Another solo trip into Europe.
Discussion
Time for another one of these.
Same car as last year, I really must get rid of this old snotter!
And the same guitar setup:
This little Tele is really easy to drag around Europe, it's light and very quite when I'm playing in hotel rooms. Inside the headphones it sounds like Angus Young at Wembley but the guitar itself just makes a pitiful plinking noise!
At a hotel in Folkestone now, leaving on an early crossing. Staying near Strassburg the first couple of nights then pushing into Germany.
Got some very nice hotels in picturesque places lined up.
Will try to document anything interesting and spot any worthy machinery.
If it gets too boring tell me to shut up.
Same car as last year, I really must get rid of this old snotter!
And the same guitar setup:
This little Tele is really easy to drag around Europe, it's light and very quite when I'm playing in hotel rooms. Inside the headphones it sounds like Angus Young at Wembley but the guitar itself just makes a pitiful plinking noise!
At a hotel in Folkestone now, leaving on an early crossing. Staying near Strassburg the first couple of nights then pushing into Germany.
Got some very nice hotels in picturesque places lined up.
Will try to document anything interesting and spot any worthy machinery.
If it gets too boring tell me to shut up.
AndrewEH1 said:
e12mat said:
Brad,
Just read 2013 and 2015 start to finish. . . . . . . . One word, fantastic
Sorry to bring it up but the service station bin and the 9% vol Heineken stand in were hilarious!
Links? Just read 2013 and 2015 start to finish. . . . . . . . One word, fantastic
Sorry to bring it up but the service station bin and the 9% vol Heineken stand in were hilarious!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
On Eurotunnel now, got a longish drive down to the first stop at Phalsbourg where I've got a Blue Elephant bookmarked. Get the car washed then about another half hour onto the hotel.
Saw this beauty in the car park this morning:
Used to own one of them so always love seeing them out and about.
Difficult to see from this angle but it looks like it's riding high, is this a thing people do with 928's now or am I mistaken?
Impasse said:
Swampy1982 said:
Somethings not quite right with your paint work... looks like runny wax.... 
Hats off to all the detailers out there, it's way harder than it looks to do it properly.
Got a very early train over yesterday.
Bloke on the train said excitedly "Is that an MP4!"
I said no its a 650S, he said - much less ecxitedly - "Oh, it's still alright though".
Long drive down, there were lots of Road works which is unusual for French toll roads. Took 5 and a half hours to reach the Blue Elephant at Phalsbourg. I was knackered by then but didn't fancy getting back on the Motorway so I found a route through the Vosges du Nord Natural Park, taking the D178 and then the D135 to Winger sur Moder.
These roads are why I love to drive in France. Belting through forests and rolling fields with long uninterrupted straights, sweeping bends and a few very tight hairpins with big unprotected drops! The sun blazing down and there's nothing else about.
This car accelerates so rapidly that you can have immense fun while only endangering yourself.
I have the phone mounted on a spiderpodium on the dash for the satnav and the camera points through the windscreen so at one point I did a bit of filming. Playing it back the car sounds glorious, I didn't really think about it at the time but I'm proper banging it down through the gears to get maximum power all the time. I won't be posting it up!
You back off for a few picturesque villages then there was a very fast stretch of really quite road where I struck lucky (not sure where I was at this point, still in the park somewhere).
I came up to a set of lights leaving a village and was behind a big sport bike. He clocked me and was nodding his head and then took off like a bat out of hell! He knew the roads well and was absolutely hammering it, I just had to trust him and hang on. This car will keep up with big bikes and corner better so he couldn't lose me but f
k it was hairy. A couple of times he got a hundred yards on me because I just lost my bottle.
We only passed one car coming the other way (which he slowed right down for) and we had to overtake a couple of dawdlers. And he wasn't waiting for me, as soon as he overtook he was away and I had to chase hard.
I suppose either one of us could have ended up in a tree but christ it was fun! He turned off with a wave eventually and I let my heart rate slow down.
Need to spread the posts.
Bloke on the train said excitedly "Is that an MP4!"
I said no its a 650S, he said - much less ecxitedly - "Oh, it's still alright though".
Long drive down, there were lots of Road works which is unusual for French toll roads. Took 5 and a half hours to reach the Blue Elephant at Phalsbourg. I was knackered by then but didn't fancy getting back on the Motorway so I found a route through the Vosges du Nord Natural Park, taking the D178 and then the D135 to Winger sur Moder.
