Driving impressions....88 M5, 88 M6, 26 Bentley...! wow.

[Kwattro@aol.com]

 Ok, we'll start with the BMW's first.  My dad's car, the 88 M5, is quite a
car.  It's got quite a long list of modifications...it's basically a
streetable club racer.  Well, it was, till he put the new exhaust on (Euro
headers, 3 inch oval exhast with one Borla 3 inch oval muffler...if you can
call it that.)  It is loud.  I mean, 454 with no exhast loud.  And this was
the first time I got to drive it.  Got on it only once, coming off a entrance
ramp onto the highway....hit the gas in 3rd at 35 mph (I was behind 3 cars.)
 Bam...left hand lane, 100 mph, shifting short of redline into 4th.  All in
about 6 seconds.  Wow.  Absolutly wow.  This car rocks.  I let off in 4th...I
was scared.....and didn't want to arouse to much attention.  Then, got the
call to clean an M6.....I'm thinking "Wow, how could this happen to me?"  Got
to drive that car.  Frankly, Audi-ites, we have absolutly no chance of
keeping up with these cars off the line.  They have little power below 3000
rpm.  However, at 3000 rpm, foot to the floor, the flood gates open, 24
valves start screaming and the rear tires brake loose.  Redline is hit in
under 4 seconds, at a velocity of 40mph.  2nd gear places you at 3500 rpm or
so, in the band, and sixty is hit, according to the computer, in 5.8 seconds
for the unmoded M6, and 5.3 for the M5.  It wasn't my car, so I actually
didn't work it hard (for the 15 minutes I got it!), but they are just drop
dead fast cars.  Don't race them.

Next, my dad and my 1926 Bentley 3/4.5 open tourer.  If you guys have never
driven a really old sports car, you should really try (get in touch with me
in a few years, I'll buzz you around!)  For those who don't know, Bentley won
Le Mans in 27,28 and 29, all with cars almost identicle to ours.  No
syncromesh, right drive, torque, low reving 4.5 liter 4 cylinder (SOHC!). All
aluminum engine, adjustable spring rates, the list goes on.  Advanced car for
the time.  Incredibly heavy steering.  Super heavy clutch (the flywheel is
nearly 2 feet in diameter!) Touchy throttle, horrible mechanical brakes.
 What a thrill!  From a stop, driving goes like this.  First is up to the
left (standard H, shift with right hand) Let out the clutch and off you go.
 At about 2500 rpms (you go by hum of engine, not dials...) clutch in, pop
into neutral,clutch out,  touch throttle, clutch in, pop into
gear(hypothetically) and let out.  If you get it right, you know it.  If you
don't, you have to start over, from a stop.  Demanding car to drive, but
neat.  I will have pictures up soon, thanks for Jim Griffin, so you all can
see!  Thanks for the BW!

Carter J
Kwattro@aol.com
2 cars that don't matter much after driving these....