Bought a 720s! My 1st "supercar" Wish me luck!!
Discussion
That’s put a real smile on my face OP....I’ve lived those over excited emotions myself a few times. Great post !!! I thought you were going to end up driving away a Ferrari but that 720S you’ve bought is just absolutely stunning,....it’s not a car for the shy and retiring and that Orange car looked stunning but I think yours is among the best i have ever seen,
What a great heartfelt post. I remember reading your thread about the 570S but didn’t realise this forum had managed to put you off buying. B@stards 
Having just picked up my new 720S last weekend I can concur with everything you say and, to a degree, those feelings you describe (although mine is not my first McLaren and you only get one first time eh!).
But it’s how you articulately described others peoples reactions to the car that’s absolutely spot on. To the near-100% of people that you’ll come across who are not PH naysayers talking about depreciation, there’s an almost unreal appreciation of McLarens for what they are; a spectacular supercar.
I can also relate to your comment about the impression it gives at work. My view....if there’s a problem it’s theirs, they’ll get over it. You’ll find most people will share the excitement.
This is a distant dream for most people.....enjoy!
Having just picked up my new 720S last weekend I can concur with everything you say and, to a degree, those feelings you describe (although mine is not my first McLaren and you only get one first time eh!).
But it’s how you articulately described others peoples reactions to the car that’s absolutely spot on. To the near-100% of people that you’ll come across who are not PH naysayers talking about depreciation, there’s an almost unreal appreciation of McLarens for what they are; a spectacular supercar.
I can also relate to your comment about the impression it gives at work. My view....if there’s a problem it’s theirs, they’ll get over it. You’ll find most people will share the excitement.
This is a distant dream for most people.....enjoy!
Edited by Palmball on Wednesday 30th September 01:40
Thanks for the kind words all. I'll certainly keep updating this thread. After I've downed tools later, I'll do a write up of my first weekend with the car and my first issue, in fact there were a couple!
luigisayshello said:
Wasn't that car TB993tt? It's awfully close to his spec, that is quite rare by itself..
No, I've actually been talking to TB993tt (Toby) Really nice guy. In fact all the Mclaren owners I've spoken to so far seem great, must be the right sort of people buying these cars Great post. I've followed you for a while on Insta (as I had a highly strung Exige) Think you may have been at the exige track day at Anglesey when I was there too...
The 720s is just stunning! and the performance looks to be incredible. Ultimate goal way out of my reach unfortunately,
Huge congratulations! Great to read someone achieve there goals.
I will just go off and cry in the corner a little.
The 720s is just stunning! and the performance looks to be incredible. Ultimate goal way out of my reach unfortunately,
Huge congratulations! Great to read someone achieve there goals.
I will just go off and cry in the corner a little.
AstonExige said:
Thanks for the kind words all. I'll certainly keep updating this thread. After I've downed tools later, I'll do a write up of my first weekend with the car and my first issue, in fact there were a couple!
On the issues front - I've had mine a month and got Thorney to do an inspection. Nothing major that required the car to be taken off the road but a considerable amount of small bits that definitely need addressed under warranty.Would strongly recommend doing the same. It was great chatting to John and his guys (Tom x 2) taking me through the underside of the car with the tray off showing me what was what.
AstonExige said:
Back in March I put a deposit on a 2018 570s at Rybrook in Bristol.
|https://thumbsnap.com/ruJKmBiq[/url]
I was so excited, at this point the closest I had been to a car of this level was when I had my V8 F-type or my V12 Vantage (manual) Having had 5 Lotus's, that sort of driving character really suits me, so to those in the know you're probably not surprised why I fell for the 570s so much. So deposit down, agreed p/x on the F-Type, but managed to sell privately within a few days, then lockdown hit. My posts on here about my 570s were filled with comments like "I'm brave" "bad time to buy." So I wobbled, no way did I want my first supercar experience to be marred by losing 10's of 1000's over the coming 12 months. Even just the worry could take the edge off....
Rybrook were great, refunded my deposit and said come back to us when you're ready to buy. So far, my experience with Mclaren dealers very positive, I would definitely come back. But now I had sold my F-type, I wanted something for the summer. Always had an itch for an NA V10, that exhaust note... So ended up buying a 2011 R8 V10 Spyder (manual)
Lovely car, looked great, sounded great, but I just didn't gel. Within weeks I found myself back on autotrader looking at "supercars" again. That then lead to a lot of time spent at weekends visiting various dealers looking at all sorts of car, Huracans, 458's, 600LT's, 650s's, GT3's, F12's, 488's. I spread the net really wide. I'd read some stories that had me questioning Mclarens (like that 650s owners diary on here) I wasn't sure what route to take, depreciation played on my mind quite a lot, I'm not a millionaire, just someone who has tried to play it smart with cars and built up a car pool, but didn't want to undo all that work in one purchase. Drove so many over the months, so many miles and days used up (although was a lot of fun ) and each time I come away and my head ruled the decision, always came up with a reason I shouldn't purchase.
