Ships Hankering for something small, fast and fun. Like an 80s hot hatch. A space Golf GTi.

[RolloTreadway]

I'm nearing the end of a long exploration trip, out the very end of the Perseus Arm, in my trusty rusty beloved AspX. I couldn't ask for a btter ship for that job.

But when I get home, I fancy just messing about for a bit. I want a ship that's small, fast, and fun. Not a specialist combat ship or a specialist anything else ship, simply a ship that goes like a whippet and is every bit as entertaining.

(Whippets are lovely dogs, if you're not familiar with them.)

So, advice, please! What should I get? In terms of a ship, not a medium-sized hound.

First thoughts were maybe an Eagle or a Courier. But are there better ideas? It's a very, very long time since I last looked at buying anything smaller than an Asp.

 

[RolloTreadway]

(Just occurred to me, it probably says something about how long I've been away that I think 'oh, I'm nearly home' when there's still over seventeen thousand light years to go.)

 

[Hooplah]

When engineered the Imp Courier is the king of speed for the main ships. Also has room for toys and even an SRV. If 'ludicrous speed' is the goal then add a fighter bay to a ship that accepts one and take out your fighter. It cannot land or get too far away from the mothership but is very fast. Hire a NPC pilot and the fighter could be your 'whippet' running next to you.

Ships that accept fighter bays:

Anaconda
Beluga Liner
Federal Corvette
Federal Gunship
Imperial Cutter
Keelback
Type-9 Heavy
Type-10 Defender

 

[RolloTreadway]

Ooh, hadn't thought of a fighter. That might be ideal!

 

[Arry]

Cobra III. End of conversation.

 

[RolloTreadway]

I have one of those lying around somewhere!

 

[Vardaugas]

A "whippet". Well, the only ship coming close to a dog like that would be the Imperial Courier. It's fast, slim, agile and surprisingly versatile.

 

[Monkey Pants]

Imperial Courier: most survivable fast ship in the game - often bounces off canyon walls

 

[RolloTreadway]

Surviving crashes is a pretty useful feature for me, to be honest.

 

[Hairbear]

I quite like the dolphin for ing about in. with the class 5 thrusters you can put whatever you like in it without compromising speed

 

[Madrax573]

80s hot hatch would have to be Cobra III IMO. Can do pretty much anything.

 

[BarFly]

Hello,

what's about the Dolphin?
https://eddp.co/u/iPxR33qg

Or the Diamondback Explorer:
https://eddp.co/u/s2cbvq9U
Both a small, agile, fast and also perfect for planetary landing.

 

[JetsonRING]

A-rated and modified by Engineers, the Sidewinder becomes the zippy, convertible (glass-roof) roadster of Elite Dangerous.

 

[maehara]

First thoughts were maybe an Eagle or a Courier. But are there better ideas?

I have an Imperial Eagle that boosts to 899m/s. (EDSY says I could push that to around 930m/s with a few more tweaks to the build, but maybe another time...) It's a blast to fly, although a moment's loss of concentration near a surface and you'll be looking at the rebuy screen. On the upside, rebuy doesn't exactly cost much. Build.

 

[RolloTreadway]

I have an Imperial Eagle that boosts to 899m/s. (EDSY says I could push that to around 930m/s with a few more tweaks to the build, but maybe another time...)

Ooof, that's fast.

 

[XOSHI]

Ooof, that's fast.

If you just wan't the fastest ship you can get, then this thread is for you. Furrycat just perfectly explained how to turn a Viper3 into a dragster. But IMO that would be more like a Ferrari FXX or a McLaren P1 than a Golf1 GTI.

If you just wan't a fast ship (Speed over 400m/s, boost over 500m/s) that is still practical and don't dies on every crash, and maybe most important, a ship that don't need a lot of time (and materials) to invest in, than I would also propose the Cobra3. I have 6 of them, one for each thing I just wan't to make atm if I wan't to fly a Cobra, IMO it's the one ship that gets closest to the Golf GTI.

 

[jonluv]

DBX —— the only ship that takes me out of the Cutter—- fun-fun -fun

 

[RolloTreadway]

If you just wan't the fastest ship you can get, then this thread is for you. Furrycat just perfectly explained how to turn a Viper3 into a dragster. But IMO that would be more like a Ferrari FXX or a McLaren P1 than a Golf1 GTI.

If you just wan't a fast ship (Speed over 400m/s, boost over 500m/s) that is still practical and don't dies on every crash, and maybe most important, a ship that don't need a lot of time (and materials) to invest in, than I would also propose the Cobra3. I have 6 of them, one for each thing I just wan't to make atm if I wan't to fly a Cobra, IMO it's the one ship that gets closest to the Golf GTI.

That makes sense. I do want some speed, but not at the expense of good fun. Maybe I should figure out where I left my Cobra, give it a spit and polish and take it out for a spin.

 

[satakuua]

Viper Mk IV is the Golf as it is quite multipurpose yet still better at fighting than Cobra Mk III. It does lack raw speed, but acceleration is there.

 

[sinisalo]

Courier. Very fast, great shields, amazing cockpit. I use mine as a mat gatherer, scanning wakes and entering USSs. It's so fast that nothing can catch it, in PvE at least. Fun to dogfight in, but doesn't carry a heavy enough punch to use it as a combat ship, aside from RES sites and the like. I wouldn't make it my assassination ship for example. It does great in a furball, but not the best one v one in my opinion.

But that cockpit is just sublime.