Let's pretend , a Walter Mitty thread.

[oldbike54]

 Kinda surprised no one has mentioned a sprint car . Maybe they are just too brutal 

 Dusty

[Siamese]

motorcycle:  Velocette Thruxton 500
auto:  Cobra

[Brobro]

If I could pretend to be able to have my dream run on my dream equipment, it would not be motorized on pavement.
Give me 2,000 feet of vertical open couloir filled with 3 feet of Utah powder and a set of heavy duty telemark ski equipment.

OR
 Just give me a get out of jail free card...then I can have fun anywhere.

[Tom]

Kinda surprised no one has mentioned a sprint car . Maybe they are just too brutal 

 Dusty

Maybe they don't like low level flying.   

[Johncolleary]

A TZ250 on the big track at Willow Springs! 

[guzzista]

 Bike AJS 7R or Norton Manx at Mount Panorama/ Bathurst. For cars , a Carrera 2.7  RS at the Targa Florio

[Chuck in Indiana]

I'm really not a warbird kind of guy, but I sat in a Spit one time, and it ..just..felt.. right. I'd have a go at that. 
I've sat in a GeeBee.. not so sure about that one. Yeah.. probably. 
That said, I've had some really good times in the Pitts S1S that Ed the Rocket Scientist (RIP) and I built.
I've had as much fun as a guy can have on the street with the Mighty Scura in the California Canyons.
Life has been good to me.

[kirby1923]

Was at Lake Geneva (WI) some time ago and got to sit in a 109..ugh to cramped and weird, and the gear (only a paved strip there at the time), no thanks. to scary.
But...

A Spit MK 9 was in attendance and I was offered a go so traded crates for a bit of fun...

Felt like Walter Mitty in that one for sure.   A few cheek sagging turns in trail and a VERY sweaty landing..one for the log book for sure! (45 min!)

:-)++

[Chuck in Indiana]

and the gear (only a paved strip there at the time), no thanks. to scary.
But...

I think I remember  reading that more 109s were written off on landing accidents than combat. (!)

[Gliderjohn]

From Chuck:

That said, I've had some really good times in the Pitts S1S that Ed the Rocket Scientist (RIP) and I built.

Agree, a Pitts is more fun and exciting than a barrel full of monkeys.
GliderJohn

[mhershon]

Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear... If I could, I'd ride my old 200 Metralla again on the back road from Bloomington to Spencer, Indiana. I did it plenty of times THEN, and figured I'd always be able to do it... Sigh. I've never gone faster, smoother.

[Milosh]

Car: The best sounding car of all-time: The Jaguar D Type.





Motorcycle: The actual VTR1000SP2 (RC51) that Edwards rode at Laguna.

[SmithSwede]

That's an easy question to answer.   You can keep your cars and airplanes--not interested.   There are lots of bikes I'd enjoy on a Walter Mitty dream scenario, but the absolute ultimate is obvious:

Mike Hailwood's 1978 Ducati 900.  Race prepped with modern tires and brake pads. 

Since we are dreaming, make the track be the Isle of Man, but I want it cleared of all pedestrians, wandering cows, gravel in roadway, and the like.   

Mike lapped it at 109.97 mph.   I'm not Mike the Bike, so my more modest goal would be to simply break 100 mph. 

[oldbike54]

 A few laps around the Ulster circuit on one of Joey Dunlop's V Four Hondas would be fun .

 Dusty

[Gliderjohn]

From Smith Swede:

Since we are dreaming, make the track be the Isle of Man, but I want it cleared of all pedestrians, wandering cows, gravel in roadway, and the like.   

Mike lapped it at 109.97 mph.   I'm not Mike the Bike, so my more modest goal would be to simply break 100 mph.

Oh yea! I would love to do it on my T-3 and average 70mph. It would even be great fun to do it on a rented scooter at 35mph. Just want to see what it is really like.
GliderJohn

[John A]

How about a SR71 blasting all the coffee cups off Fidel’s table with sonic booms under the leadership of president Reagon. Or laying trails of sonic booms up and down North Korea when Kim was hosting some event.  nothing they could do about it. The Air Force kept strict constraints on the pilots but Uncle Ronnie knew how to use it.

[Gliderjohn]

From John A:

How about a SR71 blasting all the coffee cups off Fidel’s table with sonic booms under the leadership of president Reagon. Or laying trails of sonic booms up and down North Korea when Kim was hosting some event.  nothing they could do about it. The Air Force kept strict constraints on the pilots but Uncle Ronnie knew how to use it.

From what I have read about flying the SR 71 and comments from my primary glider instructor who flew F-104s and 106s in the late 50s through the 60s the planes themselves and navigating were such a handful you never really had much time to enjoy flying them.
GliderJohn

[LowRyter]

How about a SR71 blasting all the coffee cups off Fidel’s table with sonic booms under the leadership of president Reagon. Or laying trails of sonic booms up and down North Korea when Kim was hosting some event.  nothing they could do about it. The Air Force kept strict constraints on the pilots but Uncle Ronnie knew how to use it.

Good one.  I heard a story of an SR71  flaming out over Chicago and it was dead sticked to Edwards.  True?  Don't know.  But was told by someone that should know who just briefed on it at the time.

[kirby1923]

Good one.  I heard a story of an SR71  flaming out over Chicago and it was dead sticked to Edwards.  True?  Don't know.  But was told by someone that should know who just briefed on it at the time.

FWIW

Untrue...

m

[LowRyter]

FWIW

Untrue...

m

ok

[kirby1923]

FWIW

Untrue...

m

Sorry John I got interrupted before I could explain.

