[fatboy69]

It's an ok job - running bars & hospitality chalets at various race courses (horses) throughout the south west of England.

I have also today been booked to work at RIAT in July - my own chalet looking after corporate clients whilst watching the air displays.

My chalet fronts right onto the main runway so i get an un-impeded view of the weeks flying & I get paid (albeit not very much) to serve food & drink whilst watching flying displays.

What a tough way to spend a week!!!!

[flemke]

trackdemon said:

Seems that somebody, somehow, has got their hands on a LaF for review....

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results...

They have been delivering customers' cars since December.

[Ultrasound]

Given the references by a few on here to Eddy Merckx was wondering any members of the Velominati on here?;)

Cue a thread moving from F1s to P1s to A2s to The Cannibal on La Doyenne in 1969!

[HereBeMonsters]

Flemke, you've spoken a few times about your fondness for cycle racing, but I wonder if you're a fan of F1, and of course specifically McLaren, past and/or present.

Having just watched "Ted's Notebook" on Sky's F1 channel (interesting, though the poor chap looks like he was given the eponymous notes 10 seconds before rolling cameras) he was at the McLaren facility, where it looked like they had just finished an event showing Senna's McLaren race cars to assorted well dressed attendees. I presume this is the sort of event a valued McLaren customer would get invited to? And if so, did you go?

Just wondering if it was you I spotted in the background!

[Rich_W]

Ultrasound said:

Given the references by a few on here to Eddy Merckx was wondering any members of the Velominati on here?;)

Cue a thread moving from F1s to P1s to A2s to The Cannibal on La Doyenne in 1969!

I have to admit Merckx is beyond my time. And he clearly was the best at the time. I can't help but wonder if the competition at the time was a bit weaker than it is today. Today, you can't afford to be an "all rounder" You have to specialise to something if you want to win. Climber, Trialist, Cobbled Classics, Sprinter etc As for the tech aspect. You can't unlearn things. So to compare eras you have to look at the spread of the field in a percentage to the winner imo. (At least in the events that are similar to today in terms of length and rider support. Cars with bidons, tubes, etc)

Off topic much?

[robm3]

flemke said:

Eddy Merckx still is and always will be The Man.
They are calling it the "The Athlete's Hour", by requiring a bike that is superficially similar to what Eddy rode in the day - except that the modern "equivalent" will have carbon everything, aerodynamic everything, ceramic bearings, extra-low rolling resistance tyres, etc.

Today's rider will have trained with power meters, been fed on a specialist diet with every imaginable legal supplement, had his riding position perfected in a wind tunnel, and be supported by a psychological coach, a riding coach, an endurance coach, and probably a coach's coach.

In the same year, 1972, as Merckx set the hour record, he also won:

- Tour de France
- Giro d'Italia
- Milan-San Remo
- Liege-Bastogne-Liege
- Tour of Lombardy
- Super Prestige Pernod

He won all the above, and many other races, throughout 1972, and fitted in the Hour only at the end of that season.

I had the honour of once meeting Merckx and, as I and probably many others have said to him, he is the only athlete in a major sport about whom it can be said, beyond dispute or qualification, that one man was the best of all time.

Mr Merckx was also quite disapointed in a Ferrari although his object of displeasure was preceded by a 'Dr'

[Ultrasound]

Rich_W said:

I have to admit Merckx is beyond my time. And he clearly was the best at the time. I can't help but wonder if the competition at the time was a bit weaker than it is today. Today, you can't afford to be an "all rounder" You have to specialise to something if you want to win. Climber, Trialist, Cobbled Classics, Sprinter etc As for the tech aspect. You can't unlearn things. So to compare eras you have to look at the spread of the field in a percentage to the winner imo. (At least in the events that are similar to today in terms of length and rider support. Cars with bidons, tubes, etc)

Off topic much?

There is an 'on topic' on this thread?!

[Rich_W]

robm3 said:

Mr Merckx was also quite disapointed in a Ferrari although his object of displeasure was preceded by a 'Dr'

Well Yes, there is that. Given he introduced MF to LA later.

[flemke]

trackdemon said:

Seems that somebody, somehow, has got their hands on a LaF for review....

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results...

That's not a review, that's a compilation of Ferrari press releases.

[flemke]

chucks74 said:

flemke said:

The A2 is a great car - holds 4 people easily, plus some luggage; very well made; looks okay for what it is; good driving position.

Since you clearly have very good taste (F1!) I had to read some reviews. The telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/first-drives/2716577/City-slicker-with-hidden-flaws.html) for example complains heavily about the ride. Would you agree?

