New Years Resolution - and look where it led me!!!!
Discussion
Firstly, a tale that may be oh too familiar to a lot of you TVR owners......
2012 has not seen much use of the Cerbara.... what with a combination of a young family, work commitments, work travel, etc etc etc just not been using it that much this year... Not helped by an unexpected repair bill in 2011 for a blown head gasket, that due to the idiosycracies of TVR engineering design, necessitates an engine out job with the AJP engine in the cerb... grrrrrrr!!!!!!
After that unexpected and HUGE bill (it was a faulty temp sensor, the car has the Jules chip which kicks the fans in earlier, and is meticulously serviced and looked after) I just fell out of love with the Cerb..... tucked it up in the garage (plugged into Optimate) and left it over winter 2011/2.
Kept thinking, must use it more in 2012...... But preparing for the insurance renewal and the mileage declaration, realised that I'd done approx 2000 miles in 2012, shamefull.....
Got to the point where SWMBO started to make noises about "maybe selling it to help with the house move....."
Well, forget all those poxy useless New Years Resolutions about getting fit, drinking less, etc etc - thought that I'd make a proper New Years Resolution:
USE THE TVR MORE...!!!!!
So: Here we are, 6th January - time to put plan into action!!
Sunday morning, get up with the kids and give SWMBO a lye-in, get their brekkie sorted and stick them infront of Sky watching Happy Feet 2 (don't blame them, they are only 5 and 7 years old...). Right, time to get out in the Cerbera. Make sure have a few layers on, as a bit cold but as all Cerbera owners know it is obligatory to drive with the windows partly open (........ can't wait for the "snap, crackle and pop".... and no, we are not talking brekfast cereal here heh heh heh).
Pulling the car-cover off to reveal the Cerbara's gorgeous curves, starts getting the heart beating a bit faster in anticipation. Unplug Optimate, round to drivers side and the ritual of waiting for the pre-oiler to do it's thing.... beep beep beep then starter motor engages and ROAR! It bursts into life and settles into the typical AJP course idle..... As I edge down my road, and out onto the main road, feeling slightly nervous........
8:30am..... roads are glistening with some moisture, but the roads are absolutely empty. Trundle through Sheffield, fill up with petrol, then head out to Derbyshire.... Even trundling through town, feels special to be alone in the car (most runs in 2012 had family on board, therefore much more sedate driving style!!), listening to the sounds of the car, waiting for it to warm up properly..... and there it is, the edge of town, out into the countryside, 3rd gear, depress the accelerator about half way down ----- WAH-HEYYY!!!!!! Rear squats slightly, as the revs rise get the feeling of being pinned back a bit more into the seat, horizon starts to rush through the windscreen exponentially faster as the AJP engine comes on cam...... round a couple of bends then on the brakes for the Speed Camera..... Blimey - forgotten quite how good it feels to feel the raw acceleration accompanied by the blare and howl as the revs rise....
Reminder to self: gotta take it relatively easy today, it's January FFS and the roads are not dry, but the Cerb is feeling fantastic..... progressively squeezing the throttle a little harder and harder, waiting until the car is straight before giving it the full beans...... remember the old maxim "slow in fast out", be smooooooooth with the controls......
This early on a Sunday, the roads are virtually clear, it's a great run. Stop at Monsal Head to take a couple of pics.... there is mist in the valleys, the low sunrise is promising to burn the mist off later today, but right now, we have more driving to do.
Heading out from Monsal Head, straight into a fog bank over the brow of the hill...... down to about 40mph...... Turn around and head back to Ashford-in-the-Water, skirt past Bakewell then up onto the higher ground through Monyash....... Having blitzed past a tanker with the four cars obediently following it like a duck and her (myopic Sunday driver) ducklings, up and onto the higher road, exhaust sounds reflecting back from the drystone walls, car tracking well over crests and through dips, stretching through the full rev range in the intermediate gears and we are really flying!!!!!
This is FUN!!! This is feeling ALIVE!!! Completely engaged in the drive, eyes glued to the road ahead, small movements of the steering wheel relaying the camber changes, exercising the right foot to open the adrenal glands and open the pupils more in excitement.......
Stop on the A515 to take a couple of shots of the mist in the valleys and the sunrise, but just want to jump back into the drivers seat again.......
