how about understeer?Originally Posted by henk4
i can see the gains in accessibility but old-style central hinged bonnets have almost the same level...
Ferrari 599
Lambo LP640
Enthusiast
how about understeer?
i can see the gains in accessibility but old-style central hinged bonnets have almost the same level...
How can men use sex to get what they want?
Sex is what they want. - Frasier
Enthusiast
How can these two cars possibly be compared? Yes, they have many similarities but one (the Fezza) is a continent crushing GT whilst the other (the Lambo) is an old-school supercar.
It's like comparing an apple to an orange, or a Mercedes to a TVR. They're two completely different cars.
"This is hardcore." - Evo's John Barker on the TVR Tuscan S
Supporting Member
that's why Audi designed the Quattro...
"I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams
Furniture
Come on, give him a break. It's a new member.
BTW, Lamborghini for me. The killer looks really has me hooked. The 599 just looks awkward.
Last edited by NSXType-R; 11-12-2006 at 03:39 PM.
Enthusiast
The biggest reason for mounting the engine as far forward as possible is to allow maximum space for everything else (i.e. passengers and luggage) behind it. The same thing applies to FWD. If you then decide to run a shaft down the length of the car and engineer it to be AWD, you're beginning to take up that space again. What's more, you're making the car heavier by doing that and you've still got the problem of the massive weight in the nose.
You can't have maximum space for passengers etc. AND the best possible weight distrubution leading to good handling at the same time. It's an either/or situation. Having said that though, Audi have managed an excellent compromise with the RS4 (but interior space is no more than average, neither is load capacity in the Avant).
"This is hardcore." - Evo's John Barker on the TVR Tuscan S
Rookie
Supporting Member
the main problem for audi was that they put their engines in a longitudinal position and still wanted front wheel drive. Almost any other marque puts the engine in a transverse posititon more or less sitting on top of the front axle. A nice example how it could done alternatively with a longitudinal engine is the Citroen DS, of which nobody complained about a lack of interior space, but the engine sits behind the front axle and the gearbox sits in front.
"I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams
Enthusiast
Well, let's just say that with the RS4, Audi seem to have gotten away with mounting the engine that far forward and apparently giving the car excellent handling. Personally, I think it's a fantastic and a very slick machine.
The Citroen DS is quite simply an example of art, not just in the way it was designed aesthetically, but also the extravagance of the engineering. Another car I'd love to own. Preferably the facelifted model (the one without the round headlamps) as a black saloon. Having said that, the bonnet is HUGE, and had it been shorter, there would have been even more cabin space. Furthermore, although it makes a classy and excellent luxury car, I doubt the handling characteristics of such a layout are superior to those of a front-engined, rear drive layout.
"This is hardcore." - Evo's John Barker on the TVR Tuscan S
Supporting Member
handling is something else. However the original Traction Avant (the Gangster Limo) had the same engine lay-out and was renowned for its handling. Even the DS did win the Monte Carlo...
"I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams
Enthusiast
The DS has a balloon/fish suspension thingy
Enthusiast
Ah, the Monte Carlo is slightly different in terms of a handling test. FWD can cope easier with snow/ice as it doesn't slither about and as my dad found out in my mum's old Mini, the weight distribution means that the weight of the driveline and the engine (which is usually mounted further forward in FWD cars) means the drive wheels gain better traction.
I wasn't talking so much in the sense of older cars, but imagine this:
Say Company X develops a new car with FWD and the engine mounted as far forward as possible
...while Company Y develops one with the engine behind the front axle and RWD
For argument's sake let's say that in all other aspects, Company X & Y's chassis are identical, which one is going to have the better handling and which one will have more space for the cabin / load area?
"This is hardcore." - Evo's John Barker on the TVR Tuscan S
'64
The UCP guidelines must be fresh in his mind from when he read them after signing up then?
Thanks for all the fish
Furniture
I personally did not even read it and I came out ok.The UCP guidelines must be fresh in his mind from when he read them after signing up then?
Rookie
To be honest i love the 599. As a matter of fact i love any Ferrari . I've always thought that they were like moving pieces of art. A bit like da Vinci painting. But then you've got the LP640. The superstar of supercars. This is the modern interpretation of art. This is fashion. Lets call it Armani. But i'm just going on about and old pieces of art and a fashion label. But thats the difference. Ferraris are, dare i say, old fashione. They're older than Lamborgini. And they're a bit mid-life crisis. I do love Ferraris, but i just think that Lamborghinis have that bit of youthfulness in them. They're younger, they're the sort of cars rich young people would buy. And this is why i would take the LP640 over the 599. I mean come on. Have you ever seen an old geezer driving in a lime green Lambo? But would have seen an old geezer drive a Ferrari. And i wouldn't take the 599 because its not as beautiful as the car it replaced, the 550/575.
Enthusiast
i'll take the lp640. i saw yellow one on the road alongside a Hamman Gallardo. i also saw another at the lamborghini showroom & they didnt let me sit in it but i examined it closely. the interior is surounded by soft luxurious leather. i fell in love with it.
i read about the 599s performance & it performs very well.
does anyone know how well the lp640 handles around corners?
If you want to do something wrong, do it right
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote