Flemke - Is this your McLaren?
Discussion
Nick J said:Nick,
Hi Flemke
Regarding the suspension work that you have done on the car, have you got any evidence of the effectiveness of the changes? As in lap times of the Ring or other circuits, with lap times before and after? Did you ever have a goal as in the improvement in lap time or was it more a case of the way the car feels to drive rather than how much quicker you can make it?
(Please ignore if this question has been asked before)
Kind regards Nick
It's purely subjective.
The standard car has a number of handling issues, which I would be happy to list for you if you did not have the chance to read them earlier in this thread (as least I think they're there).
For me those issues, shortcomings, idiosyncrasies, whatever, were unacceptable in a car that has so much ability in other areas. The issues detracted seriously from the pleasure of driving it.
I simply wanted to see if the handling could be brought up to a good standard, or at least to an acceptable one.
There are a few things we have still to work on. For example, just today I learned that one particular and odd new trait may have come about because the Ackerman should have been altered to account for the new stiffer tyres/bigger wheels.
Anyhow, I just want to enjoy the car. I don't care what times it will do at the 'ring, because I won't be racing it there, or anywhere else.
Cheers.
Oakey said:
Flemke, any advice to those of us who aspire to be like yourself? 
Career tips, financial advice, etc, etc
There was a young Mexican boy who lived in a quiet village on the Pacific coast of Mexico. His family were fishermen, and he was expected to be the same.
This boy was ambitious, however, and he sought bigger and better things for himself. Despite having to help his father and brothers to catch fish, he attended school when he could and studied very hard. He worked so hard that he was admitted to the local high school, although he had still to assist his family to catch the fish.
After four years of more hard graft, fishing full time and studying full time as well, he was of an age when other children from wealthier environments would go to university. For him the expense would have made further education out of the question.
However, an American university was so impressed by his attitude and industry that the boy was offered a full scholarship to come there and study. With considerable trepidation the boy left home for America. For the next four years he applied himself intently to his academic demands, whilst working twenty hours a week for spending money and extra funds to send home to his family, who no longer had the money that he contributed from fishing.
The boy did very well at school, which enabled him upon graduation to get a job with an international consulting firm.
Here in professional employment he started at the bottom but, by dint of the same effort and sacrifice that he had made since he was a lad, he gradually worked his way up the corporate ladder.
It was not easy, of course. He was away on business trips several days every week. He worked an average of 80 hours a week. He was required to move his home from one city to another eight different times.
After about thirty-five years at the corporate grindstone, his great efforts and sacrifices finally paid off. He was named managing partner of the consulting firm. Although his dedication to his career had prevented him from having a family, a spouse, or many close friends, he took some solace from the fact that he now made a seven-figure salary and was quite prominent in his industry. At last he had made it.
He carried on as managing partner for five years. At this point his health was failing, he began to be more bothered by the loneliness at the top, and he yearned for the opportunity to enjoy rewards that he had earned after nearly fifty years of study, application, and just plain hard graft. It was time for a return on his enormous personal investment.
He spent quite a while searching for the perfect retirement opportunity. When he found it, he recognised it at once.
For the remaining years of his life, he lived in great tranquility and ease - in a quiet fishing village on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
I heard a similar story once, not sure which was the original, but this one was taking the p1ss out of management consultants. Brief version is that a management consultant is on holiday in Mexico and visits an idyllic fishing village. He spends a while there and gets talking to a fisherman with a rowing boat. The consultant gets all excited about the potential of the business, telling the fisherman how if he mechanises by getting an outboard engine, he can get further out where more fish are, do more trips per day and increase his catch. Great, says the fisherman. The consultant continues, saying that then with the increased takings he can buy another boat, hire fishermen to work for him, expand the fleet. Great says the fisherman, what then? Well then you'll be able to stop fishing says the consultant, and work in an office perhaps in Mexico City as CEO of the expanding company. Right says the fisherman, what then? Then I'll help you go public came the reply, selling shares in the business thereby enabling you to buy even more boats, expand along the coast, even internationally. Right, says the fisherman, what then? The consultant continues, well then in 20 years or so of hard work you'll be rich enough to retire to the beach somewhere and go fishing every day.
love it
love it
Oakey said:
...I would get a GTR with provenance, for a quarter of the price...
