Comments

• James said:
  

  you can check motorsport event off your list with something as simple as a time-to-distance Rally or an autocross. I’d recommend the autocross, it’s the most fun you can have with pants on!

  -James at http://www.tehcarblogz.com

  -September 7th, 2008 at 5:12 am
• eggsngrits (Author) said:
  

  Great list! You are an accomplished auto enthusiast.

  I’d think that owning a German car may be as important as a British car. Restoring a car that’s 30+ years old is also a true challenge, and I’m thinking about such a project myself.

  -September 7th, 2008 at 7:10 am
• Andy Rupert said:
  

  I’ve owned a V12 powered Jaguar.
  I’ve driven a rear-engined convertible (Corvair).
  I’ve owned three Classic SAAB 900s.
  I’ve driven a 400 hp Corvette.
  I’ve driven a 300 hp Volvo S60R.
  I’ve driven a 84 passenger school bus.

  -September 7th, 2008 at 8:21 am
• aeronaut said:
  

  What about with the girlfriend in the back seat?, that’s gotta be on the list somewhere!

  -September 7th, 2008 at 9:43 am
• Ryan M said:
  

  Actually my brother in law kids with me that my Saab *is* my Alfa, for the same reasons Clarkston says we all must own one. So far I’ve had it 6 months and I love it. I’ve also replaced the clutch, turbo, serpentine belt and tensioner, and ACC Controller.

  -September 7th, 2008 at 9:56 am
• Lance (Author) said:
  

  Blowing the trumpet of our own lists - here is mine:

  I drove a Porsche 928 at 170mph on the ‘bahn south of Munich in the rain and lived to tell the tale

  I owned a blue Saab 900 Classic

  I drove a Land Rover 110 across East Africa

  I owned a very powerful five cylinder Volvo 850 with 200bhp+

  I have damaged a BMW 3.0 litrs CSL- much to my shame- lovely car

  I have spun a Porsche 911 Carrera which scared the life out of me

  I drove a soft top Ferrari through Milan

  I restored an old Citroen

  A famous grand prx driver was a good friend and it was an honour. He is dead now.

  I flew a DG500 glider

  I , I, I, me bloody me, but that is what this one is about. Just wish I had known Sixten Sason and driven with him.

  Dare I ever fancy an Alfa again?

  -September 7th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
• Rune said:
  

  “I’ve been in a car at 200 km/h (this is not a recommendation to do same)”

  (…why?)

  And what car? There is a difference between SAABs and “a car”.

  AFAIK, SAAB’s engineers target a marching speed of 180-190 kph. The 9-3 SC is rock stable at this point.

  Once you go beyond 210 kph, the front of the car starts lifting (born from jets…). At 220-230 you become acutely aware that tackling a sharp turn is not something you want to do. Around 245 kph you realise you want to go even faster, but I guess it is a good place to call it quits. (with a 190 hp engine, I had little choice)

  I have tackled a turn at around 180 kph. At least I believe my exit speed was 180 kph and about 200 kph going in, but things were happening fast and I was rather focused on keeping the car on the road. And by “car” I mean a real 9-3, not some flimsy rice cooker. In my mind, the 9-3 holds up quite well at such speeds, and it should be experienced by all SAAB drivers. (on a proper road or track)

  I guess I am saying that I want another go on the autobahn. Better planned this time — hopefully I will find a route with E85 available by the autobahn, rather than stuck away in some small village several miles from the main road. (and %¤#¤”¤ “closes at 7pm”! Elo Erlangen should be put out of business, not that they aren’t doing a fine job of that themselves already)

  -September 7th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
• Danni said:
  

  Automorive rites passage - hmm, interesting:
  - Owned different variations of Alfa Romeo (33 1.6 twin carb, 119 series - Guillietta 2.0 and 159i Gold Cloverleaf): since days of yore always wanted to own ‘em
  - Would not mind to find and restore a 1985 - 1987 GTV 2.5 V6
  - aspiration is to find the last RWD 75 2.5V6
  - drove on the wrong side of the road on the autobahn in Germany and could not understand why everyone else was passing me on the wrong side - scary if it is the first time
  - tested the speed limit of my MY01 9-5 Aero manual sedan and knew it was suicide to drive at speeds in excess of 239kph - average speed that is (both of us survived to tell the tale). Hope the cops don’t visit TS to retrospectively lock me up like it happened to a chap somewhere in Europe
  - would love to drive a Maserati Quattroporte with the Ferrari engine (hang on, isn’t a Maserati the poor man’s Ferrari?)
  - cannot wait to lay my hands on a Turbo X one day when I have the money to own one
  - and would love to meet Swade and record a DVD to show the man upstairs

