Sam McRoberts' Rides

'98 Jaguar XJ6 - Ahhh, the venerable Jaguar XJ6. Both quiet and fast, as any Jag should be. This was the first really cool car I ever drove. I was 16. It belonged to a good friend of mine, and I'd been told that when I turned 16, I could borrow it :) So, I dropped by and picked it up, full tank of gas, ready to go.

I immediately went and picked up another friend, and we proceeded to go for a nice, long, FAST drive. I think we hit 150 or 160 on the freeway…wicked sweet. I remember the car hada built in Radar/Laser Detector Jammer by K40, thankfully. I brought it back a few hours later with a huge grin on my face, and luckily no tickets.

I have to say, my favorite thing about big, fast cars is how quiet they are, even when cruising at triple digit speeds. Thus marked the beginning of my days as a speed freak sweet car addict. Some people prefer crack, some booze…my drug of choice is a really fast car :)

'02 Corvette Z51 -It was early 2003 when I drove this car. My dad had just purchased a new house, and the guy he bought it from owned this car. My dad mentioned to him that I was a huge car buff, and he offered to let me take his car for a drive :)

Man, talk about seriously fast. This was my first time driving a serious sports car like the Vette, and so everything seemed touchy, the gas, the brakes. But seriously, this car takes off like a bat out of hell, and stops on a dime. I loved the HUD, which in my humble opinion is an option that should be in every car. I mean, who wants to take their eyes off the road to look at gauges? Not I.

I hit 100 before I knew what was going on…talk about wicked fast. This car has a super low coefficient of drag, and very tight suspension, making for a quiet, fast, fantastically handling ride. I WILL own one of these someday…it'll be my "beater" sports car :)

'96 Dodge Viper RT-10 - This car to me is a dichotomy. I loved it as a kid…sleek looks, tons of power, wicked fast on paper. Alas, in practice it is nothing but a land rocket. If you want a car that can go perfectly straight really fast on dry roads (and you are the size of Warwick Davis), then this is the car for you. If you plan on driving on an other than perfect day, or if you expect to make any turns, then this is not the car for you :)

A guy I went to church with growing up had a 96 Viper, which he had, not surprisingly wrecked 3 or 4 times…He just kept paying to have it fixed. So, me still thinking at the time that this car was awesome, asked to go for a ride :)

The Viper absolutely refused to stay straight! It was all over the place. You'd touch the gas in a turn and the rear would break loose effortlessly. Anywho, not the car for me.