ROFL. That's a good one!
When I first acquired the Spitfire, I quickly realized that driving a
highway speed limit meant 4000 rpm or more in top gear. Still 2k below
redline but not exactly that quiet 2300 rpm hum from, your average Murrican
car. I quickly came to realize, these cars were meant to live at the high
end of the rev range. Oh, maybe not 6000 redline all the time, but a run up
to redline -- or at least yellowline (5500 rpm) -- before upshifting became
the norm.
Now, with the race motor, redline is more like 8500 (numbers on the tach
only go to six, but the needle swings all the way around), and the li'l
beastie seems to spend a lot of time at 8000 when it's having fun.
It's a sports car, of course -- an athlete among automobiles. Babying it
only lets it get soft, like any athlete would who does not work out. It is
meant, as the British would say, to be driven briskly. If it gets hurt, well
it probably needed fixing anyway. But if well cared for, redlining the
engine should not hurt it. And people who drive their cars at or near the
limit tend to take better care of them. Not talking about cruising at
redline here. In lower gears, approaching redline means "upshift", and in
top gear, you'd be exceeding the speed limit.
--Rocky
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark J Bradakis <mjb@autox.team.net>
To: fot@autox.team.net <fot@autox.team.net>
Date: Thursday, August 02, 2001 12:14 AM
Subject: A modest chuckle
>Well it has been an interesting evening. At the IVR meeting tonight I
found
>out that the August 18/19 event is canceled due to site conflicts. Drat.
>Yes, I should use that extra time to get ready for VTR, we'll see. And
then
>while thinking about racing, I read this little tidbit on the triumphs
list:
>
> I'm not sure who, but someone made the comment that triumphs were meant
> to be driven at the Red-Line. Is this just one person's opinion or are
> their other listers out there, in agreement. I have never driven my TR6
> any where near the red-line mark, out of fear of hurting the car, but
> would really like to!
>
>I, uh, well, umm, maybe I should be quiet, but why on earth does this
person
>own a sports car?
>
>mjb.
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