Andre,
I drive for half an hour up and down a 4-lane motorway to and from work every
day in my Spitfire. I generally cruise at 75-80 mph (120-130 km/h),
admittedly a little over the motorway speed limit here of 70 mph! This is a
little noisy, but a very long way from intolerable, and with the top down you
can hardly hear anything but wind noise. The car feels reasonably solid
(well, OK, it is a little rattly compared to my wife's Audi, but not rattly
enough to concern me even slightly), and I have no worries about feeling like
I'm going to leave the road like Chuck was worried about.
Daffy is a 1500 with o/d, I chose this model specifically because I do so much
motorway driving. I'm not sure it would be so practical in a non-o/d car.
I have had her up to almost 100 mph (160 km/h), that DID feel scary. Somehow
at that speed the structural integrity didn't seem all that I might hope for.
But it did prove that Daffy is still capable of the top speed claimed for her
when new!
Adequately maintained, the Spitfire is well capable of breaking any countries
speed limits (well, maybe not Germany!), so don't feel scared of going as fast
as conditions, and your conscience, allow you!
(Before I get lampooned for encouraging dangerous driving, I would advise that,
if you want to drive fast, you do so on a familiar road, with little traffic,
excellent visibility, where you know where the corners and junctions are. Do
not drive beyond what the road and weather conditions allow. Do not drive
fast in any built-up area, near blind junctions, or around blind corners. Do
not drive beyond the limits of your car or yourself. It is advisable to do a
track day in your car so you can find out where these limits are in a safe
environment. Think about your driving. Stick to these rules and you will be
a hell of a lot safer that most people on the road, including those who are
sticking to legal limits so closely that they run into the car in front of
them because they are so busy staring at their speedos.)
Richard & Daffy
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