  -September 8th, 2008 at 1:14 am
• papluh said:
  

  chronologically…
  - broke right axle on our family car while ‘playing’ on a snowy parking lot. Who put that curb under the snowbank there, ha ?
  - while on business trip in Netherlands I was browsing to find a 9-3OG Aero. I found a dealer next to borders in Germany that had one and a Viggen. In less then 24hrs, I called them, finished assignemets, took next day off, rent a car in the morning, drove 200km, took a testdrive, signed … for the Viggen
  - the first time the turbo gauge on the Viggen went into the red, it was during the test drive (just to note before the max I drove was 100something hp )
  - 258km/h on German autobahn as of GPS, in the Viggen
  - test drove the Turbo X well outside the legal limits here
  - found a classic 900 left to rot on a parking lot, tracked the owner and with little help it fired up after almost 1.5 year of hibernation. Now I have a daily driver for city. And a own parking lot marked by dark blobs on pavement

  -September 8th, 2008 at 5:52 am
• Ned said:
  

  Here are a few accomplished already:

  1. Driving across the continental U.S., solo. I’ve done this twice, first from Connecticut to Seattle, second from Philly to L.A. Every North American enthusiast should do this in the States or Canada. You Aussies should circumnavigate your continent. These were wonderful experiences, and the return trips with my girlfriend weren’t so bad either!

  2. Attending the Skip Barber one-day performance driving course. Driver’s ed should be just like this, and taking a Viper through an autocross course was awesome.

  3. My first drive on the left side of the road, which was also my first time piloting a motorcycle — in Indonesia. Fun stuff, indeed, and the ancient Borobudur Buddhist temple/monument is not to be missed if you’re in the neighborhood.

  4. Owning my first European car, a 1995 VW Jetta GLX VR6, and then experimenting with suspension mods.

  5. Becoming a dump truck driver for a summer. It’s worthwhile to learn how truck drivers feel out there on our chaotic interstates. Not very agile, but at least it had a manual transmission and some torque!

  A few aspirations:

  1. Owning a Porsche 911. This is the only obscenely expensive car I’d be willing to pay for.

  2. Another cross-country road trip, this time in China.

  3. If I ever have the time and space, I’d like to build a kit car.

  -September 8th, 2008 at 9:49 am
• David said:
  

  I have:

  Owned an Alfa that has thrilled and gutted me at at the same time. It was a 1987 Milano (75 for the rest of the world.) It thrilled with that wonderful V6 and gutted me as it was sold new when it was previously wreaked, still needing about $7,000 worth of frame repair. It was also in the shop 164 days the first year I had it, though I can not put that squarely on the car’s shoulders, but the dealers…

  (Very briefly) own a V8 muscle car, a 1975 Pontiac Firebird, but I try and block that from my memory.

  Still own a British car, a 1972 MGB for the last 27 years, and have been to Abingdon, England to visit the MG Factory site. And as a result, drove on the WRONG side of the car/street with very little damage, save a broken door mirror…

  Driven Inverness and the Scottish Highlands, which for me was an incredible drive

  Driven the Indianapolis Speedway in my MG during MG 94 or 95. though it was at no more than 25 mph.

  Owned 3 SAAB’s, the most classic being a 1993 9000 CDE turbo. The other two being an 03 9-3 SS and my current 07 60th Anniversary Edition 9-3 Convertible.

  I drove said 9000 at 120 mph on a newly opened (and deserted) stretch of highway. SWEET!

  Driven my fathers M-B on the Autobahn at 120 MPH while he was working in Munich.

  The Saga continues…

  -September 9th, 2008 at 1:01 am
• PGAero said:
  

  Hey all,
  I hate to say it, but most of the people I know (I’m in the USA) would count driving a stick shift as a right of passage. *eye roll*

  Anyway, I’ve driven Alfas (three different GTVs, ‘69-’74)

  Driven my 9000 Aero at 125 mph (It came way too easily to the beast)

  Ridden in a race car on a race track (Thunder Hill, CA)

  Attended motorsports events (Laguna Seca, Sears Point, Thunder Hill)

  I ride a motorcycle (I think everyone should learn, and see just how inattentive most drivers are).

  Driven in Central America (Guatemala). An experience.

  Been in an accident (twice… one person ran a stop sign and hit me, the other was caused by my work vehicle’s brakes failing.

  Spun out.

  Driven in the snow (A bunch).

  I think that a high performance driving school is tops on my list right now, but I’d love to drive on the left side of the road, and a bunch of other things. For me, I’d like to own a car that is older than I am (born in ‘79 here). Maybe a 99, but more likely an Alfa GTV or BMW 2002. Although the 99 would be the most reasonably priced these days.

  Take care all,
  ~Peter

  -September 9th, 2008 at 1:43 am
• Tompa said:
  

  Just ask Per B at Automotorsport to hook you up with Mr Koenigsegg next time in Sweden. How does 1018 E85 hp´s for a day sound?

