Embarrassing moments in Supercars?
Discussion
[quote=msdes123]Used to put my 599 into neutral at traffic lights as dealer told me I would be knackering clutch if I left it in gear. Problem was my daily drive was a BMW M6 automatic which you just hold in gear on the brake and then just accelerate away. In the 599 by the time lights went to green I forgot I was in it and would just revert to BMW mode, followed by a huge scream of V12 engine in neutral and no movement as I attempted to move off. this always happened when surrounded by loads of people or other cars and no doubt loads of comments about the knob in the Ferrari showing off with unnecessary engine revs.
Ha! Glad it's not just me. I've done that. The scream of the engine actually made me jump and I got the most withering look from a woman in the car next to me. You just have to laugh at a time like that.
Ha! Glad it's not just me. I've done that. The scream of the engine actually made me jump and I got the most withering look from a woman in the car next to me. You just have to laugh at a time like that.
Not a Supercar but embarrassing all the same.
About 10 years ago in my TVR in Northern France, at a cross roads and loads of people staring at the loud Brits (friend in an Elise and a Porsche as well) and giving a few go for it signs.
We all raced off the line when the lights changed, all barr myself that is. I had gone through the checklist, handbrake off, revs up, first gear selected - all check!
Except for one part, I'd selected 3rd instead of 1st. Ever tried doing a full bore start up hill in 3rd gear? Neither had I. As the car filled with clutch smoke I lamely limped off the line, reselected 1st and had visions of just how much damage I'd done to my transmission - fortunately none in this case. My ego on the other hand...
About 10 years ago in my TVR in Northern France, at a cross roads and loads of people staring at the loud Brits (friend in an Elise and a Porsche as well) and giving a few go for it signs.
We all raced off the line when the lights changed, all barr myself that is. I had gone through the checklist, handbrake off, revs up, first gear selected - all check!
Except for one part, I'd selected 3rd instead of 1st. Ever tried doing a full bore start up hill in 3rd gear? Neither had I. As the car filled with clutch smoke I lamely limped off the line, reselected 1st and had visions of just how much damage I'd done to my transmission - fortunately none in this case. My ego on the other hand...
SL550M]sdes123 said:
Used to put my 599 into neutral at traffic lights as dealer told me I would be knackering clutch if I left it in gear. Problem was my daily drive was a BMW M6 automatic which you just hold in gear on the brake and then just accelerate away. In the 599 by the time lights went to green I forgot I was in it and would just revert to BMW mode, followed by a huge scream of V12 engine in neutral and no movement as I attempted to move off. this always happened when surrounded by loads of people or other cars and no doubt loads of comments about the knob in the Ferrari showing off with unnecessary engine revs.
Ha! Glad it's not just me. I've done that. The scream of the engine actually made me jump and I got the most withering look from a woman in the car next to me. You just have to laugh at a time like that.
Same here, getting used to using the box properly now but managed to do that several times.Ha! Glad it's not just me. I've done that. The scream of the engine actually made me jump and I got the most withering look from a woman in the car next to me. You just have to laugh at a time like that.
