Tales of a V8V (illustrated)
Discussion
RobbW said:
Dean,
I very much enjoy your thread and seeing your travels and time with your Vantage. You have a very, very sharp car.
I hope you will continue to post with more stories and the great photos.
Did your rear require a bumper change for the carbon splitter or was it a direct transfer?
Can you share with us the lenses you used for the track day shots? Tilt shifts, or just primes wide open? Absolutely gorgeous like all of your work.
Robb
Thanks Robb, & others!I very much enjoy your thread and seeing your travels and time with your Vantage. You have a very, very sharp car.
I hope you will continue to post with more stories and the great photos.
Did your rear require a bumper change for the carbon splitter or was it a direct transfer?
Can you share with us the lenses you used for the track day shots? Tilt shifts, or just primes wide open? Absolutely gorgeous like all of your work.
Robb
I guess you are referring to the rear diffuser? The carbon N420 one was a straight swap for the original, no new bumper or alterations required.
The last two shots from the track day were shot with a 50mm 1.4 or 35 1.4 - Primes wide open tends to be my default - but the side-on shot in the pit garage I gave a tweak in post for some added blur in a kinda tilt-shift way. Not part of my normal process, was just having a play really and liked the effect.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 26th October 18:54
Barn find!!
...ok, it`s my barn, and I knew it was there...
The Vantage has been not getting as much road time as usual, due to an inordinate amount of work and travel over the summer, but I feel the need to blow some cobwebs out of the car and myself in the next couple of weeks before winter takes hold... The Susten Pass is a convenient 3 hour 30 round trip, not including stops along the way, which might be a chance to farewell the Bridgestone Potenzas, (before they make way for the inevitable Michelin Pilot Sports) prior to fitting the winter wheels.
I am somewhat sheepish to admit I have also being toying with the idea of selling the car, not for any other reason than a lack of funds in other areas of life, as the previously mentioned house purchase meant a tightening of the purse strings, and having an Aston Martin parked downstairs seems somewhat frivolous while bargaining with the tax man, but thus far I have managed to keep the wolves at bay despite the sudden upturn in unexpected invoices!
On a slightly separate note, while I have been rather remiss in writing any updates for this thread, I have been equally slack at taking photos of the Tungsten Terror, however I did enjoy a modicum of creative license in the recent "Tuscany in our DB9 Volante" thread, which has been the most entertaining thread on here for a long time! I have the intention to correct the lack of anecdotal missives and imagery should the jaunt to the Susten proceed as planned...
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
...ok, it`s my barn, and I knew it was there...
The Vantage has been not getting as much road time as usual, due to an inordinate amount of work and travel over the summer, but I feel the need to blow some cobwebs out of the car and myself in the next couple of weeks before winter takes hold... The Susten Pass is a convenient 3 hour 30 round trip, not including stops along the way, which might be a chance to farewell the Bridgestone Potenzas, (before they make way for the inevitable Michelin Pilot Sports) prior to fitting the winter wheels.
I am somewhat sheepish to admit I have also being toying with the idea of selling the car, not for any other reason than a lack of funds in other areas of life, as the previously mentioned house purchase meant a tightening of the purse strings, and having an Aston Martin parked downstairs seems somewhat frivolous while bargaining with the tax man, but thus far I have managed to keep the wolves at bay despite the sudden upturn in unexpected invoices!
On a slightly separate note, while I have been rather remiss in writing any updates for this thread, I have been equally slack at taking photos of the Tungsten Terror, however I did enjoy a modicum of creative license in the recent "Tuscany in our DB9 Volante" thread, which has been the most entertaining thread on here for a long time! I have the intention to correct the lack of anecdotal missives and imagery should the jaunt to the Susten proceed as planned...
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
So, on Wednesday, the forecast was outstanding. Nothing but sunshine and 18-20°C for central Switzerland so I threw a Nikon and a couple of lenses in the Vantage and cut a track to the aforementioned Susten Pass at 11:30am. A rather leisurely departure time I will admit but as I was interested in taking a few photos, I`d prefer to have a decent breakfast and a couple of flat whites behind me, and then be shooting with late afternoon/sunset light rather than heading out the door in early morning darkness to get a sunrise of unknown quality.
I had already extended my Susten plan, as I figured I might as well loop in the Grimsel and Furka passes while I was in the neighborhood. Rude not to really. Google Maps had factored 329km and 5 hours 42 minutes for this jaunt. I ended up with 345km and 7 hours 40 minutes.
I headed south past Luzern, turning off on A8 in direction Interlaken to take the Brünig Pass across to Meiringen, the Aston chomping through the miles like the undercover GT it is. Just before the Brünig gets interesting you can veer off to Lungern (rather than take another wonderfully engineered and extremely boring Swiss tunnel) which has a self-serve Shell station if you need to top up on V-Power at about a 5% premium. The Brünig is a nice drive in itself if you strike it without traffic, which is seldom the case these days unfortunately, but at the top there is a wonderful second hand shop (Brockenhaus Brünig Passhöhe) filled with much Swiss paraphernalia of a bygone era, and a light sprinkling of dodgy crap, that is well worth a stop and wander, particularly if you need a cow bell or pewter wine jug for home.
After this it`s down a couple of km and left towards both the Grimsel and the Susten, and then depending on your fickle mood or GPS you can choose what ever you want… it`s like a bacchanal smorgasbord of driving pleasure.
