Tales of a V8V (illustrated)
Discussion
Well, I passed by the AM dealership as they had a second-hand V12V sitting there with the black lightweight wheels which I kinda thought might be my next thing, so i took a snap of it, and my car from the same angle with my phone and when I got home transferred the black wheels onto mine via photoshop...
Based on this quick visual experiment I cannot say I prefer the look, personally they seem too dark and lack detail, and the cloudy weather doesn`t help... in the sunshine on a Madagascar Orange Vantage they looked much better from memory!
Better to go through this process however than get some of these wheels (or more likely the TSW interlagos wheels as Mansfield suggested) and find I am not so fond of them. So now it`s going to be something anthracite I guess, or I`ll just stick with the sportspacks in chrome, which I like with the overall look of the car anyhow, it`s just not what I envisaged...
Based on this quick visual experiment I cannot say I prefer the look, personally they seem too dark and lack detail, and the cloudy weather doesn`t help... in the sunshine on a Madagascar Orange Vantage they looked much better from memory!
Better to go through this process however than get some of these wheels (or more likely the TSW interlagos wheels as Mansfield suggested) and find I am not so fond of them. So now it`s going to be something anthracite I guess, or I`ll just stick with the sportspacks in chrome, which I like with the overall look of the car anyhow, it`s just not what I envisaged...
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 21st September 17:35
Interesting thing this Vantage ownership. It`s all very well I suspect, to spec a car from new and have exactly what you want, or to be of a mind that the used car you bought is bang-on perfect just the way you received it. I on the other hand have a bunch of preconceived ideas and I really want to test those theories, however, just as everything is going according to plan I suddenly get a thrown a curve ball... 
I am pleased with the de-chroming, I think the carbon mirror caps, side strakes and rear diffuser enhance the car nicely, the silver sportspack wheels look surprisingly good with the black treatment, and the 7-spoke wheels that came with the car, a design I always liked, and then quickly had painted anthracite for my winter rubber, and I think they came up great! Well... I am not so sure about them anymore... I don`t hate them, I just don`t have the same fondness for the look of them as I had originally and find myself thinking they look a bit dated, basic even. I feel like such a wheel snob...
It`s weird because once you start venturing into this world of upgrading this and changing that, it doesn`t matter how many times you google pictures of the damn things, they never look quite the same as your own car! I don`t know if I need a visit to the AA, or Astons Anonymous, but I feel I am getting into things that maybe don`t really matter thaaaaat much in the scheme of things, and I am spending a disproportionate amount of time thinking about it.
Moving right along... I was very happy to get the carbon fibre side strakes (& side meshes painted black) and the N420 diffuser on the car, which is pretty much it for exterior carbon except for probably a small splitter, and I have a carbon gear lever surround which I will drop in at some stage and then think about the interior door handles. In the meantime though, my budget was kept occupied by a service... I was going to hang on a few extra months and have it looked at in April 2018 by Bamford Rose when I`m up in the UK, but one of the headlight washer units more or less fell out, and one tail light lost half it`s LED`s about the same time so I figured it was due. I booked a service at the same time as I had my summer/winter wheels switched over. On top of what I knew needed doing, the rear brakes required attention and the battery was the original from 2007 so that seemed prudent to replace, end result all up for the service plus extras capped out a bit over 7k in Swiss francs. Less than ideal but I kind of anticipated these things, I`d just hoped my anticipation was unfounded. Nope, a large chunk of that was the tail light, about 2k!!
This car is still incredibly good fun and gives me great vibes every time I look at it, this was the first major expense outside of the norm in two and a half years, and most of it was consumables, so the ups far outweigh any downs in the ownership experience for me.
I am pleased with the de-chroming, I think the carbon mirror caps, side strakes and rear diffuser enhance the car nicely, the silver sportspack wheels look surprisingly good with the black treatment, and the 7-spoke wheels that came with the car, a design I always liked, and then quickly had painted anthracite for my winter rubber, and I think they came up great! Well... I am not so sure about them anymore... I don`t hate them, I just don`t have the same fondness for the look of them as I had originally and find myself thinking they look a bit dated, basic even. I feel like such a wheel snob...
