What do you consider a sleeper?

[J o n]

Following on from the quarter mile discussion, what are people's thought on what a sleeper is?

To me it's a stock looking car, be it a small engined car with a transplant, a moderately quick car made to compete with sports cars, or the supercar slayer, something like a well modded Scooby could even be in this class if it's keeping up with Zonda's and the like.

If a car is stripped out with roll cages and fire safety equipment would you be fooled into thinking it's anything other than a dedicated track/fast road/race car? Personally when I see a car all stripped out, no matter what it is I'll be wary and give it the benefit of doubt and assume it's probably rapid and hiding some big turbo'd lump in the engine bay. Even if I then get my arse handed to me I dont think I'd feel like I've been humbled by an apparently slower car, as I would have expected it all along.

Thinking back I wonder what some of the local Scooby's thought when I raced them in my old Williams, that (on occasion) would have all the rear interior and carpets removed (to good effect as well) and would give some a going over and keep others honest. I honestly wonder if they just thought "holy crap, I've just been done by a Clio" or "well I got smoked by this Clio the other night, but it was stripped out and was probably running something".

What do you think general consensus is? That they were humbled by an inferior car, or beaten by a track car? What are your thoughts when you see something stripped out with cages or whatever? Personally I just assume they are built for a purpose... ie showing you up lol

[alex_blue16v]

I think that they can tend to look down on you such as, they just think look at that idiot whos tried to make his clio look like its really fast by stripping it etc.
Then when then try and give you a pasting to 'teach you a lesson' they can be surprised as you can catch them off guard.

Its similar to me looking at a bodykitted corsa and assuming thats its a crappy 1.2, if you see what im saying.

However when i look at cars with a cage stripped etc now i get wary as i am well aware of the reasons why people do it.

A sleeper to me is a car that looks slow but isnt, fully track stripped with polycarbs and full buckets etc isnt what i consider a sleeper, although that is what im working towards for mine.
Something that looks relatively standard but maybe with a few giveaways that the trained eye could spot.

[Lunner]

Something like a 2.0 engine in a stock looking 1.2

On the other hand there is nothing better than handing a £30k bmw its arse when you kick it in a few hundred quid shed of a clio

[Coops]

has to be totally standard on the outside imo, no clues or giveaways or at least as few as practicably possible, exhaust being one that probably has to be changed for turbo motor etc

full std interior is a must, so its doesnt look like its trying to be quick

and obviously a big **** off engine, but again no external give aways so chargecool, not intercool etc

best example is a mk 2 polo in warrington i came across a few times, beige, totally standard externally except for a tin can exhaust, even std ride height, and was rediculously quick, no idea what was in it but looked like a std car, went like ****

[MicKPM]

My Mk1 Ph3 is just about to receive a fully rebuilt F7P transplant and I hope it'll suprise a few folks however I'd not go as far as calling it a "Sleeper".

Now one car I would call a true sleeper is a 1.2 Nova Merit in Nottingham. It's very clean with standard black bumpers and wheel trims... also a 280bhp C20 LET under the bonet. The only clue is the FMIC that you can just about see hanging behind the bumper but it's dificult to spot when you're next to the bugger

[bendee]

id say it has to be standard looking low model with big engine or tuned engine to make it quick like a 1.2 with willy engine.
id love to get a cheapo 1.2 and stick a williams engine in it, would be a right giggle.
i have a hybrid with willy wheels and its stripped with 1.2 badges people have asked if im going for a sleeper look or said its a sleeper and i dont agree its obviously not going to be a 1.2 its just abit of fun.

[Zollo]

A sleeper to me is a car that looks slow but isnt.


Can't get more concise than that!

However, it depends who you are as to what exact cars can be referred to as sleepers. For the greater public - and even some car enthusiasts - a completely standard Valver with a 2.0-litre isn't strictly a sleeper because it still looks fast with its flared arches, bonnet bulge and big(ish) wheels. A Scooby isn't a sleeper even if it can do a Zonda, because it still has big wings and a fat exhaust. It's only because we know the performance potential of them as standard that - if they exceed that potential - they become a sleeper.

But as a definition, Alex's quote 'a sleeper is something that looks slow but isn't' is spot on. And people's own definition of what's slow defines what a sleeper is.


:twisted:


... does that make sense to anyone but myself?! :oops:

[MicKPM]

id say it has to be standard looking low model with big engine or tuned engine to make it quick like a 1.2 with willy engine.
id love to get a cheapo 1.2 and stick a williams engine in it, would be a right giggle.
i have a hybrid with willy wheels and its stripped with 1.2 badges people have asked if im going for a sleeper look or said its a sleeper and i dont agree its obviously not going to be a 1.2 its just abit of fun.

