Ultimate drivers car of all time

  • Thread starter 3spddrft
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If it doesn't have to be street legal...
ferrari_f1f2004.jpg
 
It's whatever I'm driving at the time.

Driving is fun. Enjoy it.
 
race'emhard
If it doesn't have to be street legal...
ferrari_f1f2004.jpg
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The ultimate drivers car has to be street legal because you rarely get to enjoy it if it isn't. And even if that weren't a factor, check Clarkson's review of the Lotus T125. It doesn't go well.

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Famine
It's whatever I'm driving at the time.

Driving is fun. Enjoy it.
Click to expand...


Ah, the old "best snow is the snow you're on" cliche... Yea that's cheating.
 
No. Downshifting is cheating.

I believe it would be true if Famine was the Ultimate Driver.

But then, if we go that way:
Fiat500_Schumacher1.jpg


He has said, at one time or another, that it was his favorite car. So far as I know, he still has one.
 
I'm not sure, but I wouldn't doubt it.

Many old school racers have a fondness for the Mini and the 500. As close to road-going go-karts as you can get.
 
McLaren F1 LM. According to McLaren themselves, their new P1 will be the ultimate driver's car in the world. I'll be denying that statement the moment they announce the flappy-paddle gearbox...

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Danoff
Ah, the old "best snow is the snow you're on" cliche... Yea that's cheating.
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I was thinking more of the Monks of Cool :D

Many "driver's cars" are frankly terrifying. Whether it's because they're mind-bogglingly expensive*, permanently treading a fine line of grip/crash or just so astonishingly potent that driving them at road speed feels like trying to ride a polar bear. A car you can't use to its potential because you're frightened of what happens if you do isn't a "driver's car" - it's a status symbol.

The two £1k sheds on my drive aren't terrifying. They're cheap to replace, there's a yawning chasm between loss of grip and loss of control in either (I'll have some sensible sidewalls, thanks) and, though either will press on over 120mph with varying degrees of ease, they feel completely happy at just 80mph - no sense of wasted potential or trying to restrain some unruly beast. I respect them both, but neither scares me - I have fun just being in them, because driving is fun.

Maybe it's a bad example because one is an MX-5 and the other is an "ultimate driving machine", but just driving them is fun and engaging - I only really recall three cars that I didn't have fun driving (Toyota Sienna, Renault Clio Mk2Ph2, Nissan Micra K11).


*It's a well-known fact that the fastest cars in the world are rental cars or, on track days, company cars. I can't afford a Nissan 370Z, but I still put one of Nissan's own 370Zs through the Stowe Circuit chicane faster than I'd ever attempt with one of my own cars
 
Not that I've driven one yet, but my guess would be the later 987 Boxster. Seems like it would have the boost in power, and the added balance brought on by the mid-mounted engine, over the MX-5 that would make it more enjoyable in more situations.
 
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Only problem with that is that it seems like a very few amount of people could actually drive one without getting tired out.
 
Famine
*It's a well-known fact that the fastest cars in the world are rental cars or, on track days, company cars. I can't afford a Nissan 370Z, but I still put one of Nissan's own 370Zs through the Stowe Circuit chicane faster than I'd ever attempt with one of my own cars
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In the spirit of road testing I drove a BRABUS smart fortwo at some fairly silly speeds on a B-road yesterday. I'm not about to start saying it's the ultimate driver's car, nor the fastest car in the world, but I've not had so much fun driving something for quite a long time. It's a hilarious vehicle.
 
updated the main post with a list of all the cars people have posted. I love the suggestions people have made and the discussion. In the spirit of the original motortrend comparison, I was thinking this would be about road legal cars.

About what a driver's car is...
I think cornering, acceleration, steering, and pedal feedback are all essential to an excellent drivers car but driver comfort can't be ignored entirely. F1 cars are a pain to drive. They would be an even worse pain on real roads. By no means am I saying that Rolls Royce levels of comfort are needed or that the car should be an eco friendly green car. It just needs to be balanced between performance and fun.
 
CyborgGT
Not that I've driven one yet, but my guess would be the later 987 Boxster. Seems like it would have the boost in power, and the added balance brought on by the mid-mounted engine, over the MX-5 that would make it more enjoyable in more situations.
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Mid-engine cars don't feel more "balanced" generally, but rather more like standing on the edge of a razor all the time. Especially when compared to a Miata.
 
Just about anything made since about the 80's is not a "drivers" car, too much electronic crap doing the driving for you. I would love to have my old 68' E-Type Jag back, now that is a drivers car!
 
My "driver's car" would be something like the classic Mini. Something that's basic, fun at low speeds and handles like a go kart.
 
Google told you that is was a Lotus? :facepalm:

(Easy way to tell is that that car is blue instead of green, and it has 6 exhausts coming out of the side, Lotus's had V8s. 👍)
 
Something fairly basic, average speed, and tossable. For most, it'd be more fun to drive a slower, more nimble car at 10/10ths than to have to baby a supercar at 3/10ths because we can't all live by an autobahn!

Maybe something like a Miata or a lotus, or even a Go-Kart. I know my car is nothing special in the grand scheme of things but I enjoy being able to get the impression of going a little fast, at least. You can't usually do that in a high-buck megacar in most situations.
 
It has to be something light and nimble, like a Caterham, a MX-5/Miata or a original Mini. For me, that's the ultimate drivers car.
 

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