Chapter 53: Chapter 50: Don’t Indulge Road Rage
After failing to run him off the road twice, the long-haired driver of the BMW M3 was fully enraged, letting his anger cloud his reasoning. His mind was fixated on one thing:
Show this Subaru Impreza driver what he’s made of!
This time, the long-haired driver didn’t bother with tricks. Using the full power of his 4.0L V8 natural aspirated engine, boasting 420 horsepower, he sped right in front of Chen Xiangbei’s Subaru Impreza, playing a game of blocking with swift weaving motions.
The little punk likes to slow down on ramps, doesn’t he?
I’ll just drive slow right in front of him, we’ll be spending the whole night here!
I have to say, as the last glory of German big-displacement naturally aspirated engines, this generation of the BMW M3 E92 gives the long-haired driver plenty of confidence.
As a famous online saying goes: the top speed of a Subaru Impreza may very well be just the idle speed of a BMW M3.
Of course, that’s an exaggeration, but the reality is the production Subaru Impreza with a 2.0L engine and just over a hundred horsepower. The BMW M3 can really play with it any way it wants; even if the Impreza steps its pedal through the engine, it can’t compete.
Watching the BMW M3’s weaving moves ahead, Liang Chi extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray with his left hand and discreetly gripped the door handle with his right hand.
"Kid, have you been through a lot of hardships in your childhood to have this kind of calm acceptance of the world?"
"What?"
Hearing Liang Chi’s nonsensical remark, Chen Xiangbei was slightly puzzled.
"If not, how can you tolerate the long-haired driver in front driving like that?"
Though road rage is a bad behavior, Liang Chi had never seen a young man as emotionally stable as Chen Xiangbei.
This guy, despite his young age, often seemed more mature than himself.
Sometimes Liang Chi even suspected that under the influence of his racing talent, Chen Xiangbei had let go of all emotions and turned himself into an emotionless racing machine!
"No, I’m worried you will get sick from driving fast."
Understanding Liang Chi’s meaning, Chen Xiangbei replied aggrievedly.
He didn’t mind speeding, but Liang Chi, sitting in the passenger seat and being middle-aged, might not handle it well.
"Isn’t swaying left and right more likely to make you sick?"
Liang Chi immediately retorted.
"Makes sense."
Chen Xiangbei nodded, realizing this way could indeed make one more carsick.
"Uncle Liang, hold on tight!"
As Chen Xiangbei’s words fell, he floored the accelerator, and the massive pushback pushed Liang Chi against the seatback.
[This kid doesn’t give any prep time!]
The Impreza STI’s engine roared, and despite its significant appearance changes, it couldn’t hide its wild heart.
horsepower erupted, and before the BMW M3 in front realized what happened, a blue lightning flashed by.
"Damn, it really is the Impreza STI!"
Sun Tao in the following Ford Cobra blurted out instinctively upon seeing this.
He had suspected the other party might be hiding its true power, but didn’t expect the Impreza STI to endure so well, only showing its fangs at this moment.
This was followed by excitement; for street racers, it doesn’t matter who they race against. These sudden "random match" opponents often piqued Sun Tao’s interest more.
He stomped the pedal to the floor, and the roar of the 5.4L V8 American muscle engine seemed to quiver the air.
With 500 horsepower pouring out, the Ford Cobra quickly overtook the BMW M3 in front, chasing after Chen Xiangbei’s Impreza STI.
At that moment, the long-haired driver snapped out of shock, realizing the Subaru Impreza driver was no simple character. But instead of backing down, he was fueled by the anger of being "deceived."
No matter who this Subaru Impreza driver was, anyone coming to the East Sea, even if a formidable opponent, would have to behave on the SRT Team’s turf!
The BMW M3 wasn’t a slouch either, especially the long-haired driver’s E92 coupe, lighter and faster than the standard E90 sedan, with better handling.
The three cars thus raced through the midnight Central Elevated Road of East Sea, with the Ford Cobra’s segmented power leading the charge, quickly closing the gap with Chen Xiangbei’s Impreza STI on this type of roadway.
Listening to the engine roar from behind growing closer, Liang Chi looked at Chen Xiangbei’s calm side profile and couldn’t help but taunt: "Kid, this isn’t the Nanyun Mountain Road; you’ve got a power disadvantage. You don’t stand a chance against that Ford Cobra, do you?"
"Uncle Liang, if I lose, it’s because of the poor modifications."
"If the engine was upgraded to squeeze out over a thousand horsepower, would I lose?"
Hearing Chen Xiangbei’s words, Liang Chi smiled.
"You still have the mood to joke; it seems you won’t lose."
Having known each other for over half a year, Liang Chi understood Chen Xiangbei too well. His joking meant he still had reserves.
As soon as Chen Xiangbei finished speaking, he immediately downshifted and accelerated full throttle, the Impreza STI’s needle quickly climbing past six thousand rpm.
The Central Elevated Road environment was indeed friendly to high-horsepower performance cars, unlike the twists and turns of the mountain roads.
But just past midnight, in a remote place like Nanyun Mountain, there might be no cars. However, in a global metropolis like East Sea, the Central Elevated Road, far from packed, still had plenty of third-party vehicles in sight.
Why haven’t American muscle cars, with their large displacement, sturdy chassis, and linear power, gained global popularity like Japanese performance cars?
The root cause isn’t just related to displacement regulations, high fuel consumption, or driving aspects but their "straight-line king, corner demise" attribute.
The big-displacement natural aspirated engines plus solid build often make American muscle cars several hundred kilograms heavier than Japanese performance cars. Just like Sun Tao’s Ford Cobra, weighing a staggering 1.8 tons!
Even the "Japanese War God" GTR in the Initial D manga, said to have a heavy front by Takahashi Ryosuke, barely weighed over 1.4 tons from the factory.
With this car being 400 kilograms lighter, cornering still couldn’t avoid the understeering defect; calling the Ford Cobra’s "corner demise" isn’t an exaggeration.
As the speeds increased, frequent lane changes to overtake third-party vehicles on the elevated road became necessary, exposing the difference in control abilities of the two cars and their drivers.
Chen Xiangbei’s Subaru Impreza STI darted through traffic like a ghost, often passing with mere millimeters to spare, making Liang Chi in the passenger seat sweat with anxiety.
From Liang Chi’s perspective, it seemed like Chen Xiangbei was going to crash at any moment, yet every time he executed a precise overtake with precision.
Liang Chi, previously having room to joke, now looked pale with sweat appearing on his forehead.
This experience from the passenger seat was far more intense than watching from the sidelines, even surpassing a roller coaster ride.
The precise maneuvering of this kid, dancing on a knife’s edge, was truly terrifying!
PS: Seeking follow-up reads and monthly tickets for Monday, it’s the last week for the new book rankings, niche books rely on this exposure, brothers who have it, please vote.