It`s weird because once you start venturing into this world of upgrading this and changing that, it doesn`t matter how many times you google pictures of the damn things, they never look quite the same as your own car! I don`t know if I need a visit to the AA, or Astons Anonymous, but I feel I am getting into things that maybe don`t really matter thaaaaat much in the scheme of things, and I am spending a disproportionate amount of time thinking about it.
Moving right along... I was very happy to get the carbon fibre side strakes (& side meshes painted black) and the N420 diffuser on the car, which is pretty much it for exterior carbon except for probably a small splitter, and I have a carbon gear lever surround which I will drop in at some stage and then think about the interior door handles. In the meantime though, my budget was kept occupied by a service... I was going to hang on a few extra months and have it looked at in April 2018 by Bamford Rose when I`m up in the UK, but one of the headlight washer units more or less fell out, and one tail light lost half it`s LED`s about the same time so I figured it was due. I booked a service at the same time as I had my summer/winter wheels switched over. On top of what I knew needed doing, the rear brakes required attention and the battery was the original from 2007 so that seemed prudent to replace, end result all up for the service plus extras capped out a bit over 7k in Swiss francs. Less than ideal but I kind of anticipated these things, I`d just hoped my anticipation was unfounded. Nope, a large chunk of that was the tail light, about 2k!!
This car is still incredibly good fun and gives me great vibes every time I look at it, this was the first major expense outside of the norm in two and a half years, and most of it was consumables, so the ups far outweigh any downs in the ownership experience for me.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 5th October 10:26
rovcallum said:
Dean, what wax do you use?
Your car looks stunning in just about every photo, well done!
Cheers Callum, I have used Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax on the car, but only a couple of times to be honest, I am generally just washing it frequently. The car shine sometimes looks a bit peakier too, due to a bit of added clarity in the photo processing.Your car looks stunning in just about every photo, well done!
OK, straight to the meat and potatoes, the work Bamford Rose have done on my car has transformed it into a bit of a beast. It grumbles and burbles now with a hearty disdain, not especially loud, just seems a bit more lumpy and purposeful, and that is with the exhaust valves closed, when open it is like a vexed dragon swooping down from a thunderous sky, with the fire-breathing happening under the bonnet. The BR equal length primary exhaust manifolds are terrific looking things, and it`s a shame they are hidden from clear view, and when integrated with the high flow cats, GT4 airbox mods and ECU remap, there is a very clear difference in power and torque output that is coming from the 4280cc V8, and then coupled with the BR lightweight flywheel and twin-plate clutch the responsiveness takes the whole experience to another lever. Colour me impressed.
The ideas I expressed earlier in this thread, that I would have Bamford Rose breath on this 4.3 at some point to bring it more in line with the engine performance of a 4.7 came to fruition last month when I drove up to the UK for a week where the car started with a two-night sleepover at BR and would finish with the Rockingham Aston Martin Track Day.
The day before departing I fitted the carbon fibre gear surround that I had been meaning to do for about three months, thanks to Rich at red pants for his instructional videos as it was good to view it and see it was a straight forward task, all done in 40 minutes.
The drive up from Luzern went well, sunny and 22 degrees so windows down most of the way, about 7.5 hours to Calais and straight onto the Eurotunnel and through to Folkstone, however within 30 minutes of driving off the train it was raining, but England in April so no surprises there. Happily, I`d fortified myself with a couple of petrol station pepper steak pasties shortly after arriving so cruising through the moisture west on the M25 then north up to Halford was no problem and saw me checked into a hotel by 9pm, about 11 hours driving time in total.
The following morning I dropped the car into Bamford Rose. I had it booked in for the exhaust/airbox treatment as well replacing the door and rear hatch gas struts. I asked Mike if they could give it a bit of a once over and see if anything else needed attention while they had it, and queried if they could assess clutch life, as twice during the past winter while reversing up inclines in the snow I smelt that unpleasantly odour that generally forewarns of impending clutch replacement. Mike then dropped me around the corner to pick up a rental car and I headed to Gaydon to meet Mark or “Bincenzo” as he`s known around here, who had kindly agreed to give me a look around the facilities that afternoon.
