Still more replies to McLaren F1 questions and com
Discussion
maranellouk said:
Once your in, you'll never
Never liked the 360 in yellowSeriously though, why not? They are two different cars. Granted not worlds apart but enough that I wouldn't like to be without either. Reading this back it will probably sounds greedy but I really love me motors I do
I think you will find fans for both cars. Personally, the 355 is by far the more beautiful of the two. It feels more organic when you are driving it. I'm hoping a 355 to 360 owner will back me up on that point (or I'll sound like a dodgey journo.......organic........I ask you).
The 360 feels more instant. Not that the 355 is sloppy in anyway but I do not push as hard in the 360. The 360 feels more precise and the response seems, not artificial but more mechanical. Then again, I'm not a race driver so me explaining things probably doesn't help much. The 355 always feels like the day car and the 360 the night car. This is how they are normally used anyway.
Oh bugger this, let me try another approach. If you know fashion you'll understand.
360: Black Dior suit
355: Cream Armani suit
MARA
Fair enough, I've always thought of the 355 as the nicer car, i'm not a fan of the 360.. but it is the newer car so i can see where your coming from.
Flemke, I've been reading your posts with great interest - until this point I've chosen to lurk in the background rather than clog up the topic with more questions (everything I would have thought to ask, and more has been covered) - and as other have, I'd just like to thank you for your patience and generosity in sharing part of the F1 experience. Oh, and of course, welcome to Pistonheads!
maranellouk I had often pondered the relative merits of the 355 and 360, so it's great to have confirmed what I'd long suspected. FWIW, I also prefer the looks of the 355, although am I right in thinking the 360 sounds better?
maranellouk I had often pondered the relative merits of the 355 and 360, so it's great to have confirmed what I'd long suspected. FWIW, I also prefer the looks of the 355, although am I right in thinking the 360 sounds better?
Flemke,
Fantastic stuff. Hope to hear from you again soon.
edited to say: and off he slopes into the night at warp speed in his "well used" F1. Top chap.
Oh...and if you want to adopt i've got a 2 year old you can have...she's a handfull though.
>> Edited by anniesdad on Friday 6th August 11:39
>> Edited by anniesdad on Friday 6th August 12:23
Fantastic stuff. Hope to hear from you again soon.
edited to say: and off he slopes into the night at warp speed in his "well used" F1. Top chap.
Oh...and if you want to adopt i've got a 2 year old you can have...she's a handfull though.
>> Edited by anniesdad on Friday 6th August 11:39
>> Edited by anniesdad on Friday 6th August 12:23
You're kidding aren't you ? It happens about once a week right now...lol
Mind you the Chim did 40K miles without a single problem ...... I guess a Griff would be similar ....
I love the Rover V8 .... but when the Cerb gets going .... wow !
>> Edited by Guydw on Friday 6th August 11:54
Mind you the Chim did 40K miles without a single problem ...... I guess a Griff would be similar ....
I love the Rover V8 .... but when the Cerb gets going .... wow !
>> Edited by Guydw on Friday 6th August 11:54
Flemke, I've just read all three of your posts back to back (that'll be a 2 1/2 hour lunch then ) and have enjoyed every moment of your honest and thought-provoking description of F1 ownership. Thank you very much for being so generous with your time. I am pleasantly surprised that a man of such means might want to be so forthcoming with what you could (and lesser people would) regard as "little people".
I am completely new to this site having been directed to your (seemingly legendary) threads from an S2000 forum.
If the rest of the threads are 10% as good as yours, I'll be spending a lot of time around here
I am completely new to this site having been directed to your (seemingly legendary) threads from an S2000 forum.
If the rest of the threads are 10% as good as yours, I'll be spending a lot of time around here
Digga said:
maranellouk I had often pondered the relative merits of the 355 and 360, so it's great to have confirmed what I'd long suspected. FWIW, I also prefer the looks of the 355, although am I right in thinking the 360 sounds better?
