Tales of a V8V (illustrated)
Discussion
A great read Dean. Thank you.
Looking at your second photo (rear shot) the conditions look as though RWD grip would be a nightmare (is there ice under
the snow?), but you clearly can cope very well. We don't get enough snow driving practice in the UK. Gulf Stream helps our climate.
Your mention of tyre noise made me think of my daily car experience. Have owned the same car for a long time and with an almost silent V6, the dominant sound has always been tyre noise. OEM tyres were Pirelli (I think) P6000. Dreadful, sometimes needed headache pills. Then went through a couple of sets of Dunlop Sport Maxx. Far better, thought they were as quiet as was possible. Having put PS4S on my V8V, I thought when it was the next time to replace tyres on my daily, I would try Michelin for a change. Exactly the same db rating, so was expecting no change in noise level. However, I was staggered by the improvement. Michelin Primacy 4. That is how the car should have been from the beginning.
On my part it was a fluke, but perhaps a helpful tip for anyone who values peace in a daily driver.
Yes, there was ice underneath and exposed in patches. I am not too frequently in these conditions with the Aston (we have an Audi allroad for most duties, on Goodyear Vector 3 all-seasons) but it does happen a few times each year. RWD is workable if you firstly have the rubber, get in the right gear, and use the throttle prudently.
No one ever talks about road noise with pilot sports, with their smooth pattern and softer compound, but the blockier the tread the more noise you get, and logically the wider the tyre the more resonance occurs too. The more a tyre is designed to be off the tar seal the greater the noise, generally.
Tyre design is a black art, grip, wear, noise, rolling resistance, car types and weights, flexibility for conditions, etc. Some get a nice balance of these, others may have great longevity but be noisy and under steer in the dry, others grip like crazy in the dry but last five minutes, etc etc. Much respect to the ones that get it right!
No one ever talks about road noise with pilot sports, with their smooth pattern and softer compound, but the blockier the tread the more noise you get, and logically the wider the tyre the more resonance occurs too. The more a tyre is designed to be off the tar seal the greater the noise, generally.
Tyre design is a black art, grip, wear, noise, rolling resistance, car types and weights, flexibility for conditions, etc. Some get a nice balance of these, others may have great longevity but be noisy and under steer in the dry, others grip like crazy in the dry but last five minutes, etc etc. Much respect to the ones that get it right!
lestrat said:
Highly recommended. Alister works very well, he is especially meticulous, his knowledge of these cars and his diagnostic skills are remarkable and he is also a very honest guy with very fair prices.
Recommended indeed. Valiant Ecosse was a good experience! I went up to the Nürburgring Sep 30 to Oct 2 and in that time Alister serviced my car. He was very thorough, helpful and as you say, fairly priced. While there he examined and fiddled with the front end to determine if the occasional clicking noise was wheel bearings, deciding that if it was the bearings they seem fine for now, and to watch for any change. Interestingly they haven`t clicked since to my knowledge.
He re-repaired my broken right front headlight mount which had come apart since BR fixed it in 2020, replaced the starting-to-corrode exhaust clamp screws with stainless steel ones, changed my exhaust switch from 2-way to 3-way, and replaced my cracked-in-half front splitter scuff guard with a very slightly damaged one that he had, at no charge! Spray sealed the sub frame and no doubt did other bits that I`ve since forgotten, Alister was very knowledgeable and generally fun and interesting to talk with, as I hung around a for a while. I enjoy garage environments having worked in them as a kid.
I also by chance photographed one of his builds as it flew around The Scheife!
The 23rd of September 2022 was a nice day. I left home early(ish) and met Rene (Exige S) and Armin (964) at a petrol station/restaurant 45 minutes from home and a 20 minute drive before the fun began. We three last did a similar trip in `21, with Rene in his Exige, Armin had a 992 Cabriolet on loan from Porsche, and I had hired a Caterham 7 for the day, which had been huge fun! At that stage Armin was in the throes of deciding what to buy in the sports car realm, and after the sanitised efficiency of the 992, he opted to step back 30 years and had recently bought the 964. We had done some cliche group photos in front of the Belvedere Hotel last time out, and the guys were keen to do this again individually. My suggestion was to aim for later in the day as there is significantly less people around, and typically, way more interesting light!