When I arrived, Mr JWW was filming outside the entrance, I didn`t pay it much attention but turns out he was collecting the first of the new Vantages to be driven away by a non-employee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtXPdPstIxg
Mark was a most gracious and informative tour guide and it was fascinating to be on location at the factory, to see the marvellous DB4 GT Continuation in the foyer next to the two new models, and get to look at the assembly line, the differently specced cars rolling through and all the employees going about their fastidious trade.
This got me thinking, that I guess a very, very small percentage of people that own cars actually go to the factory where they are made. If you are a car person then that does not necessarily dictate that you want to visit a car factory, or even a specific one, although if Ferrari offered to throw the doors open I assume most would accept the invitation. Generally speaking, the pilgrimage that many make to AM is quite an uncommon activity, that makes one feel all the more privileged to be in a position to want to, be able to, and own a car that has been created within this very plant.
While I was there I missed a message from Mike at BR, so after leaving Gaydon I meandered back to Halford to get the news, and an ice cream (thanks Adrian) and it transpired that when cold, the clutch did exhibit some slip, but not after things warmed up. The conclusion then without stripping it down was that the clutch was starting to go, it might be good for another year, or more, or less, not factoring in the track day on the weekend.
I had planned to ditch my AM service stamps and make this trip up to BR every couple of years for servicing and whatever needed a tickle up, and the twin-plate clutch and lightweight flywheel would have been on my 2020 shopping list, however with the uncertainty of clutch life and knowing full well that replacing the standard clutch in Switzerland would cost more than the BR twin-plate I decided to spend money to save money so to speak, man maths if you will, and get it done there and then, along with a couple of small maintenance items, that had also been picked up. This involved a bit of money juggling as having just slapped a deposit down on a house, upgrading an Aston Martin seemed a bit frivolous but as the car survived the house purchase scenario I was ultimately able to nearly completely push the guilt aside and commit further, as the Vantage should be with me for some time…
Adrian also made the observation as we were underneath it while on the hoist, that it was a nice, dry car, with no corrosion or other underbody issues, which was nice to know after three seasons of winter running.
The next day after a hearty breakfast I headed into Stratford-Upon-Avon for some casual tourism on what was to become the hottest April day on record for 70 years, and it was also approaching the weekend that celebrated the 402nd year since William Shakespeare`s death… seems strange to have a celebration around his death, if it was Hitler then understandable but Willy Waggledagger? Anyway, it was a pleasant day of walking, boating, pie eating and pint drinking. Being an antipodean relocated in Switzerland, good meat pies and fish & chips are two things that I really miss so any trip to Commonwealth shores usually involves a fair amount of pub food.
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Due to the weather and the looming death celebrations, Stratford-Upon-Avon was fairly well populated, and I presume this is often the case, as one in five shops seemed there largely for the tourist market, but hey, if I guy who put ink to paper a few centuries ago can still stimulate the local economy, then good work that man! Towards the end of the day I made my way back to my hotel, The Stag, about 5km outside of town, that featured pleasant, rustic décor and a decent bar/restaurant that`s worth spending time in…
The next day, Friday, was pick-up afternoon for the Vantage so to get me back in a car mood I headed again to Gaydon, but this time to the British Motor Museum, where I spent about three hours perusing the exhibits which was pretty interesting in the main building. Some of the vehicles really took me back, as I remembered family and friends driving some of these relics. Memories of my mum`s Triumph 2000 Mk I & Mk II, the Uncle`s Morris Oxford and Austin 1800 “Landcrab” and mates buying things like a Morris Marina or Hillman Imp for their first car, egads!
The spill over building was one floor of Jaguars and the other filled up with various vehicles and I was in and out in 20 minutes and off to Bamford Rose as it was pick up time!
