2 days, 2 cars, no motorways and 800 miles…
Discussion
Planning. I needed to do a lot of planning.
Ahead of me lay a weekend with 2 cars, no distractions and potentially some horrendous fuel bills. Being an ecurie25 member for many years brings extra benefits sometimes and this weekend was one of those benefits. You see, having locations all around the country they occasionally need to swap cars between locations, which means employing a driver to do this task and this doesn’t make sense when they have petrolhead members beating down the garage door to get their hands on the cars.
So I got a call which went something like this – “Hello, do you fancy driving an Audi R8 up to Leeds, swapping it for a 911 GT3 and driving it back over a weekend?”
Hmmm, let me just think about that for a second…….. Yes!
As I said, this needed planning. I worked out that I was going to drive from Brentwood up to my folks in North Cheshire via North Wales on the first day, then across the Peaks to Leeds in the morning and back down to Brentwood in the afternoon. I needed Google Maps. After some fevered clicking I devised a route between all my destinations which avoided every single motorway in the UK. Not one stretch of 3-laner was to be driven on, I wanted pure driving pleasure over this weekend.
So it was a bright and sunny Saturday morning when I walked out of the house with an overnight bag and the keys to an Audi R8. Now for me, this R8 is rather special. Special because it has a funny little metal stick protruding from the centre console and 3 pedals in the footwell - an increasing rarity these days - this V8 powered sports car was a manual. It was also sporting one of my personal favourite colour schemes of dark metallic grey outside, and tan leather inside - utterly gorgeous. A lot has been said negatively about the R8’s styling, and some of it is valid. From some angles the shapes and overhangs look a little awkward, like dead side-on. But from other angles like the front ¾ it is a stunning looking car. It may be 5 years old now, but the R8 still turns heads as much as any Lamborghini or Ferrari despite costing half the amount.
As I approach the R8 I get the usual pre-teen coming up and asking “How much is it? What’ll it do?” etc, but he’s quickly (and politely) dismissed – I have a plan and I’m going to stick to it. The first leg of the journey is up to Stansted to pay a visit to Hilton & Moss classic cars. I know a couple of the chaps who work there and they always have a great selection of classics to drool over. So open the door, gaze lovingly over the tan leather briefly, then slip into the seat. Ah yes, familiar Audi in here, but all the better for it with everything falling perfectly to hand and every switch and dial working with millimetric precision. Turn the key and…. oh. Is it on? There is a 4.2 V8 behind me isn’t there?
Hmmm, this isn’t good. I’d forgotten that the R8 isn’t particularly vocal with its standard exhaust. The last one I drove had a Milltek exhaust and was utterly rude and better for it. Still, with the windows down the first time I run it through the revs you can hear that delicious V8 burble turn into a rasp onto a sonorous wail so I can’t complain. When I drove the R-Tronic version of the R8 V8 I was disappointed with the performance a little, but somehow the manual feels quicker. Maybe it’s because I feel more connected, more like I’m part of the machine, but either way it certainly feels like this R8 has more to give. After ogling some very nice classics at Hilton & Moss I hit the road for my trek up north. I won’t bore with the details, but my journey took me past Gloucester, into the heart of Wales then up to Chester via some of the most incredible twisty and challenging roads I’ve ever driven. I’m sure they are used by evo magazine regularly, and I can see why.
I was very happy with my choice of transport , too. The manual gearbox totally transforms the feel of the R8 for me, being able to heel and toe through the downshifts, snicking the gearlever through its metal gate, it all comes together to make a seriously addictive drive. The balance through the long sweeping corners was amazing, the R8 not getting upset by small undulations or the odd break in the road surface. On the tight twisty turns the grip levels were astounding, and the feel through the steering wheel very un-Audi-like and full of information. By the time I got to my overnight stop in Cheshire I was exhausted but felt utterly alive. Certainly one of the best drives of my life (so far).
One which forced me to rethink my plans. Initially I was going to head over Leeds in the morning and then drive a more direct (but still motorway-free) route back south. But I was going to be driving one of the most acclaimed driver’s cars of recent times, so it deserved the best roads. So I made the decision there and then to retrace my route back the next day. Wow, it was going to be a long one.
Up bright and early the next morning, I fired the R8 up and set off across the Peak District via some utterly fantastic roads which I know very well (and some I like to keep a little secret), and arrived at my destination in Leeds. Pulling in through the gates I see the familiar shape of a white Gen 1 Porsche 997 GT3 in front of me. I love that shape. This car looks so purposeful, so poised you can’t help but grin whenever you look at it. It begs to be driven hard. The rear spoiler, the extra bonnet vents, the sexiest alloys to go on a car for many a year, the lowered suspension, even the white paint all lend it the look of a race car that has just pulled into the pits and had its numbers removed.
