The fastest I’ve driven was something over 125 (I stopped looking at the speedometer then) in my oh-so-beautiful 1992 Stealth ES. The faster we went the more that car just settled in and glued herself to the road. It wasn’t as good as sex, but it was mighty close.
The fastest I’ve ridden was 140 in a 1969 Camaro SS on highway 280 between San Jose and San Francisco. It was a long time ago - back when there wasn’t any traffic at 3:00AM and you could do stuff like that without worrying about anyone else.
Hey racer72, didn’t I read in another thread that you have an old Goat (66?)? While I doubt that it reaches the speeds that some here have mentioned, I bet it covers the 1/4 pretty quick.
Probably 110 on most cars I’ve had. I’d chicken out at that point. But what was more frightening, in a fun sort of way, was driving at 85-90 down city streets at night. And lieu, your cars are very cool.
Got my old '70 stang around 125. It felt like it had a fair amount more to go, but the front wheels felt like they were about ready to lift off, so I didn’t push it anymore.
My SVX tops out around 138 at Denver altitude. But still felt decent control.*
The stupedist fastest I have accedentaly gone is 115. I was in a really bad mood one day, and got in a road rage pissing contest with some asself in a camaro who cut me off three times. Going on I-80 around Chicago in my Stang and we strated racing. Came over a hill and there was a dead stop traffic jam about 100 feet ahead. I looked at the speedometer and noticed I was over 110. I was smart enough to not lock the brakes, and swung into the right emergency lane, and the Camaro popped into the left spacing area. My stang only had drum brakes(that were in bad shape at the time) and they over heated and were worthless by the time I had slowed to about 70. and Basically I was going about 70 with no breaks in a non lane past a couple thousand other cars for about a mile before I got my brakes back enough to stop. (Although I didn’t stop, I took the first exit and hid in the back streets for a long time, cause I knew someone must have reported me.) That was my one and only needed wake-up call about getting pissed and driving stupid. I was about 6 inches from killing myself and many other people.
*the later SVX record was done on a known straight empty stretch of road with CB contact at both ends to make sure it was clear and safe.
I remember that one, wolfman. Coldfire’s got a good one, too.
The first time I got pulled over was for 120 on a highway in West Texas. State Troopers, three of 'em, searched my buddy’s car that I’d been driving (1963 Impala SS) while he and I stood by the side of the road and watched. Everything out of the trunk, seats out, door panels off, air cleaner off…, and then they left. I got a warning ticket.
Another pal’s Dodge Dart swinger could regularly top out at 140, which was a little hairy because the front end was jacked up with C-joints for drag racing, and he had big cheater slicks on the back. Not a road racer.
But we hit that often on the way to the beach. Once, though, he topped it out after I’d already climbed in the trunk in preparation for sneaking into Houston Drag Raceway. So, 140 in the trunk for me.
My current car’s speedo goes to 155, but I’ll never know.
A lot of these speeds look exagerated, considering the governors on today’s cars, however I hit 120 in my '91 Beretta going down a pretty steep hill on US 40 in Ellicott City, Md. The governor on that car was set at 118 but I think I hit 120 because of the hill.
I was in a car my buddy was driving going about 120, at night, out of Portland, ME to see how long it would take to get to Freeport 20 miles away. I can’t remember how little time it took, it wasn’t my idea, and I can’t say I thought it was all that fun. I thought we were going to die for sure.
The fastest I’ve driven myself, I think, is about 100 – and not really on purpose. You get on the highway in mid-to-northern Maine, and you just sort of lose track of how fast you’re going, and there’s hardly ever any traffic. You look down and … oops, maybe I ought to slow down a little.
Indicated 130 mph in a '93 Saturn SC2 when I activated the pop-up headlamps which promptly exploded. Repaired under warranty.
Indicated 134 mph in a governor-disabled but stock tired, braked and suspended (death wish?) '87 Chevy Cavalier Z-24 when I noticed a cop drafting me. No ticket. Sternly verbally advised to “Slow down!”
Indicated 130+ in a '71 911S
Indicated 140+ mph in a '67 911S
Indicated 155 mph+ in a '94 Camaro Z-28 . The cruise control was ineffective above 150 mph.
Indicated 15 (fifteen) mph in a '97 Camaro SS equipped with near-slick tires and an automatic trans driven, mostly sideways, during a very light mist. Undriveable. Very disappointed as this was my only chance to drive this beast.
As a passenger, I did not see the speedo, but we were going mighty fast in my uncle’s modified 911 turbo as we lapped I-465 one fine day long ago.
The scariest by far, though, was in 1999 when I drove a '72 Thunderbird with a guesstimated minimum of a quarter million rounds on the clock in excess of an indicated 85 mph on rural highways in Mexico where there was no speed limit. The locals tended not to exceed 45 mph despite the lack of a limit because of the very narrow two-lane roads without shoulders and the physical limitations of their mostly older vehicles.
However, I haven’t even come close to exploring the upper speed limits of the last two vehicles I have owned. Nowadays, I try to stay below the 95th percentile.
I live next door to a drag strip but have only been there to watch. I have seen to much money left in the bottom of oil pans to even risk the GTO. I am the third owner of the car and it has never been raced. I have taken it up to 100 a few times, it does so without a wimper. I destroyed enough cars in my racing days, I want to keep this one a while. The car is pretty much stock right now, I even have reproduction bias ply redlines on it. Those tires are not made for high speed driving like todays radial tires are.
125+ in a BMW 540 on an open country road. I think that was close to top speed, but I was running out of country pretty fast. Weeeeeee
Whoever has the 740 on page 1, I envy you. My father used to have one, best driving car ever. Not a sports car, but if I had to drive 500+ miles I can’t think of a better choice. That thing is just getting warmed up as it passes 100 mph, what’s the top speed?
Pulled 130MPHish outta my '90 Honda CRX on a dualcarriageway down in Bournemouth UK. Fastest I’ve been in a car and fastest with me driving. I love that little car to pieces. 1.6litre engine and a 0-60 time of about 7.7-7.9secs and tops out about 130, gotta love Japanese engineering.
My friend would occasionally lend me his turbo Porsche. Took it up to about 140 on the freeway for about 10 seconds at which time sanity stepped and pointed out that I was passing those other cars reely fast.
Amazing thing about those turbos is the pickup. Nearly got it to 90 in 2nd gear. Serious G-force.
Took my Acura Integra to 125 a few times. Agree with the others on this thread: just a fantastic car.
Now I drive an electric car–Toyota RAV4-EV. Got it to 75… almost. But the battery was losing charge in a hurry!
I got my Hyundai Pony up to about 156 km/h once. I say about because the speedo topped out a ways below that. The only way I could get going so fast was to coast downhill with the clutch in – the engine couldn’t go past about 145 or 150. Never again: misspent youth and all that.