Most expensive car you had a `I`ve lost it` moment!
Discussion
When I bought my Lotus Elise in 2006, it was the first rear wheel drive car I`d had and was always cautious with it on wet days. One afternoon I went to drive to work, the road was completely dry (but it had rained a little earlier on in the day). I went around a roundabout and must have been doing no more than 15mph and was smooth with the controls but to my surprise the back end lost grip and the car started to slide. I steered into the slide and automatically started braking (this was probably not the best thing to do but my mind thought braking was the best way to get out of a bad situation!). Luckily due to the low speed the slide stopped and I carried on driving but I really thought I was going to fully spin and hit a curb.
With this in my mind I booked myself on Car Limits `Walshy` day and there, Andy Walsh spun my car. He said to me that the rear tires were very low on grip (had plenty of tred on them just the rubber had hardened and was not the best). Learned alot about my car on that day and what to do if the spin starts to take hold (highly recommended especially if you are as green as I was). Very soon after that day I got both rear tires replaced and the grip was significanly better.
What the most expensive car you have had that... oh crap... moment in, when driving? And what was the outcome?
With this in my mind I booked myself on Car Limits `Walshy` day and there, Andy Walsh spun my car. He said to me that the rear tires were very low on grip (had plenty of tred on them just the rubber had hardened and was not the best). Learned alot about my car on that day and what to do if the spin starts to take hold (highly recommended especially if you are as green as I was). Very soon after that day I got both rear tires replaced and the grip was significanly better.
What the most expensive car you have had that... oh crap... moment in, when driving? And what was the outcome?
Downshifted too early into Weherseifen on the 'Ring and spun it. I was in my mate's 944 which he had fitted with Linglongs at the rear, whilst retaining Michelins up front. I didn't hit anything, but I was quite scared of being hit by the GT3 that was right behind me. A moustachioed man gave me a very dirty look as he went by. 
On the road:
Saab 9-3 Vector Sport TDi front tyre failed at 120mph+, for the purpouse of this forum I will state outside the UK (!).
All the electric gizmos worked fine and although the tyre came off the rim and went flying past me enough rubber stayed on and the rim was reusable. I was waiting for major heart surgery at the time and certainly felt the ticker beating just a bit faster!!
Off the road:
Bentley Arnage Red Label, that's with the 'prpoer' 6.74ltr V8 with 400bhp, at dealer launch. Big sideways moment at MIRA on the curve before the main straight for max speed run. That's £150k + worth of motor in 1999.
Saab 9-3 Vector Sport TDi front tyre failed at 120mph+, for the purpouse of this forum I will state outside the UK (!).
All the electric gizmos worked fine and although the tyre came off the rim and went flying past me enough rubber stayed on and the rim was reusable. I was waiting for major heart surgery at the time and certainly felt the ticker beating just a bit faster!!
Off the road:
Bentley Arnage Red Label, that's with the 'prpoer' 6.74ltr V8 with 400bhp, at dealer launch. Big sideways moment at MIRA on the curve before the main straight for max speed run. That's £150k + worth of motor in 1999.
I've always been fairly careful with spinning, or not spinning in more expensive cars. I remember an armful of lock once in my E46 325, but my first car was an opel Kadett, Mk1 Astra box shape.
That went sideways at will, I think it'd been written off before I had it judging by the colour matching, was leaking all manner of fluids and was for all intents and purposes a deathtrap. £425 from a dealer trading on the White Lund estate in Lancaster for those who know it
That went sideways at will, I think it'd been written off before I had it judging by the colour matching, was leaking all manner of fluids and was for all intents and purposes a deathtrap. £425 from a dealer trading on the White Lund estate in Lancaster for those who know it
On the road, nothing more exciting than getting twelve grand's worth of Mondeo facing the wrong way on a snowy lane 
should have fitted windscreen wipers to the side windows, the way I was carrying on..