These roads are why I love to drive in France. Belting through forests and rolling fields with long uninterrupted straights, sweeping bends and a few very tight hairpins with big unprotected drops! The sun blazing down and there's nothing else about.
This car accelerates so rapidly that you can have immense fun while only endangering yourself.
I have the phone mounted on a spiderpodium on the dash for the satnav and the camera points through the windscreen so at one point I did a bit of filming. Playing it back the car sounds glorious, I didn't really think about it at the time but I'm proper banging it down through the gears to get maximum power all the time. I won't be posting it up!
You back off for a few picturesque villages then there was a very fast stretch of really quite road where I struck lucky (not sure where I was at this point, still in the park somewhere).
I came up to a set of lights leaving a village and was behind a big sport bike. He clocked me and was nodding his head and then took off like a bat out of hell! He knew the roads well and was absolutely hammering it, I just had to trust him and hang on. This car will keep up with big bikes and corner better so he couldn't lose me but f
k it was hairy. A couple of times he got a hundred yards on me because I just lost my bottle. We only passed one car coming the other way (which he slowed right down for) and we had to overtake a couple of dawdlers. And he wasn't waiting for me, as soon as he overtook he was away and I had to chase hard.
I suppose either one of us could have ended up in a tree but christ it was fun! He turned off with a wave eventually and I let my heart rate slow down.
Need to spread the posts.
Arrived at the first hotel near the German/French border and was frankly disappointed, it lovely and all that with a spa and a pool but they were less than honest about secure parking. It was basically just spaces painted on the pavement outside. I was booked here for 2 nights but decided to leave on the first morning, just wasn't my cup of tea.
I like a nice hotel but this place was a bit weird, look at the bath next to the bed:
And the toilet only had 2 little tile lights:
The camera actually lightened it, it was fking black in there! It might be very fashionable but I don't really want to take a st in the dark.
I checked out early in the morning and when I started loading the car a young boy and his mum got out of a car nearby (he was asleep! God knows how long they'd been there) and he said "I'm a Supercar spotter and I saw you arrive yesterday and wanted to film you driving off"!
His mum was very nice and said he was a bit obsessed and hoped I didn't mind. He asked if he could post it up, so that's on twitter or something.
I drove to Baden-Baden, which is a brilliant place if you are ever touring down here, and booked a room at The Brenners Park,a really nice hotel.
Went for a spin around the area and visited some gardens and when I came back this beauty was behind me:
And what's this all about? Had them on both front arches:
In the town I saw a Roller (I think) on Dubai plates with a nasty dig!
Then I headed for the hotel.
I like a nice hotel but this place was a bit weird, look at the bath next to the bed:
And the toilet only had 2 little tile lights:
The camera actually lightened it, it was f
king black in there! It might be very fashionable but I don't really want to take a st in the dark. I checked out early in the morning and when I started loading the car a young boy and his mum got out of a car nearby (he was asleep! God knows how long they'd been there) and he said "I'm a Supercar spotter and I saw you arrive yesterday and wanted to film you driving off"!
His mum was very nice and said he was a bit obsessed and hoped I didn't mind. He asked if he could post it up, so that's on twitter or something.
I drove to Baden-Baden, which is a brilliant place if you are ever touring down here, and booked a room at The Brenners Park,a really nice hotel.
Went for a spin around the area and visited some gardens and when I came back this beauty was behind me:
And what's this all about? Had them on both front arches:
In the town I saw a Roller (I think) on Dubai plates with a nasty dig!
Then I headed for the hotel.
This hotel is a proper gaff!
I really can't recommend it highly enough if your down here. I've stayed in Baden-Baden a couple of times but didn't know this place, it's fantastic.
This is a proper bathroom!
There are more towels than you could shake your Dad at and nothing is too much trouble for the staff.
The Valet asked if I could park my own car as he wasn't sure of it, which was honest of him, the car park is underground and huge, a few things in there:
You're guess is as good as mine, all these people must have flown somewhere cold for the summer.
A nice Landy:
And a bit of German metal obviously:
The gym and pool in this place is fabulous:
That's only half of it, I felt a bit stupid taking pictures.
The pool is huge, you go upstairs and there is a monitor on the desk, I could see that there was no one in there, great I thought, all to myself.
You enter through some big soundproofed doors and I looked down to the other end which is a huge glass wall with a couple of high doors opening onto a small patio, I could see there wasn't anybody down there.