I started with the Susten as I had already planned to turn around in Wassen at the other end and come back for the Grimsel/Furka. Susten was the first pass to be purpose built for vehicles, opened in 1945, and it is a very pretty drive this time of year. The trees are multiple shades of yellow, red and orange as autumn takes hold, the ice melt still creates small waterfalls that look like bridal veils in the sunshine, squirrels frolic on roadside rocks, unicorns can be glimpsed cantering through the trees and writers take leave of their senses and start scribbling fantastical nonsense, but it really is quite beautiful, and in all truth the roads are happily lacking the hoards of vehicles that traverse these passes through the summertime. There was a decent number of motorbikes but they are not a hindrance and very little four wheeled traffic. There was one Volvo S70 wagon with a BE number plate which already speaks volumes if you live here, driven by a stereotypical bearded Swiss gent of advanced age that looked like he`d come straight from filming a cheese commercial, that I passed on four different occasions, but nothing horrendous to report traffic wise for the entire day!
The Susten is a glorious ribbon of tarmac that suits the Vantage wonderfully, through the valleys leading out of Meiringen to Innertkirchen where it splits left to Gadmen then wends up through the trees while sheer rock escarpments lean in from the north, it already teases at what is to come, and after that onto a series of long switchbacks and subsequently flowing through a series of short tunnels built under rocky outcrops seems created more for the visual drama than practicality. Once past the small alpine lake and over the summit the views widen out and pushing on down to Wassen the road mostly bends rather than anything too tight and so the forward motion does not require as much leaning on the brakes compared to going down in the opposite direction. Spinning around in Wassen and back through the rocky tunnels and over the vaulted bridges crossing the bolder strewn melt water runoffs, it is more of the same in reverse. I think you could just run back and forwards all day. I wound the car out to around 6000rpm in third a few times, but mostly it is a second through to mid-third experience if applying yourself, but sometimes it`s nice to take it a bit more casually and soak it all in. There are more than a couple of restaurants along the way so if the need for “Sustenance” arises you have options.
On the way back I picked up a Serbian fellow, Alex, in a yellow Cayman that said he heard my car from at least half a kilometre away and was trying to catch up to hear it better as it was so amazing. A motorbike rider made a video as I drove past with Alex behind me and I doubled back to ask if he could send it to me, which he did (thanks Pierre) and it`s so nice to finally hear the car from an outside perspective since getting the BR mods. Now I know why the 488 driver looked at my car so belligerently when I pulled up near to him.
Here`s the link to it, quality is low but the volume works!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBbT1vNT9F4&fe...
Alex and I both parked at the Susten summit and had a chin wag and he was on his way to visit his sister in Paris via every driving road possible and he thought that he was in nirvana here in Switzerland. He was gob-smacked when I told him the age of my Vantage, he thought it was quite new, the ageless beauty of that Vantage design language, it really is sex on toast.
Otherwise, aside from photo stops it was drive, drive, drive. The photo stops were odd because I felt the need to take some shots but didn`t start shooting until my second run on the Susten. I was enjoying the driving so much it was mostly spot a location, park at what seemed an appropriate angle, choose a lens, take a few quick shots, back in the car, keep moving. None of this back it up two metres, line up the background, turn the car 30 degrees left kinda stuff that I typically find myself doing. Sometimes I shot just with my phone too, as I couldn`t be bothered with getting the camera out. Having said that I think the photos give a nice representation of the roads which is testament to the idyllic scenery and backgrounds.
Back through to Innertkirchen and left to the Grimsel, some 50 years older than the Susten, and things get good pretty quickly. It starts off flowing beautifully and then quickly becomes something very different from the Susten visually. During the late afternoon when I was there, the light was behaving well and the sinuous veins of tone in the rock combined with the alpine lakes gave a very much otherworldly feel. It is an extremely nice drive and I had both windows cracked open so I could listen to the car`s gruff voice bouncing off the granite, but eventually I found myself a little overwhelmed by the scenery and photographic possibilities. It`s one of those places that must look so different hour to hour as the light and shadow play their theatre.
With the thunderous exhaust note echoing off the rock walls I plied on, past what looked like a dark red Ferrari F12 parked well back off the road and the two men standing next to it seemed to be paying the Aston a fair amount of attention. A surprise along the way at the top of the three dam walls of the Grimselsee was the Historisches Alpinhotel Grimsel Hospiz located across the top of a dam wall on what appears as an island, and it all had a very Bond location feel about it. I ventured across for a few snaps and would have liked to explore more but with the light ever diminishing I felt the need to press on. Another day maybe. I was surprised that I have never heard mention of this place.
The top of the Grimsel is similar to the Susten, a smidge under 2200M but feels somehow more alpine, and the eastern side is nowhere near as interesting as the west, but then when you run the switchbacks down to the derelict and deserted Gletsch, you get a glimpse of the Furka, in the late afternoon sun, beckoning you.
The Furka is a different beast. At nearly 2500M/8000ft it reaches higher than it`s colleagues, has been around longer, since 1867, and still struts its age with pride and a sniff of hostility. As you approach this road you feel the history and once on there, ricocheting up the switchbacks to the now abandoned Belvedere Hotel alongside the steadily retreating Rhone Galcier, you become a part of it. There is some expectation here. It`s a great road to feel the past and after leaving the Belvedere behind you find it is still a little raw in places and it narrows occasionally to where you or the other vehicle need to stop to allow passage, a waterfall cascades down right next to the road, and the with the last direct sunlight gone and virtually no traffic it feels special, lonely and somehow a little sad.
