Distinctive engine noise - what can you instantly recognise?

[oldandgrumpy]

Having listened to the radio show on which Clive James was praising the P51 Mustang, during which it was admitted the researchers had got the wrong aeroplane, I was incredulous that anyone could not know what one was.

Then I realised I was male, over 40, had a grandfather who served in the RAF during the war, lived in the countryside near an airfield and often saw Hurricanes, Spitfires and the Lancaster flying over. And the maximum age of a BBC researcher would be 23.

Still, it got me thinking.

Just by hearing the engine noise, there are several cars and planes I can recognise before I can actually see them :

Porsche 911 (air cooled)
VW Beetle (original)
The original Mini with it's gearbox whine (unfortunately that also applied to the Mini Metro)
Rolls Royce Merlin fitted to the Hurricane, Spitfire, Mustang (I'm sure there are others) and best of all, the Avro Lancaster.

What do others instantly recognise? Different age groups may well have different aural memories.

[GraniteQuarry]

Good topic !! :D

- Subaru flat-fours (Impreza, etc) are a dead giveaway - deep resonant burble
- XR2/XR3 from the 80s with the CVH 1.6 - farty
- Recent M3/M5 - they have a metallic wail, as if it's about to let go
- Bentley Conti GTs - a couple drive past my pad every day and they sound dead throaty
- Audi quattro (or indeed any of their large saloons from 80s/90s) - 5 cylinder wail

A couple more left-field -
- Any 70s-90s Mercedes truck with an OM engine - a right wailer
- Cummins truck engines - they have a signature sound, like bubbly clockwork

(my old boy used to salvage heavy trucks so was around them all my life :))

[Dapper]

The lovely, farty, burble from a Morris Minor's exhaust :D

And the sewing machine thrum from this:



Cheers :)

[vaizki]

My RX-8, rotary engine. Like they said on Top Gear it's a great engine because you get to say Wankel in every sentence ;)

[ralphy]

Boxer engines, a la BMW motorbikes; air or oil cooled - nothing else sounds like them!

R

[CmdrBond]

Aston Martin V12 fitted in the Vanquish and more recently the DBS

[Carlton-Browne]

Chinook - but that's not too difficult.

C-B

[weedram]

Ducati - fantastic, distinctive noise from the Desmo V-twin.

Concorde - though sadly no more.

[Griswold]

The MG 'crackle'.

[johnnyguitar]

Ford Lynx Diesel for some bizarre reason :shock: :lol:

[b11ocx]

Concorde
Flat Plane Crank V8's
BMW Straight 6

[blue-dread]

The MG 'crackle'.

Peter, if by MG 'crackle' you mean MGB exhaust roar, then that is exactly what I was going to say :thumbright:

[mark a.]

The 5-cylinder engine in a Volvo 850 (and probably the V70 too) since my dad had one for a few years and I would know it instantly when he was nearing home.

[PeterM]

Boxer engines, a la BMW motorbikes; air or oil cooled - nothing else sounds like them!

Subaru Boxer + black cabs (London taxi) of course.

[digger]

:lol:

[hogthrob]

The G reg No. 8 bus that passes near my house (terrible transmission whine - sounds like an auto box with clutch slip)
Any chav mobile (dum dum dum of sub-woofer)
Harley Davidsons

[ozzies]

Good thread.

morris minor on over run

any US V8 with a free flow exhaust. espicially my 4.2 l Sunbeam Tiger

[GRK]

Alfasud ti, flat four boxer; rustbucket flyer that handled like a dream - above 4,000 rpm sounded amazing, sadly now returned to the dust from whence it came :( .

Also just about any TVR, especially my S2 with it's new sports exhaust going through the Clyde Tunnel 8) .

Grant

[chrisb]

1970's MV Agusta 750 with twin Siamese Megas.
Not only distinctive but distinctive from several miles away 8)

[andrew]

I'm with b11ocx on this one. BMW inline six-cylinder, instantly. Helped by the fact that practically no-one else makes one any more. And some of its highly-strung fours (the M3's, frinstance.) Also, any flat-plane crank Ferrari V8. Other mfrs have had them but none sounds the same.

