Other people driving your TVR
Discussion
On the way back from the Growl, I was presented with the horrible suggestion, "Could I have a drive?"
My sisters' boyfriend seemed suitably taken with the Griffith and felt it necessary to experience it 3 feet to the right from where he'd sat for the past 2 hours.
WTF ?
I panicked.
A million things went through my head. What if this? What if that?
Being the polite person that I am, I responded with the standard "Yeah, you can have a go sometime"
The next 5 minutes were jam packed with thinking up reasons why it might not be a good idea. After all, I knew he wanted to drive it NOW.
I went through the list of cars he's owned, in my head. BMW's, Golf GTi's and an older TVR, an S1.
The more I searched for reasons why he shouldn't, the quicker I got to the end of my reasoning.
And then, I pulled over into a layby and said "its all yours"
I then realised what I'd said and there was no going back.
The rest of the journey went well and I noted how much quicker the car felt from the passenger side.
He played but behaved. My sweat glands worked overtime and my eyes swapped glances with the speedo, rev counter and oil pressure like a posessed zombie on speed.
We got home safely in the end but I have to say, its my car and I hate others driving it.
Am I the automotive equivalent of a bunny boiling, posessive freakboy?
>>> Edited by lazyitus on Sunday 1st August 22:35
My sisters' boyfriend seemed suitably taken with the Griffith and felt it necessary to experience it 3 feet to the right from where he'd sat for the past 2 hours.
WTF ? I panicked.
A million things went through my head. What if this? What if that?
Being the polite person that I am, I responded with the standard "Yeah, you can have a go sometime"
The next 5 minutes were jam packed with thinking up reasons why it might not be a good idea. After all, I knew he wanted to drive it NOW.
I went through the list of cars he's owned, in my head. BMW's, Golf GTi's and an older TVR, an S1.
The more I searched for reasons why he shouldn't, the quicker I got to the end of my reasoning.
And then, I pulled over into a layby and said "its all yours"
I then realised what I'd said and there was no going back. The rest of the journey went well and I noted how much quicker the car felt from the passenger side.
He played but behaved. My sweat glands worked overtime and my eyes swapped glances with the speedo, rev counter and oil pressure like a posessed zombie on speed.
We got home safely in the end but I have to say, its my car and I hate others driving it.
Am I the automotive equivalent of a bunny boiling, posessive freakboy?
>>> Edited by lazyitus on Sunday 1st August 22:35
My V8S gets a regular pasting on the track by lots of people eager to sample the joospeedmobile.
I love to see my car being driven hard on the track, on open pit lane days it can be out for 6 hours shared by up to four drivers and never misses a beat .. so i guess I'm the exact opposite of you .. i love my car and I love seeing other people enjoying it from the right seat
I love to see my car being driven hard on the track, on open pit lane days it can be out for 6 hours shared by up to four drivers and never misses a beat .. so i guess I'm the exact opposite of you .. i love my car and I love seeing other people enjoying it from the right seat
It's the nice thing to do but it's not the sensible one.
I've heard too many horror stories. One was with a new (to the owner) Cerbera who let his mate drive it. As he drove it (at speed) the engine seized, the rear wheels locked and they ended up in a ditch. 3rd Party Insurance only etc.
They worked out some agreement apparently but it hit them both hard financially.
If they're insured fully comp then fine, if not don't risk it - you never know.
I've heard too many horror stories. One was with a new (to the owner) Cerbera who let his mate drive it. As he drove it (at speed) the engine seized, the rear wheels locked and they ended up in a ditch. 3rd Party Insurance only etc.
They worked out some agreement apparently but it hit them both hard financially.
If they're insured fully comp then fine, if not don't risk it - you never know.
joospeed said:
My V8S gets a regular pasting on the track by lots of people eager to sample the joospeedmobile.
I love to see my car being driven hard on the track, on open pit lane days it can be out for 6 hours shared by up to four drivers and never misses a beat .. so i guess I'm the exact opposite of you .. i love my car and I love seeing other people enjoying it from the right seat
I see where you're coming from Julian.
But my Griff is my pride and joy which gets polished, stared at in the garage and patted when I leave the garage.
Its the car I've always wanted and now own. It is my baby. If there was a cot big enough, it would house my car.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not odd in that way. My A3 company car gets leathered all day long, its never seen water, let alone polish.
On the same token, as much as I cherish 'the bitch', it gets regular outings on track. But for someone else to give it a ragging, who has no vested interest in its well being, I don't feel comfortable.
