I was in a race and did not know it.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

I was driving home yesterday after work as usual. As I approached an intersection I could see the traffic in the left turn lane was almost done turning. There was a new Cadillac in the left lane and the right lane was open. I was slowing down but I knew the light was about to change. I timed it perfectly to just roll thru the intersection at 35 MPH and start accelerating back up to the 50 MPH speed limit. The Cadillac must have seen that as a challenge. That sucker is FAST. He exploded from a dead stop and was going faster than 50 in a flash. I was driving my daily driver 1986 El Camino with the factory original 305 with 278,000 miles on the engine. I had no intention of racing but that Cadillac driver was in a big hurry. I think that may be the only street race I have ever been in and I lost big time. Since I did not know I was in a race I could not care less. It was amazing to see a big car like that move out in a big hurry.

450knotOffice · 450knotOffice's Garage

Horsepower and gearing will do that. Did it look like the CTS-V? I believe those cars have something like 550 HP. I would not mess with one, even if I were in a 996 Turbo.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

It was gone so fast I could not tell what model it was, just fast.

onewhippedpuppy · 06-24-2009, 10:00 AM

Even the regular CTS is no slouch. 306 HP moves it pretty well.

Pazuzu · 06-24-2009, 11:18 AM

You didn't know you were in a race??
Every moment in life is a race!! you need to live your life 1/4 mile at a time, at all times! For those 16 seconds, you can be free!!

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

My stock Elky 305 is closer to 18 seconds for the 1/4.

I guess I never got into street racing because I never had a fast car. My 1st car was a 1960 VW Bug. Ground pounding 36 HP. When I moved up to a 73 Super Bug I felt fast with 60 HP. After that was a 74 914 2.0 with a whopping 95 HP. I bought my Carrera in 1995 and it is kinda fast but many of the modern pickups and minivans are way faster. I have had the Elky since 1991. Sometimes a ricer will pull up and just beg for a race. They are assuming I have a hot 350 under the hood. I just ignore them.

I get my go fast thrills on the autocross course and the occasional DE.

island911 · 06-24-2009, 01:09 PM

Funny, I had the same thing happen the other day. A big sweeping uphill on-ramp. I'm abit past apex, I see in my rear-view, one of those Cadillacs getting squirlly. I kept on the throttle and watch that Cadillac getting it back together and closing the gap fast. -I was in the big Porsche (Pepper-wagon) at the time. Kinda surprised that anyone would try to prove anything against an SUV. Had to have been a bit embarrassing for him tho' ...not holding a corner as well as a high-CG SUV.

Heel n Toe · 06-24-2009, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

There was a new Cadillac in the left lane and the right lane was open. I was slowing down but I knew the light was about to change. I timed it perfectly to just roll thru the intersection at 35 MPH and start accelerating back up to the 50 MPH speed limit. The Cadillac must have seen that as a challenge. That sucker is FAST. He exploded from a dead stop and was going faster than 50 in a flash.

It's amazing what some people can see as a challenge.

The way you have described your scenario is a bit difficult to understand insofar as the specific timing of events... are you saying the Caddy driver had decided to stop before the light turned red... and was stopped... and then you rolled through the intersection, and he hit the gas after you passed him?

You did say "He exploded from a dead stop."

Or did he hit the gas as you were rolling past him?

Just curious... did the yellow come on while you were in the intersection?

The way you have related the story, it sounds like this seemingly aggressive driver had come to a complete stop before the light turned red (or possibly before it turned yellow... or shortly thereafter).

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

His light was red and he timed to hit it right as it turned green

450knotOffice · 450knotOffice's Garage

Pretty simple. Light was red. Traffic was stopped, including said Caddy. GH85Carrera was approaching slowly and saw that the light was about to change to green. GH85Carrera timed his roll so that as he approached the intersection at 35 mph, the light turned green. He accelerated away, and as he did so, Mr. Caddy EXPLODED away from the light from a standstill.

the · 06-24-2009, 06:36 PM

aka "the slingshot."

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 450knotOffice

Pretty simple. Light was red. Traffic was stopped, including said Caddy. GH85Carrera was approaching slowly and saw that the light was about to change to green. GH85Carrera timed his roll so that as he approached the intersection at 35 mph, the light turned green. He accelerated away, and as he did so, Mr. Caddy EXPLODED away from the light from a standstill.

That is it exactly.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=35.565476,-97.477977&spn=0.003133,0.004801&t=h&z=18

Here is a link to the intersection.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

Hey it sounds like you need to drop an LS1 in the mino. Need help?

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Naaaaa.

The engine has less than 300,000 miles. It runs great.

I don't want to go down that slippery slope on the Elky. A LS1 engine would just eat up my 8.5 inch rear end. So I would need a 12 inch Ford locker. Of course while I am in there I would need rear disk brakes. That means new front brakes. Of course that means a new master cylinder. Then I need new suspension and dual exhaust. And on it goes. I bought it the year you were born. No car payments since 1993. That is a good thing.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

Yes but if you did all of that and balanced it right you could have a sweet autocross truck.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Some dude on the El Camino forum site did just that. He basically replaced the entire drive train and suspension with Corvette goodies. I saw videos of him running at a track and passing a lot of sports cars. He sold the car for 45 grand.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

thats steep for one of those. It would get some looks booking around the track though.

Superman · 06-25-2009, 11:00 AM

dlb pst

Superman · 06-25-2009, 11:02 AM

Guys take cheap shots all the time. I guess it makes them feel......virile. For a moment, they feel as if their penis is acceptably-sized.

I'll be at a stop light next to another vehicle. He knows there is going to be a race when the light turns green, but doesn't alert me. Light turns green and he mashes the accelerator pedal. He's twenty or thirty feet head by the time I figure out what's happening, so he "wins." If we both end up on the front row at the next light, his penis returns to its original size.

BTW, while Cadillacs with big motors feel pretty spunky, a car that weighs let's say 1000 or 1500 lbs less than the Caddy would only need half, or maybe 2/3rds of that power to produce the same acceleration. A Lotus Elise, with its four-banger, would probably clobber a 305-hp Caddy. A light-weight RS clone-type 911 with a Variocam 3.6 certainly would. But again, if the Caddy driver takes a cheap-shot, he makes it a one-car race and he gets to declare himself the winner.