After breakfast & coffee we assumed our positions and headed for the Gotthard Pass. Shortly after leaving the motorway just before the Gotthard Tunnel swallows vehicles for 17km, you drive up the Schöllenen Gorge which I remember having a couple of spirited drives on years ago, but it`s often congested of late. After some vaulted tunnels you cross the Teufelsbrücke or Devil's Bridge which has a local legend attached to it as you`d imagine with a name like that. From memory it goes something like this: The local people asked the assistance of the Devil to build a bridge and in exchange the Devil asked for the soul of the first to cross the bridge. Upon completion a shepherd sent his goats across the bridge ahead of himself, somewhat infuriating the Devil!
The road continues up to the small town and ski region of Andermatt, which is in the throes of massive re-development by Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris who seems determined to put it on the ski resort map, sans pyramids. The Radisson Blu hotel there is a decent place to stop for a night or three depending on your dedication to the area. The northern side of the Gotthard is just a couple of minutes up the road, and is a fast, sweeping drive, tar-sealed to perfection and ripping up the valley is always a pleasure. There are overtaking opportunities so we could dispatch the occasional vehicle with ease until arriving at the 2100m summit with its hypnotic wind turbines gently rotating and giving Tesla drivers and their ilk reason to smile. Me too. I think these things are magical and I always marvel at their graceful way of creating power unlike the robotic giraffe-looking oil pumps littering places like Texas, crude in more ways than one. Long may they assist in refining juice for my V8 none the less.
At the top of the Gotthard you can continue down the new road and find yourself in Italian speaking Switzerland, ciao! Alternatively, and this was our plan, you venture off the beaten track to an even more intriguing stretch of road, the old Tremola Pass. The Tremola is over 200 years old and consists of hand laid granite paving stones, giving a somewhat uneasy feeling as not only does it create a little bit of vibration like constantly driving over a rumble strip, you also have questions as to the amount of grip and traction that is available! Adequate amounts seems the answer, although power slides are a bit easier to provoke than on modern roads, but the cool thing about the 300 metre height and 24 switchbacks is that scarcely a person is on it! The occasional vehicle, hiker or bullock-pulled cart, but otherwise it was very simple to stop and take some photos, or put the drone up without disturbing anyone, even the delicate Swiss. The road is effectively a curiosity and not much used by general traffic.
We went to the bottom and turned around, having to wait for what looked like a supercar drivers outing to pass by with several Porsches, three or four Italians, a Corvette and a few others, then drove part way back up the Tremola and stopped for some photos and such. While we were prepping to do this, not one but three Weismanns drove by, beautiful looking things!
Rene took his drone out to make some video footage. He is accustomed to shooting videos so has pretty good control, whereas I fly mine predominantly for stills and don`t have the deft touch, so mine stayed in the boot. The upside was my car features in the footage, while Rene`s does not. Mental note, don`t get good at drone video!
After filming and taking some photos we went to get back in our cars, and it was at this point while lowering myself into the Vantage that I realised the structural integrity of my pants was not absolute, as I ripped the arse of them open as I brushed past the door frame or seat edge, not sure which. Bugger. At least I had a wind jacket I could tie around my waist while outside of the car to avoid amusing the locals.
We drove back up the Tremola, out to the main road and back down the Gotthard in the direction we had come, also a fun drive heading north as it does not descend rapidly, so you can, with limited leaning on the brakes. We passed a Vantage on GB plates that was heading up, a quick wave and soon after a left at the roundabout at the bottom and we are 5 minutes to Realp.
A little over a kilometre from the roundabout is a village named Zumdorf which lays claim to being the smallest village in Switzerland. Blink and you`ll miss it but it does have a restaurant among its four or so buildings for if you`re hungry or want small village bragging rights.