Not a supercar bit first day picked up my 911, was so low on fuel, was nowhere near home and looking for a petrol station. Ended up in a cul de sac entrance, realised I needed to do a 3 point turn and had no clue where reverse was, turns out it's hard left and up but I didn't work thatbout until there were cars waiting behind me, shaking their heads as I blocked their path
Not a supercar but had several incidents in the Gransport
When I first picked it up from Meridien Modena I had a long drive back to Birmingham so stopped for some fuel, it was rush hour so there was quite a long queue behind me, I spent a good 5 minutes (though it felt like hours) turning the key and swearing at it for not starting before remembering the need to use the 'Start' button
I've also on numerous occasions forgot I was in neutral when going to pull away from the lights so have made myself jump and look a tit by revving it and going nowhere
the worst though was when I went for a meal at a country pub on a summers evening with lots of people eating and drinking outside, as I went to leave there was lots of clunking etc followed by the clutch failing which left me stranded much to the delight of the blokes outside the pub
When I first picked it up from Meridien Modena I had a long drive back to Birmingham so stopped for some fuel, it was rush hour so there was quite a long queue behind me, I spent a good 5 minutes (though it felt like hours) turning the key and swearing at it for not starting before remembering the need to use the 'Start' button
I've also on numerous occasions forgot I was in neutral when going to pull away from the lights so have made myself jump and look a tit by revving it and going nowhere
the worst though was when I went for a meal at a country pub on a summers evening with lots of people eating and drinking outside, as I went to leave there was lots of clunking etc followed by the clutch failing which left me stranded much to the delight of the blokes outside the pub
When I was looking for an F355. As above I was a tad embarrassed because I could not find the outside door handle.
I think the worst was my Mondial (It was almost a supercar in its day) and it was terribly unreliable at warm or hot starting (fine at cold starting). Most petrol station fill-ups had the potential and once or twice it was but the worst were two on the same day.
The fuesbox on these and 308's of that era are well known to have faults. Mine would overheat on the fuel pump circuit. I did not know the exact fault until one particular day.
A friend, old colleague and old boss had never seen the car so I took it to him. Arrived at his house and we chatted for a bit before taking him out in the car. It would not start. We tried everything and his missus and daughter thought it was hilarious. He said I was doing nothing for his cause (he fancied something supercarish). So I phoned the AA. We were still checking things when we noticed the warm fuel pump fuse. Anyway we started and cancelled the AA. After dropping him back home within 10 minutes at a set of traffic lights it stopped.
So many bloody people passing, pointing and laughing at the Ferrari with the boot up (front opening). Using a pair of pliers I swapped the very, very hot fuse for a spare one and off I went but in that time I was as red as the car.
Don't ever want to be broken down in a Ferrari again
I think the worst was my Mondial (It was almost a supercar in its day) and it was terribly unreliable at warm or hot starting (fine at cold starting). Most petrol station fill-ups had the potential and once or twice it was but the worst were two on the same day.
The fuesbox on these and 308's of that era are well known to have faults. Mine would overheat on the fuel pump circuit. I did not know the exact fault until one particular day.
A friend, old colleague and old boss had never seen the car so I took it to him. Arrived at his house and we chatted for a bit before taking him out in the car. It would not start. We tried everything and his missus and daughter thought it was hilarious. He said I was doing nothing for his cause (he fancied something supercarish). So I phoned the AA. We were still checking things when we noticed the warm fuel pump fuse. Anyway we started and cancelled the AA. After dropping him back home within 10 minutes at a set of traffic lights it stopped.
So many bloody people passing, pointing and laughing at the Ferrari with the boot up (front opening). Using a pair of pliers I swapped the very, very hot fuse for a spare one and off I went but in that time I was as red as the car.
Don't ever want to be broken down in a Ferrari again
trying to drive off with a fist full of neutrals
parking in the garage, job done, lovely weekend drive, back safely, then for some inexplicable reason in a fraction of a second, it was to late for the brain to engaged, I'd hit the throttle to rev to engine without checking I was in neutral, the car lept toward the wall, some how I managed to stop literally at the wall, saved the car but sat for at least 5 minutes hyperventilating and cursing myself, I think I aged in that moment.
parking in the garage, job done, lovely weekend drive, back safely, then for some inexplicable reason in a fraction of a second, it was to late for the brain to engaged, I'd hit the throttle to rev to engine without checking I was in neutral, the car lept toward the wall, some how I managed to stop literally at the wall, saved the car but sat for at least 5 minutes hyperventilating and cursing myself, I think I aged in that moment.