I jumped in and swam about a bit and noticed the reverb. It sits in a very high marbled room and every little noise echoes. I started slapping the water first, then moved on to making some of those noises you make in your throat that can't be spelled.
I'm going "Hwue Hwue Hwue" and "Ipp Ipp Ipp" really hitting the p's.
Even a bit of barking "Rhuf Rhuf Rhuf". It made a fantastic sound bouncing off all the surfaces.
I was looking nervously over my shoulder during this to make sure nobody was coming up those stairs.
Then I got out of the pool at the other end and realised that there is a green beyond the patio, just out of view from the pool where about 12 Germans were laying on sun loungers.
I got some very odd looks.
I'm now in the very posh hotel bar drinking brandies in a shirt that badly needs ironing. This is bothering me less as I drink more.
I really can't recommend it highly enough if your down here. I've stayed in Baden-Baden a couple of times but didn't know this place, it's fantastic.
This is a proper bathroom!
There are more towels than you could shake your Dad at and nothing is too much trouble for the staff.
The Valet asked if I could park my own car as he wasn't sure of it, which was honest of him, the car park is underground and huge, a few things in there:
You're guess is as good as mine, all these people must have flown somewhere cold for the summer.
A nice Landy:
And a bit of German metal obviously:
The gym and pool in this place is fabulous:
That's only half of it, I felt a bit stupid taking pictures.
The pool is huge, you go upstairs and there is a monitor on the desk, I could see that there was no one in there, great I thought, all to myself.
You enter through some big soundproofed doors and I looked down to the other end which is a huge glass wall with a couple of high doors opening onto a small patio, I could see there wasn't anybody down there.
I jumped in and swam about a bit and noticed the reverb. It sits in a very high marbled room and every little noise echoes. I started slapping the water first, then moved on to making some of those noises you make in your throat that can't be spelled.
I'm going "Hwue Hwue Hwue" and "Ipp Ipp Ipp" really hitting the p's.
Even a bit of barking "Rhuf Rhuf Rhuf". It made a fantastic sound bouncing off all the surfaces.
I was looking nervously over my shoulder during this to make sure nobody was coming up those stairs.
Then I got out of the pool at the other end and realised that there is a green beyond the patio, just out of view from the pool where about 12 Germans were laying on sun loungers.
I got some very odd looks.
I'm now in the very posh hotel bar drinking brandies in a shirt that badly needs ironing. This is bothering me less as I drink more.
m3jappa said:
Awesome! I'm desperate to do another euro trip, just makes our country look silly,
Oh and the pool bit wtf that's brilliant, sounds like the sort of thing I'd do, also sounds a bit mr bean esqe, and he drives a mclaren, your not mr bean are you?
Actually I'm not that far off! Oh and the pool bit
wtf that's brilliant, sounds like the sort of thing I'd do, also sounds a bit mr bean esqe, and he drives a mclaren, your not mr bean are you? Big nosed git with a sunken chest and a McLaren, that about nails it!
Left Baden-Baden and drove up to Heidleburg, stayed in the Marriot on the River which was nice. Car Park was a nightmare, obviously I'm sitting on the wrong side for the ticket machine and there wasn't room for me to get out and walk round so I had to take Maximillian, one of the porters with me when I left or returned. I'd give him a little drink each time, he had a good racket going, waiting to pounce every time I came out of the lift!
Visited the Castle and the old town, all good.
Been trying to drink less on this trip than normal so I'm going to the gym rather than the bar.
Walked into the gym at the Marriot and there was a big roidy bloke in there, nobody else. He clearly didn't like the fact that he was now sharing with me and started smashing down all his dumbells and glaring at me. I was a little intimidated initially and then I just thought fk him.
I did a bit of cardio then I started deliberately sitting on the benches and machines next to him. He started getting ridiculously loud "Hurr!!!" Smash! Glare! "Hurr!!!" Glare! Smash!
Each time he crashed down his 40K dumbells I shouted something unintelligible and slammed down my little cotton reel weight ones.
I took this sneaky pic of him:
Obviously he's not the skinny geek in the foreground, that's me, he's the meathead at the back, you have to use perspective:
Holiday by Madonna came on my phone so I started doing a little ghey, hipswingy dance in between my sets. You could see his veins throbbing then.
And then another bloke came in and went on a treadmill which seemed to be the last straw for roidy cos he stormed out.
Visited the Castle and the old town, all good.