Just after Realp you`re on the Furka Pass. Driving out of Realp we passed a DB9 (& 992) heading the other way, and I immediately recognised the UK plate as belonging to PH member “M1AGM” who had contacted me about a passes trip in September. I had to turn it down as I had a job in Italy, which ended up being brought a week forward due to election shenanigans, so I could have joined him but completely forgot, and now I felt like a heel.
Three or four minutes up the pass from Realp there is a pull-over on the right with an information board and a street sign reading “James Bond Str.” which marks where they filmed Sean Connery standing by the DB5 and then getting shot at in “Goldfinger.”
This side of the Furka is the rougher side, and it can be hard to enjoy at times, uneven seal and narrow roads but the views from the top and sweet drive down the other side is the payoff. Sweeping across the top, the Belvedere Hotel, switchbacks and then the fast flow down towards Gletsch, it`s Furking good stuff. It was just after midday when we passed the Belvedere, and opted to keep going because there was a hoard of vehicles stopped there as is not surprising at midday in early autumn.
Driving down to Gletsch we passed a Ferrari that initiated a wave!
At the once decorated but mostly deserted village of Gletsch you pass the now closed Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhone, that previously enjoyed views from the base of the glacier, but now you can only see the rocks that the glacier has left behind as it retreats back up the alps. The old images make for sad viewing of what was.
From here you can carry on driving the Furka, which becomes more forested as it heads down the Rhone valley to Obergoms, the southern terminus of the car-train that runs through the mountains, to and from Realp, in the winter time. It`s also a decent drive and going further takes you down into the Valais canton proper, past many small villages with centuries old buildings, but it`s effectively a cruise. We did not take this route, but rather turned right just after the Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhone and onto the south-eastern side of the Grimsel Pass. We ripped up the half-dozen switchbacks, spotting a couple of curious marmots looking over a rock at one of the bends, and quickly found ourselves at the top where there is a small lake named Totesee and next to it are a couple of restaurants, lunch time!
As it was a nice day, we took a seat outside at the Grimselpass Hotel, overlooking the lake. It`s a pleasant view, despite the fact that Totesee means “Lake of the Dead.” This dates back to 1211 and the Battle of Ulrichen, (Ulrichen being a village about 11km down the Furka from the Grand Hotel) when it is said that the forces of Valais caught up to and slaughtered the retreating Bernese soldiers of Duke Berchtold V of Zahringen, after they had made an unsuccessful attempt at land expansion.
In 2006 the lake`s entire trout population died also, so it seems it`s aptly named!
While seated, enjoying a schnitzwasser and inspecting the menu, a 991 GT3 parked up, resplendent in a full Gulf livery. Rene, who happened to be wearing a Gulf T-shirt, felt compelled to go and take a closer look, no doubt inspired to make some funny remark as he was prone to do. As the driver emerged, we saw that he certainly trumped Rene in the Gulf clothing department, cap, jacket, shirt, and on closer inspection a branded Tag Heuer Monaco. Enter Rainer, a German gentleman living in Switzerland.
Sensing car people he asked if he could join us for lunch. We sat and chatted and discovered he was a huge Gulf fan (didn't see that coming) and had purchased the GT3 as it had been for sale with the livery wrap, which was clearly a sign.
A horde of Porsches parked across the road as we discussed our plans for the day and Rainer thought tagging along with us would be a good thing to do, so our number increased to four. After eating and downing a quick espresso we went back to our three cars on the other side of the hotel and found that they had become surrounded by a further congregation of Porsches. It's clear to see why that company does not have the history of financial woes that provides so much character to the Aston brand!
I got into the Aston and heard my pants rip a little bit more...
This northern side of the Grimsel is a very good run, in either direction, and is about a 26 kilometre blast from the 2164m summit down to Innertkirchen, as opposed to the south-eastern side which we'd just done, a short 6km drive up from Gletsch. The drive was great fun and relatively traffic free. We passed a new DBS heading in the other direction and the driver waved enthusiastically as I led our group by, down past the striking Grimsel Dam and surrounds. This side of the pass has a nice mixture of driving, bends, corners, flow and a mostly gradual elevation change with excellent, diverse scenery.