I cannot deny I was quite excited as I pulled into BR, clearly the car looked exactly the same so I could hardly wait to get behind the wheel and see how different it would feel. Mike showed me the old bits that had been removed from the car, collectively they would make a good anchor for a reasonable sized boat! After the formalities and a bit more of a chin wag it was into the car for a two hour drive to the Five Bells Inn at Weston Turville, just a stones throw from Aston Clinton. I had reasoned that it would be better to drive to a destination after pick-up, rather than just wheeling around the backroads with an insane grin on my face, which may well have been the case, the insane grin bit, as my first reaction was “Bugger me!”
Quite the transformation! The car felt so much more lively, the throttle eager and the revs coming more freely. I made a point of switching the exhaust to stealth mode quickly so as not to get fooled by the abundant noise, and while opportunities were limited, the difference was undeniably apparent, from stand still or on the move it`s much more responsive at low and midrange revs, it feels unshackled. This certainly is what I was hoping for, but exceeded my expectations.
The Five Bells was a decent little spot to stop for the night, good food, friendly, humorous staff but beware of parking your car under the trees which are clearly housing overfed pigeons the size of a corgi! Brushing off the pints of Mad Squirrel Pale Ale from the night before, I checked out and headed straight for Aston Clinton and more specifically Aston Hill where Lionel Martin`s activities ultimately laid the foundation for the Aston Martin name. A couple of photos followed by a bit of a squirt back and forth through the area led me to the Aston Clinton Park late in the morning where a pie and a flat white in the sunshine as children practised football and people walked dogs seemed the perfect precursor to my drive back north to the Hampton by Hilton Corby hotel near Rockingham, where several of the track day folks where threatening to meet up for a pre-event get together. Righto, sounds like me. With my GPS set to “avoid motorways” I headed off, relishing the new-found oomph of my car, and playing with the exhaust valve switch almost constantly, trying to find a balance between being as loud as possible but not drawing undue attention to myself. Yeah, right.
The trip would be around three hours, and as I passed by Milton Keynes along the way it seemed rude not to swing by Red Bull Racing and get a quick snap outside the facilities, partly as they now have some serious AM backing but mostly because Red Bull have been my best client over the last 20 years, so I have a more-or-less unconditional support for the team, even if they have a charming mofo of an Australian behind the wheel of one of their cars. Again.
I also decided to head to Rugby for lunch and a look around, a little out of the way but it seemed worthy of a stop as my country has been reasonably good playing a sport of the same name, and I spent a solid eight years photographing the All Blacks and other teams up and down New Zealand and overseas. After checking out Rugby School, where cricket was being played, and taking a stroll around town, yet again I found myself in a pub, this one called “The Merchants” with a busy rugby and brewery themed interior and the requisite big screen showing matches all day long. They provided a very nice steak and mushroom stew to accompany the Leffe.
Post mid-afternoon lunch the rain started again, which didn`t bother me particularly after the splendid days previously, so onward to Corby. There were three other Aston`s in the hotel carpark when I arrived, two Vantage volante`s and Rob Down`s Gulf liveried GT8, I parked next to him, so as to look modest and unassuming…
An hour or two after checking in I left my room, coincidently at the same time as AMOC member Graham Bearham who was in the room next door, and we went to the bar, such as it was, (the hotel is a convenient place to stay near Rockingham, and the rooms are comfortable enough, but it`s not winning any prizes in the “additional facilities” department) and expected to easily spot a group of red trousers pontificating away, but it appeared everyone was in mufti! There was a small, suspicious looking gathering however and that`s where I began to meet up with the Pistonhead pseudonyms, Burnt Out, Bassflyer, Stevejay, J12MOC, AlpinaChris, Northernmedia, Soofsayer, V8V Pete, Ken Figenus, steviebee155, Robbo1969, PJDV8, RobDown, dal65, and Evysojf. Probably others too but I`m just pleased I can remember this lot!
Enough has been written about the track day on it`s own thread so I won`t go into details, needless to say, it was a well organised, well run and well participated event with lots of like-minded car owners having excellent fun, and it was terrific to pound around lap after lap feeding in as much acceleration as you want without worrying about the constabulary. I had a play with traction control off for a couple of laps but my confidence got the better of me and I swapped ends coming out of Yentwood with an over judicious stomp on the loud peddle and did a tidy piece of reverse parallel parking trackside. This as it turned out was the perfect spot to wave at people coming through Yentwood that got it right, and also to turn traction control back on again.