It`s a nostalgic drive, but unlike the Grimsel and Susten not as driver focused, and not one that I would choose to do repeatedly, but I certainly would do it again. Being on this road at the end of the day is probably a perfect closure to several hours of driving pleasure, as it gives time for some reflection, certainly about the amount of enjoyment this Vantage provides on these unique stretches of black top, but also the nature of these roads, why and how they were built and the millions of people and vehicles that have traveled over them. The ghost of Goldfinger and the halcyon days of tourism still lurks here but like Gletsch at the start of the Furka drive, you know it`s best days are well behind it.
I had already extended my Susten plan, as I figured I might as well loop in the Grimsel and Furka passes while I was in the neighborhood. Rude not to really. Google Maps had factored 329km and 5 hours 42 minutes for this jaunt. I ended up with 345km and 7 hours 40 minutes.
I headed south past Luzern, turning off on A8 in direction Interlaken to take the Brünig Pass across to Meiringen, the Aston chomping through the miles like the undercover GT it is. Just before the Brünig gets interesting you can veer off to Lungern (rather than take another wonderfully engineered and extremely boring Swiss tunnel) which has a self-serve Shell station if you need to top up on V-Power at about a 5% premium. The Brünig is a nice drive in itself if you strike it without traffic, which is seldom the case these days unfortunately, but at the top there is a wonderful second hand shop (Brockenhaus Brünig Passhöhe) filled with much Swiss paraphernalia of a bygone era, and a light sprinkling of dodgy crap, that is well worth a stop and wander, particularly if you need a cow bell or pewter wine jug for home.
After this it`s down a couple of km and left towards both the Grimsel and the Susten, and then depending on your fickle mood or GPS you can choose what ever you want… it`s like a bacchanal smorgasbord of driving pleasure.
I started with the Susten as I had already planned to turn around in Wassen at the other end and come back for the Grimsel/Furka. Susten was the first pass to be purpose built for vehicles, opened in 1945, and it is a very pretty drive this time of year. The trees are multiple shades of yellow, red and orange as autumn takes hold, the ice melt still creates small waterfalls that look like bridal veils in the sunshine, squirrels frolic on roadside rocks, unicorns can be glimpsed cantering through the trees and writers take leave of their senses and start scribbling fantastical nonsense, but it really is quite beautiful, and in all truth the roads are happily lacking the hoards of vehicles that traverse these passes through the summertime. There was a decent number of motorbikes but they are not a hindrance and very little four wheeled traffic. There was one Volvo S70 wagon with a BE number plate which already speaks volumes if you live here, driven by a stereotypical bearded Swiss gent of advanced age that looked like he`d come straight from filming a cheese commercial, that I passed on four different occasions, but nothing horrendous to report traffic wise for the entire day!
The Susten is a glorious ribbon of tarmac that suits the Vantage wonderfully, through the valleys leading out of Meiringen to Innertkirchen where it splits left to Gadmen then wends up through the trees while sheer rock escarpments lean in from the north, it already teases at what is to come, and after that onto a series of long switchbacks and subsequently flowing through a series of short tunnels built under rocky outcrops seems created more for the visual drama than practicality. Once past the small alpine lake and over the summit the views widen out and pushing on down to Wassen the road mostly bends rather than anything too tight and so the forward motion does not require as much leaning on the brakes compared to going down in the opposite direction. Spinning around in Wassen and back through the rocky tunnels and over the vaulted bridges crossing the bolder strewn melt water runoffs, it is more of the same in reverse. I think you could just run back and forwards all day. I wound the car out to around 6000rpm in third a few times, but mostly it is a second through to mid-third experience if applying yourself, but sometimes it`s nice to take it a bit more casually and soak it all in. There are more than a couple of restaurants along the way so if the need for “Sustenance” arises you have options.
On the way back I picked up a Serbian fellow, Alex, in a yellow Cayman that said he heard my car from at least half a kilometre away and was trying to catch up to hear it better as it was so amazing. A motorbike rider made a video as I drove past with Alex behind me and I doubled back to ask if he could send it to me, which he did (thanks Pierre) and it`s so nice to finally hear the car from an outside perspective since getting the BR mods. Now I know why the 488 driver looked at my car so belligerently when I pulled up near to him.
Here`s the link to it, quality is low but the volume works!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBbT1vNT9F4&fe...
Alex and I both parked at the Susten summit and had a chin wag and he was on his way to visit his sister in Paris via every driving road possible and he thought that he was in nirvana here in Switzerland. He was gob-smacked when I told him the age of my Vantage, he thought it was quite new, the ageless beauty of that Vantage design language, it really is sex on toast.
Otherwise, aside from photo stops it was drive, drive, drive. The photo stops were odd because I felt the need to take some shots but didn`t start shooting until my second run on the Susten. I was enjoying the driving so much it was mostly spot a location, park at what seemed an appropriate angle, choose a lens, take a few quick shots, back in the car, keep moving. None of this back it up two metres, line up the background, turn the car 30 degrees left kinda stuff that I typically find myself doing. Sometimes I shot just with my phone too, as I couldn`t be bothered with getting the camera out. Having said that I think the photos give a nice representation of the roads which is testament to the idyllic scenery and backgrounds.
Back through to Innertkirchen and left to the Grimsel, some 50 years older than the Susten, and things get good pretty quickly. It starts off flowing beautifully and then quickly becomes something very different from the Susten visually. During the late afternoon when I was there, the light was behaving well and the sinuous veins of tone in the rock combined with the alpine lakes gave a very much otherworldly feel. It is an extremely nice drive and I had both windows cracked open so I could listen to the car`s gruff voice bouncing off the granite, but eventually I found myself a little overwhelmed by the scenery and photographic possibilities. It`s one of those places that must look so different hour to hour as the light and shadow play their theatre.