Then I arranged to see a 720s, lovely 2019 one at McLeeds. Really nice spec, full PPF, 1 owner, really hopeful.
But when we come to do the figures they offered me over 10k less for my R8 than I knew I could get for it privately, it soured things a bit, could tell the sales guy had given up, no test drive so I left thinking well there's my answer, I'll need to stop looking until after I sell the R8 privately. But at this point I felt I wanted to experience that car a bit more so thought, I'll park this until spring.
I kept a tentative eye on the market anyway, then on one Thursday morning I spotted a lovely Blade Silver 720s just added to Autotrader at Mclaren Manchester.
This car looked fantastic in this colour, got that feeling in my stomach, could this be it?! Only 3,500 miles, a December 18 car so the revised model, the all important Performance spec and other key options including the range topping super-ligher weight wheels. Gave them a call and arranged to view the next day. Mentioned on the R8 group that I might sell, had someone message straight away and we just about agreed a deal...... was this fate!!
So left home at 7.30am for the drive up to the north west. Decided I'd make an event out of the trip so drove the Exige up, not sure what went through their mind when the person turning up to view their £150k Supercar rocks up in this......
Anyway, I turned the corner into McManchester and there it was, right in front of me. They'd pulled a blinder and parked it out front.
It had so much presence, I was blown away. Really liked that colour on the car too. I do like the bright colours, especially that orange, but imo this colour just gave it that bit more class. Less shouty if you like. I wanted a light colour to show off the curves, so this was perfect. But that wasn't the best bit, I handed over my drivers license and before I knew it, we were out in the car. First time in a 720. Got the car warmed up, swap seats and now I'm driving. This thing really is next-level stuff, I put my foot down and never felt anything like it. Not just the acceleration, but how composed it felt, even on our uneven, bumpy roads. I had a good test drive. I'd read peoples thoughts that although they're quicker than the Sports series they lack the engagement, I couldn't disagree more, and this is from someone who is used to driving Lotus. Everything about the drive was enjoyable, even just short shifting, driving on the torque is fun in its own way, and it picks up so quick.
We pulled back up at the dealers and my mind was made up, I have to have this car in my life!! And looking back I realise that all those other test drives, where I talked myself out of buying the car, let my head rule, that was because deep down my heart wasn't there. Because when it was there, when it is......f
k the head..... Depreciation? Who gives a f****ng f**k, life is short, it's worth it for the enjoyment...blah blah blah.
So we went in and talked money, pretty much reached an agreement so just the deposit left to pay. I was aware I still had the adrenaline rush from the test drive, thought I would just take the 2-3hr drive home to calm down, just make sure I was happy to commit to spending this, then call them and put the deposit down when I got home. So promised to call later. I also messaged the guy who had offered me an ok amount for my R8 and told him "deal" So he was super happy too. This was working out great....
As I left the dealer I happened across the Ferrari dealer next door. At this point I had been strongly considering a 458 Spyder, thinking that would be a more financially sensible decision to make. I hadn't driven one yet so knowing what I'm like, if I just paid the deposit on the 720s, it would spoil it a bit if I part of me wondered if I should've bought a 458 Spyder. So popped in to see if they had any and they did.
Lovely car to look at, good spec, took it for a drive..... felt like a hot hatch compared to the 720s I had just been in, steering didn't feel as direct, gear change was good but felt just a bit inferior, I don't know, older tech DCT perhaps?
So it was definitely the right thing to drive this, I knew the 720s was the car for me. So headed home. 2hrs later and even thinking about my drive and I'm grinning from ear to ear, just had that super-excited feeling, knew this was the right car. Then disaster struck..............
My phone started ringing, it was McManchester, I pulled over and called back. In the few hours that had gone by, someone else had called up about the 720 and paid a deposit unseen. I was devastated. I'd tried to be a little sensible and just give myself a bit of time to calm down and now it had bitten me in the arse. I proper threw the teddies out of the pram and vowed that's it, I'm not looking anymore, humpphhhh.
That was the Friday. The not looking anymore lasted about an hour, then when I did start looking but nothing grabbed me like "my Mclaren" had. Silver lining at least I'd decided it had to be a 720s, so made my search easier, but pickings of decent spec 720's were slim, and within an hour I realised nothing on the market right now would cut it. So instead I used the time I'd normally spend searching for cars, on Youtube watching 720s videos...... and fell even more in love. Why are these cars so cheap!!??!!