Less was written about the Wetherspoons a stone`s throw away from the hotel, where several of us spent an evening or two imbibing, talking, eating and more talking with a bit more imbibing and plenty of laughter along the way, and there are still people who I owe a beer as it was very difficult to buy a round, and AlpinaChris, the fondue is on me (not literally you understand) when you come to Switzerland!
On Monday morning I checked out around 9:30 from memory and hit the road with steviebee for company for a couple of hours until I had to veer off for Folkstone. The return trip was a slightly longer drive and the closer I got to Switzerland the more I wondered how much trouble this howling banshee of an exhaust was going to get me into. This was a month ago and now that I`ve been back home and used it around familiar roads it becomes even more apparent that my Vantage is now a little unhinged… Overtakes are immediate and I`m still surprised when I drop it down and nail it without considering the modifications, how my mind thinks, holy cow this thing is quick now! Bursts of throttle that used to see me arriving in the 140kmh range now have me nudging 160 and above, so I have to be extra careful with the right foot, or I may get to use it even more, for walking…
I`ve noticed the rear breaks loose in the wet much more readily at low revs too, the torque has arrived. I cannot thank the team at Bamford Rose enough, what a fantastic week!
Now I need to bring this to a close, the problem with posting here infrequently is that I often end up with a novel, so rather than draw things out I`m just going to give it an end.
The ideas I expressed earlier in this thread, that I would have Bamford Rose breath on this 4.3 at some point to bring it more in line with the engine performance of a 4.7 came to fruition last month when I drove up to the UK for a week where the car started with a two-night sleepover at BR and would finish with the Rockingham Aston Martin Track Day.
The day before departing I fitted the carbon fibre gear surround that I had been meaning to do for about three months, thanks to Rich at red pants for his instructional videos as it was good to view it and see it was a straight forward task, all done in 40 minutes.
The drive up from Luzern went well, sunny and 22 degrees so windows down most of the way, about 7.5 hours to Calais and straight onto the Eurotunnel and through to Folkstone, however within 30 minutes of driving off the train it was raining, but England in April so no surprises there. Happily, I`d fortified myself with a couple of petrol station pepper steak pasties shortly after arriving so cruising through the moisture west on the M25 then north up to Halford was no problem and saw me checked into a hotel by 9pm, about 11 hours driving time in total.
The following morning I dropped the car into Bamford Rose. I had it booked in for the exhaust/airbox treatment as well replacing the door and rear hatch gas struts. I asked Mike if they could give it a bit of a once over and see if anything else needed attention while they had it, and queried if they could assess clutch life, as twice during the past winter while reversing up inclines in the snow I smelt that unpleasantly odour that generally forewarns of impending clutch replacement. Mike then dropped me around the corner to pick up a rental car and I headed to Gaydon to meet Mark or “Bincenzo” as he`s known around here, who had kindly agreed to give me a look around the facilities that afternoon.
When I arrived, Mr JWW was filming outside the entrance, I didn`t pay it much attention but turns out he was collecting the first of the new Vantages to be driven away by a non-employee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtXPdPstIxg
Mark was a most gracious and informative tour guide and it was fascinating to be on location at the factory, to see the marvellous DB4 GT Continuation in the foyer next to the two new models, and get to look at the assembly line, the differently specced cars rolling through and all the employees going about their fastidious trade.
This got me thinking, that I guess a very, very small percentage of people that own cars actually go to the factory where they are made. If you are a car person then that does not necessarily dictate that you want to visit a car factory, or even a specific one, although if Ferrari offered to throw the doors open I assume most would accept the invitation. Generally speaking, the pilgrimage that many make to AM is quite an uncommon activity, that makes one feel all the more privileged to be in a position to want to, be able to, and own a car that has been created within this very plant.
While I was there I missed a message from Mike at BR, so after leaving Gaydon I meandered back to Halford to get the news, and an ice cream (thanks Adrian) and it transpired that when cold, the clutch did exhibit some slip, but not after things warmed up. The conclusion then without stripping it down was that the clutch was starting to go, it might be good for another year, or more, or less, not factoring in the track day on the weekend.