With the thunderous exhaust note echoing off the rock walls I plied on, past what looked like a dark red Ferrari F12 parked well back off the road and the two men standing next to it seemed to be paying the Aston a fair amount of attention. A surprise along the way at the top of the three dam walls of the Grimselsee was the Historisches Alpinhotel Grimsel Hospiz located across the top of a dam wall on what appears as an island, and it all had a very Bond location feel about it. I ventured across for a few snaps and would have liked to explore more but with the light ever diminishing I felt the need to press on. Another day maybe. I was surprised that I have never heard mention of this place.
The top of the Grimsel is similar to the Susten, a smidge under 2200M but feels somehow more alpine, and the eastern side is nowhere near as interesting as the west, but then when you run the switchbacks down to the derelict and deserted Gletsch, you get a glimpse of the Furka, in the late afternoon sun, beckoning you.
The Furka is a different beast. At nearly 2500M/8000ft it reaches higher than it`s colleagues, has been around longer, since 1867, and still struts its age with pride and a sniff of hostility. As you approach this road you feel the history and once on there, ricocheting up the switchbacks to the now abandoned Belvedere Hotel alongside the steadily retreating Rhone Galcier, you become a part of it. There is some expectation here. It`s a great road to feel the past and after leaving the Belvedere behind you find it is still a little raw in places and it narrows occasionally to where you or the other vehicle need to stop to allow passage, a waterfall cascades down right next to the road, and the with the last direct sunlight gone and virtually no traffic it feels special, lonely and somehow a little sad.
It`s a nostalgic drive, but unlike the Grimsel and Susten not as driver focused, and not one that I would choose to do repeatedly, but I certainly would do it again. Being on this road at the end of the day is probably a perfect closure to several hours of driving pleasure, as it gives time for some reflection, certainly about the amount of enjoyment this Vantage provides on these unique stretches of black top, but also the nature of these roads, why and how they were built and the millions of people and vehicles that have traveled over them. The ghost of Goldfinger and the halcyon days of tourism still lurks here but like Gletsch at the start of the Furka drive, you know it`s best days are well behind it.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 26th October 19:05
Thanks everyone! 
Good luck with your campaign!
however my participation would be subject on having my confirmed work/travel schedule in place which normally doesn`t happen until around Jan/Feb...
V8V Pete said:
You're making me seriously jealous Dean. We're heading to Switzerland next summer but unfortunately will be in the family bus unless I can somehow insist that it has to be a two car holiday 
My commiserations Pete, I guess a Ford Mondeo Estate won`t quite handle the streets in quite the same way as an SP10... Good luck with your campaign! soofsayer said:
Super pics and write up dean. Great to see you getting use of the car. I did those roads on a bike 5 years ago, completely understand your reluctance to stop and take pictures, bravo for doing so. Best wishes.
Thanks Andy. Yes, a motorbike would be a fun and hairy ride at times I`m sure, especially over some of the bumpy and uneven stuff!Gene G said:
Absolutely stunning pictures. Thanks for sharing. I have really enjoyed reading your posts. I’m with you I think the original V8Vantage design is perfection and timeless.
They got it right. I have to suspect that not many reviews or opinions would have been in the mould of some of those for the current Vantage...BassFlyer said:
Well now, just as a thought. Why don't we fix thick end of a week in the diaries for next year? Rendezvous at Folkestone and schlep down to Switzerland (one overnight stop?). Dean can maybe recommend a hotel somewhere near him which is then a base for a bit of hooning round the passes. Evenings spent quaffing wine, eating well and gabbing about Astons.
Good thinking Skipper! I`d be very happy with that or a similar scenario, Paul however my participation would be subject on having my confirmed work/travel schedule in place which normally doesn`t happen until around Jan/Feb...Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Sunday 21st October 23:23
rovcallum said:
Fantastic photos - as always. Beautiful part of the planet and the best looking car.
My wife & I were round the same places in the summer, in a Mini Countryman!
They were digging up and resurfacing the road up to the Grimsel Hospiz back then.
One thing which did surprise us was the lack of signage for the famous Furka Pass Bond Scene. We happened upon it quite by accident.
Thanks Callum. The Countryman is aptly named for those parts! My wife & I were round the same places in the summer, in a Mini Countryman!
They were digging up and resurfacing the road up to the Grimsel Hospiz back then.
One thing which did surprise us was the lack of signage for the famous Furka Pass Bond Scene. We happened upon it quite by accident.
It`s true, they don`t seem to make anything of the Bond connection, unlike Austria where they`ve gone all out with their 007 Elements museum. I guess I drove past the place where it was filmed but have no idea where it was!
Omaruk said:
I recognise that place
Yep, that looks familiar! AMvantageBJB said:
I’ve only just found your wonderful thread as I’m very new to PH & AM. Is that me & my V8V you’re writing about??!!**. I’d thought mine was the best car ever; seems it’s now 2nd!? I LOVE the way you USE your car in the same way that I promised myself I would before taking the leap here in the UK. She came immaculately cared for [48k/12yrs] but I’ve loved every minute of sporadic ‘daily use, road trips through The Lakes, N Wales, Cornwall & around E Anglia’s coast (all with my very amateur Canon btw!) Even had my first track day experience just last Fri! Europe next year, now I’m confident with it…. that ‘fits like a glove’ feeling
Thank you Let`s go with 1st equal for the cars, but keep it to ourselves, might get a few noses out of joint otherwise. You seem to be using yours too which is excellent. It would feel a shame to have all that driving and visual pleasure locked away.
