Let's pretend , a Walter Mitty thread.

[oldbike54]

 Let's pretend that you are given the opportunity to ride a truly historic racing motorbike or drive an equivalent racing automobile at say Road America . What particular racing vehicle would you choose , and would you at least attempt to operate it in anger , or just get all squishy at the thought of running a vintage motor vehicle at anywhere near what it is capable of ?

 Go .

 Dusty

[kirby1923]

"pocketa-pocketa-pocketa"

Something I've often heard in my mind when dreaming of a  new caper...when I was a kid.

The ultimate day dreamer.

Air races '33 in a Grandville Gee Bee Model R Super Sportster.


:-)

[RinkRat II]

    For me the bike would have to be a Britten V1000. No way could I match it's capability but ten or so laps would be unforgettable. As far as a car is concerned it would have to be Andy Granatelli's Turbine car. I'm sure it could be adjusted to make right turns  for Road America.  Experiencing either from an engineering breakthrough perspective would definitely be on the squishy side.

     Paul B

[kingoffleece]

Porsche 917-in Gulf colors

[oldbike54]

 OK , let's expand the parameters a bit , Kirby mentioned an old air racer , and Paul mentioned what was only an oval car , in fact really just designed to run at Indy . In the spirit of that , it could be an old AA/fuel coupe or roadster at Pomona , a vintage dirt tracker , say Mert's KR or Nixon's Triumph framer at Springfield . Maybe you always wanted to try an Indy roadster at Indy , or one of those insane Allison powered hydroplanes , or a speedway bike at a classic track in New Zealand or Australia . Maybe a few laps in a Chaparral 2 A or a MK 6 Mclaren at Laguna or Mosport Park .

 Dusty

[ScepticalScotty]

Car - Repco Brabham BT24 no contest. I used to race this online in Grand Prix Legends, and that caused me to look up quite a bit about the car that beat the big boys, and Gentleman Jack, and Ron Tauranac tuning wizard.

Bike - AMDM720 - saw them run at the TT in 2000 and quite amazing single cyclinder racebikes - though a Ducati 570 Supermono would also be nice.

[oldbike54]

Car - Repco Brabham BT24 no contest. I used to race this online in Grand Prix Legends, and that caused me to look up quite a bit about the car that beat the big boys, and Gentleman Jack, and Ron Tauranac tuning wizard.

Bike - AMDM720 - saw them run at the TT in 2000 and quite amazing single cyclinder racebikes - though a Ducati 570 Supermono would also be nice.

 Is that the bike McPint rode ?

 Dusty

[ScepticalScotty]

Yes it indeed was. And in the race he was chased by a Supermono, with (I think) Bob Heath? on a BSA that was pretty lovely as well following up the rear.

[Tom]

4 bikes out of the Moto Guzzi Museo in Mandello del Lario and not in any order: 

1)  Any of the 500 singles and for a 2fer, the one with the ski attachment for the snow, in the snow.
2)  V8 500.
3)  Bicylindrica. 
4)  MG-S01.

[Shorty]

An unsupervised  drive in West Virginia in an AC Cobra, Triumph Tr3 or a V8 Miata would be fun. Or a parachute and the keys to a Super Decathalon. I was never fond of speed on a motorcycle, (or good at it) but cowtrailing on an old chrome tank Husky would be great. I guess I'm just a "gentleman sportsman." (translation: SLOW)

[Huzo]

A WW2 American colours P 51 Mustang, British Spitfire or PBY 5A Catalina..
If forced to choose one ?
Polished aluminium Mustang with black and white markings...

[cliffrod]

Car would be a real 289 AC Cobra.  I grew up in our TR3B, then added multiple 289 Fords to the mix and have always wanted the chance to extend my British-car-as-normal perspective into the Ford 289 Hipo realm.  I'm not interested in a modernized, blinged out car with a 347, 5 speed and independent suspension pretending to be "original".  Beyond modern tires, I want the real Cobra experience. Someday....

Bike- a real Norton Manx.  Same parameters.   Watching the old bikes flog around Isle of Mann with no traffic.   That would be quite an opportunity. 

Honestly, I would be more than happy to have no traffic and no penalties to travel the same isle of Mann-type of roads on the machines I already own.  My V7 Sport or 428 Galaxie, (or my V700 Corsa Record or TR3B when finished) at full song on good roads that I know like the back of my hand is more than enough for me.  That's why I have them.  Even though there's so many driveways everywhere now, there's still some really great roads between here and Knoxville...

[Perazzimx14]

Don't really have a desire to road race but boy would I like to go thorough the gears and feel what 11,000 HP is like is a top fuel dragster. 

[geoff in almonte]

For me, the car would need to be an early Shelby Cobra - I would be happy with the 289.  Or a 914 with the BIG motor. Or a V8 Miata

The bike - a T-rex with the big Gixxer or Huyabusa motor.

I'm not a good enough rider to do justice to a Britten, or an MGS-01, or a tricked out RC51, or any of the latest crop of superbikes.

Pointed down my favorite bendy road - unsupervised and without any LEO's of course.

With a cold beer at the end to celebrate my survival.

:-)

G

[oldbike54]

 "Driveways" , and dogs , and deer , and the constabulary , that's why we want to know about real racing vehicles on actual race tracks . A full on Mini Cooper on a race track , or a McLaren MK 6 with a big old snorting aluminum big block Chevy making enough torque to pull trees down . A 50 CC Derbi gp bike or Joey's RSV 750 Honda .