We stopped at a sneaky side road I know as Armin was keen on some photos with his 964, so we did a few individual shots of the Porsches and Lotus, and then moved on. The weather was still excellent, and it was still only mid-afternoon, so the plan was now to run the Grimsel, take the Susten Pass to a spot for some more photos and drone video, and on to the small village of Wassen at the eastern end of the Susten, and decide which direction we were going to drive back to the Belvedere.
The next two hours was driving delight on these spectacular roads, and as the clock ticked on it just became better, as the vehicle numbers dwindle and the late afternoon kicks in you sometimes feel like you`re on a closed road. Hitting the Susten from Innertkirchen takes you east to west and this is the best direction in my opinion. It wends up through the trees and farmland, passing small villages, hotels, restaurants and farm signs encouraging the purchase of alp cheese! 10km out of Innertkirchen the trees fall back and road straightens out a bit for about 4km until you hit another twisty section that leads you up through more trees, tunnels and rock overhangs with waterfalls gushing down, all marvellous! We stopped for 15 minutes for some photos and in that time noticed two Caterhams, a Morgan Plus 4, a 488, three old 911`s and a Ford Escort Mk I with the full Mexico/RS2000 look, drive by. If one was to sit at a spot on a pass with a picnic and suitable refreshments, I wonder what wonders you may see over the course of a day?
Armin, Reiner and myself drove up and down a couple of times while Rene made a drone video, and then we saddled up and headed for Wassen. The west side of the pass is about 28km to the tunnel at the top, the east a good 18km, and is a nice run, generally much more open and flowing and with big a panorama. The east side works nicely coming back up the other way too!
We dispatched this rather quickly and parked up in Wassen. It was now 5:30pm and we quickly decided the smart move was, rather than run back over the Susten and Grimsel for about 90km, we would go back up through Andermatt and over the Furka, about 35km.
We reached the top of the pass just after 6pm, the high cloud was settling on the horizon and the light was subdued and moody. We parked in a pull-over next to a “Grand Tour of Switzerland” photo spot, and I climbed up the rocks on the other side of the road to get a panoramic group photo that I think was worth the effort, and we then continued the last couple of kilometres down to the Belvedere. It was 6:40pm and there was one white van in the carpark and not a soul in sight! I shot the Porsches and Lotus individually, with and without their drivers, not worrying about the Aston as I`ve done it here before.
Just as we were wrapping up three guys pulled up in a Maserati GranTurismo, Audi A3 and Mini Cooper, Italian number plates, exhausts ticking and pinging, the smell of brake pads wafting through the evening air. We got chatting to them and they had been having a blast in the passes and needed that last photo at the Belvedere before continuing South towards the border. With their cars lined up I took a few shots with one of their phones and off they went, taking the tortured smell of friction material with them.
With the light decreasing and the pass all but silent, we stood and chatted for several minutes, about the fortunate character of being a car nerd, the immediate bonding effect, and ending up in a place like this, driving what we drive. With the emotional clap trap out of the way we decided food was next and we agreed to meet at the Ace Café in Luzern, about and hour and a half away. I was again greeted with the sound of ripping cotton while lowering my tortured pants into the Vantage for the second to last time of the day. The sun was well gone but the twilight kept the darkness at bay until we reached the motorway and cruised north. The hunger was very real as the drive got nearer to the destination, and shortly after arriving the food tasted good. The beer though… bliss!
Here`s a link to the video that Rene made, starting at the Tremola and then onto the Furka and lastly Susten.
https://youtu.be/R_ASeaLA0aw
Magnificent Dean. Thank you for posting.
Hopefully your wonderful post, might be an indication that you are begining to feel better.
I am writing this from a hospital bed, but everything going very well.
NHS helped me for a year, but no sign of a 'scalpal being sharpened'. It is a free service doing an excellent job, but has become overwhelmed. My patience was being stretched, so a change of plan obtained action within 4 weeks.
