Last Fri I was the first car stopped at a stoplight on a highway on my way to work. I see a nice shiney red Corvette pull up behind me driven by a man probably about 45 yrs old. I don't know Vettes too well but this was a newer one a late 90's or early 2000s. So I don't take off too fast off the line because the Corvettes I've always seen never want to race anyway. Well he switches lanes after I shift into 2nd and I'm thinking "ok he wants to go, let's see how fast he blows by me, but I'm not going to make this too easy." Well I floor it and he doesn't get by me as quick as he wants, but he finally passes me when I hit about 50 or so but only stays about 2-3 carlengths ahead. We both keep pulling as there's no traffic for a while and I'm right behind him the whole time up to 95. Then comes the first two cars. The first one in the left lane and one in the right lane just a little bit ahead of the other. He switches lanes and brakes a little to weave between, but I'm right behind with a quick braking session to slow down for the car, and then downshift and hit it to get through the traffic. We get back up to about 95 again and then he slows down. I've had my fun and am impressed I kept up so I slow down and cruise right behind him and head to work.

I'm still wondering how this happened? He was obviously pushing his Vette at least some trying to get by me so how did I keep up with a Vette sporting an extra 150 hp or so than me? I think he had to be pushing it to pass me the way he did, but he kept going and so did I. I was expecting him to pass and then pull more than 2-3 carlengths, but he didn't get any farther ahead. I know my lightly modded 328i shines in mid-range from 40-100mph, but do you think it would keep up with a Vette at this speed? I'm guessing he had an automatic.

anything can happened on the road. he wasn't trying?

Was he towing another car?



but seriously, who knows why? This could go on for pages (and has in the past) without a definitive answer.
Lets just call he sucked as a driver and you don't.

He was toying with you

Well I'm pretty sure he was trying because he was right on my bumper before changing lanes then moved to the left lane quickly to pass me and kept going up to 95 trying to pull. Ok, let me ask another question, what should have happened with drivers being equal? Should he have blown me away like I expected or should the 328i be able to keep close? I don't know much about Vettes except that they have a lot of horsepower and are fast on straightaways.

He was humoring you. He was just "staying ahead" to see what you would do.

Drivers being equal? And both cars actually going all out? You get pounded. Hard. General prison population hard.

Carter

Well I'm pretty sure he was trying because he was right on my bumper before changing lanes then moved to the left lane quickly to pass me and kept going up to 95 trying to pull. Ok, let me ask another question, what should have happened with drivers being equal? Should he have blown me away like I expected or should the 328i be able to keep close? I don't know much about Vettes except that they have a lot of horsepower and are fast on straightaways.

He would have taken you in the twisties :stickoutt .

Well I'm pretty sure he was trying because he was right on my bumper before changing lanes then moved to the left lane quickly to pass me and kept going up to 95 trying to pull. Ok, let me ask another question, what should have happened with drivers being equal? Should he have blown me away like I expected or should the 328i be able to keep close? I don't know much about Vettes except that they have a lot of horsepower and are fast on straightaways.
1996 328is's are pretty much almost as fast as a vette straight line, whats not to understand?

I agree with the previous comments that 1) it's the street, and anything can happen; and 2) he probably wasn't pushing it/was playing with you.

Even an auto C5 would utterly rape, demolish, and destroy an E36 M3 in the midrange, not to even speak of what it would do to a 328. My old granny-geared automatic LT1 C4 would be in an absolute dead heat with my M3, and the C4 would've been crushed like a sodacan by any variety of C5.

couple of things:

#1- good run and great driving
#2- your car is no match for a late 90's - 2000 vette. my brother has a 2000 vette( manual) with a b&b exhaust and he ran a 12.9 in a 1/4.
#3- it very well could have been an automatic that wasn't tryin his absolute hardest.

either way you had fun and it was a good story i thought:buttrock

1996 328is's are pretty much almost as fast as a vette straight line, whats not to understand?

Now this guy is in the know. It is the ultimate driving machine...right?









My vote goes with toying. Especially once ahead and in control. Did similar stuff when I had some straight line toys. 11-12 sec mustangs, camaros, corvette. Ricers are the most fun...but guys with 'quick cars' i.e. most bmws are a close second.

Now I too torture them and make them get on it every now and then and take my beating like a man. Next year i'll have my finances straight and pick up either a used m3 or m5 in the 40k range....Till then 2.8 power!!!