But then on Wednesday, I had a call from McManchester, apparently the guy who had paid the deposit was showing signs of wobbling himself. They gave him until the next day to confirm, failing that, I get another chance!! So needless to say the next 24hrs went quite slowly! But I got a call, the car was mine if I still wanted it? F**k me, do bears sh*t in the woods?! Take my money. Deposit paid there and then. Arranged to collect the following Friday. The next week you would expect to have gone slowly, but I overcomplicated everything by financing this as cost effectively as possible and caused myself a stress fest...... well it made the time go quick I suppose!
So next Friday arrives, alarm goes off at 5am (needn't have set it as I was waking up every hour anyway!) Myself and the missus drive to the station to get the train up, so we can drive back in it together. Arrived 4hrs later at McManchester and spot a car under a cover in the showroom, is it mine?!
Sorted all the paperwork out, insurance, etc, all this was a blur. Even typing this out I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. Couldn't believe it was happening. Finally everything sorted and we walk over to the handover bay to the car. And I pulled the cover off.....
https://youtu.be/Tb-ll_wxnis
(Apologies the video is on its side at the start for a few seconds, need to give some video taking coaching to the missus )
And then the point they drive the car out of the showroom and around the front, to hand you the keys and you get to drive away in your 720s for the first time!!! Is there a better feeling in the world?! (yeah I'm that sad when it comes to cars )
https://youtu.be/uOw8oOOonb4
I'll never forget this time, just driving away, through the local towns and villages to head across to the Peak District for the scenic drive home, you feel like a rockstar, the car gets so much attention, people are filming it, taking pictures, nudging their friends in the street to turn around to look at the car, you can see cars approaching from the opposite direction and occupants pointing the car out to each other. I was sat in the drivers seat driving this thing and it didn't feel real, how is this happening to me?! We made out way through the Peaks and stopped at Hassop Station Cafe for some lunch. I hadn't eaten all day yet still wasn't hungry. Managed to park right in front of where we ended up sitting, perfect....
Just sitting there looking at it, thinking it is mine?!? I'll never forget the feeling. I was so happy, I knew this thing had the potential to bite me hard, but at this point, as far as I was concerned it was worth the risk. Lets see over the coming months and hopefully years of ownership, I still think this way
My intention is to update this thread with my ownership experience, so other potential owners considering one can see a real-life ownership experience. It would be easy for me to just post up when things don't go to plan, but I am going to try to post up all my experiences, not just with the cars, but with other owners, McDealers, specialists and the supercar scene in general. Also how will my work colleagues and boss react to this?! It is not normal for people in my company to rock up in a less than 2yr old supercar!
More updates to follow (and the rest won't be as long-winded as this!!
Fantastic post |https://thumbsnap.com/ruJKmBiq[/url]I was so excited, at this point the closest I had been to a car of this level was when I had my V8 F-type or my V12 Vantage (manual) Having had 5 Lotus's, that sort of driving character really suits me, so to those in the know you're probably not surprised why I fell for the 570s so much. So deposit down, agreed p/x on the F-Type, but managed to sell privately within a few days, then lockdown hit. My posts on here about my 570s were filled with comments like "I'm brave" "bad time to buy." So I wobbled, no way did I want my first supercar experience to be marred by losing 10's of 1000's over the coming 12 months. Even just the worry could take the edge off....
Rybrook were great, refunded my deposit and said come back to us when you're ready to buy. So far, my experience with Mclaren dealers very positive, I would definitely come back. But now I had sold my F-type, I wanted something for the summer. Always had an itch for an NA V10, that exhaust note... So ended up buying a 2011 R8 V10 Spyder (manual)
Lovely car, looked great, sounded great, but I just didn't gel. Within weeks I found myself back on autotrader looking at "supercars" again. That then lead to a lot of time spent at weekends visiting various dealers looking at all sorts of car, Huracans, 458's, 600LT's, 650s's, GT3's, F12's, 488's. I spread the net really wide. I'd read some stories that had me questioning Mclarens (like that 650s owners diary on here) I wasn't sure what route to take, depreciation played on my mind quite a lot, I'm not a millionaire, just someone who has tried to play it smart with cars and built up a car pool, but didn't want to undo all that work in one purchase. Drove so many over the months, so many miles and days used up (although was a lot of fun
) and each time I come away and my head ruled the decision, always came up with a reason I shouldn't purchase. Then I arranged to see a 720s, lovely 2019 one at McLeeds. Really nice spec, full PPF, 1 owner, really hopeful.
