I love cars... always have. I love racing... always have. Within the next couple of years I plan on getting my SCCA racing license back. I'll never be a big-time pro, but that's OK. I just love the sensation of speed and competition.
As for my street cars... I haven't owned one that wouldn't do at least 145 for a good 20 years. The one I just got is good for 155 from the factory. But once I get it back from my "Car Surgeon" next week, I don't know what we'll be looking at. 30% more horsepower = ? mph :dunno: Will I do that on the interstate? Course not. I have a perfect driving record (these days - so, knock on wood) and very low insurance rates for what I have. But I take anything hot to VA International Raceway whenever I can - and there I get
shtoopid. But mostly I just like hanging out with other car folk. There, and pretty much only there, do I feel like I am with "my people". They used to do a drive-in night the Friday before Sunday racing, and all us middle-aged gearheads would try to recapture our youthful memories. Some people have old muscle cars or antiques. Some old foreign sports cars. Some newer semi and full exotics. Some tuner imports or hot sedans. As long as it's nice and clean, it doesn't matter what you have.
I'm not into baseball, football, basketball or soccer. As a youngster I played ball and thought I might even have a chance of going pro - then reality set in. So cars and racing have been my lifestyle for most of my adult life. When I was working for a different company, when I'd go into a car plant, as long as I could meet up with another car guy, there weren't many problems that I couldn't make vanish or smooth over. The President of the Viper Club up in Detroit ended up being a real pal once he found out how hardcore I was. You gotta do right by your brothers in arms, ya know. You build a rep. You get into the network. It has helped and has never hurt. And I've met some fantastic people over the years. Some famous (Andretti, Fittipaldi, et al) and some most have never heard of. It's all about spending some time in the fantasy world that is racing.
It's not for everyone. People like different things. But I'm stashing money like a squirrel preparing for winter because when I retire, I want to buy a house near VIR, buy a reasonably priced formula car (maybe an old CART Champ Car) and spend my remaining days vintage racing. As for comfort, a full-bore race car is damn uncomfortable and harsh. But a properly tuned performance car shouldn't be. I like girls with bouncy, cushy T&A but I don't like a bouncy, cushy ride. So I tune my street cars to have a firm, though not uncomfortable ride. Those import tuners you see probably have chopped springs and mismatched suspension bits. I glide down the interstate and can pull 1G + in corners. It makes me happy... keeps me happy. Which means that I won't end up on CNN Headline News because I let too much stress build up.