The SR has two engines and in pilot jargon "dead stick" means that both engines failed which in that case the aircraft would come down very quickly and most likely have had to make an off airport landing. This would result in loss of the aircraft and the pilot if he remained with the machine to impact. High wing loaded aircraft have very high landing speeds so survival in that case would have been in question(hence ejection seats).

The SR pilots would, if they lost both engines, most likely try and pick open ground and then eject probably not under 5,000 feet (above the ground.)

I don't believe there was ever a double engine flame out in the history of the SR 71 ops. They did lose one due to an engine failure while at mach III and the aircraft turned sideways and disintegrated over ID I think. The back seat guy was killed but the pilot survived as he was thrown clear.

This event cause a change in the engine management system and never was repeated.

If they had lost only one engine over ORD the aircraft would have been able to continue at a slower speed and it would have most likely landed at the nearest military base along its flight path.

:-)

[Tom H]

This may not be an answer to the original question.

I would like to get on a track or IOM following a very experienced racer. We'd start slow for a few laps to get my confidence up and then get to, or nearly to his race speed.

Tom

[Rough Edge racing]

a 1950's Formula 1 car like what Juan Fangio  drove...

[larrys]

"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.


:-)

I dunno about that. As I understand the history of the GeeBee racer, every one that the Granville brothers built crashed and killed its pilot. At the Bradley Air Museum, there were plans to build a replica but constructed of mild steel tubing so that it could never get a certificate of airworthiness, and be flown. Don't know if the project ever went forward.
Larry

[larrys]

A ride or two down the strip in a AA fuel altered roadster would do it for me. At the old CT Dragway in Colchester, CT I saw Wild Willy Borshe drive his '23 T Altered in the 9's with Willy driving one handed. Yikes!
A bike? Rollie Free's Vincent at Bonneville. I would wear more than shorts...
Larry

[Moparnut72]

I went to the Connecticut Dragway one Sunday to watch match races between Dave Strictler and his Dodge against Bill Lawton Tasca Ford Fairlane. Bill won the best of 3. Meanwhile Wild Bill Flynn of Yankee Peddler Dodge was running in the eliminations. He was turning better times than the stars. He was driving an altered wheelbase superstock, before they became Funny Cars. I love to take a turn at the wheel in one of those.
kk

[Chuck in Indiana]

I dunno about that. As I understand the history of the GeeBee racer, every one that the Granville brothers built crashed and killed its pilot. At the Bradley Air Museum, there were plans to build a replica but constructed of mild steel tubing so that it could never get a certificate of airworthiness, and be flown. Don't know if the project ever went forward.
Larry

Not exactly true, but several were written off. Jimmy Doolittle (maybe the USA's finest pilot) had no problem with it.
Interesting early air racing stuff here:
http://www.donhollway.com/doolittle-geebee/

Luckily, Doolittle didn’t plan to go slow, not with “Granny’s Built-In Tail Wind” behind him. Six times he roared through the speed trap, this time claiming a maximum of 309.040 mph and averaging a world-record 296.287 mph. “I could have shoved the ship up to five miles an hour faster,” he claimed afterward, “but I didn’t let it out to the full extent. It was made for Russell Boardman, who has his heart set on making the world’s record, and he can give the ship all it’s got after he recovers from his accident.”

To show you how rapidly aviation has matured, I've met Jimmy Doolittle.  Long story involving Matty Laird and Ed the Rocket Scientist. (RIP)
Oh, and Delmar Benjamin did air show routines for several years with an R2. He said you just had to keep the speed up because of aileron reversal at the stall. (!!)

[SmithSwede]

To show you how rapidly aviation has matured, I've met Jimmy Doolittle. 

Wow.  That’s pretty neat Chuck.   What was Eddie Rickenbacker like in person?   

[GeorgiaGuzzi]

As much as it might be nostalgic to drive old iron around a road course I would get too frustrated. A modern minivan could prolly keep up with the 60-70s super cars on a road course. I would love to take a ‘19 Corvette ZR1 out and flog the ever loving crap out of it on Road Atlanta. I used to race in SCCA and always daydreamed about being able to to race a C5R.

Bikes I’m slower than cars. Just give me an older Busa with no electronic nannies and a track day to burn up a set of tires. I know it’s more of a porky GT bike but that would suit me. A Panigale would be wasted on me so i don’t bother daydreaming about that, aside to poke some depreciating fun at myself. It would be fun to run a bike at Barber.

Again, old bikes look cool but bad suspension, brakes, and frames just make me daydream about being frustrated at having to brake earlier and accelerate slower than modern bikes.

[LowRyter]

Sorry John I got interrupted before I could explain.

The SR has two engines and in pilot jargon "dead stick" means that both engines failed which in that case the aircraft would come down very quickly and most likely have had to make an off airport landing. This would result in loss of the aircraft and the pilot if he remained with the machine to impact. High wing loaded aircraft have very high landing speeds so survival in that case would have been in question(hence ejection seats).

The SR pilots would, if they lost both engines, most likely try and pick open ground and then eject probably not under 5,000 feet (above the ground.)

I don't believe there was ever a double engine flame out in the history of the SR 71 ops. They did lose one due to an engine failure while at mach III and the aircraft turned sideways and disintegrated over ID I think. The back seat guy was killed but the pilot survived as he was thrown clear.

This event cause a change in the engine management system and never was repeated.

If they had lost only one engine over ORD the aircraft would have been able to continue at a slower speed and it would have most likely landed at the nearest military base along its flight path.

:-)

Actually, that had crossed my mind after I read your response.   

It also made me try to remember a conversation 40 years ago.  I think the words were "a flameout" meaning a single engine.  I think that you are exactly right and my memory embellished the facts.   Thanks for putting things in perspective.