But when we come to do the figures they offered me over 10k less for my R8 than I knew I could get for it privately, it soured things a bit, could tell the sales guy had given up, no test drive so I left thinking well there's my answer, I'll need to stop looking until after I sell the R8 privately. But at this point I felt I wanted to experience that car a bit more so thought, I'll park this until spring.
I kept a tentative eye on the market anyway, then on one Thursday morning I spotted a lovely Blade Silver 720s just added to Autotrader at Mclaren Manchester.
This car looked fantastic in this colour, got that feeling in my stomach, could this be it?! Only 3,500 miles, a December 18 car so the revised model, the all important Performance spec and other key options including the range topping super-ligher weight wheels. Gave them a call and arranged to view the next day. Mentioned on the R8 group that I might sell, had someone message straight away and we just about agreed a deal...... was this fate!!
So left home at 7.30am for the drive up to the north west. Decided I'd make an event out of the trip so drove the Exige up, not sure what went through their mind when the person turning up to view their £150k Supercar rocks up in this......
Anyway, I turned the corner into McManchester and there it was, right in front of me. They'd pulled a blinder and parked it out front.
It had so much presence, I was blown away. Really liked that colour on the car too. I do like the bright colours, especially that orange, but imo this colour just gave it that bit more class. Less shouty if you like. I wanted a light colour to show off the curves, so this was perfect. But that wasn't the best bit, I handed over my drivers license and before I knew it, we were out in the car. First time in a 720. Got the car warmed up, swap seats and now I'm driving. This thing really is next-level stuff, I put my foot down and never felt anything like it. Not just the acceleration, but how composed it felt, even on our uneven, bumpy roads. I had a good test drive. I'd read peoples thoughts that although they're quicker than the Sports series they lack the engagement, I couldn't disagree more, and this is from someone who is used to driving Lotus. Everything about the drive was enjoyable, even just short shifting, driving on the torque is fun in its own way, and it picks up so quick.
We pulled back up at the dealers and my mind was made up, I have to have this car in my life!!
And looking back I realise that all those other test drives, where I talked myself out of buying the car, let my head rule, that was because deep down my heart wasn't there. Because when it was there, when it is......fk the head..... Depreciation? Who gives a f****ng f**k, life is short, it's worth it for the enjoyment...blah blah blah. So we went in and talked money, pretty much reached an agreement so just the deposit left to pay. I was aware I still had the adrenaline rush from the test drive, thought I would just take the 2-3hr drive home to calm down, just make sure I was happy to commit to spending this, then call them and put the deposit down when I got home. So promised to call later. I also messaged the guy who had offered me an ok amount for my R8 and told him "deal" So he was super happy too. This was working out great....
As I left the dealer I happened across the Ferrari dealer next door. At this point I had been strongly considering a 458 Spyder, thinking that would be a more financially sensible decision to make. I hadn't driven one yet so knowing what I'm like, if I just paid the deposit on the 720s, it would spoil it a bit if I part of me wondered if I should've bought a 458 Spyder. So popped in to see if they had any and they did.
Lovely car to look at, good spec, took it for a drive..... felt like a hot hatch compared to the 720s I had just been in, steering didn't feel as direct, gear change was good but felt just a bit inferior, I don't know, older tech DCT perhaps?
So it was definitely the right thing to drive this, I knew the 720s was the car for me. So headed home. 2hrs later and even thinking about my drive and I'm grinning from ear to ear, just had that super-excited feeling, knew this was the right car. Then disaster struck..............
My phone started ringing, it was McManchester, I pulled over and called back. In the few hours that had gone by, someone else had called up about the 720 and paid a deposit unseen. I was devastated. I'd tried to be a little sensible and just give myself a bit of time to calm down and now it had bitten me in the arse. I proper threw the teddies out of the pram and vowed that's it, I'm not looking anymore, humpphhhh.
That was the Friday. The not looking anymore lasted about an hour, then when I did start looking but nothing grabbed me like "my Mclaren" had. Silver lining at least I'd decided it had to be a 720s, so made my search easier, but pickings of decent spec 720's were slim, and within an hour I realised nothing on the market right now would cut it. So instead I used the time I'd normally spend searching for cars, on Youtube watching 720s videos...... and fell even more in love. Why are these cars so cheap!!??!!
But then on Wednesday, I had a call from McManchester, apparently the guy who had paid the deposit was showing signs of wobbling himself. They gave him until the next day to confirm, failing that, I get another chance!! So needless to say the next 24hrs went quite slowly! But I got a call, the car was mine if I still wanted it? F**k me, do bears sh*t in the woods?! Take my money. Deposit paid there and then. Arranged to collect the following Friday. The next week you would expect to have gone slowly, but I overcomplicated everything by financing this as cost effectively as possible and caused myself a stress fest...... well it made the time go quick I suppose!