The track day I did earlier this year was huge fun with a great bunch, but in some ways driving the passes, especially in the conditions a couple of weeks back, was more enjoyable. I felt the car was in it`s element, there was less need (self imposed admittedly) to push the car towards the limits, but I suspect the scenery and slightly raw nature of it all makes things a bit more visceral.
hornbaek said:
Wonderful pictures Mr T. of a terrific landscape. Switzerland is a beautiful place. I lived there 2 years ago (Thalwill). Now in Austria. Not as dramatic a scenery but the fines are manageable (if snapped), so ultimately a better driving destination in my opinion.
The one fine I have had was a cracker...Prost!
cayman-black said:
Absolutely superb pictures. I was there this June gone in my SVR. Great roads.
Thanks. Just driving around taking photo, so enjoyable. The season is officially not summer, autumn or spring, and the winter wheels have been fitted for a few weeks now. While being fitted I had AM check out a warning light that had popped up a few weeks ago, “SRS AIRBAG SERVICE URGENT” which apparently turned out to be just a sensor so I was happy it was a relatively quick, cheap and easy fix, except that five days later the message returned so back it goes next week. Yesterday I was out in some nice late afternoon conditions and had a camera with me... surprise surprise.
Despite the colder months being upon us the car is still getting out every few days as readers of this thread have come to know, for both required trips, driving trips and semi-frequent visits to the car wash in between. I guess some people on here will be appalled to see an Aston in an automated car wash, but this has been a regular feature of my car`s life for four winters now. With all of these machines being guaranteed scratch free in Switzerland, and also providing underbody washing, with winter driving they are a godsend.
Yesterday I was reminded of how potent this car can be now while driving a stretch of drying motorway with occasional wet areas. While doing around 100km/h I dropped it down from 5th to 3rd and punched it, and the rear end stepped out rather dramatically! The initial surprise at it breaking traction at this speed in third was quickly replaced with a childish laugh. Don`t know how it looked to the driver 50 metres behind me...
Despite the colder months being upon us the car is still getting out every few days as readers of this thread have come to know, for both required trips, driving trips and semi-frequent visits to the car wash in between. I guess some people on here will be appalled to see an Aston in an automated car wash, but this has been a regular feature of my car`s life for four winters now. With all of these machines being guaranteed scratch free in Switzerland, and also providing underbody washing, with winter driving they are a godsend.
Yesterday I was reminded of how potent this car can be now while driving a stretch of drying motorway with occasional wet areas. While doing around 100km/h I dropped it down from 5th to 3rd and punched it, and the rear end stepped out rather dramatically! The initial surprise at it breaking traction at this speed in third was quickly replaced with a childish laugh. Don`t know how it looked to the driver 50 metres behind me...
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 26th October 19:20
Ken Figenus said:
Dean! A Car wash! Rattling cages indeed - but I am envious as I had to rinse/snow foam/rinse/hand wash/rinse/foam glossy finisher/rinse/blow dry mine twice this week - that's almost 4 hours of my life gone! Are these 'no scratches' machines expensive !?
Envious, I am sure, as I guess the B-52 would not fit into any of these anyway...Expensive, I would say not, runs from around 10chf / 8 quid for basic wash to 30chf / 23 quid for the full treatment, foam pre-wash, rinse, wash, underbody wash, wax and dry, and several variations in between. All I do afterwards is open up all the opening up bits and run around them with a shammy. I had my wife research this extensively before venturing forth the first time with the Vantage, but I had put our previous cars through these things several times with no consequence.
They are often a petrol stations and along with stand-alone car wash businesses have separate bays where you can wash and high pressure wash manually, and often hoists so you can list you car up and clean the underside yourself, which I`ve done at the end of winter and is a pretty useful feature!!
When it comes to rattling cages, I have thought many times to post an auto-wash photo, as I`ve taken a few with that in mind, but I feared the discord that would ensue!
cayman-black said:
Mr Tremlini if your photos weren't so good i would ask that you be banned!
Hopefully I can appease you in the next few days... Have just met up with another PHer of UK extraction and planned a drive tomorrow along with a couple of other vehicles through what is, despite the elongated winter, hopefully some interesting and extremely drive-able Swiss terrain. I shall probably take a camera. First stop tomorrow will apparently be a car wash...
So Soofsayer came to Switzerland, and brought three friends. The plan was hatched some months ago but as the mid-May date came nearer the prospect of driving through the fantastic Swiss passes dwindled due to the elongated grip of winter, and the latest snow in Switzerland since 1945, evidently. This meant passes that would normally be open were still closed. Despite this I concocted a driving route that should see the visitors happy enough with the limited offerings, hopefully...
On the Tuesday evening I drove 10 minutes to a nearby hotel, the Seerose, and met up with the DB9 driving Soofsayer, who I knew from a previous gathering in the UK, and his three colleagues scattered across a Jaguar F-Type SVR, Mercedes AMG GT and a Mclaren 720s. Over a G&T we reviewed my plan and agreed to meet up the following morning at local castle, Schloss Heidegg.
The day dawned grey but dry, and happily stay dry it did, and the clouds parted on a few occasions to give us some sunshine too. The four arrived promptly at the castle car park and parked alongside my V8 Vantage. We discussed the first move, as there was the issue of a bird strike discussed the evening before, so with things organised and some noticing that outside of the vehicles the breeze was certainly coming off the snowy mountains, we headed to a local petrol station for fuel and to water-blast the remains of said bird from the AMG. What followed was a 30 minute drive through the "Dragon Valley" as it`s known locally, and up and over to a small town of Sempach on the other side. I stopped through the city gates of Sempach and the other four pulled over behind me. I jumped out to explain that I would take some photos as the cars drove through the old town, and less than 90 seconds later when I went back to my car, some typically uptight local was on the phone complaining about the 5 cars that had just stopped in front of the church in non-designated parking and was reading out my number plate when I drove away. Switzerland is a great country, however the inflexibility and busy-body nature of many people is astounding.