Apologies to all for diversion.

Ride is not comfy, but it's not bad either. As has been said, you want the smaller wheels.

[flemke]

HereBeMonsters said:

Flemke, you've spoken a few times about your fondness for cycle racing, but I wonder if you're a fan of F1, and of course specifically McLaren, past and/or present.

Having just watched "Ted's Notebook" on Sky's F1 channel (interesting, though the poor chap looks like he was given the eponymous notes 10 seconds before rolling cameras) he was at the McLaren facility, where it looked like they had just finished an event showing Senna's McLaren race cars to assorted well dressed attendees. I presume this is the sort of event a valued McLaren customer would get invited to? And if so, did you go?

Just wondering if it was you I spotted in the background!

No I was not at whatever this thing was - sounds like it may have been something for their F1 sponsors or "partners".

Their F1 customers do not get invited to many things. Apart from the 2-day thingy there a few years ago (as covered extensively in evo), I cannot recall an event organised by them since the end of production.

[flemke]

Rich_W said:

Ultrasound said:

Given the references by a few on here to Eddy Merckx was wondering any members of the Velominati on here?;)

Cue a thread moving from F1s to P1s to A2s to The Cannibal on La Doyenne in 1969!

I have to admit Merckx is beyond my time. And he clearly was the best at the time. I can't help but wonder if the competition at the time was a bit weaker than it is today. Today, you can't afford to be an "all rounder" You have to specialise to something if you want to win. Climber, Trialist, Cobbled Classics, Sprinter etc As for the tech aspect. You can't unlearn things. So to compare eras you have to look at the spread of the field in a percentage to the winner imo. (At least in the events that are similar to today in terms of length and rider support. Cars with bidons, tubes, etc)

Off topic much?

I'd submit that the competition at the time was, if anything, tougher than it is today.

Although today there are riders from countries that were not represented in the peloton 40 years ago, they remain a relatively small minority.

At the same time, nowadays an athlete aspiring to a professional career has many more options that he did in the '60s and '70s, such as tennis, skiing, golf, triathlon, athletics or, even within cycling, MTB and BMX.

Unless you're an elite rider today, the pay is rubbish and you have to work your ass off for what's likely to be a short career - if you are lucky. To be sure the same drawbacks applied 40 years ago, but back then if you weren't a cyclist you would be stuck for the rest of your life in a rundown village working in a bakery or garage.

[pork911]

rj1986 said:

Also i think the marketing has been spot on for the 918 and P1 (bat the Ring lap time incident) - lots of test drives, photo ops, road tests etc. Whilst the FLF has been a bit pants, even to the point where someone posts a pic in the spotted thread, and is greeted with a chorus of "is it out yet?"

has the marketing for the 918 been spot on?

[Kolbenkopp]

shoestring7 said:

... However they are very fixable with carefully selected aftermarket items and 15" wheels which transform the car...

Yep, the ride on the launch cars was *pretty* bad, and that's reflected in most 'historic' reviews out there. They made some useful improvements to springs/dampers from 2003, but by that time most car mags had lost interest. As had most everybody else -- nobody bought the things.

Anyway, by now the youngest specimens will be 9 years old and will most likely improve markedly with a suspension refresh. The current consensus is Bilstein B6 or Koni FSD and OEM spec Spidan or H&R lowering springs. I'm still undecided what to fit to mine .

[trackdemon]

flemke said:

trackdemon said:

Seems that somebody, somehow, has got their hands on a LaF for review....

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results...

They have been delivering customers' cars since December.

Yeah I know customer cars have been in hand for a while, but doubtless they were all delivered with an agreement not to loan to press. I guess Maranello just wanted to wait for their time in the spotlight, after the others had been reviewed. Seems it's special, but then a €1.2m, 950bhp V12, <1500kg car really ought to be I suppose!

IMHO are things to like/admire about all of the new-breed hypercars, but there's just something about the P1 that appeals above the others. The fact it looks so damn good helps of course, but it strikes me as a McLaren with a sense of humour - all the engineering excellence you'd expect, jewel like quality, but a driving experience to indulge any level of driver.

Edited by trackdemon on Wednesday 30th April 02:56

[clubsport]

Good call on the A2 Flemke!

I do know quite a few A2 owners who run them alongside far more exotic machinery.

I have owned mine for the last 6 years, perfect for those rare occasions when you need 4 seats, plus you can get a Madone (US not Taiwan build) in the back with it's wheels on.

The 15" pepperpot wheels are by far the lightest available Audi fitment I have found.

I have to drive it "well" to make any decent progress,which keeps things interesting, however I don't think I have ever actually taken it out to drive for the fun of it?