I’ve driven this particular GT3 once before, but it was a while ago. After the handover I open door and look in – ah yes, this GT3 has Carbon buckets. No ‘comfort pack’ here. So I lever myself in and squeeze into the seat – at 6ft 3 and 14st this is not an easy task let me tell you – I think I must be particularly wide of hip as well, as I was so firmly wedged in there that I could’ve flipped the GT3 onto its roof with no seatbelts on and I doubt I’d have moved one inch.
Twist that familiar Porsche key and the glorious 3.6 litre flat six barks into life, settling to that uneasy lumpy idle which lets you know that this is no ordinary engine. A quick blip of the throttle reminds me that there is almost no hesitation, this powerplant flicks through the revband and back down with lightning speed. Again, being a GT3 there is a lovely alcantara gearstick next to me, weighty in action but very precise. A hefty clutch pedal sits beneath my size 12 shoe, and I’m glad I brought my driving shoes as it’s rather tight in that pedal box.
Out onto the open road the first time I’d also forgotten how firm the ride is at low speed. On the roads around rural Leeds I was really wishing for a little more padding in the seat, but after a while I slapped myself and told myself to stop being a big girl – this is a proper driver’s car and I needed to get my head in the game. So, back over the Peaks first. Oh my God, this thing is fast. First bit of dual carriageway I find, I stick it into 3rd, floor it and my world erupts into an explosion of noise and motion. There isn’t much go low down, but as the revs rise you feel the pressure on your internal organs start to grow, and your ears become acutely aware that they’re about to be in for some abuse.
The noise as the GT3 gets going is something that should be experienced by every living petrolhead before we all end up driving silent electric vehicles. The bassy rumble which turns into a deep thrum, then disappears for split second, to be replaced by a howl and as the revs rise yet more a ferocious wail which fills your ears and wakes you from the siren’s call so you can snatch another gear and start it all over again. The Gt3 really picks up speed at those revs, too – as your upper torso is pinned into the seat and you struggle to keep hold of the wheel. I’ve not driven the Gen 2 3.8 GT3, but it must be amazing – and the 4.0 RS simply breathtaking. That day I made it one of my ‘Things to do before you die’ to drive a 4.0 RS on the best road I can find, and God help the man who tries to stop me doing it.
There is a purity to the GT3’s steering which has to be experienced to be believed – every millimetre of turn is directly translated to the road, and similarly every single bit of information from the tyres is fed back instantly to the driver. The throttle response is instantaneous, the gearbox impossibly precise, everything works together in perfect harmony.
The next few hours are a bit of a blur to me if I’m honest. I drove the GT3 on the edge of adhesion and beyond, down every twist, turn, camber change and open straight I could find and by the time I got to the edges of the Brecon Beacons I had to stop and have some food and Red Bull. I was utterly drained of all energy yet was buzzing inside - I knew I had to get home, but I also knew that the best roads were behind me now, sure there are some good roads on the way back but none like the ones I’d just left smeared in rubber and un-burnt V-Power. So after lunch I steered the GT3 back to Brentwood and parked up. I had bruised hips and ribs from the seats, was tired and sweaty, but by God I felt alive. I looked at the trip computer and had done just over 800 miles in 2 days, in two of the best cars I could imagine. I slept well that night.
Over breakfast the next day I pondered which car I would take if I had to buy one - after all, both are available for around £60,000 second hand. It wasn’t a hard choice though. If it had to be my only car to drive every day, it would be a manual V8 R8. So easy to drive, yet a brilliant steer when pressing on, with Audi reliability and usability thrown in. I can’t think of a better all-rounder.
But if I had another car to do the normal journeys and wanted a car purely for those special days – the GT3 takes it every time. So pure is the driving experience, so astounding the powertrain that it would lift the spirits of even the most determined manic depressive.
It was a very, very good weekend. Now, about those fuel bills…
Ahead of me lay a weekend with 2 cars, no distractions and potentially some horrendous fuel bills. Being an ecurie25 member for many years brings extra benefits sometimes and this weekend was one of those benefits. You see, having locations all around the country they occasionally need to swap cars between locations, which means employing a driver to do this task and this doesn’t make sense when they have petrolhead members beating down the garage door to get their hands on the cars.
