We took the car for a run out to Coopers BBQ in Llano yesterday. (Best damned brisket in the state.) As we were meandering along US71 at about 80, we were passed by a freight train of a half-dozen BMW M's (3's, 5's and Roadsters) and a Lotus Elise, all doing about 100. Well, we couldn't let this opportunity to check out the high-speed capabilities of the 8 go by, so we tagged along with them all the way to Llano.

While it wasn't able to match the acceleration of the pack, it certainly held its own once it got wound up, and was rock solid on the road all the way up to 120.

The only complaint from the wife was that the car doesn't give the same impression of speed as the Miata. I can live with that.

 

Glad to hear the RX8 can hang with the big dogs.

 

The Miata might seem faster because it is a convertible. You have air blowing in your face.

 

Exactly. The RX-8 is just so well quiet and undramatic even at Ludicrous Speed that it seems slow. It wasn't really a complaint, per se, but an observation.

Thank goodness for cruise control, because I imagine it would be very easy to let the speed creep up quite markedly without it.

 

Remember the human body is very poor at "feeling" velocity. It feels acceleration.

The brain needs clues, like sound, the landscape going by, the car bobbing around, the seat pushing you in the back, etc.

Close you eyes on a Lear jet going 600MPH through calm air and you'd never know it was moving.

It's called REFINEMENT


Lotus Elise!!! Wow, talk about rare. I belief you can get one from a California company for $55,000 plus the cost of an engine (usually a Honda V-Tec). So they ain't cheap.

 

Depends where you live. I see at least 2 per day!
& they only cost $40,000 here (but with the standard Rover K16 1.8L engine that won't pass your emissions controls).

 

Ok, not to hi-jack the post. I've seen exactly 1 Elise. Parked in a strip mall in Rochester, MI with manufacturer's plates.

It was RHD too.

 

Must be nice to have an open road for driving--I consider myself lucky if I can get to the speed limit of 55.

 

Oops, my bad. Freudian slip / wishful thinking. It was a tricked-up Lotus Esprit. Still sweet, but no Elise.

Actually, as it was approaching from behind, I thought it was a BMW M1, since it was in the company of a bunch of other BMW M's. Now that would've been rare!

 

Open road that's all straight isn't all that much fun. Give me some twisties where I can only go 35-55 and I'd be a happy person.

 

The run out to Llano and back has a good balance of both. We went out via 71 (we were hungry and wanted to get there fast), and came back via the twisties of Park Rd 4 and 1431.