- 2,336
- Los Angeles, CA
- WRBWRXMAX
- Max Archer
I've driven a ton of cars, everything from formula cars to exotics to piles of junk on wheels.
So it might be something of a surprise that a bone stock AP2 S2000, of which I have driven several, gets my vote. The car is as close to perfect for what it is that I can't put anything else above it. Decent power, great sound, and exceptional balance. The biggest thing, though, is the way the car makes you feel like a total superhero when driving it - it demands precise throttle and brake control, smooth steering inputs, and careful gear selection, but when it all comes together you're ripping around the track and sliding the thing out of corners with just a little countersteer, and it's so easy to modulate exactly how the car gets around a bend by using the throttle. It's everything that's brilliant about driving a classic sports car but with modern power and reliability. The only downsides are the sucky driving position and poor visibility with the top up.
The worst, without a doubt, has to be a friend's FC RX7 I once drove up a canyon road. Now, I love FCs when they're well-sorted. This car was anything but. A bad throttle sensor meant the throttle was basically binary, just on or off. The driver's seat was only bolted down on one side. The steering wheel was missing half of its rubber on the top, and the other half was loose. The one thing it DID have was power - a ported motor with instant response and plenty of torque. Oh, and horrible tires. What this all means is that you'd enter a corner, touch the throttle, and suddenly the car would be sideways. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that the seat would start leaning to the left if it was a right hand turn. Even that wouldn't be the end of the world compared to the fact that once I was leaning sideways while drifting, I tried to countersteer, grabbed the top of the wheel, and instead of turning the wheel, the rubber covering just slid across the metal steering wheel frame! I somehow made it to the top of my hill, gave my friend the keys, and for about 30 minutes sat there considering giving up driving.
So it might be something of a surprise that a bone stock AP2 S2000, of which I have driven several, gets my vote. The car is as close to perfect for what it is that I can't put anything else above it. Decent power, great sound, and exceptional balance. The biggest thing, though, is the way the car makes you feel like a total superhero when driving it - it demands precise throttle and brake control, smooth steering inputs, and careful gear selection, but when it all comes together you're ripping around the track and sliding the thing out of corners with just a little countersteer, and it's so easy to modulate exactly how the car gets around a bend by using the throttle. It's everything that's brilliant about driving a classic sports car but with modern power and reliability. The only downsides are the sucky driving position and poor visibility with the top up.
The worst, without a doubt, has to be a friend's FC RX7 I once drove up a canyon road. Now, I love FCs when they're well-sorted. This car was anything but. A bad throttle sensor meant the throttle was basically binary, just on or off. The driver's seat was only bolted down on one side. The steering wheel was missing half of its rubber on the top, and the other half was loose. The one thing it DID have was power - a ported motor with instant response and plenty of torque. Oh, and horrible tires. What this all means is that you'd enter a corner, touch the throttle, and suddenly the car would be sideways. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that the seat would start leaning to the left if it was a right hand turn. Even that wouldn't be the end of the world compared to the fact that once I was leaning sideways while drifting, I tried to countersteer, grabbed the top of the wheel, and instead of turning the wheel, the rubber covering just slid across the metal steering wheel frame! I somehow made it to the top of my hill, gave my friend the keys, and for about 30 minutes sat there considering giving up driving.
So many memories, good and bad ones...
