[s-cars] RE: how great is the S-car-- Re: mustang vs S-Car

[William Noland]

Thought I'd check in on this topic, before it dies a slow death. I would
imagine that the design brief for the UrS was more along the lines of
very capable executive transport, than 4-door sports car. Looking back
at original tests of the car --  showed it to be a tad slower than its
Mercedes and BMW rivals, but slightly better handling. Compared to most
1992 cars, it was not that slow at all -- accelerated on par with a
Porsche 968.

Lucky for us (but, unlucky for our wallets), there were/are lots of
aftermarket pieces available to step the performance up another level or
two. My 94 S4 still has the original suspension (heresy!), due to an
extremely steep driveway approach. and it will still show taillights to
supposedly more capable cars on tight, twisty roads. Taken to extremes,
as Hap has shown recently and Group 44 racing demonstrated back in 1988,
the car can hang with the best of them.

No doubt that the UrS cars were not autocross kings, but then, remember
that original design brief. Fast forward to 2004 and the current S-car
need no excuses. My '04 S4, which shares the garage with the 94 UrS, a
BMW M Roadster and a Subie WRX Wagon, blows them all away out on the
road. It would do the same to my '96 Mustang Cobra, if I still owned it.

The wife and I are having real difficulty deciding which car has to go
(after buying the '04 S4) to free up some driveway space. The UrS has 3
times the mileage (113k) of any of the others -- this should be an easy
decision. Ten years later, stock suspension and all, the UrS is still in
the competition. That says a lot about the basic "rightness" of the UrS
design. Rant off......

Bill Noland
Still UrS4in' in Oakland