So next Friday arrives, alarm goes off at 5am (needn't have set it as I was waking up every hour anyway!) Myself and the missus drive to the station to get the train up, so we can drive back in it together. Arrived 4hrs later at McManchester and spot a car under a cover in the showroom, is it mine?!
Sorted all the paperwork out, insurance, etc, all this was a blur. Even typing this out I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. Couldn't believe it was happening. Finally everything sorted and we walk over to the handover bay to the car. And I pulled the cover off.....
https://youtu.be/Tb-ll_wxnis
(Apologies the video is on its side at the start for a few seconds, need to give some video taking coaching to the missus
)And then the point they drive the car out of the showroom and around the front, to hand you the keys and you get to drive away in your 720s for the first time!!! Is there a better feeling in the world?! (yeah I'm that sad when it comes to cars
)https://youtu.be/uOw8oOOonb4
I'll never forget this time, just driving away, through the local towns and villages to head across to the Peak District for the scenic drive home, you feel like a rockstar, the car gets so much attention, people are filming it, taking pictures, nudging their friends in the street to turn around to look at the car, you can see cars approaching from the opposite direction and occupants pointing the car out to each other. I was sat in the drivers seat driving this thing and it didn't feel real, how is this happening to me?! We made out way through the Peaks and stopped at Hassop Station Cafe for some lunch. I hadn't eaten all day yet still wasn't hungry. Managed to park right in front of where we ended up sitting, perfect....
Just sitting there looking at it, thinking it is mine?!? I'll never forget the feeling. I was so happy, I knew this thing had the potential to bite me hard, but at this point, as far as I was concerned it was worth the risk. Lets see over the coming months and hopefully years of ownership, I still think this way
My intention is to update this thread with my ownership experience, so other potential owners considering one can see a real-life ownership experience. It would be easy for me to just post up when things don't go to plan, but I am going to try to post up all my experiences, not just with the cars, but with other owners, McDealers, specialists and the supercar scene in general. Also how will my work colleagues and boss react to this?! It is not normal for people in my company to rock up in a less than 2yr old supercar!
More updates to follow (and the rest won't be as long-winded as this!!
So, next update following my first weekend with the new love in my life
But first of all, just wanted to publicly give a shout out to McManchester and particularly Alex, Those guys got a bit of a hammering on social media a while back and being the professional outfit they were, didn't get pulled into a public argument, so a lot of the claims didn't get a response so we only heard one side of the story, and as we all know, there are always two. So I thought it right to go out of my way to give an account of my positive experience. Appreciate its when things go off script that a companies true dedication to customer experience comes to light, and as you will see in upcoming updates, mine have, and so far so good....
Anyway, right from the off Alex and the guys at McManchester have been an absolute pleasure to deal with, professional but friendly and really accomodating. And not pushy at all. They sorted a great deal for me, even though they had people dropping deposits on the car within days of it being advertised. Then when we went to collect they filled the froot / frunk up with some really great goodies. Really helped make the experience a memorable one. I'll elaborate on where they've also stepped up when things went off script in upcoming updates......
So, my first weekend with the car. As mentioned in my opening post, we drove back through the Peak District, heading out through Belper, then through Burton-on-Trent before heading east back toward Northants. My goal, avoid motorways! I don't want to sit on a boring straight road, sitting their at cough 70mph, cough for an hour, I'm adamant that where ever possible, the miles put on this car are going to be interesting ones!
So I managed to stretch a 2.5hr drive back from McManchester into 5hrs Missus was like this journey seems to be taking a while, did you get lost? 
That first drive down my street up to my driveway...... again, something else I'll never forget. Had to park out on the street whilst I moved some cars around. Even welcomed that, an opportunity to park it up and look back at it..... just wow. Although it did look at bit out of place out there!
Already this car is amazing me the way the colour changes so much in different lights, every picture seems to have a different hue.
Anyway, so quick cup of tea, toilet break etc (still not eaten all day but still no appetite, too bloody excited!) and then where can I drive too next. So decided to take it over to see my friend, he's got a lovely very low mileage 997.2 C2s and was kind enough to drive me all the way to Edinburgh to pick up my R8 in it, which broke down on the way back, adding hours on to an already very long day, and then I only kept the car for 3 months! I felt I owed him!
So he's used to my cars, coming out for a quick pax ride out, but he hadn't been out in a car as quick as this before. When I took it for its first drive I wasn't ready for that brutal acceleration, I couldn't wait for him to experience that, that first WOT in 2nd and into 3rd Well what ensued ended up with a quote that will stand out for some time in my memories "F**k me Mark, it makes your balls tingle" 
Even taking passengers out for the 1st time is so much fun in this car, seeing / hearing their reaction the first time they feel that level of acceleration....and deceleration!