Been trying to drink less on this trip than normal so I'm going to the gym rather than the bar.
Walked into the gym at the Marriot and there was a big roidy bloke in there, nobody else. He clearly didn't like the fact that he was now sharing with me and started smashing down all his dumbells and glaring at me. I was a little intimidated initially and then I just thought f
k him. I did a bit of cardio then I started deliberately sitting on the benches and machines next to him. He started getting ridiculously loud "Hurr!!!" Smash! Glare! "Hurr!!!" Glare! Smash!
Each time he crashed down his 40K dumbells I shouted something unintelligible and slammed down my little cotton reel weight ones.
I took this sneaky pic of him:
Obviously he's not the skinny geek in the foreground, that's me, he's the meathead at the back, you have to use perspective:
Holiday by Madonna came on my phone so I started doing a little ghey, hipswingy dance in between my sets. You could see his veins throbbing then.
And then another bloke came in and went on a treadmill which seemed to be the last straw for roidy cos he stormed out.
I'm staying at a hotel near Hammelburg now, the journey up here was great, three quarters unrestricted Autobahn and the rest a really fast forest road.
I've driven the Autobahns before but they always take a bit of getting used to. You'll be in the middle lane passing all the lorries at about 95mph and German fastbacks are hammering past on your left.
I saw some brilliant driving. Two estates (Merc and Audi I think) came barrelling passed, they must have been doing 130 and pretty close together when a much slower car ahead moved into the fast lane. They both just instantly switched into the middle, passed him and then moved back out again, didn't even dab the brakes.
I presume the Germans really are ubermensch because Brake are very clear that if you drive at 80mph you'll be killing children with every mile, I really can't imagine how hundreds of thousands of Germans can drive like this without decimating their population.
Can only be magic.
Second part was on the 26 and 27. The 27 is a fantastic road, I was following a suicidal 206 that just drove flat out the whole way and overtook everything in his path. If German drivers see that you want to overtake they actually will leave a gap for you to drop in to, it's so refreshing.
Did this last night:
Which in guitar playing terms is a disaster.
fk my life.
I've driven the Autobahns before but they always take a bit of getting used to. You'll be in the middle lane passing all the lorries at about 95mph and German fastbacks are hammering past on your left.
I saw some brilliant driving. Two estates (Merc and Audi I think) came barrelling passed, they must have been doing 130 and pretty close together when a much slower car ahead moved into the fast lane. They both just instantly switched into the middle, passed him and then moved back out again, didn't even dab the brakes.
I presume the Germans really are ubermensch because Brake are very clear that if you drive at 80mph you'll be killing children with every mile, I really can't imagine how hundreds of thousands of Germans can drive like this without decimating their population.
Can only be magic.
Second part was on the 26 and 27. The 27 is a fantastic road, I was following a suicidal 206 that just drove flat out the whole way and overtook everything in his path. If German drivers see that you want to overtake they actually will leave a gap for you to drop in to, it's so refreshing.
Did this last night:
Which in guitar playing terms is a disaster.
f
k my life. 
The whole basement is a sauna complex. It has everything, loads of different rooms, showers, baths, plunge pools and those ice rooms.
I went down shortly after I got here and it was completely deserted. I went into one of the saunas and I'm minding my own business when 2 fit, early 30's woman looked in through the glass door and then stepped away. I wasn't sure if I was sitting in a female only sauna or something so I came out and said "Sorry am I in the wrong section?"
"No its okay, it is mixed here in Germany".
I turn round and go back in and the pair of them step out of their swimming costumes and come in!
I know I know this sort of thing shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone but I really wasn't expecting it and just looked in the other direction gormlessly.
"We also go nakd in Germany" (she said it like 'baked' but with an N).
I left and went in the Dampfbad (steam room) and just felt a bit silly, it's just not a big deal to them at all but it felt very odd to me.
Think I'll stick to the gym.
When I checked in the guy asked if I'd like to have dinner there tonight, I thought why not I'm too tired to drive out so I booked a table after the Germany game.
Now I want to make it clear here that I'm not a flash bd and I get very embarrassed if I'm put in the centre of attention, however I get asked a lot on these trips "What band are you in?" or "Do I know your music?"
Think about it, I pull up in these hotels in the Supercar, get out and immediately unload a guitar, I'm also a weird looking git with a ponytail and I can see people staring at me.
When I got to this one today there were loads of people out on Sun loungers and sitting in the courtyard watching me unload.