Joe

EaglEye you've got quite a nice fleet of cars there. Thanks for answering my question about midrange and comparing the c4, c5, and m3.

m3 chaser thanks for the compliment and glad you enjoyed the story! It was my first time racing\getting played by a corvette so I enjoyed it to. Most vettes I've seen never do anything but drive slow. I like to drive slow sometimes too, but when a nice car comes by you've gotta show him who's boss especially if you have a vette.

i agree 100% with you nod6999! i would think that when you have a car like a vette you would wanna race it all the time! i think some vette owners just like the look and feel of the car and are normally not at all interested in racing anyone. although you have some, like my brother, that will run anytime.

my brother and i will most likely run against each other this weekend, soo i will be sure to post the DEATH when it happens. and oh what i fun death it will be!

EaglEye you've got quite a nice fleet of cars there. Thanks for answering my question about midrange and comparing the c4, c5, and m3.

m3 chaser thanks for the compliment and glad you enjoyed the story! It was my first time racing\getting played by a corvette so I enjoyed it to. Most vettes I've seen never do anything but drive slow. I like to drive slow sometimes too, but when a nice car comes by you've gotta show him who's boss especially if you have a vette.

Thanks, and it seems like you had a nice race, regardless of what the other driver may or may not have been doing. Anything can, and very often does happen on the street, so you just have to take what you can get and not second-guess everything.

The demographic that the typical Vette driver falls in is not the one that usually races their cars. It's only when we young guys get ahold of the cars that they're typically used for much besides cruising.

Ya know though, hey, at least the old gray-hairs keep the insurance premiums lower for everyone :devillook

He was humoring you. He was just "staying ahead" to see what you would do.

Drivers being equal? And both cars actually going all out? You get pounded. Hard. General prison population hard.

Carter

Loved the "General prison population hard" line!!! hahaha....

Agreed....any late model Vette will kill our 328's!!! Try running an mid 80's....that's more in our bracket. Especially if it's an auto - which many are.

Ya know though, hey, at least the old gray-hairs keep the insurance premiums lower for everyone :devillook

That's the truth. My corvette was cheaper to insure than my trans am or camaro. My brother, still under 25 has a 00 corvette convertible. clean record....he pays less in insurance than brother #2, also under 25 with an 01 trans am. about 50% less. Both have clean records! (nearly 2000 on the ta and just over 1000 on the vette - same coverage)

Joe

You sure the Vette was even on it all the way?

Plain and simple...He wasn't racing. He should of destroyed you. I've been destroyed by more than one C5 in my time.

how? it didn't.

Was he towing another car?



but seriously, who knows why? This could go on for pages (and has in the past) without a definitive answer.
Lets just call he sucked as a driver and you don't.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA :lol

Plain and simple...He wasn't racing. He should of destroyed you. I've been destroyed by more than one C5 in my time.
qft

I'd have a reasonable chance against an automatic at the strip, but from a roll it would pull pretty quickly. Sounds like he passed you and just wanted to keep you behind him.

Ive stayed door to door with c5's, 2 to be exact, then there was this automatic that i raced from a dig that started to pull away in 4th . I was happy either way .

Of course if i drove the vette i probably would have beaten my car. Oops just remembered also stayed door to door with C5 convertible. All runs were ended at the top of 3rd gear or end of 4th

sweet kill regardless

i believe him, id rock it too, suck on pickles haters...:evil2

No offense but I'm guessing he may have just been playing with you... I mean, if I saw your car, I probably wouldn't bother to race, and if I did give in to some aggressive driving, it would be for fun and not to "beat" you.

I've done that before, I had some guy in a 240sx (I think?) with a cannon for an exhaust try to play with me. His buddy was filming my C6, so I revved the engine, he wants to race, so I rev again to go and it's a fake on my part! He takes off full storm... then a second later I floor it and with ease blast by him, but slam the brakes 1 car length ahead so he's forced into a ricer fly-by. They're obviously very perplexed.

At the next stop light, I revved like I was ready to take off like a bat out of hell, so they did the same, complete with turbo pops and hisses. Light goes green and I slip it into reverse and go backwards :stickoutt :stickoutt Meanwhile he lays a patch of rubber and rockets off.

Caught the guy later down the road and the driver flipped me off, but the cameraman was laughing and waved!

The only guy I encountered who I seriously fought since buying the C6 was a guy in a 2005 Porsche 911s. We were neck and neck and both trying very hard.

You won because you rock and your car has a secret turbo

The only guy I encountered who I seriously fought since buying the C6 was a guy in a 2005 Porsche 911s. We were neck and neck and both trying very hard.
Are you sure it wasn't an 04 996TT? Cause I think you would have pulled the 911 decidedly, and the new TT isn't out.
Unless it was from a dig?

like others have stated...he was only playing with you

when I still had my '69 vette and came across cars that wanted to play, I keep just a little bit ahead or stay even just to see how fast they were willing to go...

he was probably trying to get you to do triple digits...then when you're thinking wow I'm keepin up in triple digits...he was gonna floor it and leave you in the dust...problem was..you never pulled it above 95

he wasn't even trying at all
period..