Top Gear Style Challenge...but which vehicle!

[Mark.]

So, purely for the hell of it and something to do one weekend the wife and I are going to 'race' my daughter and her friend from the centre of Amsterdam to home.

Plan is the standard TG fayre. We all leave the location at the same time, the kids use public transport and the flights they have, to fly back to Gatwick then public transport home to Hayling Island. We hop in the car and go for it - via the tunnel.
Google Maps says 6 hours 34 mins, now I think this is going to be quite a tight call, as the possibility of delay take off/landing might add in, and they only have hand luggage so no queue at the arrivals belt. But the joker up my sleeve is the last leg, public transport from the station down the Island in notoriously poor and unreliable so I think it might not be too clear cut.

Dilema; which vehicle to take. 400 or so miles that it is would be a breeze in the boring car and we wouldn't even need to stop for fuel, or we could take something a little more spirited to drive, press on when possible to make up time but would need to stop probably twice to refuel. I reckon we can make the 4 hours or so from Amsterdam to the tunnel without needing a wee!

So what do you say? Which car?

And while we are at it - who will win? PH Virtual prize for correct answer with closest time difference.

[durbster]

Quality parenting

And you take the fun car, of course.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

If you want to win take the boring car as fuel stops will wipe out any time advantage the fun car possibly gives you and you wouldn't speed anyway would you.

As you've said the challenge is dependant on the public transport element, could be close though.

[Mark.]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

... and you wouldn't speed anyway would you.

Me? No!

[Shay HTFC]

Take the fun car and if you lose by 10 mins, know inside that you really should've won which means you basically did win, and use that logic to Loser-sign your daughter...

[LaserTam]

Mark. said:

"standard TG fayre"

Nuff said - can't be boring car, only time they did that it was the fuel test to Blackpool.

Who will win - could be very close, but I would go with car to win. Faffing to get that final train home will be longer than they think.

Great idea though.

[BoRED S2upid]

Hire a little fiat 500.

They will win you will be fine till Calais then your problems will begin unless Public Transport is almost impossible for them like it would be for me.

[Mark.]

BoRED S2upid said:

Hire a little fiat 500.

More detail please.

[RobM77]

Not sure about the car, but definitely choose a Sunday. Around here ew have buses instead of trains every other Sunday because of 'engineering works' - it takes bloody hours to get anywhere Your kids could spend all day just getting two hours drive away from Dover.

[kamilb1998]

Definitely the fun car.

[Mark.]

RobM77 said:

Not sure about the car, but definitely choose a Sunday. Around here ew have buses instead of trains every other Sunday because of 'engineering works' - it takes bloody hours to get anywhere Your kids could spend all day just getting two hours drive away from Dover.

What part of Hants is that? They will be coming back on the train from Gatwick via Brighton - cos one of them needs to get off there.

Oh - and it'll just happen to be a Sunday too

[davepoth]

Fun car, obviously. Especially if it's the one on your profile.

[SimonV8ster]

MX5 of course !!

[V8LM]

durbster said:

Quality parenting

And you take the fun car, of course.

True. His daughter is seven.

[Mark.]

davepoth said:

Fun car, obviously. Especially if it's the one on your profile.

It'd be the Cerbera rather than the Chimaera - not that warm for roof down yet and the Cerb just has better GT legs.

[Mark.]

SimonV8ster said:

MX5 of course !!

[Mark.]

V8LM said:

durbster said:

Quality parenting

And you take the fun car, of course.

True. His daughter is seven.

But they grow so quick these days!

[tenohfive]

Sounds like a bit of a naff idea of 'fun.'

You: sit on motorways for 7 hours.
Kids: sit on public transport for 7 hours.

Perhaps for Christmas your kids will get you a racing experience day with Scania.

[Mark.]

tenohfive said:

Sounds like a bit of a naff idea of 'fun.'

You: sit on motorways for 7 hours.
Kids: sit on public transport for 7 hours.

Perhaps for Christmas your kids will get you a racing experience day with Scania.

Have you ever witness truck racing? If my daughter bought me that experience for Christmas I'd be well made up.

She will have been in Amsterdam for the week and I fancy going somewhere different for dinner one evening.

I'm sorry you find it naff.

[LADANIVA]

Fair play to you mark, ignore the nay sayers, but I think you have done already.

Best trip I ever had was a road trip a few years ago with my dad.

I was in my 40s and learnt things about my dad I'd never known.