(Try to ignore all the squashed together, look-alike new housing estates), but the UK has some beautiful mountainous scenery, especially North Wales and Western Scotland, but nothing on such a dramatic scale as Switzerland.
Edited by Jon39 on Thursday 2nd March 12:58
V8V Quadcamboy said:
Got a link or supplier for the car cover?
Cheers, Quad
No worries, it`s an Aston product, you`ll see it on the bottom of this page.Cheers, Quad
https://www.astonstore.co.uk/aston-martin-car-cove...
I came back to this a few hours ago.
I parked between two cars in a rather full car park building. The white car on the right was quite tight in their space, I often take a quick photo of my parking surrounds in these instances, as there are many bad drivers out there and you never know... In this case I was late to an appointment so didn`t, thanks Murphy. Of course no note left behind, and now it will be a police task to track the white, maybe VW Touran, from the car park exit camera, if the insurance feel the need. Ironically I know the car parked on the other side was a grey/black trim Audi A4 with a number plate starting TI, but the white people mover is such a horribly nondescript thing I never consciously absorbed its details.
Never would have happened had the driver gone left up the ramp, following the exit sign and arrows, rather than going illegally right to take a few seconds short cut to the closer down ramp.
I parked between two cars in a rather full car park building. The white car on the right was quite tight in their space, I often take a quick photo of my parking surrounds in these instances, as there are many bad drivers out there and you never know... In this case I was late to an appointment so didn`t, thanks Murphy. Of course no note left behind, and now it will be a police task to track the white, maybe VW Touran, from the car park exit camera, if the insurance feel the need. Ironically I know the car parked on the other side was a grey/black trim Audi A4 with a number plate starting TI, but the white people mover is such a horribly nondescript thing I never consciously absorbed its details.
Never would have happened had the driver gone left up the ramp, following the exit sign and arrows, rather than going illegally right to take a few seconds short cut to the closer down ramp.
Terrible stuff Tremlini. Sorry to see this.
It’s why I’m always in trouble from my wife with my parking choices. I don’t mind walking up to 1km if the car is secure and away from the perils of the unwashed. It’s likely also why she prefers to take her car when we have to go somewhere. Bonus there is that wine consumption favours me.
It’s why I’m always in trouble from my wife with my parking choices. I don’t mind walking up to 1km if the car is secure and away from the perils of the unwashed. It’s likely also why she prefers to take her car when we have to go somewhere. Bonus there is that wine consumption favours me.
Sorry to read this, Dean.
I hpoe there is no structural damage to the door & your insurance covers runaway parking damage.
That is also one of my permanent fears, especially in Switzerland, where parking spaces are tight, "cars" are bulbous and drivers abilities are poor.
Fleeing the scene without notice sadly illustrates the character of the opponent, they just don't care s
t...Hope the police can identify that fu*ker quickly via the locations cameras.
I hpoe there is no structural damage to the door & your insurance covers runaway parking damage.
That is also one of my permanent fears, especially in Switzerland, where parking spaces are tight, "cars" are bulbous and drivers abilities are poor.
Fleeing the scene without notice sadly illustrates the character of the opponent, they just don't care s
t...Hope the police can identify that fu*ker quickly via the locations cameras. Mr.Tremlini said:
I came back to this a few hours ago.
I parked between two cars in a rather full car park building. The white car on the right was quite tight in their space, I often take a quick photo of my parking surrounds in these instances, as there are many bad drivers out there and you never know... In this case I was late to an appointment so didn`t, thanks Murphy. Of course no note left behind, and now it will be a police task to track the white, maybe VW Touran, from the car park exit camera, if the insurance feel the need. Ironically I know the car parked on the other side was a grey/black trim Audi A4 with a number plate starting TI, but the white people mover is such a horribly nondescript thing I never consciously absorbed its details.
Never would have happened had the driver gone left up the ramp, following the exit sign and arrows, rather than going illegally right to take a few seconds short cut to the closer down ramp.
