Back from a month in the UK...what I drove...
Discussion
E46 M3 - Awesome awesome car, fizzing, metallic rasp, manual gear change, flows so well, let out a little moan of pleasure when I hit a corner at speed for the first time, planted, sailed round like on rails, easy to keep on the boil and could keep up with faster cars through the country lanes. Brakes are good for as long as they work, then they go off very quickly, to the point I had them smoking for about 5 minutes after a quick run....they would need replacing! I would have one in a second, great bargain car in the uk at the moment!
TVR Tuscan - Drove this for a few days, brutal, exhilarating, huge torque and power, NOISE!!! Gets thumbs up everywhere and people staring. Terrible turning circle! Bit of a pig around london and requires thinking ahead for lumps, bumps, tight corners, junctions etc....but once used to it and foibles a great car. Definitely a weekend car but such fun to drive. On Nitrons feels planted and very communicative when on it. If being silly could bite and there is nothing to help you if it does! No ABS no traction control no nothing. Loved it though.
Jensen CV8 - 1965 super car! Auto, wafty, good power, great on open road, not terrible about town, looked amazing in a pale metallic blue and got looks everywhere, lovely classic car that nobody recognised what it was! Reliable on a liong journey with typical aftermarket jensen cooling kits!
Jaguar XK8 - Surprisingly nice! Wafty and fast when needed, could hustle when required, beautiful car, comfortable, mile eater, terrible rear seats! Easy as to drive, actually quite enjoyed it, few gremlins I suspect in the electricals but expected little from this car and was surprised, cheap too....good motorway barge with pace to surprise....though 4L V8 should be....
Ferrari F430 Spider - Experience Day - OMG love this car, special, race car, sounds amazing, communicates everything, power, noise, blistering acceleration, just felt amazing from the moment I hit the start button. What a car, absolutely loved it and would have loved to spend more time in it. Was in wet mode for gear chages as raining but I understand the slghtly laggy gear change in this mode becomes a brutal whip lash giver in race mode! I loved this car!
Nissan GTR - Experience day - Drove this before the Ferrari - Very fast, stepped out a bit and did not give me much indication it was going to happen but corrected for me....dunno, bit disappointing. didn't feel connected to it like the ferrari, muted but nice sound, probably faster around the track but not as special. Really just got out feeling a bit indifferent even with the ridiculous speed. Sad really. Wanted to drive one and felt a bit Meh about it afterwards. I reckon it would be better to be giving it a bit on the roads though....I just think after trying other things I want to feel like I am plugged in not like the computer is constantly shaking its metaphorical head at me and correcting my mistakes all the time.
Mitsubishi Triton - Only mentioned because surprisingly nice to drive! If you buy a Navara you are stupid. Achieved 40mpg!!!
Also rode in...
911 996 Targa - Never ridden in a 911 before. At the base level I would have a Targa, bearutifl roof, comfortable, pacey, weird having power squatting and shoving from below and behind your lower back....easily a commutable car. Had more gremlins than I expected of the German. Great car, not sure I would have one over an E46 M3 though....
S2000 Supercharged 400bhp - Bonkers! Especially after VTEC kicks in, though it had been smoothed out it seemed to hit warp speed after 6k rpm. Not much opportunity on the road for htis however so spent most of its time with pre-vtec 300bhp, which still a lot and very sorted car. On track this thing kept singing would be brutalising everything.
TVR Tuscan - Drove this for a few days, brutal, exhilarating, huge torque and power, NOISE!!! Gets thumbs up everywhere and people staring. Terrible turning circle! Bit of a pig around london and requires thinking ahead for lumps, bumps, tight corners, junctions etc....but once used to it and foibles a great car. Definitely a weekend car but such fun to drive. On Nitrons feels planted and very communicative when on it. If being silly could bite and there is nothing to help you if it does! No ABS no traction control no nothing. Loved it though.
Jensen CV8 - 1965 super car! Auto, wafty, good power, great on open road, not terrible about town, looked amazing in a pale metallic blue and got looks everywhere, lovely classic car that nobody recognised what it was! Reliable on a liong journey with typical aftermarket jensen cooling kits!
