Naah. You need...
Posted on 01/02/2009 10:27:38 AM PST by FrPR
Fairly fascinating interview from the Liddy Podcast site: the fellow's name is Alex Roy, holder of the (highly illegal) transcontinental speed record: 32:07.
The general site is http://www.radioamerica.org/POD_ggl.htm
This was a great interview!
After listening, I purchased The Driver (kindle version) from Amazon, written by the interviewee....
It is a GREAT read (listen)!
There are some subjects that I especially love to hear Liddy’s angle on. On the subject of transcontinental outlaw speed racing, you can keep Charlie Rose and the guy with the suspenders. I’ll take the 70+ year old former FBI Special Agent with 9 felonies and a 500+Hp Lingenfelter ZR1.
I’d love to be a part of this.
If you step in front of the car, you can be.
Gee, thanks Laz. I was thinking of something along the lines of a lookout...
Naah. You need...
Can you post the specific link??
Thanks!
http://feeds.radioamerica.org/podcast/GGL/audio/000003_006224.mp3
is the specific link, if that’s what you mean.
The Liddy podcast site is here:
http://www.radioamerica.org/POD_ggl.htm
For some reason, today, there are no descriptions of the shows listed on the site. Usually the shows are updated and indexed every day and there are descriptions (guests, topics, etc.) going back a few weeks.
Gumball!!
I normally don’t condone breaking the law and doing something this dangerous ... but this was COOL. Thanks for the link.
Quite a fascinating car, stock. From Wikipedia:
Unlike its predecessors, the E39 M5 was not handbuilt at the BMW M GmbH factory; it was produced on the same assembly line as the normal E39 5-series at the Dingolfing factory in Germany. In fact the E39 M5 was almost not built at all; BMW believed that the 286 bhp 540i was powerful enough, but when Jaguar released the XJR (320 hp) and Mercedes-Benz introduced the W210 E55, which had over 350 bhp (354 hp), BMW responded to the competition with a 394 bhp (294 kW) M5.
Introduced in 1998 at the Geneva Motor Show, production did not begin until late October of that year. A total of 20,482 E39 M5s were made from 1999 to 2003. BMW M produced three versions of the E39 M5, the European LHD and RHD versions and the North American specification version.
The E39 M5 had a highly tuned V8 engine based on the M62 engine called the S62, which displaced 4.9 L and produced 400 PS (395 hp/294 kW). The engine featured a 7000 rpm redline, Double-VANOS, which varies the intake and exhaust valves for both cylinder banks, and individual throttle butterflies for each of the cylinders, allowing for a much faster engine response time.
All E39 M5s were equipped with a Getrag Type D six-speed manual transmission which provided the following gearing ratios:
* First gear: 4.23
* Second gear: 2.54
* Third gear: 1.62
* Fourth gear: 1.23
* Fifth gear: 1.00
* Sixth gear: 0.83
It is the same transmission used in the E39 540i but some changes were made to cope with the extra power the S62 engine produced. A reinforced clutch, rear differential utilizing a shorter 3.15:1 ratio and a limited slip differential with 25% maximum locking.
The E39 M5 suspension shared its basic aluminium-intensive MacPherson strut/multi-link design of the V8 E39 5 series. However, several changes were made by BMW M. Reduced spring height, 0.9 inch (23 mm) lower. A specific shock valving, thicker front and rear anti-roll bars, polyurethane auxiliary springs and steel balljoints.
Like all V8-powered E39 models, the E39 M5 was equipped with a recirculating-ball steering system. Overall steering ratio was reduced to 14.7 from 17.9 it featured a servotronic vehicle-speed-sensitive power assist that provides two levels of resistance controlled via console mounted Sport button. The Sport button also adjusted the electronic throttle butterflies for faster throttle response. The E39 M5 is equipped with four-wheel vented disc brakes measuring 13.6” in diameter in front and 12.9” in diameter in the rear. On European-specification models, the rotors are of a “floating” two-piece design for reduced risk of cone distortion. Their lower unsprung weight improves ride quality and traction on bumpy surfaces as well. Anti-lock brakes were standard.
For the subsequent two model years, changes were limited to the addition of new exterior colors (from 9/01 production) and the upgrade to a DVD-based navigation system (from 9/02 production).
The E39 M5 is capable of accelerating from 0-62 mph in 5.3 seconds, although many reviewers claim to have achieved this under 5 seconds. It is electronically limited to a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h)[1], making it the fastest 4-door saloon in the world at the time it was manufactured. Once delimited, top speeds of an indicated 187mph (180mph actual) are possible.
Although an E39 M5 Touring was considered and at least one prototype was constructed (in Titanium Silver with a Black Exclusive leather interior), BMW M decided not to produce an E39 M5 Touring due to financial considerations.
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