I had planned to ditch my AM service stamps and make this trip up to BR every couple of years for servicing and whatever needed a tickle up, and the twin-plate clutch and lightweight flywheel would have been on my 2020 shopping list, however with the uncertainty of clutch life and knowing full well that replacing the standard clutch in Switzerland would cost more than the BR twin-plate I decided to spend money to save money so to speak, man maths if you will, and get it done there and then, along with a couple of small maintenance items, that had also been picked up. This involved a bit of money juggling as having just slapped a deposit down on a house, upgrading an Aston Martin seemed a bit frivolous but as the car survived the house purchase scenario I was ultimately able to nearly completely push the guilt aside and commit further, as the Vantage should be with me for some time…
Adrian also made the observation as we were underneath it while on the hoist, that it was a nice, dry car, with no corrosion or other underbody issues, which was nice to know after three seasons of winter running.
The next day after a hearty breakfast I headed into Stratford-Upon-Avon for some casual tourism on what was to become the hottest April day on record for 70 years, and it was also approaching the weekend that celebrated the 402nd year since William Shakespeare`s death… seems strange to have a celebration around his death, if it was Hitler then understandable but Willy Waggledagger? Anyway, it was a pleasant day of walking, boating, pie eating and pint drinking. Being an antipodean relocated in Switzerland, good meat pies and fish & chips are two things that I really miss so any trip to Commonwealth shores usually involves a fair amount of pub food.
Due to the weather and the looming death celebrations, Stratford-Upon-Avon was fairly well populated, and I presume this is often the case, as one in five shops seemed there largely for the tourist market, but hey, if I guy who put ink to paper a few centuries ago can still stimulate the local economy, then good work that man! Towards the end of the day I made my way back to my hotel, The Stag, about 5km outside of town, that featured pleasant, rustic décor and a decent bar/restaurant that`s worth spending time in…
The next day, Friday, was pick-up afternoon for the Vantage so to get me back in a car mood I headed again to Gaydon, but this time to the British Motor Museum, where I spent about three hours perusing the exhibits which was pretty interesting in the main building. Some of the vehicles really took me back, as I remembered family and friends driving some of these relics. Memories of my mum`s Triumph 2000 Mk I & Mk II, the Uncle`s Morris Oxford and Austin 1800 “Landcrab” and mates buying things like a Morris Marina or Hillman Imp for their first car, egads!
The spill over building was one floor of Jaguars and the other filled up with various vehicles and I was in and out in 20 minutes and off to Bamford Rose as it was pick up time!
I cannot deny I was quite excited as I pulled into BR, clearly the car looked exactly the same so I could hardly wait to get behind the wheel and see how different it would feel. Mike showed me the old bits that had been removed from the car, collectively they would make a good anchor for a reasonable sized boat! After the formalities and a bit more of a chin wag it was into the car for a two hour drive to the Five Bells Inn at Weston Turville, just a stones throw from Aston Clinton. I had reasoned that it would be better to drive to a destination after pick-up, rather than just wheeling around the backroads with an insane grin on my face, which may well have been the case, the insane grin bit, as my first reaction was “Bugger me!”
Quite the transformation! The car felt so much more lively, the throttle eager and the revs coming more freely. I made a point of switching the exhaust to stealth mode quickly so as not to get fooled by the abundant noise, and while opportunities were limited, the difference was undeniably apparent, from stand still or on the move it`s much more responsive at low and midrange revs, it feels unshackled. This certainly is what I was hoping for, but exceeded my expectations.
The Five Bells was a decent little spot to stop for the night, good food, friendly, humorous staff but beware of parking your car under the trees which are clearly housing overfed pigeons the size of a corgi! Brushing off the pints of Mad Squirrel Pale Ale from the night before, I checked out and headed straight for Aston Clinton and more specifically Aston Hill where Lionel Martin`s activities ultimately laid the foundation for the Aston Martin name. A couple of photos followed by a bit of a squirt back and forth through the area led me to the Aston Clinton Park late in the morning where a pie and a flat white in the sunshine as children practised football and people walked dogs seemed the perfect precursor to my drive back north to the Hampton by Hilton Corby hotel near Rockingham, where several of the track day folks where threatening to meet up for a pre-event get together. Righto, sounds like me. With my GPS set to “avoid motorways” I headed off, relishing the new-found oomph of my car, and playing with the exhaust valve switch almost constantly, trying to find a balance between being as loud as possible but not drawing undue attention to myself. Yeah, right.
The trip would be around three hours, and as I passed by Milton Keynes along the way it seemed rude not to swing by Red Bull Racing and get a quick snap outside the facilities, partly as they now have some serious AM backing but mostly because Red Bull have been my best client over the last 20 years, so I have a more-or-less unconditional support for the team, even if they have a charming mofo of an Australian behind the wheel of one of their cars. Again.
I also decided to head to Rugby for lunch and a look around, a little out of the way but it seemed worthy of a stop as my country has been reasonably good playing a sport of the same name, and I spent a solid eight years photographing the All Blacks and other teams up and down New Zealand and overseas. After checking out Rugby School, where cricket was being played, and taking a stroll around town, yet again I found myself in a pub, this one called “The Merchants” with a busy rugby and brewery themed interior and the requisite big screen showing matches all day long. They provided a very nice steak and mushroom stew to accompany the Leffe.
Post mid-afternoon lunch the rain started again, which didn`t bother me particularly after the splendid days previously, so onward to Corby. There were three other Aston`s in the hotel carpark when I arrived, two Vantage volante`s and Rob Down`s Gulf liveried GT8, I parked next to him, so as to look modest and unassuming…
An hour or two after checking in I left my room, coincidently at the same time as AMOC member Graham Bearham who was in the room next door, and we went to the bar, such as it was, (the hotel is a convenient place to stay near Rockingham, and the rooms are comfortable enough, but it`s not winning any prizes in the “additional facilities” department) and expected to easily spot a group of red trousers pontificating away, but it appeared everyone was in mufti! There was a small, suspicious looking gathering however and that`s where I began to meet up with the Pistonhead pseudonyms, Burnt Out, Bassflyer, Stevejay, J12MOC, AlpinaChris, Northernmedia, Soofsayer, V8V Pete, Ken Figenus, steviebee155, Robbo1969, PJDV8, RobDown, dal65, and Evysojf. Probably others too but I`m just pleased I can remember this lot!
Enough has been written about the track day on it`s own thread so I won`t go into details, needless to say, it was a well organised, well run and well participated event with lots of like-minded car owners having excellent fun, and it was terrific to pound around lap after lap feeding in as much acceleration as you want without worrying about the constabulary. I had a play with traction control off for a couple of laps but my confidence got the better of me and I swapped ends coming out of Yentwood with an over judicious stomp on the loud peddle and did a tidy piece of reverse parallel parking trackside. This as it turned out was the perfect spot to wave at people coming through Yentwood that got it right, and also to turn traction control back on again.
Less was written about the Wetherspoons a stone`s throw away from the hotel, where several of us spent an evening or two imbibing, talking, eating and more talking with a bit more imbibing and plenty of laughter along the way, and there are still people who I owe a beer as it was very difficult to buy a round, and AlpinaChris, the fondue is on me (not literally you understand) when you come to Switzerland!
On Monday morning I checked out around 9:30 from memory and hit the road with steviebee for company for a couple of hours until I had to veer off for Folkstone. The return trip was a slightly longer drive and the closer I got to Switzerland the more I wondered how much trouble this howling banshee of an exhaust was going to get me into. This was a month ago and now that I`ve been back home and used it around familiar roads it becomes even more apparent that my Vantage is now a little unhinged… Overtakes are immediate and I`m still surprised when I drop it down and nail it without considering the modifications, how my mind thinks, holy cow this thing is quick now! Bursts of throttle that used to see me arriving in the 140kmh range now have me nudging 160 and above, so I have to be extra careful with the right foot, or I may get to use it even more, for walking…
I`ve noticed the rear breaks loose in the wet much more readily at low revs too, the torque has arrived. I cannot thank the team at Bamford Rose enough, what a fantastic week!