Off the road, I had an Atom 300 snap on me. Found it an absolutely gorgeous car to drive, as crisp and direct and responsive as you could possibly imagine, and extremely easy to place on the track, not to mention viciously fast. An insanely accelerative car. I was coming out of a tight right-hander high in second gear as the back started to come round under power, I figured that in the time taken to change up to third, it would have settled enough for third to be introduced with full power onto the straight.
No.
Turns out you can change gear very quickly in an Atom, in far less time than it takes a sideways set of rears to be ready for 500bhp/ton again
should have fitted windscreen wipers to the side windows, the way I was carrying on..Off the road, I had an Atom 300 snap on me. Found it an absolutely gorgeous car to drive, as crisp and direct and responsive as you could possibly imagine, and extremely easy to place on the track, not to mention viciously fast. An insanely accelerative car. I was coming out of a tight right-hander high in second gear as the back started to come round under power, I figured that in the time taken to change up to third, it would have settled enough for third to be introduced with full power onto the straight.
No.
Turns out you can change gear very quickly in an Atom, in far less time than it takes a sideways set of rears to be ready for 500bhp/ton again
Had not long dropped 30k on a 911.
Floored it going down a slip road onto the motorway, for some reason thought the slight bend in the slip road was a slight bend.
It was a bit tighter than that.
As it was a C4, it started to understeer with the front scrubbing and the car heading nicely for the crash barrier. All I could do was lift off, whereupon it became time to say hello to the rear end stepping out.
I will admit, at that point I thought I had lost control of my shiny new Porsche, and bent metal was imminent...
Then a magic amber light started flashing on the dash - the PSM stability control.
My Porsche basically said to me (in a German accent of course) 'gahhh, bloody Englander pig, you cannot drive zis well, I vill haf to take ze control now and get you out of zis mess.'
And within a second the car had gathered itself all up in a non-dramatic and calm fashion, and I was left rolling down the slip road in a straight line all safe and warm.
I got back on the gas like nothing had happened and carried on all noncholantly like.
With a heart rate of about 180 and a lesson well learned
Floored it going down a slip road onto the motorway, for some reason thought the slight bend in the slip road was a slight bend.
It was a bit tighter than that.
As it was a C4, it started to understeer with the front scrubbing and the car heading nicely for the crash barrier. All I could do was lift off, whereupon it became time to say hello to the rear end stepping out.
I will admit, at that point I thought I had lost control of my shiny new Porsche, and bent metal was imminent...
Then a magic amber light started flashing on the dash - the PSM stability control.
My Porsche basically said to me (in a German accent of course) 'gahhh, bloody Englander pig, you cannot drive zis well, I vill haf to take ze control now and get you out of zis mess.'
And within a second the car had gathered itself all up in a non-dramatic and calm fashion, and I was left rolling down the slip road in a straight line all safe and warm.
I got back on the gas like nothing had happened and carried on all noncholantly like.
With a heart rate of about 180 and a lesson well learned
thinfourth2 said:
After years of driving a caterham and a landrover which were very distinctive I was give a Ford Focus in resale grey as a hire car.
I lost it
30 minutes wandering around the bloody car park before I found one that went beep when you pushed the remote button
Ha ha! Very good! I lost it
30 minutes wandering around the bloody car park before I found one that went beep when you pushed the remote button
Switched to Cups and was having a ding dong with a 996 RS and a Skyline (R34 I think it was) everything going nicely until coming out of Pouhon downhill got it sideways at considerable speed; found the limit of those tyres the hard way that day. Over exuberance was entirely to blame. My first and last trackday shunt. 9 sections of Armco, 2 uprights holding the Armco and considerable M3 CSL damage, repatriation costs and storage = £25k. Ouch.
Last September I was driving the 360 up the Furka Pass and hit a stream of water crossing the road on a hairpin. The back stepped out and my first thought was "thank god I've got an agreed value on the insurance policy". Second thought was "thank god I'm turning into the mountain and it's only the wall and not the edge I'm going over".
Some how I rescued it - I'm not sure how and neither was my passenger but we sure both needed a change of underwear....
Some how I rescued it - I'm not sure how and neither was my passenger but we sure both needed a change of underwear....
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