Flemke - Is this your McLaren? (Vol 5)
Discussion
h0b0 said:
flemke said:
No, I have not. Don't think I know anyone who has one.
For me,the best thing about the car is the rear lights. Probably annoying on a practical level, but they look great.
I've just washed my car. I only wash it because my local automatic place has rollers for the wheels that would destroy my wheels. It's safe to say I wouldn't be using the local automatic place for the Aston pictured. But, If my car had rear lights like those pictures I think I'd have to sell it once they got dirty. For me,the best thing about the car is the rear lights. Probably annoying on a practical level, but they look great.
On a practical note, do you store the F1 at a place that cleans it for you? Do Mclaren do a good job of cleaning it at the time of service? Do they offer courtesy cars? Or, are you super cautious and only clean it your self. (The final option is that you get it re-sprayed so often one colour doesn't get chance to get dirty)
Yes, McLaren have a fellow who has been there for years and does a fine job of prepping owners' cars before they are returned. He is one of those remarkable folks who love making something perfect, and for him the task seems to be less a matter of "work" than it might be for many of us.
If I were being super-cautious, I would not clean it only myself as there are people out there who would do a much better job than I would do. My general approach is that I don't mind dirt so long as the underlying thing (the paint surface in this case) is unharmed.
No, with respect to F1s, McLaren do not offer courtesy cars. Normally a car is taken by transporter to Woking for service. There have been times when I drove my car there, left it there and took the train home, but I suspect that not many other owners have done that.
Also, bear in mind that at McLaren, unless it is for an emergency fix (such as resetting the lamda sensors), there is no such thing as a quick service on an F1. Within their normal timescale, the concept of a courtesy car does not really work.Interesting thoughts thanks Flemke.
As said personally being someone who has a proper interest in cars given a choice I would pay a premium over other F1's to purchase one such as yours due to your brake modifications alone.
Changing wheels paint etc is simply cosmetic and in the grand scheme of things pretty irrelevant. Improving the cars safety and performance capabilities is to my mind more important.
To me there would be other factors similar to how I would look at buying a car I can afford now, which would be how its been used and maintained and therefore to an extent who has owned it.
Buying a car from a known miser for example would be a nono for me as you can bet they would have cheaped out everywhere on maintenance and used the cheapest parts possible. It's the same reason I always feel a bit nervous getting on a Ryanair flight. O Leary? has a very concerning view of aircraft being like busses and just a method of moving people from A-B. It worries me that he will cheap out wherever possible on running the aircraft making them less safe (No evidence of this of course) to maximise his profits.
A car that has been "well used" and not been stored in a garage is a better car because as you say cars dont like sitting around not being used and rubber and other parts perish, where if you use and regularly service the car the parts will have have passed life span and been replaced as they failed/neared failure.
Buying a barely used car you really dont know what you are getting into in terms of old perished parts that will need replacing.
As said personally being someone who has a proper interest in cars given a choice I would pay a premium over other F1's to purchase one such as yours due to your brake modifications alone.
Changing wheels paint etc is simply cosmetic and in the grand scheme of things pretty irrelevant. Improving the cars safety and performance capabilities is to my mind more important.
To me there would be other factors similar to how I would look at buying a car I can afford now, which would be how its been used and maintained and therefore to an extent who has owned it.
Buying a car from a known miser for example would be a nono for me as you can bet they would have cheaped out everywhere on maintenance and used the cheapest parts possible. It's the same reason I always feel a bit nervous getting on a Ryanair flight. O Leary? has a very concerning view of aircraft being like busses and just a method of moving people from A-B. It worries me that he will cheap out wherever possible on running the aircraft making them less safe (No evidence of this of course) to maximise his profits.
A car that has been "well used" and not been stored in a garage is a better car because as you say cars dont like sitting around not being used and rubber and other parts perish, where if you use and regularly service the car the parts will have have passed life span and been replaced as they failed/neared failure.
Buying a barely used car you really dont know what you are getting into in terms of old perished parts that will need replacing.
frankenstein12 said:
Buying a car from a known miser for example would be a nono for me as you can bet they would have cheaped out everywhere on maintenance and used the cheapest parts possible. It's the same reason I always feel a bit nervous getting on a Ryanair flight. O Leary? has a very concerning view of aircraft being like busses and just a method of moving people from A-B. It worries me that he will cheap out wherever possible on running the aircraft making them less safe (No evidence of this of course) to maximise his profits.
Ryanair and Easyjet have a zero fatality record IIRC. Their fleet is pretty new (compared to say, BA)."From 2011-2015, Ryanair safety delivered nearly 400 million passengers on 2.5 million flights, while in 2015 EasyJet flew 68.6 million passengers."