After this we followed a couple of slow moving tractors but after dispatching them had a reasonable run through to Malters and then over a cool little road that I had found by chance a few years ago, a sort of mini-pass, that leads to Entlebuch, and then over the Glaubenberg Pass to Sarnen, leaving Kanton Luzern for the first time and entering Obwalden. Glaubenberg Pass is possibly not know by many, but it`s a decent drive of 30km (18.5 miles) with lots of terrain change and a height of 1540m (5000ft). It offered spots to take some photos along the way and lots of work for throttles and brakes, the right feet getting a good work out, and left foot too if your me and the only one driving a manual in the group!
Being the lead car, as I was for the day, comes with a certain amount of assumed expectation, as every time a truck, tractor or slow vehicle gets in the way, you feel an immediate responsibility, but generally everyone seemed pleased enough with my guiding and pace.
In Sarnen there was a need for coffee so we stopped for a drink and snack then blasted off over the Brunig Pass (1000m) and into the Kanton of Bern where the Susten and Grimsel passes live. (These passes were both closed, but I had found out that the Grimsel was open for around 17km so we could at least do a back and forth, as those 17km are still pretty special.)
Enjoying some good squirts of motoring over the Brunig, particularly the second half, we then headed to our lunch destination, Grandhotel Giessbach, an incredible old hotel with a phenomenal outlook. Built in the 1870`s overlooking Lake Brienz and next to the Giessbach Falls, which drop over 500m in 14 stages, seemed a fitting spot for a break in proceedings. We (sorry, I) cheekily drove down to the small hotel car park, bypassing the one 300m away, with the others following. The parking attendant was questioning but very nice and upon asking if we were a group, said we could park next to the hotel today, but that it was not normally allowed. Lunch was tasty and not badly priced considering, and provided a very nice outlook and a post-lunch trek up to and under a section of the falls.
We then back-tracked through Meiringen and enthusiastically onto the Grimsel. Part way into the drive the road was blocked by a tree felling operation. We waited 5 minutes until they had loaded up a trailer, then the workmen waved us through, while one hastily swept the road clean of dirt and sticks, would have made a great photo! Even though it was a limited drive, it did not disappoint, and when the barrier across the road signaled an end, it left everybody wanting more. The return drive was also quite spirited regardless of a few photo stops and back into Meiringen for a refuel, (not strictly necessary other than for the 50 litre tank in the Mclaren) then the drive was back over the Brunig an onto the motorway to pass Luzern, succeeded by a bit of country driving to take us back to where we started, 275km (170 miles) later, and a relaxing evening with a Thai dinner.
All in all a decent outing in some terrific machinery, fine company, nice food, a few photos to help remember it all, and no harm done, except to the delicate mental balance of the Shrew of Sempach.
So as not to raise the ire of those that would point to the images of non-Aston`s and say, "Harumph!! This is an Aston Martin forum, the nerve!" I shall make them smaller than the ones of Astons, a certain photographic one-upmanship if you will.
Below is the first stage of the trip, until the lunch stop, and the section of the Grimsel that we drove.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Tuesday 29th October 09:17
Thank you people!
I have the Sony RX1RII, the small, expensive happy snappy with the fixed Zeiss 35mm f2 and that packs the same sensor as the A7RII and is my walk around camera of choice, a really great little thing.
I never even switch on video so those aspects are lost on me, but I do know many rave favorably about the Sony for video though.
5DMkII is getting a bit long in the tooth, but will still hold up amongst most of the new offerings as long as fast AF in low light is not your thing. 21MP, who needs more most of the time?!
soofsayer said:
Great write up and photos Dean. Was a great day !
Sure was, thanks for coming!Ken Figenus said:
O/T geekery - you still loving your new-ish Nikon gear? I just got a Sony A7Sii more for the 50P HD video and despite Sony lenses being video unfriendly, slow and expensive. Its truly fab for log video but for stills I keep reaching for my old 5DMkii. Just more organic, warmer and feel less harsh.
OK, I`ll nerd out a bit... The Nikon lenses are terrific, and the D850 is stonking bit of kit, sensor is amazing, noise at high ISO almost grain-like in quality, and it`s a proper handful that feels intuitive. I had an A7RII that I sold quite quickly, as not only do Sony lack a decent range of prime lenses (even now, three years ago it was dismal) but the much touted small mirrorless system is in reality a full frame camera with full frame sized optics that you attach to a small, ergonomically awkward body that is uncomfortable to hold. It created a nice image there`s no doubt about that, but the package disappoints. I have the Sony RX1RII, the small, expensive happy snappy with the fixed Zeiss 35mm f2 and that packs the same sensor as the A7RII and is my walk around camera of choice, a really great little thing.
I never even switch on video so those aspects are lost on me, but I do know many rave favorably about the Sony for video though.
5DMkII is getting a bit long in the tooth, but will still hold up amongst most of the new offerings as long as fast AF in low light is not your thing. 21MP, who needs more most of the time?!
Well, as winter has been somewhat elongated and I have been "ausland" a reasonable amount, the winter rubber, Pirelli Sottozero`s, are still on the car, but now back home amid temps in the mid 30`s (mid 90`s for you F people) for the last couple of days, I had the incentive to order some Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber. (One week waiting time)
Through the summer I have been running the same Bridgestones on the car since I picked it up in 2015, and while they are not recognised as the summer tyre of choice, they certainly stick around! I could probably get another summer out of them but it`s time for the PS4`s, read so much about them, need to feel the difference!
