Spotted that 550LM from Top Gear mag

[diddyman]

Was driving up the M40 on Friday 29 October. A rari with a whacking great spoiler on the back came past near High Wycombe. Thought it was some chavved up kit car with the spoiler and lack of visible exhaust pipes. Not until I bought Top Gear mag that I realised it was something else!

Whoever was driving it wasn't giving it much, which was a shame.

My passenger managed to take this rather shaky picture of it:

[_dobbo_]

Awesome car - looks even better up close:

[_dobbo_]

although now I compare the photos, they are clearly not the same car... sorry

[diddyman]

_dobbo_ said:

although now I compare the photos, they are clearly not the same car... sorry

Indeedy!

The one I saw had the same registration plate as the one in the magazine, so assume it is the same car!

[anniesdad]

_dobbo_ said:

Awesome car - looks even better up close:

This is the actual race car..

The first (shaky) picture is a standard 550M which has been rebuilt in carbon to ape the race car.

[_dobbo_]

aha! I see. I suppose you wouldn't expect to see an actual 550 race car hooning down a motorway in england!

[chris_n]

I can't quite make my mind up about that so-called 550LM that has featured in both EVO and Top Gear. A 550 is a truly wonderful thing so why bother trying to turn it into a race replica when it is clearly never going to be the real thing? I can't help thinking it's a bit of a Max Power job.

I guess maybe I'm just a man of simple tastes - a standard 550 with Tubi would do for me!

Chris

[diddyman]

chris_n said:

I can't quite make my mind up about that so-called 550LM that has featured in both EVO and Top Gear. A 550 is a truly wonderful thing so why bother trying to turn it into a race replica when it is clearly never going to be the real thing? I can't help thinking it's a bit of a Max Power job. I guess maybe I'm just a man of simple tastes - a standard 550 with Tubi would do for me! Chris

Quite. Hence me thinking it was some sort of kit car when I first saw it pull onto the Mway. That picnic table does nothing for the car whatsover.

[anniesdad]

chris_n said:

I can't quite make my mind up about that so-called 550LM that has featured in both EVO and Top Gear. A 550 is a truly wonderful thing so why bother trying to turn it into a race replica when it is clearly never going to be the real thing? I can't help thinking it's a bit of a Max Power job. I guess maybe I'm just a man of simple tastes - a standard 550 with Tubi would do for me! Chris

I totally agree.

[Blow Dog]

Add me to that vote.
Can't help but think the replica is an eyesore.
Standard 550 looks so much nicer.

CK

[anniesdad]

Blow Dog said:

Add me to that vote. Can't help but think the replica is an eyesore. Standard 550 looks so much nicer. CK

You're biased ...loved your car at VMAX, would like a ride next time Sir if at all possible.

[ESM]

The car you saw was the Care Racing and esmotorsport 550LM featured in Evo and Top Gear - it was also at the MPH04 show. It's not a replica, but a road version of the race car.

The pic was the 575GTC I think. I can see how there might be some initial confusion. The pic is not the actual race car; that's in a show room in Buckinghamshire, where the 550LM Roadcar is made.

[anniesdad]

ESM said:

The car you saw was the Care Racing and esmotorsport 550LM & The pic was the 575GTC I think.

Now i'm confused, well not actually.

The car in the first post on this thread is the 550LM Roadcar, remade in carbon.

The 575M-HGTC looks identical to a standard(!) 575M with no spoilers or wide arches etc, it's just got carbon brakes and a few other bits and bobs.

[chitty]

hi, it was me driving the car.i am the test driver for esmotorsport who build the cars for care racing.the car is greatly modified in all areas not just its looks,sorry i wasnt given it some ! but there is a time and place for that ,the m40 on a friday evening is not one of them.will post a picture soon

[chitty]

not sure how to post pics if anyone can tell me i will post some for you all,hey just drive cars for a living

[diddyman]

chitty said:

hi, it was me driving the car.i am the test driver for esmotorsport who build the cars for care racing.the car is greatly modified in all areas not just its looks,sorry i wasnt given it some ! but there is a time and place for that ,the m40 on a friday evening is not one of them.will post a picture soon

Hi Chitty!

Small world, eh?!

Just as well you weren't giving it large, I was in athe wife's Chelsea Tractor and would not have been in a position to catch up!

[anniesdad]

Chitty,



JAMMY BUGGER !!

If you want to e-mail the pic to me, I can do them now!!! Posted my first pic today.

Click on my profile and click link for e-mail.

Cheers

Steve

>> Edited by anniesdad on Wednesday 15th December 14:42

[diddyman]

chitty said:

not sure how to post pics if anyone can tell me i will post some for you all,hey just drive cars for a living

The images need to be placed on a server somewhere (the offcie web site, your home web site, fotango or similar.

You then create in a link within your post, thus:
[pic] [/pic]

and within these tags you inster the link to the image. For instance:

www.scuba-safaris.com/pages/stuff/rari550.jpg

inserted between the tags with no gaps inbeds the image within the thread.

And hey presto, the picky appears again:


Err... edited to say don't forget the http:// before the www!!!!




>> Edited by diddyman on Wednesday 15th December 14:51

[diddyman]

Look at all the horrid cars that Chitty has to look at all day:

Don't we all feel sorry for you!


>> Edited by diddyman on Wednesday 15th December 14:54

[trackdemon]

Christ on a bike! I must get myself over to the showroom if that kind of kit is strewn around the place AFAIK there have only been 43 Zonda's produced so far, each taking 9 months to build so thats the fruits of A LOT of labour. Wow!

Intersted to note the 550LM is for sale:

www.qv500.com/classifieds/classifieds.php?a=2&b=77

Would love a drive in that baby, think I'd have to ditch the wing (or at least paint black) if it was mine.