Phuckin' berstards! I parked between two cars in a rather full car park building. The white car on the right was quite tight in their space, I often take a quick photo of my parking surrounds in these instances, as there are many bad drivers out there and you never know... In this case I was late to an appointment so didn`t, thanks Murphy. Of course no note left behind, and now it will be a police task to track the white, maybe VW Touran, from the car park exit camera, if the insurance feel the need. Ironically I know the car parked on the other side was a grey/black trim Audi A4 with a number plate starting TI, but the white people mover is such a horribly nondescript thing I never consciously absorbed its details.
Never would have happened had the driver gone left up the ramp, following the exit sign and arrows, rather than going illegally right to take a few seconds short cut to the closer down ramp.
A sad reflection on society these days and I don't know how they sleep. Good luck with repair.Well, the car has been ship shape for a few weeks after the parking drama, close to 4k for the repair. What sucks is neither the insurance or the police had interest in pursuing the guilty party, ("Not worth our time, guv" ...funny how the Swiss can sound English at times.) The repairer gave me a Macan GTS for the week, nice wagon and peddles pretty well.
What also sucks however, is that I had a 1k excess and my premium goes up as well, all because of some other toe-rag, I`m just a little bitter.
I`m back into taking photos of the car when parked though, for future reference. Stupid thing is, it`s just a temporary photo but sometimes I cant delete them because the thing looks so good! #smitten
Auspicious moment while driving to Le Mans today, all the eights! In a V8! For Chinese numerology that is lots of wealth and success! Sadly, in New Zealand it`s just the guy that packs down at the back of the scrum.
What also sucks however, is that I had a 1k excess and my premium goes up as well, all because of some other toe-rag, I`m just a little bitter.
I`m back into taking photos of the car when parked though, for future reference. Stupid thing is, it`s just a temporary photo but sometimes I cant delete them because the thing looks so good! #smitten
Auspicious moment while driving to Le Mans today, all the eights! In a V8! For Chinese numerology that is lots of wealth and success! Sadly, in New Zealand it`s just the guy that packs down at the back of the scrum.
As written previously, late last year I took the Vantage up to the Nurburgring and had it serviced by Alister of Valiant Ecosse, or VE to revert to acronym. The experience went great and while the work I have had done a couple of times previously in England at BR has been really good, VE is less than half the distance and travel time (500km & 5.5 hours vs 1170km & 12.5 hours) and Alister is indeed a knowledgeable Aston fellow with fastidious work ethics, and I feel comfortable with him taking care of my car. The downside is I don`t get to eat pies with mashed potato and gravy, or fish & chips… oh well.
I booked my car in with him in July to have new dampers and upgraded anti roll bars fitted. I had noticed the rear left of the car seemed to squat a little more under hard acceleration, generally, but especially while cornering left, making the front a little lighter and the whole experience uncomfortable mentally. I suspected the original dampers were reaching the end of their life.
The replacements would be the VE Bilstein Sports Dampers (production level test sets) which I had seen the initial versions of when I was at VE last year. Alister has developed these with Bilstein, and I liked the sound of having a more planted feeling car with reduced body roll.
I drove in at opening time and asked Alister if I could hang around and pester him with occasional questions and take a few photos with my happy snappy while he laboured away, and happily he was ok with this. Upon removing the dampers, he remarked that left rear damper was leaking, which no doubt caused the feelings I had experienced. I felt like the Princess and the Pea!
The day went smoothly, old bits came out, new bits went in, pizza was eaten, geometry was performed, coffee was imbibed, test drive was performed. All good!
I thanked Alister, jumped in the car and went for a spin for 45 minutes before heading back to my accommodation, and immediate reaction – Mega! Planted & flat, sharp & direct, puts traction down much better when powering through the corners, feels under braked.
The brake issue was not a huge surprise, because I had felt the standard brakes where occasionally not up to the task when pushing things along, but I knew this and could live with it. Now, it certainly seemed an issue.
The next day I drove back to Switzerland, the ride was less compliant than previously, but not annoyingly so, it was just there. I had decided prior to the work being done that the day-to-day comfort might have to give way a little to the better handling and I`m fine with that. Switchable suspension did not appeal to me, I preferred something that suited the car and my driving all the time, while also being more analogue and in keeping with the vehicle`s original remit.
