what can I say that hasn't been stated already. The boy racer in me has been washed away with age and now I just smile at those rattling big bore exhaust as I gently pull away from a blissful of quietness within my own tranquil space whilst viewing them from my rear view mirror.

 

 

You'll be looking at a sports exhausts and assaulting the air box with a hole-saw before you know it, I'll wager it's within a month.

Ha ha!. Yes I quite agree.  I have felt smug in recent situations myself.  Both yesterday and today I've been passed by, coincidently, two different speeding Civic Type Rs who's exhausts drone were so loud that they could still be heard when they were several hundred yards on front of me.  The exhaust notes were not especially nice either.  All I thought was that they were giving themselves a migraine while I wafted along in near silence!. And of course, if inclined, I  can hear the glorious tone of a V6 engine while they just had a crappy four pot buzz!.

Welcome to the club, Scotty.

I too like the quiet of my Jaguar.  There is nothing better than cruising quietly along the motorway at 70 mph.  Bill Lyons said "Grace, pace and pace and cruising gracefully knowing that a slight push on pedal on the right will give the car as much pace as you need.

Regards,

Peter.