What cars would still be fun if driven mostly in a straight line?

"MegaSuper" (megasuper) 04/16/2015 at 18:48 • Filed to: None

1

17

Let's say you live in anti-Miata land, a place like (allegedly) Florida where the vast majority of roads are flat and straight as an arrow.

Are there any cars that immediately come to mind that are still fun in a straight line, at legal speeds that don't require you to go find a dragstrip?

You can post old stuff or new stuff, it doesn't matter.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 18:55

2

I had one of these, and it was great. It was really fast in a straight line thanks to the Olds 455 Rocket Engine. It did not like curves, and got approximately the same gas mileage as a Sherman tank, but it was a smooooth ride. ('72 Oldsmobile Delta 88)

this is not matt farah's foxbodymiata > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 18:56

1

Matt Farah's million mile Lexus.

McLarry > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 18:57

1

MIATAAAA > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 18:58

0

TheHondaBro > McLarry 04/16/2015 at 19:00

4

Is that Matt Farah's million-mile Lexus?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 19:02

0

Boring in effortless comfort.

Plus, it won't leave you stranded with FloridaMan.

- Live in Florida, have thought about it a lot.

jkm7680 > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 19:05

0

HammerheadFistpunch > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 19:07

0

This was a hoot in a strait line

Vortec 454 with a protech supercharger at 7 psi. I used it once to dig two wheel shaped holes in the circle behind it. oops.

misfitmascots > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 19:09

2

S65

dogisbadob > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 19:10

0

A 3-cylinder Geo Metro

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 19:16

0

As a resident of Florida, I do want to share one of my personal favorites

I recently had the opportunity to test drive a 2015 BMW 328i and I absolutely loved it. It sounds nice, it's pretty quick, it's very comfortable, and the 8 speed ZF automatic is a great gearbox.

FlimFlamMan > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 19:46

1

Without a doubt... this...

JEM > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 20:05

0

Dodge Viper GTS (previous gen)

Just the thought of trying to control this thing through turns scares me anyhow.

twochevrons > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 20:30

0

From my experience, the Volvo 850R is great for that. I live in Minnesota, where twisty roads are few and far between, but the R is still a thoroughly enjoyable drive. Lacking in low-end grunt, it's a bit sluggish off the line, but once it gets moving and the turbocharger hits its stride, it's hilariously quick. From around 30mph up, acceleration to any legal speed is neck-snappingly brisk, with lots of dramatic turbocharged 5-pot noises and vicious torque steer, just to keep things exciting. Of course, it's highly tempting to push it beyond the legal limit – it'll keep on pulling effortlessly well into the lock-you-up portion of the dial, and doesn't top out until 155 – but even keeping things legal, it never ceases to put a grin on my face as I give it some boot. There's loads of grip, but it's not an outstanding handler, feeling somewhat awkward through the bends – it feels much more at home on the highway, where it's a civilised long-distance cruiser with an absurd excess of passing power.

In an entirely different sense, my other two cars – a VW Scirocco and an MGA roadster – are equally fun. They're both godawful on the highway, but being lightweight, small-engined cars with excellent driving dynamics and not a whole lot of power, you can have a ludicrous amount of fun in them while staying well under the speed limit. Sure, they're not all that much fun in a straight line, but since you can drive them at ten tenths pretty much all the time, even the smallest corner becomes fun, and because you have to really work to wring every last bit of power out of them, the driving experience is never dull. I'd never recommend them for long distances, but as short-trip runabouts, they're wonderful.

Jedidiah > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 20:31

0

Convertible Oldsmobiles with large V8s

E. Julius > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 20:52

0

Another place that would fit your description is Oklahoma. I spent about six hours with an S63 AMG down there, and man that kick in the pants never got old. I spent hours pretty much doing 5-100mph runs on the deserted country roads.

Clay_T > MegaSuper 04/16/2015 at 21:23

0