Never been able to tell one diesel from another, though. Number of cylinders is about as far as I can tell.

[walkerwek1958]

I can still recognise an original Mini, an MGB and a TR6. I own a Tr6 so I guess that helps.

Virtually all modern cars sound alike to me and the days of distinctive exhaust notes seem to have gone. In the distant past I spent lots of time running at the side of the roads and probably developed an ear for the cars of the day (70s). If I did the same now I might learn to recognise a few!

Even the modern V8s don`t sound as distinctive as their predecessors.

Paul

[docd]

Deltic - particularly starting :wink:

[simonj]

I reckon I could do well identifying a Rover V8, Chevrolet LSx V8 or the unmistakeable Subaru Boxer engines.

Best sounding has to be one of the modern Chevrolet V8s. I miss my Camaro! :D

[GOAT]

Good topic !! :D

- Subaru flat-fours (Impreza, etc) are a dead giveaway - deep resonant burble
- XR2/XR3 from the 80s with the CVH 1.6 - farty
- Recent M3/M5 - they have a metallic wail, as if it's about to let go
- Bentley Conti GTs - a couple drive past my pad every day and they sound dead throaty
- Audi quattro (or indeed any of their large saloons from 80s/90s) - 5 cylinder wail

A couple more left-field -
- Any 70s-90s Mercedes truck with an OM engine - a right wailer
- Cummins truck engines - they have a signature sound, like bubbly clockwork

(my old boy used to salvage heavy trucks so was around them all my life :))

ditto the merc Unimog 2150 I used to drive in early 80s
or my C4S with bypass silencers :drunken:

[NJH]

Many good shouts. Best modern sounding car I have heard is the M3 CSL, on a race track it really does sound like a racing car, awesome. Nothing though can touch the wonderful sound of the old Ferrari V12's IMHO. I had a go in a 911 2.4S recently and yes I did love the sound of that thing, best thing about it was how multi-dimensional the sound is, you just don't get this effect in modern cars, they are make their sound or they don't. In an old 911 the sound changes all the way from idle right up to the red line and it just begs for more.

Chinook - but that's not too difficult.

C-B

I think you mean the distinctive sound made by the air from the 2 rotors hitting each other, its deep enough and loud enough to set of car alarms round here on a regular basis.

[shadowninja]

Ferrari F360 with a Tubi exhaust.
TVR Tuscan with sleeved cans.

[lysanderxiii]

A Wright R-1820 idling.

[Neil.Ldn]

Alfasud ti, flat four boxer; rustbucket flyer that handled like a dream - above 4,000 rpm sounded amazing, sadly now returned to the dust from whence it came :( .

My first car! Like you say, sounded gorgeous, handed great and was just a joy to drive. Sadly, also rusted away while you watched, and went through clutches / gearboxes / brake pads etc every few miles. Still, very fond memories - keep promising myself I'll buy a restored ( and pref. waxoiled! ) example one day....

Triumph Triple is instantly recogniseable to me, as are the Ducati Desmo's and I can usually identify Viffers before I see them too. Any BM boxer - I've had them for years - not the most exciting exhaust note, but unmistakeable. And obviously most people can tell Harley well before the leather chaps and handlebar moustache appears misfiring and juddering into view :-)

Neil

[tekkno]

Lancia Stratos - :drunken:

[spogehead]

E60/61 M5 especially when dropping form 7th to 2nd, no better noise in the world :D

Vauxhall Chevette (seriously)
Volvo T5
Any 6 cylinder auto BMW
Capri 3.0s

[cmcm3]

Nothing out there sounds like a CSL opening up.

[NJH]

Totally agree, ragged right round to the red line what an amazing sound. If I had a spare 25K or so I would definitely get one.