Now I'm in Waste Disposal and proud of it, I'll happily tell anyone who asks I'm basically a dustman, I don't put anything on but people are inquisitive.
So I go up to the restaurant and the bloke sees me to a table, I'm regretting this already. The restaurant is very posh, it's in a U shape and he leads me to the only empty table right at the base of the U if you see what I mean. He pulls the chair out on the far side of the table and I sit down facing a completely full restaurant with everybody staring at me.
Every single table has 2 or 4 people at it except me. I asked earlier if they did veggie food and the guy now loudly makes a big deal of this:
"We've prepared you a special vegetarian menu this evening sir and the chef hopes you enjoy it"
Which is lovely, I appreciate it, but this is Germany and the Germans would put bacon in their tap water if they could find a way so they stare at me even harder.
Then he says "Are you staying long?"
So I just start blathering to cover my self consciousness "Just 3 days actually, I got here today and I'll be leaving on the..."
He's pointing at the empty chair and he goes "No, I said are you staying alone?"
fk!
"Yes yes I'm staying alone"
He clears away the other stuff.
Some people have gone back to their food but others are still staring, I think "Just eat the food and get the fk out of here!"
All I can do is stare down at the table or straight out into the puzzled faces. It's excruciating.
Then he takes an age and when he finally comes back its with a little glass dish, he says "The chef thought you might like to try this small speciality".
Oh christ they are going to drag this right out!
I just ate everything in double time, tipped the waitress and got out mumbling good night to the other diners.
So this is another place that people think I'm a weird.
I walked into the grounds down to the river so I could fart, found a little bench and watched the sunset:
It really is beautiful here.
I went down shortly after I got here and it was completely deserted. I went into one of the saunas and I'm minding my own business when 2 fit, early 30's woman looked in through the glass door and then stepped away. I wasn't sure if I was sitting in a female only sauna or something so I came out and said "Sorry am I in the wrong section?"
"No its okay, it is mixed here in Germany".
I turn round and go back in and the pair of them step out of their swimming costumes and come in!
I know I know this sort of thing shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone but I really wasn't expecting it and just looked in the other direction gormlessly.
"We also go nakd in Germany" (she said it like 'baked' but with an N).
I left and went in the Dampfbad (steam room) and just felt a bit silly, it's just not a big deal to them at all but it felt very odd to me.
Think I'll stick to the gym.
When I checked in the guy asked if I'd like to have dinner there tonight, I thought why not I'm too tired to drive out so I booked a table after the Germany game.
Now I want to make it clear here that I'm not a flash b
d and I get very embarrassed if I'm put in the centre of attention, however I get asked a lot on these trips "What band are you in?" or "Do I know your music?" Think about it, I pull up in these hotels in the Supercar, get out and immediately unload a guitar, I'm also a weird looking git with a ponytail and I can see people staring at me.
When I got to this one today there were loads of people out on Sun loungers and sitting in the courtyard watching me unload.
Now I'm in Waste Disposal and proud of it, I'll happily tell anyone who asks I'm basically a dustman, I don't put anything on but people are inquisitive.
So I go up to the restaurant and the bloke sees me to a table, I'm regretting this already. The restaurant is very posh, it's in a U shape and he leads me to the only empty table right at the base of the U if you see what I mean. He pulls the chair out on the far side of the table and I sit down facing a completely full restaurant with everybody staring at me.
Every single table has 2 or 4 people at it except me. I asked earlier if they did veggie food and the guy now loudly makes a big deal of this:
"We've prepared you a special vegetarian menu this evening sir and the chef hopes you enjoy it"
Which is lovely, I appreciate it, but this is Germany and the Germans would put bacon in their tap water if they could find a way so they stare at me even harder.
Then he says "Are you staying long?"
So I just start blathering to cover my self consciousness "Just 3 days actually, I got here today and I'll be leaving on the..."
He's pointing at the empty chair and he goes "No, I said are you staying alone?"
f
k! "Yes yes I'm staying alone"
He clears away the other stuff.
Some people have gone back to their food but others are still staring, I think "Just eat the food and get the f
k out of here!" All I can do is stare down at the table or straight out into the puzzled faces. It's excruciating.
Then he takes an age and when he finally comes back its with a little glass dish, he says "The chef thought you might like to try this small speciality".
Oh christ they are going to drag this right out!
I just ate everything in double time, tipped the waitress and got out mumbling good night to the other diners.
