TVR Tuscan
Or rather, driving any older, powerful sports car is quite like riding a motorbike. What do I mean by that?
Power
The deliver of power on a motorbike can be quite savage – much like the 4-5 litre V8s that appear in many older sports cars. Both need power meeted out in a sensible way that won’t put too high a demand on the tyres or the amount of traction/roadholding available.
N.B. The picture is a new, beautiful TVR Tuscan S. Yes, I desperately want one! I’m a huge fan of the ‘purist’ driving experience.
Electronics and Aids
Few driver aids exist in older sports cars – let’s take for example the TVR Chimaera I recently drove. No power steering, no ABS – no nothing. A light touch was required at times. Similarly, a motorbike is superb at teaching you to be progressive and smooth with your motions.
Driving Dynamics
How a car feels to drive is all-important. Mazda got it right with the MX-5, which is why it remains so popular and the best selling roadster in the world. Ford fettled the Focus and made a very nice, usable chassis. Older sports cars (going back to the TVR) are set up to be driven; with the great lump of the engine in mind. They respond in a way you’d expect, taking corners and giving you feedback through the whole of your drive. A motorbike will tell you much from how it is pulling away in-gear, whether you’re braking enough or even if the bike is happy with your riding position (well, you wouldn’t want to upset it would you!).
Stopping Power
Some older sports cars are poor at stopping – the TVR Chimaera was especially good – but you can forget about ABS. So, what did I do? I worked with the car, keeping a good line, braking then turning into the corner, carrying the speed through. The same is true for a bike – ABS is an especially new development and one which not all riders will want to use anyway.
Ultimately, the experience of driving a powerful sports car and riding a motorbike is quite similar due to the sensation, the speed and the amount of fun it can deliver to the person in control of the vehicle. Once again though, it takes a certain level of skill to control either with any amount of skill…
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