I bought a 918 Spyder - it's a Good Friday!

[mhh]

I just ordered a delivery miles 918 from Specialist Cars in Yorkshire after much hunting. I paid over the odds but that's the market now I guess. I'm in Australia but will use the car when I'm in Europe and keep it in storage in the UK in between times. It might take a month before I'm over to get it but I'll certainly share the experiences here once I have it. I already have an Alpine tour planned with some Aussie friends around the Frankfurt show in September.

The car has the factory protective film - does anyone know how much of the car is covered? I usually cover pretty much the whole car and IIRC, the Porsche kit is a bit skimpy. I can't wait to point the car south on the motorway but I don't want to pick up stone chips before I can book a full wrap.

[mhh]

Thanks chaps. It's good to have a back-up plan.

[mhh]

Magic919 said:

Tell me it's the same colour as your Wraith.

No, it's GT Silver but you've given me an idea.

[mhh]

APOLO1 said:

M
Its only the front bit of the sill, you will need a full frontal at least, its not expensive I have this, inner sills rear arch and A post, I will email you later with the all the info

Thank you APOLO1, and thanks for your generous off-line advice, assistance and support. You armed me with the knowledge needed to press on to do a deal with confidence.

[mhh]

supersport said:

GT Silver so not the other one in there.

That's right - it's an incoming silver car. The white car is sold.

[mhh]

I'm very impressed with the service I'm getting from John Hawkins at Malton. I don't think I've had a dealer reply to emails on an Easter Sunday before! I've got a mate who helped me on the "918 hunt" just get clearance at home to come from Australia to help me take delivery. We'll fly to Manchester in 3 weeks time, grab a 911 rental, take delivery of the 918 in Malton and take a few days to convoy back through England and Wales ending in Bucks where the car will be stored. Once I'm home, I'll plan some decent Euro sorties for later in the year. I can hardly wait!

[mhh]

Lambchopski said:

Wow! Well done on getting one.

I'm gutted that I can never see it in Adelaide

You never know....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnet_de_Passages

In the meantime...

Edited by mhh on Wednesday 8th April 07:42

[mhh]

ellroy said:

OP you should take a run up around Blakey Ridge if you've got time when you pick the car up. .

Thanks ellroy - we most certainly will. We plan to spend a solid day hunting out some decent Yorkshire roads before heading to Wales. Hopefully, we'll meet some PH'ers along the way.

[mhh]

tjob said:

Id very much like to show you some Yorkshire roads, we venture out most weekends. Feel free to PM me but I might dribble on your car..

Emailed you but now we are delayed a week as this will be the first full wrap Paintshield have done on a 918 and they are pretty busy anyway.

[mhh]

MRPULLHARD said:

congrats mhh , can I just ask how come you did not order one from launch ? its just the dealer you bought from has a rep. for taking advantage of cash rich - time poor people !
njoy the car

Fair question. I wasn't in the market when the car was launched. I don't feel taken advantage of - it's my own silly fault for not moving sooner. I justify the squandering of cash by reminding myself it is still cheaper than a P1.

[mhh]

In the interest of accuracy, I should declare that I didn't pay anything like a £400K premium to retail. A decent premium sure, but still less than they are asking for used examples in the US. I learned over the past couple of months that some of the European "dealers" claiming to own cars couldn't even source a photo when requested. A special mention for Car De Lux in Luxembourg and Golden Tower in Berlin who simply stopped replying to emails rather than answer a few simple questions.

[mhh]

Thanks for the route suggestions everyone. I can't wait.

John has kindly offered to keep the car overnight at the dealership for its safety, but jetlag will have me awake very early so waiting for daybreak won't be easy.

[mhh]

Asking for a friend here.....

How do the police in Yorkshire operate? Do they have in-car radar to detect oncoming speeding cars like they do in Australia? Or do they stop on the roadside and use a laser gun? A Road Angel will pick up fixed cameras, but what do mobile roadside cameras hide in?

I suspect we will be very restrained on the first few days in the car. I've done lots of miles on the Continent and USA in LHD cars but none in the UK in a left hooker.

[mhh]

I took delivery today. Lovely weather in Yorkshire.

[mhh]

Tripe Bypass said:

Bloody Nora, I live less than fifty feet from where that's parked near the Feathers and I missed it. Drat.

I'll be back in about 10 hours.

[mhh]

gemini said:

Evo triangle?

First thing tomorrow. We are just down the road.




Big thanks to John, Tanya, Mark and all the team at Malton. Great service from start to finish, and generous and unexpected hospitality to boot. A pleasure to do business with and highly recommended.

[mhh]

O

SydneyBridge said:

How is the 918 going ?

Great. I've spent 2 solid days in the car and it now has over 600 miles in the clock. I really need to drive something else now to recalibrate. I'm starting to take the performance for granted.

[mhh]

Inverted said:

Looked great as we passed you on the triangle. (Orange 997 RS). Great way to run a new car in.

Might see you around today if your still in North wales.

Your car looked great too - I love that colour. It was an impressive sight to see the convoy with headlights flashing. We've dropped the car to its storage near Heathrow after driving the length of Wales today and now we are boarding our flight to Aus. Back in June though.

Edit: I see you flashing by in this video. I didn't get out of Auto mode. . The torque from the motors is so strong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IC740SeGP8

Edited by mhh on Tuesday 12th May 07:06

[mhh]

Guam said:

It was a pleasure to have it with us for a week thanks for sending it down
We have two more in this week I am really developing a soft spot for the 918

Cheers
Tom

Thanks for a great job, Tom.

Cheers, Mark

[mhh]

We've been here for a week (Goodwood etc) and are heading home tomorrow. A PHer suggested Audleys for its discreet location for Goodwood and it's been ideal. I've needed a couple of service items done so proximity to Reading has been a bonus. Less than 2 weeks of total driving time since delivery and better than 2,000miles already. It's a very useable car.

Edited by mhh on Thursday 2nd July 07:22