Is it a SIN 'Round These Parts'?

"Groagun" (groagun)
11/27/2015 at 16:15 • Filed to: None

I love cars, I work in the automotive business. I’m working on a project in the commercial truck space. It will lead to many other more traditional cars and trucks you and I will actually drive on the streets of your fair cities.

My SIN, I still consider myself a motorcyclist first.

I love bikes, how they make me feel, on or off them. The fevered anticipation I have for new motorcycles and what I’m actually going to ride come spring is just so much more intense than anything I can think of test ‘driving’ anytime in the near future.

Part of that stems from the fact even the most advanced and technically spectacualr motorcycles out there really don’t go beyond $30K. That’s still a huge chunk of change, but in order to get the thrills a new Ducati 959 Panigale or Yamaha R1M or even the New Honda Africa Twin can deliver, you would be looking at $75K and up.

Yeah that’s new and I can buy used and modify it but I’m no mechanic/engineer. I’m from the Clarkson school of thrills: turn the key, push the button and go like hell.

The one car that really turns my crank: it’s not anything you can buy for the road right now. The new Ford Focus RS comes as close as I think I will ever get from an OEM but truthfully, I want a rally car for the road.

Small, light, turbo charged with that ‘squirrel’ sounding blow off valve. Stiff with compliant wheels and tires and a sequential 6 speed ‘slammer’ gear box. BTW, a properly actuated gear box that sifts down when you push the lever forward and goes up the gears when you pull it back.

These guys do one for a Corvette and it’s a nice expainer:

MTI Racing Six Shooter Gear Box

And here is the King of Rally in a demonstration lap:

Sebastian Loeb

So yes the new Ford Focus is almost it, the thing that makes me car horny and not bike horny. Almost I said: it’s still a car that needs all the creature comforts and bits and bobs to satisfy the general public.

Winter is upon us and I love driving in the snow, the roads becomes rally stages to me and I look forward to perfecting a Scandanavian flick at evey corner.

Because that’s so hard to do and if you get it wrong, well, let’s just say I ‘m always looking forward to that first ride in spring when all that snow is gone. That desire is greater that any other.