Thanks again.
Of course it is, that's how things have always worked. :P If 4 LM's were suddenly destroyed, how much do you think that last one would suddenly be worth?
How many Austin Allegros are there left? Gosh they must be worth a lot
Oakey said:
Flemke, any advice to those of us who aspire to be like yourself?
Career tips, financial advice, etc, etc
Be good enough at whatever it is you do to be able to afford an F1?
I think it's a little more complicated than that. You're saying if you're a good burger flipper at McD's, or a great shelf stacker at ASDA, then you'll eventually be able to afford an F1?
Actually the late Charlie Bell, who was McDonalds CEO started out just like that, then just worked his butt off.
cnn said:
Bell began his career with the fast-food chain at age 15 as a part-time crew member at a McDonald's restaurant in Sydney, Australia. He became the company's youngest store manager in Australia at 19, a vice president at 27 and a member of the McDonald's Australia board of directors by the time was 29 years old.
From 1993 until late 1999 Bell was managing director of McDonald’s Australia. He then served as president of McDonald’s Europe until December 2002, when he was named president and chief operating officer and a board member of McDonald’s.
Of course then he got cancer and died a couple of years later.
Not saying you shouldn't dream or work yourself into an early grave of course, but ownership of something like a McLaren F1 is not all sunshine and lollipops though (judging by this thread at least), remember the old saying, 'be careful what you wish for you might just get it'
Personally, I dont consider material possessions as a goal to work towards, more a reward for hardwork and success. But thats just me.
flemke said:
Flemke, any advice to those of us who aspire to be like yourself?
Career tips, financial advice, etc, etc
There was a young Mexican boy who lived in a quiet village on the Pacific coast of Mexico. His family were fishermen, and he was expected to be the same.
This boy was ambitious, however, and he sought bigger and better things for himself. Despite having to help his father and brothers to catch fish, he attended school when he could and studied very hard. He worked so hard that he was admitted to the local high school, although he had still to assist his family to catch the fish.
After four years of more hard graft, fishing full time and studying full time as well, he was of an age when other children from wealthier environments would go to university. For him the expense would have made further education out of the question.
However, an American university was so impressed by his attitude and industry that the boy was offered a full scholarship to come there and study. With considerable trepidation the boy left home for America. For the next four years he applied himself intently to his academic demands, whilst working twenty hours a week for spending money and extra funds to send home to his family, who no longer had the money that he contributed from fishing.
The boy did very well at school, which enabled him upon graduation to get a job with an international consulting firm.
Here in professional employment he started at the bottom but, by dint of the same effort and sacrifice that he had made since he was a lad, he gradually worked his way up the corporate ladder.
It was not easy, of course. He was away on business trips several days every week. He worked an average of 80 hours a week. He was required to move his home from one city to another eight different times.
After about thirty-five years at the corporate grindstone, his great efforts and sacrifices finally paid off. He was named managing partner of the consulting firm. Although his dedication to his career had prevented him from having a family, a spouse, or many close friends, he took some solace from the fact that he now made a seven-figure salary and was quite prominent in his industry. At last he had made it.
He carried on as managing partner for five years. At this point his health was failing, he began to be more bothered by the loneliness at the top, and he yearned for the opportunity to enjoy rewards that he had earned after nearly fifty years of study, application, and just plain hard graft. It was time for a return on his enormous personal investment.
He spent quite a while searching for the perfect retirement opportunity. When he found it, he recognised it at once.
For the remaining years of his life, he lived in great tranquility and ease - in a quiet fishing village on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
Buy lottery tickets then? flemke said:
Flemke, any advice to those of us who aspire to be like yourself?
Career tips, financial advice, etc, etc
There was a young Mexican boy who lived in a quiet village on the Pacific coast of Mexico. His family were fishermen, and he was expected to be the same.
