Solo Euro Hoon. Car, Guitar, Drone!!!

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Swampy1982 said:

I'd like the vaciline covered potato shots so my standards a fairly low.

Love the fact your doing your own thing traveling around Europe, the drone shots are a bonus.

Please also arrange for a local to take pictures as you scale a tree to retrieve it.

Just seen this, cheeky bd! Probably a good shout though!

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Pericoloso said:

That's an early Europa as it has the bigger buttresses......

Aren't they just mad! Nothing like that car in my opinion, amazing how tiny they are when you're up close. Must resist the urge!

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Getting bored yet?

...

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That's the lot. They should have got me in to photograph the Royal Wedding.

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MDL111 said:

Awesome (the 720 looks great) - looking forward to the updates.

If you come through the Austrian Alps - I drove Großglockner last weekend and it was great, hadn’t been up that road in ages

I looked at that pass when I was planning, can't remember if my trip takes me there but I'll get some pics on the potato if it does.

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Swampy1982 said:

For someone who didn't have much time, you sure took a lot of pictures! Keep um coming, some glorious metal there.

As for the chance happening upon a car show, what a wonderful thing to happen, and the review if the white knuckle ride down amazing French roads sounds epic, love the fact you say you were scared instead of pretending to be a powerfully build director of a driving god.

This thread delivers!

Thank you Swampy.

In these threads (and whenever I'm asked in general by people admiring my cars) I always make a point of saying I don't consider myself a great driver.

I love cars, I waste fortunes on them to be honest, it's my great weakness but I'm really not an expert. I'm always amazed at the level of knowledge and experience from many PH'ers and wish I had it but basically I'm a chancer. When I do drive fast, like this morning, I make sure it's only me that will be getting my kidney wrapped around my ear if it all goes wrong.

I'm constantly embarrassed by people approaching me in car parks who seem to know everything about my cars, "This is the one with the up and over flange capacitor isn't it?" they say. I never have a clue, I just stare blankly at them or pretend I'm late for a hospital appointment.
My worst nightmare is the bloke with a Ferrari cap in Tescos car park, he's an expert on everything, if I see him coming I run and hide.

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Pericoloso said:

Grossglockner is about 4-5 hours east of your route in Austria if you're going through Leichtenstein.

Ah right cheers.

I looked at loads of Alp crossings but they all seemed a bit out of the way. Coupled with all the reviews saying they are basically crammed with cyclists I wasn't that bothered.

Nothing against cyclists by the way, I cycle myself, but I'm not going hours out of way to sit behind a peleton or whatever it's called.

I notice you do a lot of Euro trips Peri, it's too late this for this year but I'd be interested in your recomendations for next time.

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rasto said:

Great update, I would love to be able to do something like this - might have to bump it up the list. My daughter works for McLaren so loves hearing about anyone driving the cars 'properly'

I've had some issues with this one rasto which I'm not going to go into on a public forum but I have to say that when you just want a raw experience of complete insanity with all five senses bouncing off the limiter then there is nothing better than a Mac at sun up on a deserted French road!

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NWTony said:

Excellent, I was just flicking through thinking, what, no Lotus? I've always had a secret yearning for one, I don't know what it is about them.

Look at it Tone, just look at it!
There has never been a car like it, wonderful thing.

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Croutons said:

Anyway, let's not fk up a fine thread with tosh about an old Frenchie (especially if anyone knows the history behind the blue Alfa 156!)

Edited by Croutons on Sunday 27th May 19:18

No mate please do!
This is interesting stuff, my trip is just a jumping off point, no problem at all with involving other topics.

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Had a great drive today, been all over.

This was next to me I the car park this morning:





Headed up the D1506 first which rises right up. I'm going climbing there tomorrow and there is a bit of open ground so I thought I'd give the drone a go.

Got it of the ground but I couldn't film, it was moaning about the SD card not being quick enough for 4K but I couldn't change the res. Watched a few yt vids while I was there but the menu they were showing I just didn't have (Typically it was there when I got back to the hotel later!)

Then I thought I'd just blast around the Alps for the day. Went over the pass and was trying to get passed a people carrier when i suddenly hit a border crossing into Switzerland. Too late to turn around so I pulled into the side, was a bit awkward cos I'd left my passport in the hotel. Had to go in and show them licence and insurance and they tapped away at the computer for a while then waved me through.

The car helps with this sort of thing, all the border guys came out and swarmed around it and everybody was smiling.