So I got a call which went something like this – “Hello, do you fancy driving an Audi R8 up to Leeds, swapping it for a 911 GT3 and driving it back over a weekend?”
Hmmm, let me just think about that for a second…….. Yes!
As I said, this needed planning. I worked out that I was going to drive from Brentwood up to my folks in North Cheshire via North Wales on the first day, then across the Peaks to Leeds in the morning and back down to Brentwood in the afternoon. I needed Google Maps. After some fevered clicking I devised a route between all my destinations which avoided every single motorway in the UK. Not one stretch of 3-laner was to be driven on, I wanted pure driving pleasure over this weekend.
So it was a bright and sunny Saturday morning when I walked out of the house with an overnight bag and the keys to an Audi R8. Now for me, this R8 is rather special. Special because it has a funny little metal stick protruding from the centre console and 3 pedals in the footwell - an increasing rarity these days - this V8 powered sports car was a manual. It was also sporting one of my personal favourite colour schemes of dark metallic grey outside, and tan leather inside - utterly gorgeous. A lot has been said negatively about the R8’s styling, and some of it is valid. From some angles the shapes and overhangs look a little awkward, like dead side-on. But from other angles like the front ¾ it is a stunning looking car. It may be 5 years old now, but the R8 still turns heads as much as any Lamborghini or Ferrari despite costing half the amount.
As I approach the R8 I get the usual pre-teen coming up and asking “How much is it? What’ll it do?” etc, but he’s quickly (and politely) dismissed – I have a plan and I’m going to stick to it. The first leg of the journey is up to Stansted to pay a visit to Hilton & Moss classic cars. I know a couple of the chaps who work there and they always have a great selection of classics to drool over. So open the door, gaze lovingly over the tan leather briefly, then slip into the seat. Ah yes, familiar Audi in here, but all the better for it with everything falling perfectly to hand and every switch and dial working with millimetric precision. Turn the key and…. oh. Is it on? There is a 4.2 V8 behind me isn’t there?
Hmmm, this isn’t good. I’d forgotten that the R8 isn’t particularly vocal with its standard exhaust. The last one I drove had a Milltek exhaust and was utterly rude and better for it. Still, with the windows down the first time I run it through the revs you can hear that delicious V8 burble turn into a rasp onto a sonorous wail so I can’t complain. When I drove the R-Tronic version of the R8 V8 I was disappointed with the performance a little, but somehow the manual feels quicker. Maybe it’s because I feel more connected, more like I’m part of the machine, but either way it certainly feels like this R8 has more to give. After ogling some very nice classics at Hilton & Moss I hit the road for my trek up north. I won’t bore with the details, but my journey took me past Gloucester, into the heart of Wales then up to Chester via some of the most incredible twisty and challenging roads I’ve ever driven. I’m sure they are used by evo magazine regularly, and I can see why.
I was very happy with my choice of transport , too. The manual gearbox totally transforms the feel of the R8 for me, being able to heel and toe through the downshifts, snicking the gearlever through its metal gate, it all comes together to make a seriously addictive drive. The balance through the long sweeping corners was amazing, the R8 not getting upset by small undulations or the odd break in the road surface. On the tight twisty turns the grip levels were astounding, and the feel through the steering wheel very un-Audi-like and full of information. By the time I got to my overnight stop in Cheshire I was exhausted but felt utterly alive. Certainly one of the best drives of my life (so far).
One which forced me to rethink my plans. Initially I was going to head over Leeds in the morning and then drive a more direct (but still motorway-free) route back south. But I was going to be driving one of the most acclaimed driver’s cars of recent times, so it deserved the best roads. So I made the decision there and then to retrace my route back the next day. Wow, it was going to be a long one.
Up bright and early the next morning, I fired the R8 up and set off across the Peak District via some utterly fantastic roads which I know very well (and some I like to keep a little secret), and arrived at my destination in Leeds. Pulling in through the gates I see the familiar shape of a white Gen 1 Porsche 997 GT3 in front of me. I love that shape. This car looks so purposeful, so poised you can’t help but grin whenever you look at it. It begs to be driven hard. The rear spoiler, the extra bonnet vents, the sexiest alloys to go on a car for many a year, the lowered suspension, even the white paint all lend it the look of a race car that has just pulled into the pits and had its numbers removed.
