Scratched an itch today...

[Globalti]

...and drove an Aston Martin V8 Vantage and a Ferrari 360 at one of those pay and drive days on an airfield.

It was okay I guess; both cars were tired and scruffy and the Aston was a brute to drive; pedals set very close together and difficult to manage in sloppy slip-on shoes. The gearchange was awkward and the brakes terrible. The Ferrari was much more fun with a paddle shift box although it was knackered and made alarming grinding noises on the downchanges. Three laps of the airfield were not enough as I was just getting into my stride by the end. Was it worth a 300 mile drive and a night in a Travel Inn? Probably not but it's something you have to do. Gti junior drove a Lamborghini so that will give him some boasting material at school on Monday.

Off to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan for two weeks tomorrow. No cycling though unless I can stand the boredom of hotel gyms.

 

[biggs682]

its a shame when the icon you have had in your mind or head dont match the reality .

i will always remember many moons ago drove a countach for a quick spin around Bournemouth boy was that a let down .

 

[XmisterIS]

I think the fastest thing I've ever driven was a renault twin-turbo thing back in 1998 when I got my first job. Given that I was still on my first car at the time, which was a clapped-out student-grade Ford Fiesta Mk1, this renault thing was like the starship enterprise! The fact that it was up to 70mph in second gear going down the slip road to the motorway was incredible. No, I didn't buy it, I was very very young and the cheapest insurance quote I could get was for third party only at double the value of the car ...

Now that I have a motorbike that does 0-60 in under 4 secs, however, cars don't do it for me any more.

 

[TheDoctor]

Did one of those a few years ago. Ferrari 360, Lotus Elise and a Caterham 7.
All brilliant fun, and enough to convince me that much though I lust after an Elise, I couldn't actually live with one.

 

[swee'pea99]

I think the fastest thing I've ever driven was a renault twin-turbo thing back in 1998 when I got my first job. Given that I was still on my first car at the time, which was a clapped-out student-grade Ford Fiesta Mk1, this renault thing was like the starship enterprise! The fact that it was up to 70mph in second gear going down the slip road to the motorway was incredible. No, I didn't buy it, I was very very young and the cheapest insurance quote I could get was for third party only at double the value of the car ...

Now that I have a motorbike that does 0-60 in under 4 secs, however, cars don't do it for me any more.

I had one of those Renaults on my tail on the motorway shortly after I got my BMW R80. Being young and foolish, I accelerated. And kept on accelerating. And kept on accelerating, until I ran out of acceleration. Then pulled over. At which point he went past like I was parked at the side of the road - SWOOOSH! I was impressed.