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Post by daSilva on Jan 30, 2003 11:43:26 GMT -5
You guys are missing the point of this Automobile, but then I highly doubt you fall into the demographic that Cadillac is looking for. Why buy a McLaren F1 or Ferrari F50 when a Lotus or a Porsche will give you pretty much the same sensation?
I personally would prefer an Elise or a Seven or an Esprit, but I like the Cadillac Sixteen for what it is. A very high end luxury automobile that represents both the past and the future.
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Post by Henrik on Jan 30, 2003 11:53:42 GMT -5
da Silva,
Again, I get your point, and I suppose I'm being too negative about the whole thing.
Actually the point I was trying to make was targeted at all these super-duper high-end luxury cars in general that I personally find obscene.
I wish I had the money to spend 400k on a car, but that's beside the point.
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Post by daSilva on Jan 30, 2003 12:02:21 GMT -5
I agree but I find them a lot less obscene than a $60,000 Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Sequoia, Chevrolet Suburban.......etc.
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Post by Wycco on Jan 30, 2003 12:30:12 GMT -5
LOL... My truck, brand new back in 2000 cost me $10,000... inflation hasn't been much these last few years...
So I think its fair to say- you can get 40 Brand New Ford Rangers (if you shop around) for the same price as 1 new Caddie 16!
THAT my friends is a waste of money!
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Post by BrainFade on Jan 30, 2003 12:47:12 GMT -5
Speaking of bizarre machines, and Henrik, saying you'd stick to bikes, how about the Dodge Tomahawk?! A bike powered by an 8.3 litre Viper engine. 4 wheels. 2.5 secs 0-100 kph. Top end of 480kph - CRAZY. And craziest of all, a projected $250 000 price tag!!!! www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/tomahawk.html
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Post by pabs on Jan 30, 2003 12:57:36 GMT -5
Those 1000 HP are worth every penny...if you have the dough to spare.
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Post by Henrik on Jan 30, 2003 15:16:54 GMT -5
Speaking of bizarre machines, and Henrik, saying you'd stick to bikes, how about the Dodge Tomahawk?! A bike powered by an 8.3 litre Viper engine. 4 wheels. 2.5 secs 0-100 kph. Top end of 480kph - CRAZY. And craziest of all, a projected $250 000 price tag!!!! www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/tomahawk.htmlBrainfade, Yeah I saw that "thing" a week ago or something. Sure that thing is crazy, but in my book a bike has only two wheels and you lean it down in corners. That "thing" could probably only go VERY FAST in a straight line. I would hate to get to a corner with it!!!! Horsepower is an exagerated concept, and something that often is used to make up the other shortfalls of a vehicle. I remember back in the 80's, there was a German tuning specialist called Koenig (he might be around still) who would put massive twin turbos on everything. He did a make-over on a Testarossa, putting out something like 800hp in the end. But what is really the point? You can't use it!! Besides, the actually performance improvement was really minimal. Another example. Previously I had a Honda VFR 800, with something around 115hp on tap. Great bike, and I loved it, but it was stolen after 6 months. Now I have a Ducati ST2 with 85 hp on tap. Well you know what, up to 160kmh, my Ducati will beat the Honda in any type of acceleration test, yet it weighs about the same but has some 26% less hp. The difference comes from the torque. Then throw in the superior handling of of the Duke, and under conditions that I will find myself in for say 99% of the time, I can leave the VFR behind. So do I need 26% more power? Nope, I'm keeping my Duke!! Since we are on the topic of bikes and cars, here is an interesting concept developed by a Swiss engineer. It is based on a BMW K100: If you are interested to find out more, here is a link: www.polysoft-consulting.com/ecomobile/index_e.htmI've seen these "things" in action and they are really cool!
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Post by BrainFade on Jan 30, 2003 15:24:46 GMT -5
I've been wondering how you turn the Tomahawk. Surely you can't really lean that thing into corners? It seems to me more like some kind of drag bike.
As for me, I just bought myfirst "bike" - a honda duke 125cc scooter. With South Africa's rapidly inflating petrol price and the crowded streets of Cape Town, it made a lot of sense, and I'm actually having loads of fun driving it around.
Actual bikes, like your Ducati, are amazing machines, but they scare the crap out of me.
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Post by Henrik on Jan 30, 2003 15:40:56 GMT -5
It's really just a learning process. To be honest, I have a vespa as well, but that thing can scare me at times! The worst is if I ride the vespa shortly after riding the bike, because you get to the first corner, and suddenly the whole side/foot panel is scraping the ground! Not good!! It's a rigid pressed steel frame. But I can see how handy a scooter would be to get around Capetown.
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Post by BrainFade on Jan 30, 2003 15:56:09 GMT -5
That "economobile" or whatever it's called is an intriguing machine. I didn't really understand the website too well, coz it's written in a very strange style of english, but did they say that the "bike" had a top end of 320-360kph. I noticed they were using some large displacement BMW bike engines as well as the 1.2 litre turbocharged unit from a Fiat Uno Turbo. Very interesting.
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Post by Henrik on Jan 30, 2003 16:01:09 GMT -5
Yeah the Ecomobile. Sorry about the English on their website, but I think it is a bad translation from German.
The original Ecomobile used the flat four 1000cc engine from the BMW K100, and then the K1200. I know they have also modified this engine to produce more power. The speed I'm not sure about, but considering how light it is, and how extremely streamlined the shape is, it wouldn't surprise me.
What's hilarious is being behind one in town, and seeing it fold down the spare wheels at red lights. It's like a landing gear or something!!
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Post by BrainFade on Jan 30, 2003 16:20:19 GMT -5
Are there quite a few of them around your neck of the woods? Another thing I noticed were the little wheels on the sides behind the passenger compartment - obviously there for extreme leaning into corners. hehehehe
There was a cool little analogy on the site: "the ecomobile is to the motor bike what a kart is to a car". The ultra low centre of gravity must make the mobile handle like a demon with great high speed stability.
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Post by daSilva on Jan 30, 2003 16:24:01 GMT -5
Hey Brainfade, Congrats on the bike, just be careful, but in the long run it'll make you a better driver. Riding is one of the greatest freedoms in the world and as Henriks says your confidence will grow each time you ride. Have fun.
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Post by Henrik on Jan 30, 2003 16:32:42 GMT -5
Brainfade,
Those little wheels are not for extreme leaning, but rather they are a sort of "landing gear" that folds down at below 5kmh so the thing doesn't tip over when you stop!!
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Post by BrainFade on Jan 30, 2003 16:34:57 GMT -5
Thanks man... I could actually feel my confidence going up after like 15 minutes on the road. One of the nice things about where I live is that most of the roads are really narrow, and even the car drivers go pretty slowly, so it's kinda safe to be riding bikes there. Cities that have huge, straight roads are probably much more dangerous for bike riders (especially smaller-engined bikes) because cars are able to just scream past you in both directions without slowing down.
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