Then hit solid fog.... ah well, down to about 40mph depending on visibility, but still enjoying the sensations of driving the TVR. It's not like a computer controlled, automatic, climate controlled, electronic nanny moleycoddling psuedo "driving experience"....... These are wet roads, this is a TVR with almost 400bhp, the traction control is my right foot, the car relaying sensations of road surface, grip levels, I can hear the stones and debris pinging off the bottom of the car...... Yes, even at 40-60mph on some of these backroads, the car still needs to be DRIVEN.... that you are actually the controlling part of the experience, not just alone for the ride .....
Fog lifts, speeds increase.
Still being alert and cautious as roads not dry, but having an absolute ball!!!!
Been out for about two hours now, call of nature, need to stop for a wee........
Decide to call into Hassop Station as there's some loo's in the cafe...... WTF!!!!!!! Look what my New Year Resolution led me to stumble upon!!!! The Supercar Drivers club (SCD) first run out of the year, and the car park is utterly chokka with Ferarri's, Lambo's (including a mean black Diablo), Porkers, Jags, Lotus, Massers, an Ultima, Mustang, R8, etc etc etc........
..... and see if you can spot the other TVRs hiding in the photo's (I spotted four: a Chim, two Cerbs (silver, black) and a T350):
Monsal Head:
Up onto the A515:
Dodging the fog:
Then accidentally gatecrashed the SCD meeting!!! See if you can spot the TVRs:
And there's me hiding in the background:
(Gazzab, I can't beleive you passed on the change for blast out so you could get dressed in lycra......)
Well - this is one New Years Resolution that I'm determined to keep this year!!
Happy TVR-ing to you all; remember - use it or loose it!!! Have fun!!
2012 has not seen much use of the Cerbara.... what with a combination of a young family, work commitments, work travel, etc etc etc just not been using it that much this year... Not helped by an unexpected repair bill in 2011 for a blown head gasket, that due to the idiosycracies of TVR engineering design, necessitates an engine out job with the AJP engine in the cerb... grrrrrrr!!!!!!
After that unexpected and HUGE bill (it was a faulty temp sensor, the car has the Jules chip which kicks the fans in earlier, and is meticulously serviced and looked after) I just fell out of love with the Cerb..... tucked it up in the garage (plugged into Optimate) and left it over winter 2011/2. Kept thinking, must use it more in 2012...... But preparing for the insurance renewal and the mileage declaration, realised that I'd done approx 2000 miles in 2012, shamefull.....
Got to the point where SWMBO started to make noises about "maybe selling it to help with the house move....."
Well, forget all those poxy useless New Years Resolutions about getting fit, drinking less, etc etc - thought that I'd make a proper New Years Resolution:
USE THE TVR MORE...!!!!!
So: Here we are, 6th January - time to put plan into action!!
Sunday morning, get up with the kids and give SWMBO a lye-in, get their brekkie sorted and stick them infront of Sky watching Happy Feet 2 (don't blame them, they are only 5 and 7 years old...). Right, time to get out in the Cerbera. Make sure have a few layers on, as a bit cold but as all Cerbera owners know it is obligatory to drive with the windows partly open (........ can't wait for the "snap, crackle and pop".... and no, we are not talking brekfast cereal here heh heh heh).
Pulling the car-cover off to reveal the Cerbara's gorgeous curves, starts getting the heart beating a bit faster in anticipation. Unplug Optimate, round to drivers side and the ritual of waiting for the pre-oiler to do it's thing.... beep beep beep then starter motor engages and ROAR! It bursts into life and settles into the typical AJP course idle..... As I edge down my road, and out onto the main road, feeling slightly nervous........
8:30am..... roads are glistening with some moisture, but the roads are absolutely empty. Trundle through Sheffield, fill up with petrol, then head out to Derbyshire.... Even trundling through town, feels special to be alone in the car (most runs in 2012 had family on board, therefore much more sedate driving style!!), listening to the sounds of the car, waiting for it to warm up properly..... and there it is, the edge of town, out into the countryside, 3rd gear, depress the accelerator about half way down ----- WAH-HEYYY!!!!!! Rear squats slightly, as the revs rise get the feeling of being pinned back a bit more into the seat, horizon starts to rush through the windscreen exponentially faster as the AJP engine comes on cam...... round a couple of bends then on the brakes for the Speed Camera..... Blimey - forgotten quite how good it feels to feel the raw acceleration accompanied by the blare and howl as the revs rise....
Reminder to self: gotta take it relatively easy today, it's January FFS and the roads are not dry, but the Cerb is feeling fantastic..... progressively squeezing the throttle a little harder and harder, waiting until the car is straight before giving it the full beans...... remember the old maxim "slow in fast out", be smooooooooth with the controls......
