quote:Originally posted by stephen:
I was reading this thread today and only Pantera74 and Peter mentioned Jotec, I would not have looked at the Si again and never known the price had been lowered. I have a strong interest in this car, but in order to keep it I realistically would need to sell my GT5S, as I also want to buy or build a rep GT40 in the near future. My biggest fear is that the Si may prove dissapointing to drive when compared to my 5S. They are well down on power, and fuel injected. I love the look of the Si, can anyone shed some light on the driving experience compared to a 5S ??
Steve
hi Stephen,
I may be uniquely qualified to answer your question, as Franz Krump was kind enough to let me drive his Si when I went to Austria to buy his (now my) GT5-S. So I drove them back to back.
The Si doesn't have the rumble of the Cleveland. At idle it is relatively quiet and was somewhat disappointing. The biggest difference is the vibration - you FEEL a Cleveland as much as HEAR it, and the SI was a little too smooth.
Once you get your foot in it, however, the engine's note is much better.
Seat of the pants impression is the acceleration is similar to a stock GT5-S.
Handling was noticeably better than the 5-S. The brakes were superb. The seats were fantastic.
There is a yellow Si with a heavily modified engine that I saw at the factory at the International Meeting in 1999 that sounded simply amazing. If it is the one I am thinking of, I've seen it advertised for sale and has roughly 550 hp. So like any Pantera, the engine can be modified to please.
Before spending that kind of cash, I'd drive one yourself to decide. It is a different car than an early Pantera, so it is worth looking at closely.
It's more modern - FI and all - and that has its good points and bad. It is a better car, there isn't much doubt about it. Perhaps it loses a small amount of character as a result?