I have an old muscle car with a built V8. The crackling sound of the engine start, and the sound it makes when it 'digs in' under acceleration, is viscerally thrilling.

The smell of a hot engine, and the shaking of the car also add a lot of fun.

One of the best movie montages ever is the opening sequence of the movie "Grand Prix" where they start the engines and warm em up.

In "Rush" they ruined the movie by having a rock soundtrack laid over the sounds of the cars.

"Bullitt"s car chase has never been equaled because the director had the guts to let the V8s and various car noises be the whole soundtrack. The music overlay stops when the chase starts, the complete opposite of every other movie.

Sorry, but Bullitt's car chase is terribly boring. I don't get why it's so fascinating?

Maybe you're used to the modern cinematographic technique of quick cuts where one barely has time to focus on a scene. Older movies tend to use longer shots in action sequences.

Besides what I already mentioned, Bullitt is cool because:

1. the setup where the guy puts on his seatbelt

2. the total lack of dialog - the driver and the gunman understand each other just by looks

3. the deadpan expression on the driver

4. when Bullitt slides off the road, the slightest, most barely perceptible smile on the driver's face

5. McQueen's expression of complete focus and concentration

6. the 68 Mustang and Charger just totally rock. I never understand having a chase sequence with boring cars

7. the lack of CGI, models, and special effects

8. the skid marks from earlier takes

9. the amazing teleporting Green Beetle :-)

10. I love the shot of the rearview mirror when the hunter becomes the hunted - it's just classic

It needs more Michael Bay! Kidding aside, I do agree the Fastback and Charger are beautiful pieces of engineering. What I wouldn't do to own a Charger.

I'll have to (try and) watch the movie again.

Personal favourite is the car chase from Ronin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVaNBrYLvFg#t=339

Link to Bullitt chase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lbs_nYW3-o

> What I wouldn't do to own a Charger.

What stops me is I don't have the garage space for it, or I'd get one. If you don't need one fully restored, or numbers matching, or all original, the prices aren't too bad.

They are in Denmark ;-)

Don't forget the car with 6 hubcaps!

It's refreshing to see a car chase that looks and sounds a lot like what an actual car chase would actually look and sound like, as opposed to the very synthetic and stylized depictions typically found in modern movies and television.

At the end of the day sound is an inherent inefficiency. The aim is to maximise the kinetic energy output of the motor — any sound or heat energy produced is waste that could've better been produced as kinetic energy.

Not always. Did you know that in top fuel cars, the "waste" energy of the exhaust works like jet thrusters, providing up to 1000lbs of traction-boosting downforce?

The exhaust might do that, but the sound certainly doesn't. Any sound is wasted energy.

And in any case there are better ways to harness energy if you want create downforce.

I have to admit I love the sound of a good engine - and aeroplanes, and boats, trains, everything. It's the sound of power. Watching cars race without that sound is a far less emotive experience. One of the commentators on tonight's Bahrain race said that the safety car sounded much better than the race cars, and I wistfully agreed.

That said, I do think some people overdo it a bit and I actually like that FIA is willing to force innovation, even if it's (initially?) unpopular.

They have a long history of suppressing innovation though. Chapter 13 of this book is about all the tech that was banned. http://www.amazon.com/Formula-Technology-Peter-G-Wright/dp/0...

It is the most interesting chapter in the book.

Search 'look inside' for the word 'banned' to see what greg's talking about. He's right. That's cool.

What would F1 be like if they relaxed all the rules?

Edit: Just got through the chapter, the author speculates on what would be possible without bans.

I haven't read the book but I think CanAm in the 70s was pretty much racing with no engineering restrictions. Hence you had the Porsche 917 putting out 1500hp+ and only weighing 1800 lbs.

When you go to a race, you can feel the thrum of the engines in your chest. It can be a part of the experience. The same way that 100mph on a motorcycle is more thrilling than 100mph in a BMW, because of the roar of the wind, the heat of the bike, and the scream of the motor.

As someone who had to study and do exams while the F1 was one, thank you and screw those people.

Lots of people do - some were drawn to F1 just because they stopped walking past a TV or near a track and wanted to know what was making that unworldly racket.

That, to me, is equivalent of saying who cares what the cars look like? It's all part and parcel of the appeal of the sport - if somethings amiss, you've lost a little bit of that appeal.