So we got back, lovely evening so took a few more pictures, I had a feeling I was going to be doing this a lot!
Over 25yrs of driving and I've never "posed" with one of my cars before, always felt like a bit of a c0ck, but when he suggested I have one with the car, well at this point in time I felt like I was really winning at life so why not capture the moment?!
Still felt like a bit of a c0ck, and yeah, that is pretty much the expression that has been on my face ever since I collected the car
So went inside for another brew, when his 16yr old son came down, asking his Mum for a lift to his mates a few miles away in another town......well I wasn't going to let an opportunity to drive it some more or give another pax ride go by, so I did the right thing and offered my services. However, getting in the car I was reminded that I'd been "enjoying" this car by the fuel light coming on, full tank done in less than 200 miles! Worth every penny!
So first stop petrol station and the journey I would see my first issue, one that was pretty scary. So I've driven out towards the A14 and made my way down the slip road, in 3rd at 50% throttle, then bing....... a warning come up on the dash and it lost power. Oh sh!t. The warning said transmission fault, limphome, restart engine. Turned out power wasn't lost but reduced, I was already on the A14 and only a mile from the next junction with the petrol station I was heading too, so I took it steady and headed there. Weirdly the climate control seemed to be affected too, it seemed to be blowing hot air, may just have been the aircon nonactive? I was pooping it a bit at this point. Had that sinking feeling, I'd got a whole weekend planned with this car, it was only Friday evening, I'd only got the car that day, please don't tell me I was going to be watching it taken away on a transporter before the weekend even started. So got to the petrol station, switched off, filled up, started the car as I held my breath......boom, message is gone and all back to normal! Phew. Still a little bit concerned but I'd read enough about these cars, their quirks and overly sensitive sensors. So I gave my friends son his lift to his friends house, turns out a bit of a get together and when we pull up, all these very excitable teenagers all come running out shouting all sorts of what I assume were compliments at the car. "peng" is that a good thing? I must be getting old!
On the way back I gave Alex a call and even though he'd left to go home hours ago, he picked up, I told him about the problem and he put my mind at rest. The car has been pretty much laid up for a year, the last owner hardly used it, and now it was getting some proper use. If the error is no longer coming up then.... don;t worry and get out and enjoy the car. So I did!
Saturday comes along, head over to my Mothers, show off my new toy, had to take a little detour to a village nearby to get a picture.... (my surname is Nash )
I think its a sign
then next over to my sisters where I spent the next hour or so giving pax rides to her, my nieces, her partner, friend. I was in my element. Not only do I love driving this car, it also makes you look like a driving God! A common theme seems to be it feels like you're on a roller coaster. I assume due to the extreme g's..... or my poor driving!
By the end of the day, 400 miles since collecting and 2 tanks of fuel down - totally worth it.
Sunday: Really looking forward to this one. VERY early start to meet some of my Lotus pals for some spirited driving on some empty country roads, something which we do quite regularly, but up to now I'd rock up in my Exige. Bit of a surprise for them this time. Needless to say they didn't mind the Mclaren gatecrashing the Lotus get together, my argument being its British and a number of the Lotus engineers now worked at Mclaren
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/7ptCjgcj.jpg[/img]|https://thumbsnap.com/7ptCjgcj[/url] <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/W5zkfMov" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/W5zkfMov.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/KK7Qxwja" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/KK7Qxwja.jpg)
The drive out was fantastic, and great to drive some roads I knew well in the Exige. Now Lotus's are known for their superb driver engagement and handling, so I was a little worried this trip could show the 720s's short comings...... I needn't have worried, once again it blew me away. Even on some really tight hairpin type corners, I could drive the car into them, turn in and it pulled around like it was on rails. The bumpy roads, the car felt so stable, I could have gone down them at twice the speed I would've felt comfortable doing so in the Exige. I suppose that is one of the main problems with this car, its license losing ability. I know a lot of people label fast cars like that, but with this things sheer capability to travel at serious speed even down uneven roads...... it does feel its only a matter of time. Anyway, cross that bridge and all that.......
So we got to out resting spot 90mins later and I was buzzing,
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totally lapped up the attention the car got from both my Lotus pals and members of the public, I must have sounded a bit tapped, like a little excited child struggling to put into words how this car makes you feel. But couldn't hang around too long, next appointment in Leicestershire to meet some buddies for a convoy to Caffiene and Machine, our 3 hr slot starting from 12.30pm. The convoy was due to consist of a Dodge viper, an AMR Vantage, 812 superfast and a very special Kharman Ghia fitted with an aircooled 911 engine - I was looking forward to this.