So this is another place that people think I'm a weird
. I walked into the grounds down to the river so I could fart, found a little bench and watched the sunset:
It really is beautiful here.
Went out biking this morning. The hotel gave me a map of a nice route through all the villages along the river, nice country:
I spotted a little track winding off into the woods and once again forgetting that I'm 52 and knackered I thought "That'll do for me!"
It was very pleasant for the first couple of miles:
Then it dropped down nearer the River and became a completely overgrown muddy bog. I was pushing the bloody thing for miles, too stubborn to give up and go back (I'll get around by going over that hill) I ended up going hours out my way and getting covered in mud!
Got back to the hotel ruined but I'd promised myself I'd go in the gym so dragged myself through a workout.
I've been doing a lot more lifting than I normally do on this break and I've noticed my man boobs have become little pointy tits.
So apparently I now have the body of a 13 year old girl with a beer gut.
Went to the pool for a long swim then headed down into the sauna complex and got naked.
fk it, when in Rome!
I spotted a little track winding off into the woods and once again forgetting that I'm 52 and knackered I thought "That'll do for me!"
It was very pleasant for the first couple of miles:
Then it dropped down nearer the River and became a completely overgrown muddy bog. I was pushing the bloody thing for miles, too stubborn to give up and go back (I'll get around by going over that hill) I ended up going hours out my way and getting covered in mud!
Got back to the hotel ruined but I'd promised myself I'd go in the gym so dragged myself through a workout.
I've been doing a lot more lifting than I normally do on this break and I've noticed my man boobs have become little pointy tits.
So apparently I now have the body of a 13 year old girl with a beer gut.
Went to the pool for a long swim then headed down into the sauna complex and got naked.
f
k it, when in Rome! Funny you should say about the beer bottle, took this a couple of hours ago before I left to watch the match:
I'm sitting in a bar in Hammelburg that has no WiFi and terrible mobile coverage waiting for the England Iceland game. I will keep trying to update and reply to some of your thoughts but it is really up and down in here so not sure if I'll get a connection.
Plus I'm going to be drunk shortly and I'll probably forget I'm even doing this blog.
I'm sitting in a bar in Hammelburg that has no WiFi and terrible mobile coverage waiting for the England Iceland game. I will keep trying to update and reply to some of your thoughts but it is really up and down in here so not sure if I'll get a connection.
Plus I'm going to be drunk shortly and I'll probably forget I'm even doing this blog.
Well I had plans to do a video today.
"Hi!"
"I'm Brad!"
"This is a German dog turd I just trod in!"
It's pissing down today though so that's out.
On my interminable bike ride yesterday I came across a lovely single track road running flat over some high fields. It was an access road for farm vehicles and just petered out into a muddy footpath so nothing using it.
You could see up the thing for miles and it was lovely and smooth.
I was going to find some way of fixing the phone to the car grill and do some launch control starts which I've never done in this car before.
Probably would have turned out crap anyway.
I do love going away with my other half (we did a brilliant Road trip together last year) but I also like the freedom of being on my own. If I don't feel like doing something then I don't, it's that easy. I'm also happy with my own company, I love to chat to people and stuff but if I'm just sitting on my own having a beer then I'm fine with that too.
What sort of trips do you do solo Ally?
"Hi!"
"I'm Brad!"
"This is a German dog turd I just trod in!"
It's pissing down today though so that's out.
On my interminable bike ride yesterday I came across a lovely single track road running flat over some high fields. It was an access road for farm vehicles and just petered out into a muddy footpath so nothing using it.
You could see up the thing for miles and it was lovely and smooth.
I was going to find some way of fixing the phone to the car grill and do some launch control starts which I've never done in this car before.
Probably would have turned out crap anyway.
AndrewEH1 said:
As an aside I'm guessing English fluency in even rural Germany is embarrassingly good?
Very good Andrew. And people always say "I'm afraid my English is not good" and then speak it perfectly. I really must make more effort with French and German. Allyc85 said:
Cheers for the update, I often travel alone and there's only 2 things that bother me about it, and they are eating out and people asking why I'm travelling alone. Personally I like the freedom and being able to go where I want, when I want. I can also only blame myself on the rare occasion things go wrong!
Yeah solo trips are great. I do love going away with my other half (we did a brilliant Road trip together last year) but I also like the freedom of being on my own. If I don't feel like doing something then I don't, it's that easy. I'm also happy with my own company, I love to chat to people and stuff but if I'm just sitting on my own having a beer then I'm fine with that too.