Now I need to bring this to a close, the problem with posting here infrequently is that I often end up with a novel, so rather than draw things out I`m just going to give it an end.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Thursday 9th July 21:30
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Thursday 7th January 16:49
Your "novels" make for good reading Dean and the photos aren't usually too bad either 
Your upgrades sound like money well spent, how are the Swiss reacting to it? Many of them seemed to despise my Tuscan when I was there some years back. Didn't understand their problem with my shy retiring exhaust.
Your upgrades sound like money well spent, how are the Swiss reacting to it? Many of them seemed to despise my Tuscan when I was there some years back. Didn't understand their problem with my shy retiring exhaust.
J12KJR said:
Your "novels" make for good reading Dean and the photos aren't usually too bad either
Your upgrades sound like money well spent, how are the Swiss reacting to it? Many of them seemed to despise my Tuscan when I was there some years back. Didn't understand their problem with my shy retiring exhaust.
Around Zurich it would be quite popular, until you leave the city.Your upgrades sound like money well spent, how are the Swiss reacting to it? Many of them seemed to despise my Tuscan when I was there some years back. Didn't understand their problem with my shy retiring exhaust.
I have been looking for a manual car for sale for months now, and there are only 5 for sale in the whole country under 60k... and I have *almost* been tempted by a sportshift... but perhaps I'll just try a different marque whilst I am out here. Annoying.
Great write up and photos Dean.
Lovely blog Dean.
If you end up in prison for crimes against repressed Swiss ears then do let us know (I'm sure there will be WiFi there) and we will send you some Evo Mags and Vantage mags!
And thanks again for the best picture anyone has ever taken of my car
I've had a poster made and put it on the side of the house - well it was a 30Mb file and I had some gable end space to fill
If you end up in prison for crimes against repressed Swiss ears then do let us know (I'm sure there will be WiFi there) and we will send you some Evo Mags and Vantage mags!
And thanks again for the best picture anyone has ever taken of my car
I've had a poster made and put it on the side of the house - well it was a 30Mb file and I had some gable end space to fill steveway said:
Can you guess what the V12V is like with the BR conversion, its just mad
I shudder to think! RL17 said:
Excellent trip and write up and photos
Thank you Sir J12KJR said:
Your "novels" make for good reading Dean and the photos aren't usually too bad either
Your upgrades sound like money well spent, how are the Swiss reacting to it? Many of them seemed to despise my Tuscan when I was there some years back. Didn't understand their problem with my shy retiring exhaust.
Money well spent indeed. Cheaper than the difference in buying a manual 4.7 and I would say possibly a better option! Your upgrades sound like money well spent, how are the Swiss reacting to it? Many of them seemed to despise my Tuscan when I was there some years back. Didn't understand their problem with my shy retiring exhaust.
The Swiss-Germans don`t react a lot, they look with disdain, they look with a frown, and these expressions can be used for a multiple of moods it seems. I have tempered my use of the valve switch but am getting more venturesome and I have not had any visible anger, although it`s hard to see the detail in faces of a car that you`ve just roared past. I have had some happy people though so I am saying so far it`s been positive... and of course I`m an optimist.
shinjuku said:
Great write up and photos Dean.
Cheers! Ken Figenus said:
Lovely blog Dean.
If you end up in prison for crimes against repressed Swiss ears then do let us know (I'm sure there will be WiFi there) and we will send you some Evo Mags and Vantage mags!
And thanks again for the best picture anyone has ever taken of my car I've had a poster made and put it on the side of the house - well it was a 30Mb file and I had some gable end space to fill
I`m sure there`s WiFi in prison, right?!? I`ll hold you to the mag subscriptions if it comes to that If you end up in prison for crimes against repressed Swiss ears then do let us know (I'm sure there will be WiFi there) and we will send you some Evo Mags and Vantage mags!
And thanks again for the best picture anyone has ever taken of my car
I've had a poster made and put it on the side of the house - well it was a 30Mb file and I had some gable end space to fill For the photo, you`re welcome, and insightful usage, one less wall to paint and maintain!
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
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
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