So I thought sod it, let's see how far I can get without a passport! The Italian border was 2 hours away so I headed for that. The drop down into Martingy is really something, fast and scary and it was pissing down. Had a couple of bum squeakers (have to remember that when you're on a step downhill you need to allow a little more time to scrub of speed).

Massive tunnel into Italy, had to get out and pay but they didn't ask for docs. Then just before crossing the border there was a Swiss roadblock set up by a layby on a bend. There was just me and 1 car in front, they pulled him in so I followed but they just waved my out again. Another result!

Then headed out toward the French border again but entering a different place from where I left. This road ran all the way up to the Mont Blanc (Mont Bianco) tunnel which is miles and miles long. Along the road on the way was dozens of tunnels one after the other and these were great fun. I hung back at first but some of the locals were hammering through at 140 so I just went for it. A good 30 minutes of screaming through the gearbox in tunnels!

I might come home to thousands of euros fines!

The whole thing took about 5 hours and was basically all Alp driving, the Swiss bits were really good and again I just went for it, didn't see any cameras.
It was has hammering down the whole time and the car is now completely rotten.

I could have took a thousand pics of the stunning views with the potato but to be honest I was enjoying myself too much.
Cost a fortune though. 30 Euros first tunnel, 11 Euros toll road in Italy and 45 to come under Mont Blanc!

When I got back and m managed to get the drone camera working I planned to do a fly around of the hotel room so I could at least get some footage up but it won't work, no gps.

Edited by br d on Tuesday 29th May 17:15

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Oh I did get these few at the top of the drop into Martingy but probably pretty hopeless with my camera.

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I don't mind doind that at all, nothing to hide here. Don't know how to do the route but I suppose some screenies of Google Maps or something?

I'm currently in the Hotel Mont Blanc which is very nice, it sits right at the foot of the Mountain so this is the view from my top floor balcony!







I ask for a room at the front so I can look down in the car park, there are always crowds of people coming into the car park to take pics and I like to be able to keep an eye on it.



Let me have a look at this route business.

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I don't really know how to do this but this is roughly the route I took today.



It was a bit longer than this because I took a few smaller roads and towns but I can't show that.
It's all of it in both colours, I started in Chamonix (the blue dot) and went all the way around clockwise, ignore the red flag. The long straight near the end is the Mont Blanc tunnel.

Don't know the current mileage, I've changed it over to Kmh so I'll have to check that tomorrow, I was on 600 miles before I left.

I'll do the route down as well.

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Pericoloso said:

At last a decent thread to read tonight amongst the pure dross being posted.

Trip advisor on this hotel is mixed ,first review 1* ,next one's....5******

Keep it up brd........

Anyone who gives this hotel a 1 is trolling, it's a lovely place.

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That screenshot is awful quality isn't it? You can't even see the bloody thing, can I take a screenshot in a higher res?

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Swampy1982 said:

Looks like a lovely hotel, with great views. Do you have a balcony you can sit and play the guitar on?

If you have location services on your phone switched on, then Google the phrase "Google location history" And you may be surprised to find your route has already been plotted for you...

I do have a balcony and I'd actually got the guitar out tonight to sit out and play becuase I thought no one else was up on this floor. But the next balcony along now has 3 American girls on it in their bathrobes who've just come up from the spa and I'm too embarrassed to play out there. They'll think I'm a fking hippy!

I'll check that location thing, sounds like that could be used for all the wrong reasons

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A thought occurs. The drone (I've got to give it a name "The Drone" is so impersonal!) can take fabulous pictures in all res's and it doesn't have to be flying. I suppose I could get that out and hold it up everytime I want a decent pic. Might look ridiculous but I think it would work!

Been chatting with the ladies, 2 more beers and I'm out there with the guitar!

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SydneyBridge said:

How does the Mclaren sound in the tunnels, compared with other cars you have taken in previous years?

It actually sounds pretty damn good Syd. It neeeds to be on Track/Track mode and you have to get it spun up (plus I have a sports exhaust) but yeah it does the job. I'm not going to pretend it howls like the V10 of my Lambo, that thing didn't need tunnels to make your hair stand on end!

The 650S was pretty weak in that regard to be fair.

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Pericoloso said:

The potato phone isn't as bad as it may seem.

I could try the potato on a higher res, it's on the lowest, but then there is an upload limit on here and I think it would go over.

Maybe I'll just start drawing stuff. Here's the mountain from my balcony with guitar leaning casually ready.