What sort of trips do you do solo Ally?
e12mat said:
Just a quick question, without a doubt the 650s is a capable car but do you miss the tingly magic of the Lamborghini at full chat?
Oh yes! That Lambo howl bouncing back at you as you hurtle down a forest road is impossible to beat! People tell me that they can hear the McLaren coming from far off but inside the cabin it's pretty subdued compared to the Italian stuff, and I have the sports exhaust.
Boshly said:
Have fun me ole mucker! Sounds like you're cillin' nicely.
One of the most memorable days of my life was sitting in a quiet hotel sauna in Germany when an all female aerobics class finished and they all came into the spa ...... nak'd
PS you should have borrowed my car
Yeah, next time!One of the most memorable days of my life was sitting in a quiet hotel sauna in Germany when an all female aerobics class finished and they all came into the spa ...... nak'd
PS you should have borrowed my car
You do adjust quickly to it though don't you? I don't even think about it now, straight off the train straight into 'other side' mode.
Funny enough when I went out biking yesterday I completely forgot, rode about 3 miles on the wrong side of the road, scared the life out of me when a car came flying up!
I'm well over the sauna thing now!
It's just like the changing room in a gym except there are naked women walking about, once you get that right in your head it's no big deal.
I was quite blasé about the whole thing in the end, walking about with the towel over my shoulder.
"Hallo!"
"Guten tag!"
It's not like anybody is staring at your cock.
One thing you have to resist though is doing that typical British bloke thing where you keep touching it and shifting stuff about to get more comfortable. That wouldn't go down well sitting next to the women in the Solarium!
The Crack Fox said:
How does the McLaren compare to other stuff you've owned? What would you change about it?
It's tricky to be entirely objective about Supercars, it's too easy to get caught up in hype of the things.Tbh I'm really struggling to think of anything I'd change about the 650S.
I'm sure it's not perfect but I don't know how it could be improved, looks wise I suppose, a lot of people think it's ugly. The exhaust could make a better noise but that really doesn't detract from the experience.
It really does do everything well.
It's very comfortable for long trips, really easy to punt about in town, has all the clever gadgets, handles better than anything else I've driven and is massively, stupendously fast!
That's the thing that grabs you every time, it's just silly quick.
I've owned a succession of fast cars and at first you always think "Well I'll never actually use all this power" but after a while you get used to it. You know the places you can max out the car and get through a couple of gears at full throttle, I could do that comfortably in the Lambo at certain times, it was still hugely exhilarating but I could get it on the limit however briefly.
In the McLaren that just isn't going to happen.
I've had it over a year now and driven it a lot but I haven't got anywhere near "maxing it out", I would definitely die if I tried to.
If you floor it in third it just f
king leaps at the horizon and you'll be double the speed limit in a couple of breaths. I know there are lots of PH's who race cars and do a lot of track stuff so they will know where I'm coming from but if you got in this car with no experience of this sort of power and floored it you would be truly shocked. And dead probably.
Frankly I love it, it's completely insane but it would take a far better driver than me to tap all this cars potential.
Yesterday I drove out to another town. The road was fantastic, flat and fast. Like so many roads in Germany and especially France you have open, flat country on either side so you can literally see for miles, you will see any other traffic minutes before you pass it or catch it up and you can see that there are no junctions or unexpected corners. It's all there laid out in front of you.
The locals drive these roads pretty fast because they are so well sighted.
In the McLaren I drove like a f
king lunatic. My OH won't be pleased if she sees this but on these sort of roads the car just becomes a complete animal.
With the punch it has and the perfect grip you just have to hang on for dear life!
I'm not going to talk "leptons" and all that old b
ks but it's safe to say that at times I was going massively over the speed limit, well past anything even remotely sensible. But there's nothing to hit, there's no one else for miles! The worst way I'm might head off across a field but the car just fills you with so much confidence losing it doesn't even cross your mind.
It's pretty staggering, to me at least and I really can't imagine needing anything quicker than this. I've said that before but this time it's stuck.
With the way the UK is going anyway fast cars will soon be unusable, I may just keep this thing for good because anything else really isn't going to be any more usable.
I've thought of something that annoys me. It has a digital read out of the gear you are in and a little tiny arrow that comes up when it's time to change up. For some stupid reason they've put the arrow above the number so it's hard to see from a normal driving position. It should be beneath the number.
I wonder if they've sorted that with the new ones?
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