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Thread: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

  1. #11

    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    Quote Originally Posted by Willtord View Post
    Hi guys!

    My Dad was the boss on the McLaren F1, I spent most of my spare time at the facility in Woking in the mid/late '90s. I met Gordon on numerous occasions. Great guy. Loud shirts. Quiet, confident thinker with a jukebox in his office, huge phobia of cockroaches. Legend. I remember flying 4 of us to Le Mans in '95 to see it's debut in the 24 hour race. What amazed me was that the car was never intended to go racing. Gordon had designed it to be the (then) ultimate road car, using his experience designing race cars and using race car tech which was available at the time. Owners wanted to take it racing. Gordon did not, "It was never designed to go racing", he would say. Eventually he bowed to "polite persuasion" (you and I would call it nagging!) and redesigned it to do exactly that, the GTR was born. As a fan of wings and vents, I saw it as a thing of beauty, and an amazing technical achievement. The Sultan of Brunei was equally impressed. "I like it, I'll have seven" (eventually to become 10), "but sir, you know they are £540,000 each?" and the quiet response, "what you have to understand is that me buying seven of these is like you buying a coffee." Eye opening stuff.

    The T.50 is reminiscent of the McLaren F1 from so many angles. I know I'm going to upset the purists in saying this but I'm personally not a fan of manual gearboxes in modern performance cars, the delay in changing gears with a conventional stick seems ad odds with the idea of creating a modern performance car. I know Porsche upset the purists when they started to introduce their modern automatics ("they'll never sell!), but their gearbox is the reason that I sold my auto (actually a robotized manual) Lamborghini. I test drove a friend's Porsche and was blown away by the instantaneous gear changes. There was no interruption in power delivery whatsoever. I'm sure it's there, but it was completely imperceptible to me. Porsche now sell 4 times more PDK cars than manuals. Getting back into my own car was like stepping from a Eurofighter into a Lancaster bomber. Still an event, but. . . .
    Having said that, I know I'd be extremely happy behind the wheel of a Stratos replica with it's improved reliability and that elusive "grin factor", which seems to be absent in most reasonably priced modern day cars. That side profile! Bring back pop-up headlights! I know they're at odds with modern pedestrian safety regulations, but the legal restrictions on the design of cars as a result is . . .boring. Sorry.

    And so, back to the T.50, the engine is going to be a masterpiece swansong to naturally aspirated internal combustion powerplants. 12,100 rpm in just 0.3 seconds, when not connected to the drivetrain, admittedly. Just think about that, for 0.3 seconds.
    https://www.thedrive.com/tech/35622/...just-3-seconds

    All the best to everyone,
    Mark
    What a brilliant insight! - Thanks for posting.

  2. #12

    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    Quote Originally Posted by tomsredstratos View Post
    My work has ordered one. Let you all know when it arrives. Could be a while
    Please do! - I look forward to hearing all about it.

  3. #13
    SEC Member Guy Mayers's Avatar
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    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    Quote Originally Posted by Normb666 View Post
    Further to that, are there any modern cars that're actually good-looking? I'm not talking about "impressive" or "technical" or whatever, just the looks. I'm struggling....
    Is the Alfa 159 Sportwagon not modern enough then Norm? Just reduced my collection to the red one..

    Guy
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_6873.jpg  

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    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    It's certainly better than the awful GT and GTVs, and better than most other modern motors! But my boat remains unfloated

    Anyhow, this is a rather large thread hijack, so apols to original poster Pete....and in response to the thread title, well maybe, in a previous era of F1. I have definitely, however, heard an MV Agusta F4 bike with RG3 cans at those revs, and can say that it sounds like a very angry F1 car and sends shivers down your spine. Shame you've gotta choose your location for such antics very carefully, and even then you can't hold it at those revs cos you're going so fast!
    The Gordon Murray connection is that he's got an MV F4 as well, or at least he used to.

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    SEC Member David J's Avatar
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    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    Another V12 sound that sends shivers down your spine is the Rolls Royce Merlin in a Spitfire

  6. #16
    SEC Member Stratos Fear's Avatar
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    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    Another V12 sound that sends shivers down your spine is the Rolls Royce Merlin in a Spitfire
    These occasionally fly over our house in summer - and on hearing that sound , "it's a Spitfire" and we all rush out onto the deck to see it fly over - I agree - it's always impressive !

    And agree with Andy - interesting insight Willtord !
    Last edited by Stratos Fear; 05-04-2021 at 12:55.

  7. #17
    SEC Member Iowstratos's Avatar
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    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    I’m very blessed as i hear merlins every day as they petrol the Island.
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    as a side note, i have a Rover engine that idles at 14,000rpm!

  8. #18
    SEC Member LPH_UK's Avatar
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    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    Quote Originally Posted by David J View Post
    Another V12 sound that sends shivers down your spine is the Rolls Royce Merlin in a Spitfire

    Strange how that engine evokes such a response (same with me). I wasn’t around in the war, I have no direct links with it and no 'memories' of it from the past. However, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I guess it's an appreciation of what that sound stands for and all those who gave their lives when it was in regular use.
    Many a stirring engine note could be heard at Duxford Flying Legends every year. Really is a shame they’ve dropped it and it is now at a different location, just won’t be the same not having it at Duxford, with it’s direct links and history in WW2.

    And it's not all about Vs, a radial can be pretty impressive too. Although no aviation V or radial would ever get near 12,000 rpm....

    Last edited by LPH_UK; 05-04-2021 at 18:46.

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    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    OK, slightly off topic, but if we're talking amazing sounds, turn the volume up and check this, makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! I planned to visit Reno, Nevada, last year. Thanks for nothing, Covid!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDpi2esvm4M

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    SEC Member renmure's Avatar
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    Re: Ever heard a V12 at 12,100 revs!

    Planes make good noises. Even more off topic..

    I was at an event at RAF Leuchars a couple of years ago and just about to go onto the runway to fly home when we got told hold to let the Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons take off to go and chase the Ruskies away. At that distance you could feel the noise more than hear it. Quite exciting really.


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