An engine sound I can spot straight away is Saab turbo's running a decently open exhaust, doesn't matter if its an old 900 T16 or a recent 9-5 Aero they always develop a deep resonating sound sort of like a tug boat.

[benny.c]

I'm with b11ocx on this one. BMW inline six-cylinder, instantly. Helped by the fact that practically no-one else makes one any more. And some of its highly-strung fours (the M3's, frinstance.)

Me too. I like an old school V8 but the BMW engines sound lovely at full chat. Listening to E36 and E30 M3's on trackdays is music to my ears 8)

[Superal]

Z4M
despite having the same engine, its not the same sound as the M3
Despite being an ex owner, i dont think its quite as good in stock form (only the sound that is - everything else is better ) :lol:

TVRs and Ferrari V8s come to mind as being instantly identifiable

[ptcoll]

A Le Mans Corvette going through the pit straight at the circuit. Nothing comes close to that low revving throb. For that matter an Audi diesel at Le Mans is just as recognisable, and spookly quiet.

Pete

[stevieb]

The 3.3turbo 911s - unmistakable burble

[markc]

Ferrari V8 howl (slight differences between 355, 360 and 430)
Lamborghini Gallardo V10 bellow - amazing noize - nothing else sounds the same.

Oddly - Simca 1100 (like a tappety sewing machine) as my mum had one for years and I still look round whenever I (rarely) hear one.

Great topic by the way.

Cheers,

[Filterlab]

TVR stands out for me as do those awfully noisy Subaru things.

I know a chap who does mobile tuning for a living. He can tell almost every car make by the engine noise, he proved it to me one day as well - amazing! :)

[Griff]

Rear engine Skoda Estelle 120L

[dizz]

MGB GT,

oh those were the days :)

[BondandBigM]

Small Block Chevrolet, in this case in a Vette

[M4tt]

FS1-E with a micron exhaust.

BSA Bantam

RD250/350LC

The sharp crackle of the induction of a K series engine in racing trim. (as heard in the Caterham and Elise for example)

VC10

Personally I'd struggle to tell the difference between Concorde and a Vulcan unless they went wet.

Blue note on a Hunter

The old one litre Diahatsu Charade with three cylinders - like a 2cv on steroids

[frogspawn]

MGB
Dino 206

[j0hnbarker]

Wow - a Lazarus-like thread resurrection!

Anyway, I reckon I can tell an Buick/Rover V8 from a good distance.

[Mouse]

Kawasaki 2-stroke triples :-)

[m4ckg]

Nissan GTR and like stated before, most TVR's

[Jackwibble]

TVR Cerbera V8, rolling screaming Thunder.
Vulcan bomber, lives a mile down the road and still rattles the windows.
RD 125,200,250,400 air cooled
Suzuki GT 380,750
Kwaka KH 250,500,750
Good old days.....

[Daffy]

A Le Mans Corvette going through the pit straight at the circuit. Nothing comes close to that low revving throb. For that matter an Audi diesel at Le Mans is just as recognisable, and spookly quiet.

Pete

The audi noise is more like the tyres rather than the engine, it's a terrific car but just wrong for an engine to be that quiet in a race car.

I would also say the panoz Le Mans roadster of 1999 vintage, it vibrated my ears every lap. ( also remember the Wailers with Ziggy Marley playing Bobs part late on the Sat night.)

Happy days.

[Thorien]

Yep Holy thread resurrection.
But My old RX-7 twin turbo was quite distinctive, that old wankel loved being revved right up and whined and whistled right up to the red line.....
I miss the old girl.
Sadly that was a long time ago when I was footloose......

[mattlad]

Honda S2000

Bolinder semi-diesel

Commer TS3

I went to LeMans in '88 to see Jaguar win for the first time in 31 years.

Jaguar has a creamy smooth V12, Sauber Mercedes had a rumbling V8, the Mazda quad rotors sounded like jet engines going past and the Porsches sounded like.... Errrr...... Porsches.

It was the most amazing weekend, the memories of which I will cherish 'till my last breath........