 I would be hard pressed to choose between Jay Springsteen's championship winning XR 750 on a well groomed 1/2 mile , and any of Ago's Agustas at someplace like Monza , or one of Nixon's framers VS an ex-Hailwood anything .

 Dusty

[john fish]

I think this would be fascinating to ride at the Isle of Man.



14 speed, 50cc, 17.5 hp at 17,500 rpm.  128 lbs (considerably less than my own weight) and a top speed of 109 mph.

[JJ]

Well, for a bike, it would have to be a 1954 Vincent Black Shadow...





For a car, it would be a 1968 Ford GT40





I would like to feel both of them at 100+mph on the straight-away!!!

[Moparnut72]

A TZ750 but I would probably be afraid to hit the powerband. It is supposed to be pretty much like a light switch. The car would be a Hemi Superbird.
kk

[guzzler]

Interesting concept.
Cars, I wouldn't mind a drive of a 1927 or thereabouts 4.5 litre blown Bentley.
Bikes, bloody hell I could think of a heap.
But a well sorted Vincent Black Shadow is appealing  but also the opportunity to scare myself on a Britten or a TZ 750 as mentioned earlier would be a hoot as well!
Reckon I'd need a glass or two afterwards as well.
Cheers  Guzzler

[oldbike54]

 Interesting that some of you are picking twin cylinder Vinnies , motorbikes not known for being good racebikes .

 Dusty

[cliffrod]

The driveway/regular road detail is more of a metaphor, not the right way to say it but ? right now. 

Watching IoM videos or another of any long closed road course means there's a lot of rehearsal to know the road to really exploit the machine without disaster.  If I had the opportunity to know  the road/course I was on as intimately as I know my favorite familar old roads- like lots of time spent with both machine and road or just by magic as long as this is fantasy-  that would be the great experience.    For a one time "here's the keys, have a fun lap or two" experience, doing it on a new road would likely be more tentative than fun.

Not that I'm a competent flat track rider or wouldn't enjoy time on a good iron or alloy XR (or one of the Ducati bevel twin flat trackers that Dennis built), but the learning curve to rememberize an oval track is fairly short in comparison...

[Turin]

There are so many new sportbikes that are so beyond my capabilities, it would have to be something older, but not too old. A Honda RC30 would be a hoot.

As much as I like Italian exotica, I'm a muscle car guy at heart. + 1 Shelby Daytona coupe.

[Tom]

A Honda MB5 for grins & giggles when they had racing.  2 stroke 50cc, 20,000 rpms on a go-track.   

[Scout63]

RC166 on IOM.  I don’t know much about race cars, but something on the Nurburgring on a nice day.

[LowRyter]

Dusty mentioned of smorgasbord of many of the greats.   Many would likely kill you just to get them out the pits.  I suppose, I'd like to try a modern GP bike with plenty of room around me.  I just might be able to make a lap or two and not kill myself.

Sure I'd like make a lap in the Indy 500.  Dusty makes great points, a new Indycar, a mid 90s CART monster, or classic Offy Roadster?  Or perhaps an Indy winner or famous racer?  Mears Pennzoil Car?  Foyt Bowes Seal Fast?  Louie Meyer Miller?  Jim Clark's Lotus Ford cammer?

How about a Daytona Coupe?  250 GTO?   GT40?  906?  917?  935/6?  Ferrari P4?   962?  Toyota Hybrid?  Or the Foyt/Gurney MK4?  Fangio 300SL?  Moss 300SL?  D-type Jag? 

F1 250F Maserati?  Fangio 250F?  Ferrari f1?  Lotus F1?  Or Jim Clark's Lotus?  Mario's Lotus 77?  1992 Mclaren Honda (Senna or Prost)?  Gurney's Spa Eagle?  H-16 BRM?

Bonneville Mickey Thompson Challenger?  Breedlove's Spirit of America?   Garlitt's Fueller?  Prudhomme's?  Ronnie Sox 'Cuda?  Grumpy's Toy? 

Mclaren? Chaparral? Donohue 917?  Shadow?

Hailwood 6 cyl Honda 250?  TZ750?  MV 500GP?  Robert's GP?  Roberts AMA?  Norton Manx?  Surtees Manx?  XR-750?  Scotty Parker 750? Foggy Ducati?  Lawson Kawasaki?  Lawson GP Yamaha?  Lawson GP Honda?  Schwanz GP Suzuki?

Steve MCQueen Triumph?    Malcolm Smith Husky?  Brabek's Honda?  Ricky Carmichael's Suzuki?

Richard Petty Plymouth Hemi?  David Pearson's Mercury?  Cale's Chevy?  Jr Jhn's Holly Farms #3?  Fireball's Pontiac?  Earnhardt #3?  Gordon #24?  Gordon Pepsi Midget?  Sammy Swindell's Outlaw car?  Swindell's Chilibowl?

A car or THE car?  A bike or THE bike?

[fotoguzzi]

I'd like to go to the drag strip

[chuck peterson]

[John A]

I’d like to run a Super Stock Dodge up Pikes Peak a few times. https://www.allpar.com/threads/kevin-wesley-talks-pikes-peak-race-cars-aftermarket-support-plans.235972/

[Muzz]

Hailwood's Honda 250/6

[s1120]

Well, for a bike, it would have to be a 1954 Vincent Black Shadow...





For a car, it would be a 1968 Ford GT40





I would like to feel both of them at 100+mph on the straight-away!!!

Yes, Ditto that!!  You saved me looking for pictures!!  Im not sure im fitting in a GT40 though...  but if I dont, Ill make it a Cobra..