Author Topic: Benz gasser gets blackened (Read 3226 times)

funkaholik · « **on:** May 28, 2007, 05:57:04 am »

Wow. What a blast! It's been so long since I was in a real, live impromptu race. And, I won, too! Made me feel 20 years younger.

Driving the Jetta into San Francisco for dinner with some friends on Thursday night, I take my offramp and notice a black 1996-99ish Benz E class on my bumper as I'm coming to the first stop sign. Second stop is a right turn, blind corner with a flashing yellow - I come to just about a full stop, as I always do right there, to check for the usual speeding traffic, and black Benz starts honking. I pull around the corner and Benz zooms into the lane on my left, then has to hit his brakes hard for the red light. I look at frantic Mr. Benz, and notice that he's obviously in a ridiculous hurry, and looking over at us, so I say, " Are you really in THAT big of a hurry?". To my surprise, he says, "Yes, I am!" Eyes wide, and face flushed, he looks like he's gonna blow a gasket.

We're laughing as the light turns green and Benz nails it, so I do, too. It's an industrial area - so what the hell? Tires squealing and hopping, I'm fighting TDI torque steer as I realize that I'm keeping ahead of him. I can hear his engine yelling, and I know he's trying, but my lead is growing as we crest a small hill and see the next red light. What do you know - Taxi in his lane, but mine's clear. I love it when that happens.

I let off and come up quickly on the light, and Benz gets behind me. We laugh some more as we see the guy mouthing the word with a puzzled look on his face - biodiesel? Then, as he's reading the big silver sticker on the back window, "Powered by recycled vegetable oil", I reach down and flick on the evry mod. Red light turns green and black Benz turns blacker. "I smoked him" took on a whole new meaning. Once past the taxi, Benz jerked it into the left lane again, unable to keep pace or see clearly, just as I was slowing to take my fast approaching right. He finally roars by me as I'm turning onto the side street. We had another good laugh about it at dinner - if only the guy knew that I beat him while running on waste oil right out of the fryer of a restaurant only blocks from where our little showdown took place!

I guess my age is showing though: 20 years ago it was Mustangs vs Camaros, now I'm racing suits in their E-Class Benzes. Still, the same old thrill was there.

lord_verminaard · « **Reply #1 on:** May 31, 2007, 10:11:23 am »

Good story! Mustangs and Camaros. Hee hee. I had a redneck in an older Fox-bodied Mustang scratching his mullet-ed head a while back with my '84 Scirocco gasser. We went stoplight to stoplight twice and for some reason he could not get around me!

A 4-lane road, I think he was trying to merge (without a blinker) and I didnt let him, so after he got around the slow car he went back into the other lane and we hit the 1st stoplight. I had no intention of racing him, it was a pretty beat yellow Mustang, with the H-pipe and flowmaster exhaust combo, you know what they sound like.

So the light changes, and I didnt do a drag race launch or anything but got on it a little harder than normal. He did the same, and when he realized I was pulling away he stomped on it, I heard and did the same. Hmm, beat him by about a car length to the next stop light.

Grinning, I look over at him, and he's all worked up and acting like it's a real competition now. The light changes, and he does a full-drag launch with tires squealing and engine roaring. I did the same.

I was already in 3rd, with the close ratio transmission by the time he was out of first and I was 2 lengths ahead. Nailed 4th just as I had to start slowing down again, but I totally roasted him. Easily 3-4 car lengths ahead of him at the most. The next light he just stared at me.

I turned off at the intersection and laughed all the way home.

Brendan
84 Scirocco 8v
81 Scirocco 'S w/ 3A & 4k
01 Jeep TJ 4.0
And a TDI engine going in something....

jtanguay · « **Reply #2 on:** June 02, 2007, 12:29:22 am »

damn man... i love hearing smoke tales!

RabbitJockey · « **Reply #3 on:** June 02, 2007, 03:13:23 pm »

haha yeah the 5.0s aren't that fast, my friend has one, and don't get me wrong, that thing moves, but its pretty disappointing, he doesn't have any mods othe than an x pipe with an slp loud mouth. if he'd put a bigger rear gear in though.... the thing would scoot haha. he could always beat my jetta but not that baddly.