Vaud said:
frankenstein12 said:
Buying a car from a known miser for example would be a nono for me as you can bet they would have cheaped out everywhere on maintenance and used the cheapest parts possible. It's the same reason I always feel a bit nervous getting on a Ryanair flight. O Leary? has a very concerning view of aircraft being like busses and just a method of moving people from A-B. It worries me that he will cheap out wherever possible on running the aircraft making them less safe (No evidence of this of course) to maximise his profits.
Ryanair and Easyjet have a zero fatality record IIRC. Their fleet is pretty new (compared to say, BA)."From 2011-2015, Ryanair safety delivered nearly 400 million passengers on 2.5 million flights, while in 2015 EasyJet flew 68.6 million passengers."
That being said few other airline bosses have been as public and vocal as him other than Branson of course who so far as I know has never made comments about his aircraft being a cheap flying bus, of course many other airline bosses may have the same attitude as O'Leary but have not vocalised their view quite the same.
flemke said:
Because most normal people would be incapable of extracting anywhere near the maximum performance of the car. If I cannot get the car to do what it is designed to do, then why should I be using it in the first place? For most owners, I suspect, the answer would be, "To show off to other people that I can afford it." For me, that's a bad answer.
I agree with you re the "showing off" comment, but I must disagree with your first point: had I the funds, I'd buy an F1 and drive it on track. Would I be able to drive it at it's maximum capabilities? No way! Half that? Possibly, on a good day. However, for me it'd be about the immersion in the experience: being able to feel the full acceleration of the car, exploring higher cornering speeds and revelling in the engineering prowess. I couldn't care less if I'm being overtaken by someone talented in a VW Golf!flemke said:
Storer said:
Flemke
Forgive me if you have already answered this but my advancing years see brain cells receding!
Have you had the chance to drive the Aston Vulcan on track and if so what do you think of it?
Paul
No, I have not. Don't think I know anyone who has one. Forgive me if you have already answered this but my advancing years see brain cells receding!
Have you had the chance to drive the Aston Vulcan on track and if so what do you think of it?
Paul
For me,the best thing about the car is the rear lights. Probably annoying on a practical level, but they look great.
I even purchased some coloured acrylic to replicate the look on a second rear clip for my Ultima. But time has been hard to find so it has seen no further progress.
Joe911 said:
SpeckledJim said:
Do you mean it sticks, or it moves very quickly (because the engine has essentially no flywheel, so darts around)
It moves in small increments - it 'ticks' round - more digital than analogue. I quite like it.
frankenstein12 said:
Vaud said:
frankenstein12 said:
Buying a car from a known miser for example would be a nono for me as you can bet they would have cheaped out everywhere on maintenance and used the cheapest parts possible. It's the same reason I always feel a bit nervous getting on a Ryanair flight. O Leary? has a very concerning view of aircraft being like busses and just a method of moving people from A-B. It worries me that he will cheap out wherever possible on running the aircraft making them less safe (No evidence of this of course) to maximise his profits.
Ryanair and Easyjet have a zero fatality record IIRC. Their fleet is pretty new (compared to say, BA)."From 2011-2015, Ryanair safety delivered nearly 400 million passengers on 2.5 million flights, while in 2015 EasyJet flew 68.6 million passengers."
That being said few other airline bosses have been as public and vocal as him other than Branson of course who so far as I know has never made comments about his aircraft being a cheap flying bus, of course many other airline bosses may have the same attitude as O'Leary but have not vocalised their view quite the same.
flemke said:
VladD said:
Animal said:
flemke said:
Showing up in something as indescribably OTT as a Valkyrie would make me feel like a complete tool. Then again, if the P15 is as in-your-face as say the P1GTLM (and I believe that it will be), one will be halfway to Valkyrie-levels of toolishness anyhow.
Why? Would you really feel self-conscious about driving the car of your choice at a track day, whatever it may be?The car's USP is that it will supposedly be a no-holds-barred racing car for the road, faster around a circuit than even a current Formula One car, etc. Contrast that with the F1's design brief, which was unambiguously to make a great road car, not a great racing car. Likewise consider what Porsche did with the 918: if they had wanted to offer as a road car their fastest possible vehicle, they would have offered a version of the 919. Instead, the 918 is relatively "normal".
So, yes, those road cars are very expensive, and to some extent anyone going out in public in one might be showing off his(her) wealth, but equally he could be using the car for the purpose for which it was designed. For almost every if not indeed every single Valkyrie owner, he would not be using the car for the purpose for which it was designed, because he is not capable of doing so.