This boy was ambitious, however, and he sought bigger and better things for himself. Despite having to help his father and brothers to catch fish, he attended school when he could and studied very hard. He worked so hard that he was admitted to the local high school, although he had still to assist his family to catch the fish.
After four years of more hard graft, fishing full time and studying full time as well, he was of an age when other children from wealthier environments would go to university. For him the expense would have made further education out of the question.
However, an American university was so impressed by his attitude and industry that the boy was offered a full scholarship to come there and study. With considerable trepidation the boy left home for America. For the next four years he applied himself intently to his academic demands, whilst working twenty hours a week for spending money and extra funds to send home to his family, who no longer had the money that he contributed from fishing.
The boy did very well at school, which enabled him upon graduation to get a job with an international consulting firm.
Here in professional employment he started at the bottom but, by dint of the same effort and sacrifice that he had made since he was a lad, he gradually worked his way up the corporate ladder.
It was not easy, of course. He was away on business trips several days every week. He worked an average of 80 hours a week. He was required to move his home from one city to another eight different times.
After about thirty-five years at the corporate grindstone, his great efforts and sacrifices finally paid off. He was named managing partner of the consulting firm. Although his dedication to his career had prevented him from having a family, a spouse, or many close friends, he took some solace from the fact that he now made a seven-figure salary and was quite prominent in his industry. At last he had made it.
He carried on as managing partner for five years. At this point his health was failing, he began to be more bothered by the loneliness at the top, and he yearned for the opportunity to enjoy rewards that he had earned after nearly fifty years of study, application, and just plain hard graft. It was time for a return on his enormous personal investment.
He spent quite a while searching for the perfect retirement opportunity. When he found it, he recognised it at once.
For the remaining years of his life, he lived in great tranquility and ease - in a quiet fishing village on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
There is certainly a moral in that story, Flemke.
jacobyte said:The boss has been the one who has helped me to modify the suspension: great test driver, good engineer, access to highly-skilled suppliers.
Flemke
Do M work on the F1 for you, or is it only kept there for garaging purposes?
I have got input on the project from several sources, but he's been at the centre.
There have been frustrations, but I'm not sure who in the UK would have done the job better (although many would have done it quicker!).
jacobyte said:The warranty expired years ago, so that doesn't concern anyone anymore.
That makes perfect sense, given other pursuits. I thought that anyone working on F1s might have to be an "authorised dealer" (for want of a better term). Do McL require that certain criteria are met with a servicing company, in order to cover warranty etc?
McL. won't countenance any changes to the car that could conceivably be considered safety-related or that would have been subject to original type-approval. In fact, they normally will not supply parts if they have reason to believe that those parts will be used in connection with any modifications of the above sort. This makes life complicated!
Just came across this when surfing for some race cars.
The owner seems to be a complete loony - he wants £1.2million for it, and how he's managed to get 1000bhp from it is one of life's great mysteries...
www.race-cars.com/carsales/mclaren/1063835762/1063835762ss.htm
The owner seems to be a complete loony - he wants £1.2million for it, and how he's managed to get 1000bhp from it is one of life's great mysteries...
www.race-cars.com/carsales/mclaren/1063835762/1063835762ss.htm
GarrettMacD said:Ludicrous price.
Just came across this when surfing for some race cars.
The owner seems to be a complete loony - he wants £1.2million for it, and how he's managed to get 1000bhp from it is one of life's great mysteries...
www.race-cars.com/carsales/mclaren/1063835762/1063835762ss.htm
The exact wording in that ad has been used for the past three years - starting with when previous owner RB was offering the car for sale in Motorsport for half the price.
The horsepower claim is as credible as the rest of the ad.
GarrettMacD said:
Just came across this when surfing for some race cars.
The owner seems to be a complete loony - he wants £1.2million for it, and how he's managed to get 1000bhp from it is one of life's great mysteries...
www.race-cars.com/carsales/mclaren/1063835762/1063835762ss.htm
Who are Mclearn??
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