So met up with my buddies, unfortunately, the guy with the 812 couldn't make it but the rest were there.
Great drive over and needless to say, pulling up at C&M attracted lots of attention. Managed to get a table right behind the car and spent the next hour proudly admiring the car as people looked around it and took pictures. It all felt so surreal, looking at that car, even with the company it was keeping in the place, it still stood out.
|https://thumbsnap.com/V1zz5gnh[/url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/CG7ybPrU[/url]
Was just about thinking of heading off and the decision was made for us, the traffic police rocked up like they meant business,
I suddenly realised my car was right out in front proudly sporting no front plate, it was asking for trouble. I really didn't want to put a dampener on my first weekend with the car by picking up a fine so made a for a sharp exit. Took a nice gentle drive back, soaked in what was going to be my last drive of an awesome long weekend where....can't believe I'm saying this....I collected my Mclaren 720s, my first supercar (feel like I jumped in the deep end a bit here! ) I'll never forget this weekend.
I'll write the next update tomorrow, there's more interesting updates to come, one which results in me waving goodbye to the car as it disappears off in the back of a transporter
But first of all, just wanted to publicly give a shout out to McManchester and particularly Alex, Those guys got a bit of a hammering on social media a while back and being the professional outfit they were, didn't get pulled into a public argument, so a lot of the claims didn't get a response so we only heard one side of the story, and as we all know, there are always two. So I thought it right to go out of my way to give an account of my positive experience. Appreciate its when things go off script that a companies true dedication to customer experience comes to light, and as you will see in upcoming updates, mine have, and so far so good....
Anyway, right from the off Alex and the guys at McManchester have been an absolute pleasure to deal with, professional but friendly and really accomodating. And not pushy at all. They sorted a great deal for me, even though they had people dropping deposits on the car within days of it being advertised. Then when we went to collect they filled the froot / frunk up with some really great goodies. Really helped make the experience a memorable one. I'll elaborate on where they've also stepped up when things went off script in upcoming updates......
So, my first weekend with the car. As mentioned in my opening post, we drove back through the Peak District, heading out through Belper, then through Burton-on-Trent before heading east back toward Northants. My goal, avoid motorways! I don't want to sit on a boring straight road, sitting their at cough 70mph, cough for an hour, I'm adamant that where ever possible, the miles put on this car are going to be interesting ones!
So I managed to stretch a 2.5hr drive back from McManchester into 5hrs
Missus was like this journey seems to be taking a while, did you get lost? That first drive down my street up to my driveway...... again, something else I'll never forget. Had to park out on the street whilst I moved some cars around. Even welcomed that, an opportunity to park it up and look back at it..... just wow. Although it did look at bit out of place out there! Already this car is amazing me the way the colour changes so much in different lights, every picture seems to have a different hue.
Anyway, so quick cup of tea, toilet break etc (still not eaten all day but still no appetite, too bloody excited!) and then where can I drive too next. So decided to take it over to see my friend, he's got a lovely very low mileage 997.2 C2s and was kind enough to drive me all the way to Edinburgh to pick up my R8 in it, which broke down on the way back, adding hours on to an already very long day, and then I only kept the car for 3 months! I felt I owed him!
So he's used to my cars, coming out for a quick pax ride out, but he hadn't been out in a car as quick as this before. When I took it for its first drive I wasn't ready for that brutal acceleration, I couldn't wait for him to experience that, that first WOT in 2nd and into 3rd
Well what ensued ended up with a quote that will stand out for some time in my memories "F**k me Mark, it makes your balls tingle" Even taking passengers out for the 1st time is so much fun in this car, seeing / hearing their reaction the first time they feel that level of acceleration....and deceleration!
So we got back, lovely evening so took a few more pictures, I had a feeling I was going to be doing this a lot!
Over 25yrs of driving and I've never "posed" with one of my cars before, always felt like a bit of a c0ck, but when he suggested I have one with the car, well at this point in time I felt like I was really winning at life so why not capture the moment?!
Still felt like a bit of a c0ck, and yeah, that is pretty much the expression that has been on my face ever since I collected the car
So went inside for another brew, when his 16yr old son came down, asking his Mum for a lift to his mates a few miles away in another town......well I wasn't going to let an opportunity to drive it some more or give another pax ride go by, so I did the right thing and offered my services. However, getting in the car I was reminded that I'd been "enjoying" this car by the fuel light coming on, full tank done in less than 200 miles! Worth every penny!
So first stop petrol station and the journey I would see my first issue, one that was pretty scary. So I've driven out towards the A14 and made my way down the slip road, in 3rd at 50% throttle, then bing....... a warning come up on the dash and it lost power. Oh sh!t. The warning said transmission fault, limphome, restart engine. Turned out power wasn't lost but reduced, I was already on the A14 and only a mile from the next junction with the petrol station I was heading too, so I took it steady and headed there. Weirdly the climate control seemed to be affected too, it seemed to be blowing hot air, may just have been the aircon nonactive? I was pooping it a bit at this point. Had that sinking feeling, I'd got a whole weekend planned with this car, it was only Friday evening, I'd only got the car that day, please don't tell me I was going to be watching it taken away on a transporter before the weekend even started. So got to the petrol station, switched off, filled up, started the car as I held my breath......boom, message is gone and all back to normal! Phew. Still a little bit concerned but I'd read enough about these cars, their quirks and overly sensitive sensors. So I gave my friends son his lift to his friends house, turns out a bit of a get together and when we pull up, all these very excitable teenagers all come running out shouting all sorts of what I assume were compliments at the car. "peng" is that a good thing? I must be getting old!
On the way back I gave Alex a call and even though he'd left to go home hours ago, he picked up, I told him about the problem and he put my mind at rest. The car has been pretty much laid up for a year, the last owner hardly used it, and now it was getting some proper use. If the error is no longer coming up then.... don;t worry and get out and enjoy the car. So I did!
Saturday comes along, head over to my Mothers, show off my new toy, had to take a little detour to a village nearby to get a picture.... (my surname is Nash
)I think its a sign
then next over to my sisters where I spent the next hour or so giving pax rides to her, my nieces, her partner, friend. I was in my element. Not only do I love driving this car, it also makes you look like a driving God! A common theme seems to be it feels like you're on a roller coaster. I assume due to the extreme g's..... or my poor driving!
By the end of the day, 400 miles since collecting and 2 tanks of fuel down - totally worth it.
Sunday: Really looking forward to this one. VERY early start to meet some of my Lotus pals for some spirited driving on some empty country roads, something which we do quite regularly, but up to now I'd rock up in my Exige. Bit of a surprise for them this time. Needless to say they didn't mind the Mclaren gatecrashing the Lotus get together, my argument being its British and a number of the Lotus engineers now worked at Mclaren
The drive out was fantastic, and great to drive some roads I knew well in the Exige. Now Lotus's are known for their superb driver engagement and handling, so I was a little worried this trip could show the 720s's short comings...... I needn't have worried, once again it blew me away. Even on some really tight hairpin type corners, I could drive the car into them, turn in and it pulled around like it was on rails. The bumpy roads, the car felt so stable, I could have gone down them at twice the speed I would've felt comfortable doing so in the Exige. I suppose that is one of the main problems with this car, its license losing ability. I know a lot of people label fast cars like that, but with this things sheer capability to travel at serious speed even down uneven roads...... it does feel its only a matter of time. Anyway, cross that bridge and all that.......
So we got to out resting spot 90mins later and I was buzzing,
[url]totally lapped up the attention the car got from both my Lotus pals and members of the public, I must have sounded a bit tapped, like a little excited child struggling to put into words how this car makes you feel. But couldn't hang around too long, next appointment in Leicestershire to meet some buddies for a convoy to Caffiene and Machine, our 3 hr slot starting from 12.30pm. The convoy was due to consist of a Dodge viper, an AMR Vantage, 812 superfast and a very special Kharman Ghia fitted with an aircooled 911 engine - I was looking forward to this.
So met up with my buddies, unfortunately, the guy with the 812 couldn't make it but the rest were there.
Great drive over and needless to say, pulling up at C&M attracted lots of attention. Managed to get a table right behind the car and spent the next hour proudly admiring the car as people looked around it and took pictures. It all felt so surreal, looking at that car, even with the company it was keeping in the place, it still stood out.
|https://thumbsnap.com/V1zz5gnh[/url]|https://thumbsnap.com/CG7ybPrU[/url]Was just about thinking of heading off and the decision was made for us, the traffic police rocked up like they meant business,
I suddenly realised my car was right out in front proudly sporting no front plate, it was asking for trouble. I really didn't want to put a dampener on my first weekend with the car by picking up a fine so made a for a sharp exit. Took a nice gentle drive back, soaked in what was going to be my last drive of an awesome long weekend where....can't believe I'm saying this....I collected my Mclaren 720s, my first supercar (feel like I jumped in the deep end a bit here! ) I'll never forget this weekend. I'll write the next update tomorrow, there's more interesting updates to come, one which results in me waving goodbye to the car as it disappears off in the back of a transporter
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