Quick edit to add, having the opportunity to learn to drive a Valkyre the way it is intended would be good too. With some decent instruction, learning to get the best you can out of the car would be a satisfying challenge.
Edited by VladD on Monday 31st July 10:44
greygoose said:
I think it is quite a common view in America that planes are much like buses given the distances across the country, I suspect safety regulations are pretty strict on plane maintenance whatever the passengers pay for their tickets.
I used to work for a company that did aircraft maintenance software. In my experience servicing is rigorous and the "life" of critical components is tracked very carefully.VladD said:
greygoose said:
I think it is quite a common view in America that planes are much like buses given the distances across the country, I suspect safety regulations are pretty strict on plane maintenance whatever the passengers pay for their tickets.
I used to work for a company that did aircraft maintenance software. In my experience servicing is rigorous and the "life" of critical components is tracked very carefully.SpeckledJim said:
I haven't heard any concerns over maintenance of the planes, but the number of fuel emergencies experienced by Ryanair flights is miles above the average, amidst concerns voiced by the pilots that they are pressured by the airline into carrying the very bare minimum allowable fuel, and as such often getting into edgy situations that they shouldn't and 'jumping queues' into airports or even re-directing by declaring low fuel.
OT of course ... but ... are you saying that by running lower fuel you can not only save money (by carrying and using less fuel) - but you even get priority landing slots? Genius.I would have assumed that there are precise rules about how much fuel must be carried over and above that expected for a given journey - surely allowing one airline to game the system is not appropriate?
Joe911 said:
SpeckledJim said:
I haven't heard any concerns over maintenance of the planes, but the number of fuel emergencies experienced by Ryanair flights is miles above the average, amidst concerns voiced by the pilots that they are pressured by the airline into carrying the very bare minimum allowable fuel, and as such often getting into edgy situations that they shouldn't and 'jumping queues' into airports or even re-directing by declaring low fuel.
OT of course ... but ... are you saying that by running lower fuel you can not only save money (by carrying and using less fuel) - but you even get priority landing slots? Genius.I would have assumed that there are precise rules about how much fuel must be carried over and above that expected for a given journey - surely allowing one airline to game the system is not appropriate?
But I think where other airlines are sensibly more careful not to get into that situation, Ryanair work hard on, errrrm motivating their pilots to sail very close to the wind with the amount of fuel they carry.
Lots online about it.
SpeckledJim said:
Joe911 said:
SpeckledJim said:
I haven't heard any concerns over maintenance of the planes, but the number of fuel emergencies experienced by Ryanair flights is miles above the average, amidst concerns voiced by the pilots that they are pressured by the airline into carrying the very bare minimum allowable fuel, and as such often getting into edgy situations that they shouldn't and 'jumping queues' into airports or even re-directing by declaring low fuel.
OT of course ... but ... are you saying that by running lower fuel you can not only save money (by carrying and using less fuel) - but you even get priority landing slots? Genius.I would have assumed that there are precise rules about how much fuel must be carried over and above that expected for a given journey - surely allowing one airline to game the system is not appropriate?
But I think where other airlines are sensibly more careful not to get into that situation, Ryanair work hard on, errrrm motivating their pilots to sail very close to the wind with the amount of fuel they carry.
Lots online about it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/l...
To be fair to Ryanair they are not the only airline out there to play fuel roulette but it is still not a good idea and when an airline is willing to play that sort of game you have to wonder what else they may be willing to do to increase profitablity.
Obviously there are very rigorous rules set out and that have to be followed but as proven by the fuel roulette game there are always ways if you look hard enough to game the system to increase profit.
Animal said:
flemke said:
Because most normal people would be incapable of extracting anywhere near the maximum performance of the car. If I cannot get the car to do what it is designed to do, then why should I be using it in the first place? For most owners, I suspect, the answer would be, "To show off to other people that I can afford it." For me, that's a bad answer.
I agree with you re the "showing off" comment, but I must disagree with your first point: had I the funds, I'd buy an F1 and drive it on track. Would I be able to drive it at it's maximum capabilities? No way! Half that? Possibly, on a good day. However, for me it'd be about the immersion in the experience: being able to feel the full acceleration of the car, exploring higher cornering speeds and revelling in the engineering prowess. I couldn't care less if I'm being overtaken by someone talented in a VW Golf!All one needs to do is to spend a few minutes on Youtube searching for immature people putting up videos of themselves posing around, or pretending to offer insights into, "supercars" to observe the mentality to which I have been referring.
flemke said:
You make a fair point. I would however answer that the F1 has reasons to exist beyond how quickly it can go 'round a circuit. The purpose of the Valkyrie appears solely to be how quickly it can go 'round a circuit, and yet most (I daresay virtually all) of its owners will be people incapable of driving it properly on a circuit. As I think I wrote above, Valkyries will do more laps around Harrods than they will do around Silverstone.