msdes123 said:
Speaking of my M6 I can testify that on a cold wet winter evening a BMW M6 on summer tyres cannot cope with the ramp that takes you up to the upper deck level on Euro tunnel shuttle trains. After numerous attempts that ended in failure and slipping back down I had to reverse out of the way and wait in plain view as everyone else went past looking at the idiot in the BMW who couldn't drive up a ramp and had just held them up for 10 minutes
When I had one I tried to reverse it out of my driveway on summer tyres when it had been snowing (back in 2012 i think). I wasn't going anywhere except sideways so decided to roll forward a bit to get a better run at it. Rolling forward the car started to slide and I ended up crashing it into my own house. It was slightly embarrassing when I had to explain that to the guy from the insurance company (luckily just for the car, the house was fine)Two spring to mind but there's probably more.
- - new to me 80s Lambo being driven home for the first time and it's low on fuel. Pull into the petrol station and go to the lockable cap. Key in, turn, twist - nothing happens. Key in, turn, twist other way - nothing. Key in, turn, key out, twist - nothing. Key in, turn, push, twist - nothing. It's clearly idiot-proof. I repeatedly try different combinations for 10+ minutes as other people pull in, fill up, admire the car and go. Throughout all this I am acting nonchalant although it is getting trickier and trickier. Luckily, this is Surrey and an ex-owner of an Urraco happened to pull in and show me how to get it open so I finally manage to get away with probably only 100 people seeing my muppetry.
- - new to me 70s Ferrari being driven home for the first time and it's low on fuel. Pull into the petrol station and go to the lockable cap. It opens! I sigh with relief - I'm not going to look like an idiot this time! Fill up, pay and try to drive away - nothing, no electrics. Oh dear. It's been stationary for a while so maybe battery? I push the car to one side (quite a workout) and cajole passers-by into giving me a jump start. This doesn't go well as a big flat 12 takes a bit to get going but after a few failed attempts, a passing mechanic managed to get it going with a heavy duty setup and I finally pull away. It's all smooth sailing from here. For about 400 yards anyway when, on an incline, where the traffic is backed up in front, it dies again and I start rolling back down the hill towards the petrol station and oncoming traffic. This isn't as much fun as it sounds. I manage to maneuver it into a lay-by, not particularly easy with gravity and traffic to compete with, where I proceed to practice my nonchalant look again for all the Saturday afternoon / evening traffic until we're recovered a couple of hours later. On the plus side, I did see a nice P1 growl past, my first, and a 308 driver waved as he went the other way. Still, things could have gone smoother.
When I collected my 550, it seemed an idea to stop for a nice pub lunch. Cue lots of admiring glances etc, certainly more than I was expecting.
What I didn't know at the time, was that the immobiliser kicks back in after a certain amount of time after opening the car without starting it.
So after showing people the car etc, I looked a right fanny when I turned the key and nothing happened; I looked an even bigger fanny as I got increasingly flustered at my spacktardedness
What I didn't know at the time, was that the immobiliser kicks back in after a certain amount of time after opening the car without starting it.
So after showing people the car etc, I looked a right fanny when I turned the key and nothing happened; I looked an even bigger fanny as I got increasingly flustered at my spacktardedness
mon the fish said:
... I looked a right fanny when I turned the key and nothing happened; I looked an even bigger fanny as I got increasingly flustered at my spacktardedness
Lol!I did something similar with our 360. A local level crossing so engine off, train passes, barriers up, me stuck in the middle of the road with a big queue behind. I don't turn it off anymore!
I have a few :
- running out of fuel on Ludgate Hill (in front of St Paul's cathedral) at morning rush hour in a 911 and having first members of the public come and help to push the car where it wouldn't block traffic them a Police patrol coming to make fun of me.
- having a TfL staff help me negotiate a width restrictor in south London after lengthy discussions about responsibility with the 458 Speciale with literally a few mm to spare left and right and a huge pile-up of cyclists and traffic behind me on a Sunday afternoon. With a jogger screaming "first world problems hey.." whilst in the middle of the effort
- being stopped on the street in London when getting out of my GT3 and being asked "are you Rosino81". You should have seen the look on my gf's face..
