FOR LUNCH! ! !


We were stopped at a traffic light this evening, on our way to dinner. We were first in line in the left lane when a (misguided) young man driving a black BMW 5-series pulled alongside in the right lane. I was thinking "Hmmm, black BMW. Maybe we get to see how we do against a 550.


He should know that if your are going to pull alongside me on the right at a light you are either. . . a) turning right, or b) packing some serious grunt and planning to enter the stoplight grand prix against me. He didn't have a turn signal on. I may have a bunch of gray hair, but that just means that I spent many of my young adult summers staring at the Christmas Tree lights at local drag strips.




As we waited at the light, we taunted each other, nudging ahead a foot or two at a time, back and forth. I, without looking over, reached down and switched to Sport mode. No sense in having to do this twice.


The light changed and I stepped down about half-throttle. Gonzo made all those cute little "factory" noises as he produced all that glorious torque from a near standstill. We're off! The BMW made some nice sounds too, but didn't seem to be going anywhere! It turned out to be a 535i, and we just ran away from him like he forgot to go. At the next light he gave us a big "thumbs up" and a grin.


We're still looking for a 550i to try our luck.

hahahaha! as most members on here know, i wouldnt recommend drag racing on the street, but that story was so detailed i felt like i was riding shotgun with you while i was reading it

oh and yeah...love your "thread titles" btw.

Well, beej, by Chicago standards, I'm rather tame. There have, over the years, been some rather wild street racing venues in the Windy City (designated pit areas, flag crews, trailered cars, etc.), but I prefer the simple sprint for a block or so, maybe up to 50 or 60 MPH. Just enough to get the adrenaline pumping, but not that much faster than the usual traffic flow on the outskirts of the city.


Some day I'm sure to run into that goofy Civic with nitrous, but until then, it is a form of amusement for some of us.


When I was in my late teens/early twenties, we used to trek from Chicago up to Milwaukee on weekend evenings (about 80 miles from the north end of Chicago). There was a rather organized group of street racers who ran from stoplight to stoplight up and down Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. That is the main street in their downtown area, but on weekends it used to be totally deserted. Those were the days. . .

I agree, be careful, I have ended such drag racing at 140mph on street with speed limit 25mph. Now, do not do it especially having much better motor than my competitor. V8 or V12 will make you no worry feel, no reason to prove it again and again putting other people in danger.

As a 535i owner he was out of his league. Now the 550i is a little different because I challenged one on open road and after 125 MPH I gave up because of safety reasons. Note: Moving into a E350 sport in 6 to 8 months.

I have to guess that he didn't see the "400" badge on my trunk, and thought he was next to a stock E350 Sport. Then the grey-haired dude in the steel grey sedan walked away from him. . .


We only went for about 1/2 block -- just enough to see which way it would end up. All in good fun.


P.S. From what I've read, if I went up against a BMW 550iX, things would likely a bit the other way around. Those machines are a bit faster than my 400 - on a par with the E550's.

lol