All one needs to do is to spend a few minutes on Youtube searching for immature people putting up videos of themselves posing around, or pretending to offer insights into, "supercars" to observe the mentality to which I have been referring.
Just because some idiots wear a t-shirt - does that mean that I should also not wear a t-shirt in case I am mistaken for an idiot?All one needs to do is to spend a few minutes on Youtube searching for immature people putting up videos of themselves posing around, or pretending to offer insights into, "supercars" to observe the mentality to which I have been referring.
Edited by Joe911 on Tuesday 1st August 22:13
Joe911 said:
flemke said:
You make a fair point. I would however answer that the F1 has reasons to exist beyond how quickly it can go 'round a circuit. The purpose of the Valkyrie appears solely to be how quickly it can go 'round a circuit, and yet most (I daresay virtually all) of its owners will be people incapable of driving it properly on a circuit. As I think I wrote above, Valkyries will do more laps around Harrods than they will do around Silverstone.
All one needs to do is to spend a few minutes on Youtube searching for immature people putting up videos of themselves posing around, or pretending to offer insights into, "supercars" to observe the mentality to which I have been referring.
Just because some idiots wear a t-shirt - does that mean that I should also not wear a t-shirt in case I am mistaken for an idiot?All one needs to do is to spend a few minutes on Youtube searching for immature people putting up videos of themselves posing around, or pretending to offer insights into, "supercars" to observe the mentality to which I have been referring.
Most t-shirts have words, images or designs printed on them, and what's on the t-shirt would give meaning to the wearer's choice of it.
More basic, however, is the fact that pretty much every person we will ever see in our Western environment can afford to buy a t-shirt and therefore wearing one is not a means of signalling one's wealth. In the exception of t-shirts from very expensive fashion labels, however, where the point does indeed appear to be to signal that one can afford to waste 100 (or whatever) pounds on a bloody t-shirt, yes, the wearer does look like a tool.
You wouldn't happen to be someone who regularly wears t-shirts, would you?
Just because owners of various cars cannot extract the maximum potential from that car doesn't mean they shouldn't buy them. If they have the funds to do so and, more importantly, ENJOY them, then who cares?
Same with the bike issues above....so someone may spend lots of case on a top end bike when they aren't "top end" themselves, but if they enjoy it, why not? I've got a bike which cost around £2500 or so, I cycle around 200 miles per week, I'm quick, but not THAT quick but having ridden cheap crappy bikes and half decent ones, the decent ones just FEEL nicer, and make the experience more enjoyable.....even if I'm not technically good enough for it. I don't see why it should be different for supercar owners too.
Same with the bike issues above....so someone may spend lots of case on a top end bike when they aren't "top end" themselves, but if they enjoy it, why not? I've got a bike which cost around £2500 or so, I cycle around 200 miles per week, I'm quick, but not THAT quick but having ridden cheap crappy bikes and half decent ones, the decent ones just FEEL nicer, and make the experience more enjoyable.....even if I'm not technically good enough for it. I don't see why it should be different for supercar owners too.
E65Ross said:
Just because owners of various cars cannot extract the maximum potential from that car doesn't mean they shouldn't buy them. If they have the funds to do so and, more importantly, ENJOY them, then who cares?
Same with the bike issues above....so someone may spend lots of case on a top end bike when they aren't "top end" themselves, but if they enjoy it, why not? I've got a bike which cost around £2500 or so, I cycle around 200 miles per week, I'm quick, but not THAT quick but having ridden cheap crappy bikes and half decent ones, the decent ones just FEEL nicer, and make the experience more enjoyable.....even if I'm not technically good enough for it. I don't see why it should be different for supercar owners too.
I agree. Just to derail slightly, did you also try a 1k, 1.5k, 2k bike to see how good they were in terms of enjoyment you were likely to get?Same with the bike issues above....so someone may spend lots of case on a top end bike when they aren't "top end" themselves, but if they enjoy it, why not? I've got a bike which cost around £2500 or so, I cycle around 200 miles per week, I'm quick, but not THAT quick but having ridden cheap crappy bikes and half decent ones, the decent ones just FEEL nicer, and make the experience more enjoyable.....even if I'm not technically good enough for it. I don't see why it should be different for supercar owners too.
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