Would depend on what sound you like. 335 has a much deeper note and really goes with the lines on the car, if that makes sense. The 360 banshee shreik is sends a shiver down your spine and sounds like it is always ready to race.
However, with the addition of a Tubi the 360 is amazing. Hang around on Sloane St on the weekend and I am sure you'll encounter one. You'll lose all rational thought and utter many an expletive.
Go to www.SCUDERIASYSTEMS.com to get one. Some videos there to sample the sweet, sweet sound too.
MARA
Replies to individuals:
Gazboy (how do you get cover for other drivers?) -
As long as someone has got third-party already, if I've made the decision to let him (no women yet) drive it, I am trusting him not to bend it. If he did then I guess that that would be my problem.
The car's been scratched just once, and that was my own doing. (well, actually it's been scratched twice, but once it was the fault of a bird <the avian kind>
. maranellouk (after owning it, do I like it as much as I did before I got it?) -
I like it more. As I said previously, every time that I drive it the feeling is vivid and uplifting. Yesterday I was out on some country roads, trying initial suspension mod's. Without having to go crazy with the speed, every minute of the time was great. The driving position, the fit of the driver's seat, the view around you, the induction roar above your head, the instantaneous response, the steering feedback, the challenge of the gearbox - you really are in a different world to everything else. As I also said previously, I only drive the car if my head is in the game. It takes a while to relax in it, and even then one's senses are always on alert. It demands a lot and gives as much back.
Going from the F1 to a GT3 or a 360 (no offence intended), for example, is like going from a GT3 or a 360 to a Jaguar X-Type diesel.
On second thought, that's too harsh. I should have said the X-Type petrol version.
The contents of the CD player would make you laugh. It's usually female vocalists (whom you can't really hear over the engine and road noise), and some rock (Spencer Davis Group, Blue Oyster Cult). Nothing that anyone would find interesting.
GreaseNipple (do many others drive it?) -
A few friends have driven it often. Altogether maybe twenty or thirty friends or acquaintances have driven it.
It gets awkward considering the prospect of another person's driving it. I don't worry so much about whether they'll prang it, as everyone has appeared to do his best to exercise restraint (although that concept seems to mean different things to different people). Generally the worrying thing is what they'll do to the clutch/gearbox. So far, only two folks have shifted its gears poorly, and they were both experienced racers, as it happens. (In fact, the clutch must be fairly durable to have successfully withstood these two people's clumsiness, so God only knows how some folks seem to go through a clutch every few thousand miles.)
I much prefer to have ridden with someone when he's driving his own car before making a judgment about whether I should let him drive the F1. On a number of occasions, however, that's not been feasible. I can't very well tell someone that he'll need to pass a test beforehand.
Guydw (valuation of 250GTO?) -
You disagree with my estimate of £3M. That estimate may be all wrong, but do you think that it is too high or too low?
I think that "Classic Car" or one of those currently shows a price of £2M for a top-class car. Their estimates are routinely optimistic by 50%. I believe that, furthermore, about eighteen months ago a 250GTO of exceptionally good provenance was offered at auction with a $10M reserve, but the bidding stopped at between 8 and 9.
Those are reference points for my wild-ass guess of £3M for an average example. What do you think?
I must say thank you. It has been enlightening to hear from someone who actually owns my dream car. But I bet they all say that to you . . .
So I will wonder what country it is in the moment ?, what may I ask do you do for a living ? and am I right in reading that you pay £12000 in insurance ? I perfectly understand if you don't want to answer these questions as they are really none of my business.
So I will wonder what country it is in the moment ?, what may I ask do you do for a living ? and am I right in reading that you pay £12000 in insurance ? I perfectly understand if you don't want to answer these questions as they are really none of my business.
The car is on the Continent. If you want more detail, consider in what European country other than Britain they know how to build cars.
I worked in the stock market.
For insurance, as you will know there are many elements that influence a particular rate. Twelve thou sterling is in the ballpark.
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