This early on a Sunday, the roads are virtually clear, it's a great run. Stop at Monsal Head to take a couple of pics.... there is mist in the valleys, the low sunrise is promising to burn the mist off later today, but right now, we have more driving to do.
Heading out from Monsal Head, straight into a fog bank over the brow of the hill...... down to about 40mph...... Turn around and head back to Ashford-in-the-Water, skirt past Bakewell then up onto the higher ground through Monyash....... Having blitzed past a tanker with the four cars obediently following it like a duck and her (myopic Sunday driver) ducklings, up and onto the higher road, exhaust sounds reflecting back from the drystone walls, car tracking well over crests and through dips, stretching through the full rev range in the intermediate gears and we are really flying!!!!!
This is FUN!!! This is feeling ALIVE!!! Completely engaged in the drive, eyes glued to the road ahead, small movements of the steering wheel relaying the camber changes, exercising the right foot to open the adrenal glands and open the pupils more in excitement.......
Stop on the A515 to take a couple of shots of the mist in the valleys and the sunrise, but just want to jump back into the drivers seat again.......
Then hit solid fog.... ah well, down to about 40mph depending on visibility, but still enjoying the sensations of driving the TVR. It's not like a computer controlled, automatic, climate controlled, electronic nanny moleycoddling psuedo "driving experience"....... These are wet roads, this is a TVR with almost 400bhp, the traction control is my right foot, the car relaying sensations of road surface, grip levels, I can hear the stones and debris pinging off the bottom of the car...... Yes, even at 40-60mph on some of these backroads, the car still needs to be DRIVEN.... that you are actually the controlling part of the experience, not just alone for the ride .....
Fog lifts, speeds increase.
Still being alert and cautious as roads not dry, but having an absolute ball!!!!
Been out for about two hours now, call of nature, need to stop for a wee........
Decide to call into Hassop Station as there's some loo's in the cafe...... WTF!!!!!!! Look what my New Year Resolution led me to stumble upon!!!! The Supercar Drivers club (SCD) first run out of the year, and the car park is utterly chokka with Ferarri's, Lambo's (including a mean black Diablo), Porkers, Jags, Lotus, Massers, an Ultima, Mustang, R8, etc etc etc........
..... and see if you can spot the other TVRs hiding in the photo's (I spotted four: a Chim, two Cerbs (silver, black) and a T350):
Monsal Head:
Up onto the A515:
Dodging the fog:
Then accidentally gatecrashed the SCD meeting!!! See if you can spot the TVRs:
And there's me hiding in the background:
(Gazzab, I can't beleive you passed on the change for blast out so you could get dressed in lycra......)
Well - this is one New Years Resolution that I'm determined to keep this year!!
Happy TVR-ing to you all; remember - use it or loose it!!! Have fun!!
Great write up Mike 
Noticed your Cerb leaving the car park a few minutes before I left. All those other cars but still love to see and hear any TVR. That was my T350 tucked up near the car wash van.
Spoke to a few other people at Hassop who also had a WTF moment when they stumbled across us!
Noticed your Cerb leaving the car park a few minutes before I left. All those other cars but still love to see and hear any TVR. That was my T350 tucked up near the car wash van.
Spoke to a few other people at Hassop who also had a WTF moment when they stumbled across us!
Sorry to those at the SCD meet that I didn't have chance to stop and say "hello".... after being out for a couple of hours at that point, I wanted to get home at a "reasonable time" (therefore keeping my powder dry for more runs out and not blowing it all on the first one!!!).......
As it was, got back, collected the family, then went back out int Derbyshire to go for walk in Millers Dale, but made sure we drove out IN THE TVR!!! After all, the Cerbera is a family car...
I even gave the Cerb a good wash down by streetlight when I got back, so that it wasn't put away dirty....
Gazzab - if you are doing the "working from home" thing on Friday's, I'll bear that in mind and drop you a text if I happen on a quiet day when it's also dry..... (I have a quiet morning this Friday ..... hmmmm, a plan?.....)
As it was, got back, collected the family, then went back out int Derbyshire to go for walk in Millers Dale, but made sure we drove out IN THE TVR!!! After all, the Cerbera is a family car...
I even gave the Cerb a good wash down by streetlight when I got back, so that it wasn't put away dirty....
Gazzab - if you are doing the "working from home" thing on Friday's, I'll bear that in mind and drop you a text if I happen on a quiet day when it's also dry..... (I have a quiet morning this Friday ..... hmmmm, a plan?.....)
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