Through the summer I have been running the same Bridgestones on the car since I picked it up in 2015, and while they are not recognised as the summer tyre of choice, they certainly stick around! I could probably get another summer out of them but it`s time for the PS4`s, read so much about them, need to feel the difference!
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 5th October 09:36
Don`t dilly-dally folks, if you haven`t yet, get a set of Michelin Pilot Sports onto your Vantage immediately!!
Everything people have written on this forum about these Frenchies is true. Of course!
The Pilot Sports are so supple and pliant with oodles of would I say "gentle" feedback, the already good steering feels noticeably better, and the cornering grip is astounding compared to the Potenzas. I can get on the gas much earlier coming out of bends and they just bite and chuck the car forward!
Of course I am comparing new PS4`s to Bridgestones that had done well in excess of 20,000km, but I still recall what they were like when I first got the car
and they were only a couple of thousand km old - it really is night and day!
Bloody brilliant!
Of course I`ll be interested to see how long they last...
Everything people have written on this forum about these Frenchies is true. Of course!
The Pilot Sports are so supple and pliant with oodles of would I say "gentle" feedback, the already good steering feels noticeably better, and the cornering grip is astounding compared to the Potenzas. I can get on the gas much earlier coming out of bends and they just bite and chuck the car forward!
Of course I am comparing new PS4`s to Bridgestones that had done well in excess of 20,000km, but I still recall what they were like when I first got the car
and they were only a couple of thousand km old - it really is night and day!
Bloody brilliant!
Of course I`ll be interested to see how long they last...
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Friday 25th October 00:03
KiwiSG said:
From one Kiwi Aston Owning Photographer to another... fecking awesome mate !!! loving those shots - keep it up
Cheers! The kiwi photographers car of choice, AM should do a campaign! Ken Figenus said:
They last really well mate! So These are PS4-S right?
Yes indeed, PS4S, not to be confused with PlayStation!billydo said:
Thanks for that report Dean. I've been waiting all year for the UK to have stock of these again (you could only get the fronts or rears I can't remember which), but they're finally here again.
Ordered via Blackcircles and booked-in for fitting on Wednesday... :-)
Neal.
Availability could have something to do with this unusual/weird fact I discovered... you decide, the front 235`s are made in France and the rear 275`s made in the USA!Ordered via Blackcircles and booked-in for fitting on Wednesday... :-)
Neal.
So, Furka Pass, Grimsel Pass, Susten Pass - that`s what I drove over today.
Unfortunately it was in the back of a Seat 7-seater while doing a location check with three other guys for an event later this year, so the experience was somewhat dampened by the mode of transport... I did get to drive to the meeting spot, a 1 hour 15 minute blast normally, somewhat longer due to the slow moving and predominantly Dutch camper vans, Belgium people-movers with numerous bikes strapped to the back, or dawdling VW and Renault estates with sticky faced children wrestling with a hound in the back seat, as the northern Europeans commence their summer-long expeditions south through the long suffering Gotthard tunnel.
However, up in the passes, along with the usual smattering of sports and super cars, I did see a few interesting sights as we made our way along.
A new DBS Volante, left hand drive but with GB plates?? Went up, turned around and went back down a stretch of road so the passenger could film it drive by.
A Ferrari Testarossa with bizarre rear wing that spoils the lines completely, but it still sounded terrific!
A Ferrari 812 Superfast, with a somewhat reduced front overhang.
Despite these peculiarities, after the 120km location check, I was at least able to leap in my car late in the day and head home via the now reasonably uncluttered Susten Pass More praise for the Michelin Pilot Sports, on familiar stretches of tarmac they are transformative!
Unfortunately it was in the back of a Seat 7-seater while doing a location check with three other guys for an event later this year, so the experience was somewhat dampened by the mode of transport... I did get to drive to the meeting spot, a 1 hour 15 minute blast normally, somewhat longer due to the slow moving and predominantly Dutch camper vans, Belgium people-movers with numerous bikes strapped to the back, or dawdling VW and Renault estates with sticky faced children wrestling with a hound in the back seat, as the northern Europeans commence their summer-long expeditions south through the long suffering Gotthard tunnel.
However, up in the passes, along with the usual smattering of sports and super cars, I did see a few interesting sights as we made our way along.
A new DBS Volante, left hand drive but with GB plates?? Went up, turned around and went back down a stretch of road so the passenger could film it drive by.
A Ferrari Testarossa with bizarre rear wing that spoils the lines completely, but it still sounded terrific!
A Ferrari 812 Superfast, with a somewhat reduced front overhang.
Despite these peculiarities, after the 120km location check, I was at least able to leap in my car late in the day and head home via the now reasonably uncluttered Susten Pass
More praise for the Michelin Pilot Sports, on familiar stretches of tarmac they are transformative!lestrat said:
How do these 200-cell cats get on with our well known MFK?
That`s actually and "interesting" story, probably should have mentioned it here earlier.When I had them fitted I said to Mike that the Swiss MFK was pretty strict. He made sure they were mounted with branding etc facing the underfloor, so the visible area showed no information of it being aftermarket.
When it was due for it`s MFK earlier this year, I had the boss at the local garage who services our Audi take the Vantage in for me, and said nothing to him about the work I had had done...
He came back saying something along the lines of, "Bloody hell, you had me sweating, they said the cats were not standard and I said yes they were, and he said no they weren`t."
