes !!! l figure if l ever got to 3000RPM I'd be doing 140

For those who don't think 200 MPH is possible, take a look at the new Cadillac CTS-V specs.

What impresses me is the speed of these crotch rockets bikes these days. In my day a Triumph or Sportster were thought to be fast. Amazed some of these bikes are legal.

One of my buddies just bought one. I got to go for a ride.

AND ?????

Specs are one thing. Actually driving a car at that speed is another thing completely. Sure, the car can go that fast, but can the driver?

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Freedom isn't free.

I've only had my Jeep Rubicon up to about 75.. even with overdrive the motor was doing some turning!
It's not made for speed with 4:10 gears... but, I'll get where most won't go!

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Nationality: Confederate

Since I can't judge the drivers skill, I'll stop at saying the car is capable of that speed.

And I got to drive his Vette also. He ordered it from Hendrick in N.C. & the transport dropped it off at my buddies house. That is a reflection of me taking a picture of the motor.

Attached Images

	bullseye guns 223linda richards vette 020.jpg (149.1 KB, 28 views)
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I don't doubt a car could go that fast, especially with a modified engine. Keeping on the road would be the problem (as others have said).


As for the vintage pic, I count six exhaust pipes on the side showing. So it was a V-12?


And look at that hinge on the door! Was that more of a bolt to keep it closed?


Finally, what is the "bubble" on the door with the cable running out of it?

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You're shy a few manners.

How fast?

I had a 2006 Mustang GT. Taking my 91 year old dad to a doctor's appointment and he wanted to know how fast it would go. No traffic so I wound it up. At 130 indicated, the front end felt really squirrelly, so that was it for us. The car was still accelerating.

Mine was silver. I understand the red ones are faster.

Only 60. <in low>6 speed--5 & 6 are overdrives. The Caddy has the same motor with an 8 speed auto tranny.

I have a friend with an Ought-9 Z06. I was envious til I got my GT350. He said that if he had more power, he couldn't get it to the ground. It's 505 hp was about the upper limit of useful power for it.

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I've still got it made.

Agreed. Heck, I'm not even saying the OP isn't true. It certainly could be. I'm just commenting on the reality of high speed, small groups and...well...other exaggerations.

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Freedom isn't free.

It's possible, just a matter of $.

It was a W12.

Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird - Wikipedia

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Jorge

Well since we are telling tales... way back when I was 16 I almost lost control of my dad's cutlass supreme at 115.

Was on a country road with a friend and had it wide open. Glanced down at the speed. When I looked up I jerked it a bit and started fishtailing (there was loose gravel on the road).

Nothing but the grace of God saved me that time....

Getting up to speeds over 150 requires a lot of HP AND good aerodynamics. I have had a few cars that can easily broach 150 and let me tell you its not that easy.(one was rated to do 190)
I have done some track work at real high speeds and I would not want to attempt it on a road

You also better have hi speed rated new tires and a very good cooling system. You also need a track to be legal. If doing/trying to do on the highway you had better have a LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG straight stretch of road with no traffic.

Most hi speed claims fall into the B.S category. Many cars can do hyper speeds, not many drivers can!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

I would question the 208 mi/hr for any Mustang. The new Porsche 911 Turbo S (580 hp) has a max advertised track speed of 205 mi/hr; the Ferrari 488 (660 hp) is quoted at about 205 mi/hr; the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta (730 hp) is quoted at about 211 mi/hr. All of these cars are designed with relatively low drag coefficients and relatively small projected areas on which the drag forces can act. While I have never seen any numbers for the Mustang drag coefficient or projected areas, I think the required horsepower to overcome the drag of the Mustang at 208 mi/hr would be prohibitive.

Perhaps you aren't aware that Mustangs can be had with 650 up to 1000 HP.

See posts #98 and 104.

My limit has been 135 in a '70 Buick Riviera with a 455 that was worn out and about 18 years old at the time. I finally talked my uncle into selling it to me after years of asking him. It was baby blue with white interior...gorgeous. I'd give a couple real good Smiths for it back now. Oh how hindsight is 20/20.

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Where we go one, we go all

After rereading this thread I remembered that I have been 120 on the back of a Yamaha. Yep, my friend thought that was pretty funny.

In 1956 - when I was 15 and the new '57 Thunderbirds were arriving in the showrooms - my dad had a friend who was a salesman at the local Ford agency. He took me for a ride in a demo. On a long straight road back in western Nebraska he gave me a thrill that was the envy of my buddies. While I leaned over to watch the speedometer he brought the needle up to 100mph and a little over. I still have a soft spot in my heart (and head) for those '57 birds.

rolomac

I'm a motorcyclist. I always chuckle when folks talk about their fast cars


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When talking about top speed, there are very few motorcycles that can compare with the class of car we're talking about here. The Hyabusa is the only production motorcycle I can think of that has a top speed close to what these cars can do.

The Tomahawk is probably faster, but no one has ever ridden it to it's potential and they only made 2.

0-60MPH? Motorcycles win.
100-0MPH? Motorcycles win.
Cost per MPH? Motorcycles win.
Top speed? Car every time.
Skill necessary to utilize that top speed? Car, not even close.

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Freedom isn't free.

If we talk about things that mere mortals can afford to own, motorcycles dominate.


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And if we talk about surviving a high speed accident...motorcycles dominate in death percentages. I've personally never seen a motorcyclist survive any wreck at 75 or above. And I have seen a few. And I enjoyed riding for many years. Oh and I know it has probably happened many times...just never saw a survivor above 75 and many well under that did not survive.

Buddy in the UK managed it in 1979. He was flat on the tank of a Kawasaki 250 triple to "see what it would do". At an indicated 105 mph he suddenly realised there was a lone house brick sitting dead on his line. Down went the bike and the slide started. Lucky for him the road was empty, straight, wide and with minimal camber, so he stayed off the kerbs. The damage to his leather jacket and boots was most impressive. Even more notable was his quiet demeanor for the next couple of weeks.

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Release the Kraken

My sport biker friends in the UK used to say the same until one rather odd incident in about 1980. A group of them were cruising at about 75 mph on a divided highway when a Ford Granada (Euro version) went hauling by. Like most young bikers they objected to this, and the guy with the GS 1000 Suzuki was given the signal to "fetch".

So, off he goes with girlfriend on pillion. He caught and passed the Granada at the top of a hill with a sweeping right bend at about 140 mph. However, his girl noted that the Granada driver was cracking up laughing to his passenger. Rider was too busy to take notice of his girl (140 on downhill right sweeper) so he didn't begin to check around or ask why she was beating on his helmet until the road straightened. He told me that he checked his mirrors and did a full cartoon style double take.

In his mirrors all he could see was the top two feet of the Granada's hood and the driver grinning like an idiot. Sooo, with little choice but to pull into the slow lane (girl still beating on his lid) he did just that. At this point the Granada, in his words, blew by him. He reckoned the guy went from 130 to 160 or more in about 5-6 seconds and simply vanished. Talk about one po'd biker.

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Release the Kraken

Minimum Speed out in West Texas...

I still call BS on this...I think the cops exaggerated the reported speeds to cover their inability to catch this kid. I want to see a picture of the car...

Speeder caught at 208 mph faces a year in jail | Fox News

There's a fb link in the article.

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Jorge