Jaguar XK8 - Surprisingly nice! Wafty and fast when needed, could hustle when required, beautiful car, comfortable, mile eater, terrible rear seats! Easy as to drive, actually quite enjoyed it, few gremlins I suspect in the electricals but expected little from this car and was surprised, cheap too....good motorway barge with pace to surprise....though 4L V8 should be....
Ferrari F430 Spider - Experience Day - OMG love this car, special, race car, sounds amazing, communicates everything, power, noise, blistering acceleration, just felt amazing from the moment I hit the start button. What a car, absolutely loved it and would have loved to spend more time in it. Was in wet mode for gear chages as raining but I understand the slghtly laggy gear change in this mode becomes a brutal whip lash giver in race mode! I loved this car!
Nissan GTR - Experience day - Drove this before the Ferrari - Very fast, stepped out a bit and did not give me much indication it was going to happen but corrected for me....dunno, bit disappointing. didn't feel connected to it like the ferrari, muted but nice sound, probably faster around the track but not as special. Really just got out feeling a bit indifferent even with the ridiculous speed. Sad really. Wanted to drive one and felt a bit Meh about it afterwards. I reckon it would be better to be giving it a bit on the roads though....I just think after trying other things I want to feel like I am plugged in not like the computer is constantly shaking its metaphorical head at me and correcting my mistakes all the time.
Mitsubishi Triton - Only mentioned because surprisingly nice to drive! If you buy a Navara you are stupid. Achieved 40mpg!!!
Also rode in...
911 996 Targa - Never ridden in a 911 before. At the base level I would have a Targa, bearutifl roof, comfortable, pacey, weird having power squatting and shoving from below and behind your lower back....easily a commutable car. Had more gremlins than I expected of the German. Great car, not sure I would have one over an E46 M3 though....
S2000 Supercharged 400bhp - Bonkers! Especially after VTEC kicks in, though it had been smoothed out it seemed to hit warp speed after 6k rpm. Not much opportunity on the road for htis however so spent most of its time with pre-vtec 300bhp, which still a lot and very sorted car. On track this thing kept singing would be brutalising everything.
TAS1981 said:
S2000 Supercharged 400bhp - Bonkers! Especially after VTEC kicks in, though it had been smoothed out it seemed to hit warp speed after 6k rpm. Not much opportunity on the road for htis however so spent most of its time with pre-vtec 300bhp, which still a lot and very sorted car. On track this thing kept singing would be brutalising everything.
Loved mine. Wish my engine would have lasted a bit longer though.TAS1981 said:
Yeah - I like the S2000, but its easy to get caught out of VTEC and get left for dead. Still its nice to be on it and making t sing. Great engine.
I just left mine in 1st gear for my commute, it was all slow 30/40 limits.Mine pretty much lived on the limiter. Hence the expired engine.
Eeek!? Yeah probably! I'm sure not ALL the time!
That was teh great thing abut the Tuscan though....instant power, what ever revs. M3 was no slouch in the lower rev range either though the Vanos means it sings in a similar if not as obvious way as the S2000. I seriously loved the car for being able to jump in it and thrash it straight away.
That was teh great thing abut the Tuscan though....instant power, what ever revs. M3 was no slouch in the lower rev range either though the Vanos means it sings in a similar if not as obvious way as the S2000. I seriously loved the car for being able to jump in it and thrash it straight away.
I find the S2000 a real joy in my south of Brisbane near country area. Traffic is light, but a bit slow with pottering retirees, & farm utes/trucks.
From 75 to 125Km/H in 3Rd it really does make passing on little short opportunities a breeze. My 4.6L 330 BHP TR8 is a couple of hundred kilograms lighter than the S, so has similar ability in overtaking capacity, but is a bit more obvious when doing it.
Add magnificent twisty stuff on Mount Lindsay Highway through the boarder ranges to NEW & I have some great driving.
All I need now is access to some of that tasty stuff you were playing with, & I'll have it made.
From 75 to 125Km/H in 3Rd it really does make passing on little short opportunities a breeze. My 4.6L 330 BHP TR8 is a couple of hundred kilograms lighter than the S, so has similar ability in overtaking capacity, but is a bit more obvious when doing it.
Add magnificent twisty stuff on Mount Lindsay Highway through the boarder ranges to NEW & I have some great driving.
All I need now is access to some of that tasty stuff you were playing with, & I'll have it made.
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