  /Tom

  -September 9th, 2008 at 2:53 am
• Tompa said:
  

  Peter.. Well, it´s also quite anoying when motorbike drivers come blazing down the middle of two lanes…

  -September 9th, 2008 at 2:58 am
• PGAero said:
  

  Tompa,
  Couldn’t agree more. I’ve never done it… and probably never will. I don’t ride in traffic… it seems too dangerous. I suppose it’s not much different than the occasional speedy-weaving driver anyway.

  Riding a motorcycle makes you feel invisible sometimes. People pull out in front of you like you’re not there. That’s the very reason I wouldn’t split lanes… legal or not (It’s legal in my state). There are a lot of things that people do on the road that are annoying.

  I guess the difference I see is this (I’m not defending irresponsible lane-splitting at all):
  ~Other drivers compromise your safety when you ride a motorcycle whether you’re riding responsibly or not. More often than not, the other drivers don’t even know that they’re doing it.
  ~You compromise your own safety when you ride a motorcycle in an unsafe manner, like splitting lanes at high speeds. I can’t be convinced that this risk is taken unawares. (And that does NOT make it okay.)

  I’d rather share the road with hyper-aware drivers going as fast as they’d like than with inattentive drivers going ten-under the speed limit.

  Other rites of passage:
  Towing a trailer.
  Changing a tire.
  Roll/pop-starting a manual car with a dead battery.
  Jumping a car.
  Smashing your knuckles between frame and wrench while laying on your back.
  Changing the oil.
  Turning the heat on to prevent over-heating on a very hot summer day while sitting in traffic.
  Getting a speeding ticket?
  Getting pulled over but not getting a ticket?
  I guess it could go on and on.

  ~Peter

  -September 9th, 2008 at 7:44 am
• Bruce said:
  

  Share some of Swade’s list with a couple of others:
  - Had two English cars, ‘59 Austin 850 Mini: Learned what handling meant, and burned valves at 50 mph. Second was a Vauxhall Viva (cousin to Opel Kadett): plain but perky.
  - Had a V8 muscle car: ‘68 AMC Javelin–and drove it across Canada and down to California
  - Next came an Alfa 1750 Veloce Spider. When it wasn’t getting fixed it was great; that was about 20% of the time. Also drove it from Montreal to Calgary and came home on 3 cylinders (horrible Spica injection). It also rusted out terribly.
  - Lots of Chevy sedans and wagons while the kids were growing up; started and ran even when broken, regardless of weather. Included an Iraqi taxi Malibu model–GM Canada built 25,000 on special order but the order was cancelled after half were shipped from Halifax. GM firesold the rest. Big six, 4-doors, 3-speed on the floor. Went like stink.
  - VW camper (delivered in Europe): later model, rear water-cooled, but some of the spirit of the original
  - had the BMW
  - many times rented manual shifters in the UK and Ireland (latest this summer)–the adjustment shifting there and back is not hard: The real challenge is ending up in the proper lane after a right turn with RHD on a country road, and then back here on a wide left turn, and knowing which way to to look for obstacles while in a roundabout (of which there are few but should be more in Canada)
  - Finally have a SAAB (’07 “Dame Edna”) and although the BMW was a crisper handler, all-round this is the most fun with a real back seat and enormous trunk for extended travel. If I didn’t want the real back seat, the 9-3 2.0T would be terrific, but at this stage in life (empty-nester) I love the space, the effortless pick-up, the superb reliability (the Bimmer was having an affair with the dealer’s service department–they do have the bugs out of this end-of-the line 9-5!) and the way it gobbles up the road for hour after hour. How did I even get into that Mini!!!!!????? And out of it?

  -September 9th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
• Sport Mode said:
  

  I’m only 25, so I have a long ways to go. But here’s my budding list:

  Owned the obligatory American 4-banger (two Ford Tempos actually- one auto, one manual). 1st gear redlined @ 52 mph- over halfway up the speedo!
  Once drove so fast in reverse that the car told me to shift up.
  Launched said vehicle over a canal bridge at 50+ mph, causing all four wheels to leave the ground and gain at least two or three feet of air (Hollywood style).
  Took a regional road trip (SLC, UT to Portland, OR) in a late model 9-3 SE. Dee-licious.
  Never had an accident while operating a vehicle.
  Once drove over 300 miles from our vacation spot to home (from Mesquite, NV to SLC) without using the interstate system. Big feat when you’re crossing the desert. Sometimes you gotta take the long way home!

  And last, I drove my 9-5 3.0t V6 on a deserted stretch of highway up to between 135-140 mph (217-225 km/hr), with gear in the trunk and wife in the car (okay, she was sleeping)… and somehow we’re still alive and married.

  -September 9th, 2008 at 2:32 pm

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