Mine's got 1.2 badges to... hang on, it is a 1.2 though :P

I still get people try to draw me in to street racing though as it's got 16v alloys and a Williams rear spoiler so to the untrained eye I guess it looks like a 16v with 1.2 badges. The big Baritz sticker doesn't say otherwise to them :P

[simonr85]

THIS IS A SLEEPER!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TYuiZ7aJOfc&feature=related

[simonr85]

OR THIS

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=f5S1NAMnYKM&feature=related

[J o n]

A sleeper to me is a car that looks slow but isnt.


Can't get more concise than that!

However, it depends who you are as to what exact cars can be referred to as sleepers. For the greater public - and even some car enthusiasts - a completely standard Valver with a 2.0-litre isn't strictly a sleeper because it still looks fast with its flared arches, bonnet bulge and big(ish) wheels. A Scooby isn't a sleeper even if it can do a Zonda, because it still has big wings and a fat exhaust. It's only because we know the performance potential of them as standard that - if they exceed that potential - they become a sleeper.

But as a definition, Alex's quote 'a sleeper is something that looks slow but isn't' is spot on. And people's own definition of what's slow defines what a sleeper is.


:twisted:


... does that make sense to anyone but myself?! :oops:

nah totally see where you're coming from matey and agree with all of it, but for it being any car. I think it depends what company they are in, a Scooby is a supercar to a Clio, but in the company of M5's, Lambo's etc it becomes the Clio lol

[titcharoony]

for me a sleeper is any vehicle that exists in as standard or inconspicuous trim as possible, whilst far exceeding the standard performance.

[teabag]

my mate has a turbo'd low comp esi civic (esi is the 1600 8v vtec model for those that didnt know) thats now running circa 350bhp its had the rear seats out and had a million and one guages to monitor everything the engine is doin, but theres that much rust and that many dints youd never know it was quick and when i say quick i mean shocked a few bikes quick (a bandit 750 and an r6 to name a few)

id consider it a sleeper due to the poor state of the bodywork etc

on the other hand another freind of mine has an audi s3 which has been tinkered with by JBS. thats got all the mod cons and silly power

id also consider this a sleeper

[Chris n`nic]

I agree with the interior comments but that is easily remedied with rear tints.

There are so many about these days (daeoo Nexia at Oulton with Astra GTE running gear or what ever it was looked fun) that you never know what you are up against. I would love to have a go against a shitbox only to find it flying past at silly speeds

Love it

Chris

[J o n]

Chris, that reminds me of Craig in the nana against the Corsa with 4 lads in it lol

[Daz.]

Audi TT in its orange guise was a classic sleeper, 1.2 with steelies looked like any old clio till it stormed off down the road.

A sleeper for me has to be the basic spec model of a car, like that fiat 126 or ooo I don't know a shitty looking rover 100 or the like.

a sporty model of a car, that might not be fast but looks sport, like Flans Vag 16v for example is a heavily modified hot hatch to me not a sleeper.

[spikey-ben]

My mate Dave has a 1.4sri nova fitted with a c20xe engine runnin approx 175bhp, Quaife diff ect and it looks completly standard and very clean but has all the right streghting mods and suspension. I dont usally like nova's but this truly is a nice fast sleeper.

[doug2.0]

its hard to make a really good sleeper really, because you have to start with a base model car,
for example if you started with a 1.0 corsa and put a LET engine in it, you would HAVE to put some wider and bigger wheels on for both traction and to accommodate the brakes, plus a different exhaust so you can soon be sacrificing the sleeper look to make it worth while having the power in the first place,

best bet is to stick some diesel badges on, a hidden zaust, some bigger steelies and a cardboard filled rear interior for the look :twisted:

the one i want to do when i get somewhere to do it is a subaru justy 4x4 running sti gear and suspension, as theyre the shittest looking cars ever

[MAXIBOY]

agree with the above except that when i,m out in the clio i always get the that is a 1.2 with a body kit type response so even then i can surprise a few people...

and even when they think ohh thats a modded clio must be a 2.0 williams there's lots that can still be surprised its still quicker than they thought it was ever going to be...

so i think i drive a sleeper but not in the way most people do... 8)

[number1]

Chap who works next to me is a fruitloop in a good way, hes got a metro... complete with clubman 1.3 badge, it has, coilovers, vvc engine big brakes etc and looks like a shed hes fitting a Rover V8 in the back.. i will get a picture of it for you all

[willy3]

class this as a sleeper, something that looks shit but goes well

http://i1.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/f1/46/65c1_1.JPG

http://i9.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/f1/46/6991_1.JPG

[Lunner]

Yeah i'll give you that one lol

[MattyH16valver]

Yeah i'll give you that one lol
:lol:

[richy]

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/attachments/first-steps/33794d1204036562-american-dream-car-sofa.jpg

[spikey-ben]

lol thats the ultimate sleeper :lol: