Porsche vs AMG experience days

[scarebus]

Hi, I was wondering if any one has done both the AMG experience day down in Brooklands and the Porsche experience at Silverstone?
Both look interesting, both are similary priced, the AMG day has nearly a full hour at the wheel of one of their cars, and the Porsche days has the kick plate experience.
Now I have done a few track days, so I am actually looking for something that will teach me a bit more about car control rather than a demonstration of their model line up, or watch some professional driver trying to scare me.
Thanks for your replies

[RobM77]

I'm mainly posting to watch the thread, but the team I race for has a coach whose day job is at Mercedes World, so I've been down there a few times to drive the cars with him. I wouldn't say it's a way to learn much about driving theory, like having a day with a decent coach on a trackday would be (in reality you'll pick up a few tips and no more), but it's certainly a very enjoyable experience and I'd go back anytime. The skid pan is good, because you can lark about driving sideways in complete safety.

Porsches intrigue me because I'm a car nut whose driven most cars, but my Porsche seat time is limited to two disaapointing test drives in Cayman Ss. There has to be more to this iconic marque than those dissapointing experiences, so I'd like to go up to Silverstone sometime and try a 911 and another Cayman S, thus the fact I'll be keeping an eye on this thread

[BertBert]

Rob, if there's a way you can get insurance, be happy to meet up when the evenings get longer and you can have a drive of my 6RS.

Bert

[RobM77]

BertBert said:

Rob, if there's a way you can get insurance, be happy to meet up when the evenings get longer and you can have a drive of my 6RS.

Bert

Thank you, that's very generous of you. I can assure you that I'm a very careful driver. I'll ping you a message once we get some lighter evenings; I've also probably got three months off work from the week after next, so am around during the day then too.

[BertBert]

Excellent! I may be between jobs myself in a while and around during the day too.

Bert

[RobM77]

BertBert said:

Excellent! I may be between jobs myself in a while and around during the day too.

Bert

Currently it's 1st Feb till 1st May. I've got a couple of trips away planned, but am around most of the time. I'm in Hook, in North Hampshire (J5 M3).

If I can't get insurance, I'd really enjoy a passenger ride too. Other than those two test drives I mentioned (plus a Boxster S which I forgot to mention), my only experiences of Porsches has been a friend of mine's 964 C2 on brief trips back from the pub etc.

What dissapointed me about the Cayman was the aloof refined feeling, so I have a feeling the GT3RS would be much more my sort of thing.

That's quite some garage you've got there by the way! I'm a huge fan of Radicals too, having had a ride with a factory driver in an SR4 a while ago on a pouring wet track and it was absolutely amazing. Afterwards I immediately put my racing Caterham up for sale and went single seater racing!

[crisisjez]

RobM77 said:

I'm in Hook,

I`m in Rotherwick, trying to tempt the other half away from her mad Astra into a C4s so happy to be a standby.

(You must have seen me tooling about in Mental Betty in the summer)

[RobM77]

crisisjez said:

RobM77 said:

I'm in Hook,

I`m in Rotherwick, trying to tempt the other half away from her mad Astra into a C4s so happy to be a standby.

(You must have seen me tooling about in Mental Betty in the summer)

I've not lived in Hook long, but I did see you last year on my commute along the A33 Mental Betty looks fantastic I remember telling my friends at work about her

PS - Do you know the guy in Rotherwick with the Gallardo Spyder and GTR?

Apologies for the thread hi-jack!

Edited by RobM77 on Monday 25th January 15:00

[scarebus]

Any time guys

[RobM77]

scarebus said:

Any time guys

Sorry - this is a chat forum about cars though, so expect some thread deviations now and then! Meeting up like this and comparing cars is what being a petrolhead is all about, and long may it continue

[crisisjez]

The Silverstone Porsche day is co run by VBH from 5th gear and there is a writeup on it in this months Performance Car mag...looks quite good.

I paid for my other half to have a day with Colin Hoad of CAT driver training at Millbrook last Oct, she learnt a lot and I`d thoroughly recommend him, but it wasn`t cheap

Rob, no I don`t, but have heard him blasting out of the junction in his GTR.

scarebus, have you seen the thread on Thunder Road, its perfect to meet other HSV members and let the car loose for the day, if you fancy a ride in mine in the afternoon(Take a look at the car in my profile) you`re welcome, and our resident track man Ferb will be there and can fill you in on the Monaro foibles


BTW..with your username I`m guessing you have something to do with the Electric Death Jet?

Edited by crisisjez on Tuesday 26th January 21:12

[scarebus]

Hi Jez, thanks for that, I am looking to have a bit of fun this summer.... so who knows. I would ideally like to do a wet track day at bedford autodrome, dont want to kill tyres off too quickly + lots of run off if my drifting talents run out!
Woodbridge is nice and close by, will need to look at roster and see if I will be free then.
Thanks for the invite for a ride in yours, btw it is stunning, I have always liked them, but the Monaro was ruled out due to the 2 rug rats and wife. I am very interested in looking at your mods, I am looking to uprate mine soon but still not sure what direction to go yet..... liberating more noise from front and back is the first priority!
Yes there is a link to the deathjet.... you?

[crisisjez]

scarebus said:

Hi Jez, thanks for that, I am looking to have a bit of fun this summer.... so who knows. I would ideally like to do a wet track day at bedford autodrome, dont want to kill tyres off too quickly + lots of run off if my drifting talents run out!
Woodbridge is nice and close by, will need to look at roster and see if I will be free then.
Thanks for the invite for a ride in yours, btw it is stunning, I have always liked them, but the Monaro was ruled out due to the 2 rug rats and wife. I am very interested in looking at your mods, I am looking to uprate mine soon but still not sure what direction to go yet..... liberating more noise from front and back is the first priority!
Yes there is a link to the deathjet.... you?

bmi Been there a long time though so should be ok.

Edited by crisisjez on Wednesday 27th January 11:02

[shoestring7]

I've done both. The AMG day was a hoot because 6.3l of FBE in an E class is hysterical, and although the 'circuit' is very nadgery, the right onto the straight and into a med. right allowed 3 figure speeds. The rest of the circuit was slow and understeerey, but I also enjoyed drifting for ages on the skid pan.

The Porsche centre was probably a bit more technical (the plate and the 'ice' hill), plus a slippery and 'handling' circuit. I thrapped a Cayman S PDK and 2.9, and had a ball on the circuit. There's obviously a bit of product demo stuff (launch control and various PDK modes), but frankly for me the biggest buzz was meeting dear old Dickie, Porsche's first Le Man winner.

Both days were both very well organised, great fun and well worth the money. Take your pick, you won't be disappointed.

The only possible downside is that if you're actually thinking of buying a car, LFB'ing one in maximum attack mode around a small race track gives you b*gger all idea what living with one will be like!

SS7

[scarebus]

Thanks SS7, finally someone who has done both, sounds like the Porsche day is more challanging. Do you get to drive your own car on the skid pan/track? How much time would you say you get behind the wheel on the porsche day? I know you get 55 mins on the Merc day.
Thanks again

[RobM77]

shoestring7 said:

The only possible downside is that if you're actually thinking of buying a car, LFB'ing one in maximum attack mode around a small race track gives you b*gger all idea what living with one will be like!

I decided to buy an SLK after driving one at Mercedes Benz World a few times. I test drove on on the public road and it was an immediate "no".

[shoestring7]

scarebus said:

Thanks SS7, finally someone who has done both, sounds like the Porsche day is more challanging. Do you get to drive your own car on the skid pan/track? How much time would you say you get behind the wheel on the porsche day? I know you get 55 mins on the Merc day.
Thanks again

I don't know if that's possible; I drove Porsches at the Silverstone site as part of the Cayman II customer launch, and a last gen E63 at Mercedes World. I suspect the wheel time is around the same; the Porsche one did involve a nice meal and some presentations, but I'm not sure that's part of the standard package.

Its much easier to make a day of it at Brooklands. Mercedes World is huge with lots to see, and in addtion SS7 jnr (aged 9 1/2) drove an A class on the old Brooklands Campbell circuit, the dowager Mrs SS7 had a test drive in an A class on nearby roads, the upstairs restaurant was great, and that was before we went across the the superb Brooklands Museum.

SS7

[scarebus]

crisisjez said:

scarebus said:

Hi Jez, thanks for that, I am looking to have a bit of fun this summer.... so who knows. I would ideally like to do a wet track day at bedford autodrome, dont want to kill tyres off too quickly + lots of run off if my drifting talents run out!
Woodbridge is nice and close by, will need to look at roster and see if I will be free then.
Thanks for the invite for a ride in yours, btw it is stunning, I have always liked them, but the Monaro was ruled out due to the 2 rug rats and wife. I am very interested in looking at your mods, I am looking to uprate mine soon but still not sure what direction to go yet..... liberating more noise from front and back is the first priority!
Yes there is a link to the deathjet.... you?

bmi Been there a long time though so should be ok.

Edited by crisisjez on Wednesday 27th January 11:02

ah fingers crossed, I am with the orange mob.... good luck

[shoestring7]

I found myself at Murk World on Saturday as SS7 Jnr had been given a voucher for some kids diving. While I was checking him in I spotted a ½ hr driving an AMG for £50 offer and took the chance for a run in the new C class AMG 6.3.

I had a ball, for a ordinary looking saloon its bloody quick; serving up power oversteer in the damp in the fast (80mph) 3rd gear corner - my bacon was only saved by Messrs. Bosch. The instructor, Piers, was a good bloke - he was initially concerned by my insistence on 2 foot driving but relieved by mention of Pentti's tuition all those years ago.

I spent most of the 30 minutes giving the Murk death on the circuit, overtaking punters and keeping the instructor doing fast rides reasonably honest. Had some fun 'drifting' at slow speed on the skid pna, then back to the little circuit for more fun. The AMG C class is pretty amazing; more than 100mph on short straight and hugely resistance to understeer in the 2nd gear stuff, all with a Nascar soundtrack. I tried it using the flappy paddles, but with real commitment the autobox acted like it was wired to my Lizard brain. For 50UKP on the day the AMG experience was a real no-brainer.

SS7