I’ve driven this particular GT3 once before, but it was a while ago. After the handover I open door and look in – ah yes, this GT3 has Carbon buckets. No ‘comfort pack’ here. So I lever myself in and squeeze into the seat – at 6ft 3 and 14st this is not an easy task let me tell you – I think I must be particularly wide of hip as well, as I was so firmly wedged in there that I could’ve flipped the GT3 onto its roof with no seatbelts on and I doubt I’d have moved one inch.
Twist that familiar Porsche key and the glorious 3.6 litre flat six barks into life, settling to that uneasy lumpy idle which lets you know that this is no ordinary engine. A quick blip of the throttle reminds me that there is almost no hesitation, this powerplant flicks through the revband and back down with lightning speed. Again, being a GT3 there is a lovely alcantara gearstick next to me, weighty in action but very precise. A hefty clutch pedal sits beneath my size 12 shoe, and I’m glad I brought my driving shoes as it’s rather tight in that pedal box.
Out onto the open road the first time I’d also forgotten how firm the ride is at low speed. On the roads around rural Leeds I was really wishing for a little more padding in the seat, but after a while I slapped myself and told myself to stop being a big girl – this is a proper driver’s car and I needed to get my head in the game. So, back over the Peaks first. Oh my God, this thing is fast. First bit of dual carriageway I find, I stick it into 3rd, floor it and my world erupts into an explosion of noise and motion. There isn’t much go low down, but as the revs rise you feel the pressure on your internal organs start to grow, and your ears become acutely aware that they’re about to be in for some abuse.
The noise as the GT3 gets going is something that should be experienced by every living petrolhead before we all end up driving silent electric vehicles. The bassy rumble which turns into a deep thrum, then disappears for split second, to be replaced by a howl and as the revs rise yet more a ferocious wail which fills your ears and wakes you from the siren’s call so you can snatch another gear and start it all over again. The Gt3 really picks up speed at those revs, too – as your upper torso is pinned into the seat and you struggle to keep hold of the wheel. I’ve not driven the Gen 2 3.8 GT3, but it must be amazing – and the 4.0 RS simply breathtaking. That day I made it one of my ‘Things to do before you die’ to drive a 4.0 RS on the best road I can find, and God help the man who tries to stop me doing it.
There is a purity to the GT3’s steering which has to be experienced to be believed – every millimetre of turn is directly translated to the road, and similarly every single bit of information from the tyres is fed back instantly to the driver. The throttle response is instantaneous, the gearbox impossibly precise, everything works together in perfect harmony.
The next few hours are a bit of a blur to me if I’m honest. I drove the GT3 on the edge of adhesion and beyond, down every twist, turn, camber change and open straight I could find and by the time I got to the edges of the Brecon Beacons I had to stop and have some food and Red Bull. I was utterly drained of all energy yet was buzzing inside - I knew I had to get home, but I also knew that the best roads were behind me now, sure there are some good roads on the way back but none like the ones I’d just left smeared in rubber and un-burnt V-Power. So after lunch I steered the GT3 back to Brentwood and parked up. I had bruised hips and ribs from the seats, was tired and sweaty, but by God I felt alive. I looked at the trip computer and had done just over 800 miles in 2 days, in two of the best cars I could imagine. I slept well that night.
Over breakfast the next day I pondered which car I would take if I had to buy one - after all, both are available for around £60,000 second hand. It wasn’t a hard choice though. If it had to be my only car to drive every day, it would be a manual V8 R8. So easy to drive, yet a brilliant steer when pressing on, with Audi reliability and usability thrown in. I can’t think of a better all-rounder.
But if I had another car to do the normal journeys and wanted a car purely for those special days – the GT3 takes it every time. So pure is the driving experience, so astounding the powertrain that it would lift the spirits of even the most determined manic depressive.
It was a very, very good weekend. Now, about those fuel bills…
Edited by Beefmeister on Thursday 11th August 13:13
I was gonna say, £300 sounds like a bargain to me. Especially for what sounded like a 2-day track experience. Lol
Yet another fantastic write up Beefy, you should definitely pursue it as maybe a 'sideline' career?
Actually felt like I was there. Truely hope i get to experience the gt3 like you were saying.
Yet another fantastic write up Beefy, you should definitely pursue it as maybe a 'sideline' career?
Actually felt like I was there. Truely hope i get to experience the gt3 like you were saying.
I know this is dredging up an old thread Beef but I had to comment and say absolutely lovely write-up. I was amazed at how well a 'normal' person could write but then i clicked your profile and saw that you're a car journo. Amazing trip and if I ever get a GT3 I'll have to do it someday
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