With such low running costs it the perfect addition to the sportscars I prefer to drive.

[sc0tt]

Can we start a "Flemke - Is this your Derv Audi?"

That would be soooo amazing.

[roygarth]

clubsport said:

Good call on the A2 Flemke!

I do know quite a few A2 owners who run them alongside far more exotic machinery.

I have owned mine for the last 6 years, perfect for those rare occasions when you need 4 seats, plus you can get a Madone (US not Taiwan build) in the back with it's wheels on.

The 15" pepperpot wheels are by far the lightest available Audi fitment I have found.

I have to drive it "well" to make any decent progress,which keeps things interesting, however I don't think I have ever actually taken it out to drive for the fun of it?

With such low running costs it the perfect addition to the sportscars I prefer to drive.

Hi Paul

I'm running a 1992 Renault 5 (1 PO, mint, only 16k miles) alongside mine. I do get some perplexed looks from people who've seen (heard!) me in the Stradale the day before

[RenesisEvo]

R_U_LOCAL said:

This may have been acceptable 30ish years ago, but these days, Ferrari promote themselves as producers of luxury high performance cars with cutting-edge technology. The game has moved on dramatically, but there seems to be a feeling that Ferrari are getting a little bit complacent - they know people will always buy their cars, particularly their limited run hypercars, and maybe they feel they don't need to try as hard with the details as the likes of McLaren and Porsche.

It would be very easy to say yes, I agree with your point about complacency. The key supporting argument for me is the interior of the LaFerrari, compared to the likes of the F12/FF, doesn't seem much different all. More of the same incoherence and features borrowed from lesser models. You could argue perhaps they spent the money elsewhere on things that matter. You could also quite rightly say I've never sat in an LaF (have in the others though) so I can't compare. But I can't help feeling that everything about these hypercars should be unique, special, a level above - and in Ferrari's case, it doesn't seem like they put much effort into the interior - although I must emphasis I don't mean aping Pagani amounts of bling and baubles, as much as I approve of the aesthetic thought that is put into mundane engineered parts on those cars. The Aston One-77 is a good example, in my opinion, of taking a familiar cabin architecture and cranking it up a notch or two for the halo model. Why couldn't Ferrari do the same?

You could also level a similar criticism at the 918 and P1; the P1 is very reminiscent of the 12C, but is F40-like in its focus, and at least has an agenda. The 918 I'm afraid strikes me as a tarted-up 911 cabin born out of necessity, with a few throwbacks to the CGT, and again, that just doesn't feel like enough for this type of car. But I'd be happy to change my opinion after some actual exposure.

[flemke]

RenesisEvo said:

R_U_LOCAL said:

This may have been acceptable 30ish years ago, but these days, Ferrari promote themselves as producers of luxury high performance cars with cutting-edge technology. The game has moved on dramatically, but there seems to be a feeling that Ferrari are getting a little bit complacent - they know people will always buy their cars, particularly their limited run hypercars, and maybe they feel they don't need to try as hard with the details as the likes of McLaren and Porsche.

It would be very easy to say yes, I agree with your point about complacency. The key supporting argument for me is the interior of the LaFerrari, compared to the likes of the F12/FF, doesn't seem much different all. More of the same incoherence and features borrowed from lesser models. You could argue perhaps they spent the money elsewhere on things that matter. You could also quite rightly say I've never sat in an LaF (have in the others though) so I can't compare. But I can't help feeling that everything about these hypercars should be unique, special, a level above - and in Ferrari's case, it doesn't seem like they put much effort into the interior - although I must emphasis I don't mean aping Pagani amounts of bling and baubles, as much as I approve of the aesthetic thought that is put into mundane engineered parts on those cars. The Aston One-77 is a good example, in my opinion, of taking a familiar cabin architecture and cranking it up a notch or two for the halo model. Why couldn't Ferrari do the same?

You could also level a similar criticism at the 918 and P1; the P1 is very reminiscent of the 12C, but is F40-like in its focus, and at least has an agenda. The 918 I'm afraid strikes me as a tarted-up 911 cabin born out of necessity, with a few throwbacks to the CGT, and again, that just doesn't feel like enough for this type of car. But I'd be happy to change my opinion after some actual exposure.

Wrt continuing, rejuvenating, or discarding and entirely replacing an established interior design, would the way forward not depend on how good the original was?

This was nothing special:



so it is not surprising that its first cousin was nothing special:



If Porsche and Ferrari had the balls to carry on with an older but timeless design:





and simply modernise it only where necessary, we might have some more decent interiors.