The day after getting home I had to park up and head off for a combination of work and holidays for the next month. Having gotten back a couple of weeks ago and having now had a chance to put the vehicle over a couple of Swiss passes and around the familiar tracks in my neck of the woods, I have to conclude that my Vantage has been quite transformed, yet again! On top of the other performance modifications I`ve had done, I think if I now drove a standard 4.3 I would hardly recognise it as the same car.
It is much more pointy and precise, and the in the tight, slow corners the steering feel is so light by comparison to previously, I don`t feel like I`m forcing the turn, rather that the car wants to go there. In the bends it just flows. Generally, it feels quicker, that it`s putting traction down better with less fuss. When pulling out of an intersection I`m squeaking the rear tyres often, which never happened so much before, so the power is definitely getting put to the tarmac. It`s sniffing out the road surface more, so is more lively at moderate speeds, but in typical driving everything feels great, overall the car is much more taut and dynamic. Despite all this the ride comfort has not suffered, it is still compliant and perfectly liveable while certainly having a more focused attitude once you drop the hammer.
Now, about those brakes…
I booked my car in with him in July to have new dampers and upgraded anti roll bars fitted. I had noticed the rear left of the car seemed to squat a little more under hard acceleration, generally, but especially while cornering left, making the front a little lighter and the whole experience uncomfortable mentally. I suspected the original dampers were reaching the end of their life.
The replacements would be the VE Bilstein Sports Dampers (production level test sets) which I had seen the initial versions of when I was at VE last year. Alister has developed these with Bilstein, and I liked the sound of having a more planted feeling car with reduced body roll.
I drove in at opening time and asked Alister if I could hang around and pester him with occasional questions and take a few photos with my happy snappy while he laboured away, and happily he was ok with this. Upon removing the dampers, he remarked that left rear damper was leaking, which no doubt caused the feelings I had experienced. I felt like the Princess and the Pea!
The day went smoothly, old bits came out, new bits went in, pizza was eaten, geometry was performed, coffee was imbibed, test drive was performed. All good!
I thanked Alister, jumped in the car and went for a spin for 45 minutes before heading back to my accommodation, and immediate reaction – Mega! Planted & flat, sharp & direct, puts traction down much better when powering through the corners, feels under braked.
The brake issue was not a huge surprise, because I had felt the standard brakes where occasionally not up to the task when pushing things along, but I knew this and could live with it. Now, it certainly seemed an issue.
The next day I drove back to Switzerland, the ride was less compliant than previously, but not annoyingly so, it was just there. I had decided prior to the work being done that the day-to-day comfort might have to give way a little to the better handling and I`m fine with that. Switchable suspension did not appeal to me, I preferred something that suited the car and my driving all the time, while also being more analogue and in keeping with the vehicle`s original remit.
The day after getting home I had to park up and head off for a combination of work and holidays for the next month. Having gotten back a couple of weeks ago and having now had a chance to put the vehicle over a couple of Swiss passes and around the familiar tracks in my neck of the woods, I have to conclude that my Vantage has been quite transformed, yet again! On top of the other performance modifications I`ve had done, I think if I now drove a standard 4.3 I would hardly recognise it as the same car.
It is much more pointy and precise, and the in the tight, slow corners the steering feel is so light by comparison to previously, I don`t feel like I`m forcing the turn, rather that the car wants to go there. In the bends it just flows. Generally, it feels quicker, that it`s putting traction down better with less fuss. When pulling out of an intersection I`m squeaking the rear tyres often, which never happened so much before, so the power is definitely getting put to the tarmac. It`s sniffing out the road surface more, so is more lively at moderate speeds, but in typical driving everything feels great, overall the car is much more taut and dynamic. Despite all this the ride comfort has not suffered, it is still compliant and perfectly liveable while certainly having a more focused attitude once you drop the hammer.
Now, about those brakes…
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