>> Edited by lazyitus on Sunday 1st August 22:43
Bought my TVR by chance from someone saying to my wife they had a car for sale, had never heard of a Taimar before, had look and bought it on the spot.
Got to say that I love to let other people that drive 'normal' cars have a go just to see that TVR grin
on their faces, have owned a few more powerful cars but this one is possibly the one with the most fun factor.
When I brought my merc I let my bro in law have a go, loved it and he ended up going out and getting one, bought this thing and he had a go and three weeks later we were doing the deal for his chim.
He told me after that he had always wanted a TVR but with the reputation had always kept him away, that is until he drove my one.
It's so nice to have a car that everyone likes and can enjoy, even the wife drives it (90 with me beside her ) what the hell since buying it we have been to brands, goodwood, and are going to goodwood revival in sept.
Let them have a go and convert them
Got to say that I love to let other people that drive 'normal' cars have a go just to see that TVR grin
on their faces, have owned a few more powerful cars but this one is possibly the one with the most fun factor. When I brought my merc I let my bro in law have a go, loved it and he ended up going out and getting one, bought this thing and he had a go and three weeks later we were doing the deal for his chim.
He told me after that he had always wanted a TVR but with the reputation had always kept him away, that is until he drove my one.
It's so nice to have a car that everyone likes and can enjoy, even the wife drives it (90 with me beside her
) what the hell since buying it we have been to brands, goodwood, and are going to goodwood revival in sept. Let them have a go and convert them
I've had my Tuscan S for about 3 months now and just the other day my friend asked me for a go; I found the following to work well, "are you mad, what's wrong with you?" or "if you give me a deposit"
I was at my friends sister's house a couple weeks back (who's a little on the big side), she came out to check out the car and stuff, as she was about to get in the passenger side, I said “what are you doing?
” She said “what do you mean what am I doing? My response to that was "no Mel, my suspension!" She cussed me 
but hey, my suspension is still in tact. 
I was at my friends sister's house a couple weeks back (who's a little on the big side), she came out to check out the car and stuff, as she was about to get in the passenger side, I said “what are you doing?
” She said “what do you mean what am I doing? My response to that was "no Mel, my suspension!" She cussed me but hey, my suspension is still in tact. I would let other people drive drive the cars and indead have done so, however only people who I know will respect the car. Swapping driving positions with an FQ330 was a bit of an experience !
I always feel nervous though for the first few miles sat in the passenger seat. I understand what you mean about the view - I feel the same when I have been a passenger in other peoples cars, quite spooky really.
Bob
I always feel nervous though for the first few miles sat in the passenger seat. I understand what you mean about the view - I feel the same when I have been a passenger in other peoples cars, quite spooky really.
Bob
There are very, very few people I would trust to drive either of ours, and they are all TVR owners themselves. I certainly wouldn't even consider handing the keys over to someone with no experience of powerful RWD cars.
I once got a chance to play in my mate's Evo 6, which was nice in a soulless kinda way
, but I wouldn't let him have a go in the Tuscan as he'd already confessed to being terrified of losing it in a RWD car - and judging by how the Evo's computer handling kept you safe whatever you threw at it I'm not surprised!
I once got a chance to play in my mate's Evo 6, which was nice in a soulless kinda way
, but I wouldn't let him have a go in the Tuscan as he'd already confessed to being terrified of losing it in a RWD car - and judging by how the Evo's computer handling kept you safe whatever you threw at it I'm not surprised!
My sister regularly drove my Chimaera 500 (her driving is very good, sensitive and responsible and it was fully comp insurance), but never drove it quite fast enough for my liking. I loved being a passenger with the right person driving - it really does seem much faster.
My wife didn't like driving it and after being surrounded by a swarm of mad bikers along the Mickleham bends never drove it again.
I let a friend drive my older 4 litre (fully comp), which was fine (dry, sunny day) but the worst was my father-in-law (3rd party - feck!) on a damp, drizzly day in the 5 litre. He threw it around like his BMW 520 and it is a testament to the SO3s that we came back unscathed. Never again.
A few ARDS instructors also drove it round various tracks, which can also be quite scary, as they jump from car to car it takes at least half a lap to get used to the car they're in. One of them refused to believe the 5 litre would take Camp Corner (Castle Combe) in 4th and still have power to accelerate out - until it did.
Dr C
My wife didn't like driving it and after being surrounded by a swarm of mad bikers along the Mickleham bends never drove it again.
I let a friend drive my older 4 litre (fully comp), which was fine (dry, sunny day) but the worst was my father-in-law (3rd party - feck!) on a damp, drizzly day in the 5 litre. He threw it around like his BMW 520 and it is a testament to the SO3s that we came back unscathed. Never again.