Apparently they searched around for an AM part number, concluded they were after-market, and said because they would certainly be louder than standard, he had to sign a form agreeing to be the responsible person if I made a noisy nuisance of myself. Interestingly, nothing was said about the headers.
So, maybe a bit of a Trojan Horse technique, but it passed.
Well, as mentioned a month ago, my previous image host went tits-up so I have been trying to reinstate images to the best of my shoddy memory, but as much as I enjoy this forum I do have other things to do, like work out why my two year old battery suddenly seemed flat after driving the car yesterday, and was unable to start the car, and after giving it a charge it seems the drivers side seat controls have a mind of their own, but anyway...
I took the opportunity a month ago to go for a 45 minute squirt in a V12S that I had noticed and kinda liked the look of.
I find this to be an amazing looking car, the Yellow Tang is so pearlescent in the sunshine and the black wheels and carbon trim sets it off perfectly. The only strange feature is chrome side strakes, they should be CF surely.
The interior is also very nice, black chrome air vents and black leather with yellow stitching and a bit of yellow leather trim in the doors and seats. Likewise, the only strange thing inside is alloy flappy paddles, should be CF too really, as they look out of place in silver. It has the piano black waterfall etc, I didn't find reflection too bothersome but noticed it anyway. I guess with the sun in a certain position it could be a pain. It also had the classic crack running from the GPS, and with a year still in the manufacturer`s warranty that could get swapped, no doubt.
The first thing I noticed while driving, other than the sporty yet sumptuous surroundings, is the extra weight. You can feel the weight in the way the car sits, handles and it's general demeanor. The heft of the car somehow adds to the feeling of it being a more special vehicle than the V8. Hopping back in my V8 afterwards I immediately noticed how it responds in a more lively fashion, but the V12 power is clearly noticeable over the V8, more of a shove in the back, but it in my short and somewhat limited drive it actually didn't feel as quick as I was expecting, but it's certainly swift and collects numbers at a driver's license worrying pace, which I was aware of coming over a rise and seeing a Police van coming towards me, yikes! I quickly went and found a corn field to hide in for a few minutes.
The torque response when hitting the loud peddle while cruising in gear is definitely quicker and somewhat prodigious, and then there's the sound of the V12S engine, it's glorious and addictive. I was really comfortable and happy driving around, but conscious that it was a bit more showy, that yellow stands out in "dire vehicle colour Switzerland" especially on a sunny day... a lot more people than usual seemed to be paying attention and in a short drive it's hard to say if it was the usual Aston admiration or if they were thinking "w
ker," but I thought the car was quite magnificent.
Then we come to the deal breaker, that sportshift transmission. Like all SS transmissions, SSIII requires some learning to live with as we know... and the rest of the time it's hard to believe they could release this car with this manner of shifting. Sometimes I felt like the car was doing immeasurable damage to itself. I will be the first to admit that I am not up to speed with this SS gear change process, but even with my clumsy accelerator lift-off it was still not fantastic, but I understand that over time it becomes a better experience, but it's hard to drop large coin on a car that seems (to me) flawed from the outset.
The Bamford Rose twin plate would have to make a huge difference to make the car viable to me.
This in manual, now there's an idea...
I took the opportunity a month ago to go for a 45 minute squirt in a V12S that I had noticed and kinda liked the look of.
I find this to be an amazing looking car, the Yellow Tang is so pearlescent in the sunshine and the black wheels and carbon trim sets it off perfectly. The only strange feature is chrome side strakes, they should be CF surely.
The interior is also very nice, black chrome air vents and black leather with yellow stitching and a bit of yellow leather trim in the doors and seats. Likewise, the only strange thing inside is alloy flappy paddles, should be CF too really, as they look out of place in silver. It has the piano black waterfall etc, I didn't find reflection too bothersome but noticed it anyway. I guess with the sun in a certain position it could be a pain. It also had the classic crack running from the GPS, and with a year still in the manufacturer`s warranty that could get swapped, no doubt.
The first thing I noticed while driving, other than the sporty yet sumptuous surroundings, is the extra weight. You can feel the weight in the way the car sits, handles and it's general demeanor. The heft of the car somehow adds to the feeling of it being a more special vehicle than the V8. Hopping back in my V8 afterwards I immediately noticed how it responds in a more lively fashion, but the V12 power is clearly noticeable over the V8, more of a shove in the back, but it in my short and somewhat limited drive it actually didn't feel as quick as I was expecting, but it's certainly swift and collects numbers at a driver's license worrying pace, which I was aware of coming over a rise and seeing a Police van coming towards me, yikes! I quickly went and found a corn field to hide in for a few minutes.
The torque response when hitting the loud peddle while cruising in gear is definitely quicker and somewhat prodigious, and then there's the sound of the V12S engine, it's glorious and addictive. I was really comfortable and happy driving around, but conscious that it was a bit more showy, that yellow stands out in "dire vehicle colour Switzerland" especially on a sunny day... a lot more people than usual seemed to be paying attention and in a short drive it's hard to say if it was the usual Aston admiration or if they were thinking "w
ker," but I thought the car was quite magnificent. Then we come to the deal breaker, that sportshift transmission. Like all SS transmissions, SSIII requires some learning to live with as we know... and the rest of the time it's hard to believe they could release this car with this manner of shifting. Sometimes I felt like the car was doing immeasurable damage to itself. I will be the first to admit that I am not up to speed with this SS gear change process, but even with my clumsy accelerator lift-off it was still not fantastic, but I understand that over time it becomes a better experience, but it's hard to drop large coin on a car that seems (to me) flawed from the outset.
The Bamford Rose twin plate would have to make a huge difference to make the car viable to me.
This in manual, now there's an idea...
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