- running out of fuel on Ludgate Hill (in front of St Paul's cathedral) at morning rush hour in a 911 and having first members of the public come and help to push the car where it wouldn't block traffic them a Police patrol coming to make fun of me.
- having a TfL staff help me negotiate a width restrictor in south London after lengthy discussions about responsibility with the 458 Speciale with literally a few mm to spare left and right and a huge pile-up of cyclists and traffic behind me on a Sunday afternoon. With a jogger screaming "first world problems hey.." whilst in the middle of the effort
- being stopped on the street in London when getting out of my GT3 and being asked "are you Rosino81". You should have seen the look on my gf's face..
exigepete said:
355 Spider, petrol station, was always a 50/50 if petrol cap would pop open when I pressed the button on the centre console, bloody thing!
Caused numerous comments and embarrassing moments!
Bit late now but if anyone else has that problem there is a little emergency cable to pull to open petrol cap, it's located near the petrol cap when you pop open the engine bay.Caused numerous comments and embarrassing moments!
minimalist said:
About ten years ago I visited a garage to look at a Maserati 4200. I didn't realise that the dealer principal was an old school friend and he just the threw the keys at me with a smile.
[...]
PS: the release was in the glovebox.
Other 4200/GS owners note - If the Mrs takes it out and it needs fuel, getting a b[...]
PS: the release was in the glovebox.
king over the filling station intercom for using a mobile on the forecourt to ask you where the filler release is does NOT improve her mood.A Spanish motorcycle policeman said (I assume) "Who do you think you are, Fernanado Alonso?" before noticing I didn't have a steering wheel and there was a woman driving.
Some great stories so far! I have a couple myself:
A month after buying the 360 I pulled up to a petrol station (I'm noticing a theme with these stories) on Christmas Day. The metal petrol cap was on very tight and I couldn't get it open.
Cue a couple of excited guys turned up asking to get pictures with the car. I agreed as long as they could get the cap opened, which they did.
The second story was a few months ago when we hired a large house in Derbyshire for the weekend, this one in fact:
I thought it would be nice to get the roof down and take the Ferrari along. I'd just had it lowered by 15mm that day so was keen to see how it drove on the new setup.
All was going well until we got to the drive leading to the house. It was uphill and had more craters than a teenagers face. I managed to weave my way around the potholes but to add to my misery there were some nasty speed bumps where the car bottomed out twice
The rest of the weekend was spent figuring out a plan of how I would escape come home time. In the end I collected lots of empty cardboard boxes.
As we exited I made my very understanding wife get out of the car and place the pile of cardboard under each of the tyres as we went over the bumps. All this was to the amusement of our family who were following behind us.
That was another experience of the less glamorous side to supercar ownership.
A month after buying the 360 I pulled up to a petrol station (I'm noticing a theme with these stories) on Christmas Day. The metal petrol cap was on very tight and I couldn't get it open.
Cue a couple of excited guys turned up asking to get pictures with the car. I agreed as long as they could get the cap opened, which they did.
The second story was a few months ago when we hired a large house in Derbyshire for the weekend, this one in fact:
I thought it would be nice to get the roof down and take the Ferrari along. I'd just had it lowered by 15mm that day so was keen to see how it drove on the new setup.
All was going well until we got to the drive leading to the house. It was uphill and had more craters than a teenagers face. I managed to weave my way around the potholes but to add to my misery there were some nasty speed bumps where the car bottomed out twice
The rest of the weekend was spent figuring out a plan of how I would escape come home time. In the end I collected lots of empty cardboard boxes.
As we exited I made my very understanding wife get out of the car and place the pile of cardboard under each of the tyres as we went over the bumps. All this was to the amusement of our family who were following behind us.
That was another experience of the less glamorous side to supercar ownership.
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