A few ARDS instructors also drove it round various tracks, which can also be quite scary, as they jump from car to car it takes at least half a lap to get used to the car they're in. One of them refused to believe the 5 litre would take Camp Corner (Castle Combe) in 4th and still have power to accelerate out - until it did.
Dr C
I'd let another TVR driver have a play, providing they understand the premise of 'you bend it, you mend it'. As for friends that have only driven Euroboxes, I'm not sure, it would depend on the person. I can only think of one or two that I would say No to, purely for their own safety.
Not sure how happy I'm going to be when I have to let potential purchasers take it for a test drive though.
Not sure how happy I'm going to be when I have to let potential purchasers take it for a test drive though.
I've let quite a few mates drive my Cerb (even Joo on a recent track day!!!!) I really don't have a problem with it in fact it's quite a buzz. A very good friend of mine drove the car a few months ago, I know he's a pretty good driver but can only afford to run family mundane mobiles. He had the time of his life in it, couldn't stop grinning and when he eventually floored it overtaking something all he could say was f**kin hell!!!!!!!! These cars are for driving and if I can share some of my good fortune in owning one with a mate then all well and good. I would point out though that my cerb isn't treated as a P&J, it gets washed when its dirty (if I have time). However it is kept in absolutely tip-top mechanical condition and has a track day brake/suspension set-up. For me it's a drivers car and if I think a friend capable of driving it I'll let them, no question. I also have a damn good insurance policy.
I guess i'm in a fortunate position of 1) not being able to afford a TVR that costs as much as a house and 2) being in a position to sort any prangs out cheaply, cos i'm in the trade ..
if anyone pranged the S then I'd want then to do the back end please .. then i can sell the V8 front end to sum1 with a V6 who wants to make it look like a real car (!) .. and get dave hillis to graft a tuscan racer back end on in place of the original .. lol.
I also realise people drive TVRs for different reasons, some people like polishing (and why not, what gorgeous shapes to polish!!) and others like driving hard, others a combination of the two .. all valid reson for TVR ownership, amongst others.
I like cars that get driven hard, i like to see cars pushed to the limit and i like to see people having fun in my car .. and that's why i love my S
if anyone pranged the S then I'd want then to do the back end please .. then i can sell the V8 front end to sum1 with a V6 who wants to make it look like a real car (!) .. and get dave hillis to graft a tuscan racer back end on in place of the original .. lol.
I also realise people drive TVRs for different reasons, some people like polishing (and why not, what gorgeous shapes to polish!!) and others like driving hard, others a combination of the two .. all valid reson for TVR ownership, amongst others.
I like cars that get driven hard, i like to see cars pushed to the limit and i like to see people having fun in my car .. and that's why i love my S
You need to trust them don't you.
One of the reasons I'm not taking the tuscan up to scotland (live in Ipswich) is that one mate will expect a shot and be really pissed off if he doesn't get a shot.
But when I had my 300zx I gave my dad a go, and he loved it, and drove it properly.. I then gave my mate a go.. who blasted up to 100mph through a 30 limit by a school in it.
From that time, I decided he ain't driving any car of mine again. But there's no way I can tell him that :-)
stu
One of the reasons I'm not taking the tuscan up to scotland (live in Ipswich) is that one mate will expect a shot and be really pissed off if he doesn't get a shot.
But when I had my 300zx I gave my dad a go, and he loved it, and drove it properly.. I then gave my mate a go.. who blasted up to 100mph through a 30 limit by a school in it.
From that time, I decided he ain't driving any car of mine again. But there's no way I can tell him that :-)
stu
i've done it twice - once for a wedding, put the groom on the insurance, spent the whole day sh1tting myself as he was a 26y.o. who had never driven powerful rwd.
second time was on a recent drift day - looks spectacular but the cars are relatively safe, apart from the back tyres of course! Felt much safer this time, partly cos the 3 guys who i let drive could control Trevor better than me! I wanted to watch one guy from the sidelines, but he said he preferred me in the car with him.
i know from past experience (letting son turn car round etc), as well as the wedding, that it feels very strange watching Trevor move off without me.
second time was on a recent drift day - looks spectacular but the cars are relatively safe, apart from the back tyres of course! Felt much safer this time, partly cos the 3 guys who i let drive could control Trevor better than me! I wanted to watch one guy from the sidelines, but he said he preferred me in the car with him.
i know from past experience (letting son turn car round etc), as well as the wedding, that it feels very strange watching Trevor move off without me.
Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff