Cheap Day Out* (for a petrolhead)

[Smitters]

1) Go to London on a Saturday
2) Get a coffee
3) Sit on a bench on the Brompton Road and watch the cars

Holy Cow! I'm sure all the city-based PHers know this already, but man alive there's some quality metal flying up and down there! I reckon in about 90 minutes I saw a 575, a 458, a 599, a 599 GTO, two DBS's, a brand new Vanquish, an MP4-12C, an R8 V10 Spider, countless 911s including a white GT3RS, and a 997 Turbo Cab, and both saw and heard (in a tunnel no less) an orange Aventador. In 90 minutes on Saturday morning.

If that bores you eventually, then there's a Ferrari garage and a McLaren garage within five minutes walk too.

.*getting to London may not be cheap. Tough.

[Motorrad]

I thought we all had cars like that driving around where we live?

[Another Fluffer]

Motorrad said:

I thought we all had cars like that driving around where we live?

Fnarr

[Andurron]

I think it's what's known as the 'Champs-Élysées' effect.

[GentlePersuasion]

Smitters said:

1) Go to London on a Saturday
2) Get a coffee
3) Sit on a bench on the Brompton Road and watch the cars

Holy Cow! I'm sure all the city-based PHers know this already, but man alive there's some quality metal flying up and down there! I reckon in about 90 minutes I saw a 575, a 458, a 599, a 599 GTO, two DBS's, a brand new Vanquish, an MP4-12C, an R8 V10 Spider, countless 911s including a white GT3RS, and a 997 Turbo Cab, and both saw and heard (in a tunnel no less) an orange Aventador. In 90 minutes on Saturday morning.

If that bores you eventually, then there's a Ferrari garage and a McLaren garage within five minutes walk too.

.*getting to London may not be cheap. Tough.

Pretty spectacular isn't it? I consider myself quite fortunate in this regard because I live just off Brompton Road. The 458 Challenge that H.R. Owen currently have in the showroom is rather lovely indeed.

[croyde]

You see all that kind of crap in my little residential street in SW London

Must be the reason I can no longer afford to live in the area

[Rakoosh]

I thought you said 'cheap' !

Skip the coffee - go to the offie and buy a six pack instead (probably cost the same!).



Personally I have to say I would be a litle down if I saw all that nice metal only pootling along in traffic and knowing that most of those cars will never get properly used.

Am I being generalistic and making huge assumptions??

Yes...

but does anyone think I am wrong?

Smitters said:

1) Go to London on a Saturday
2) Get a coffee

[SnipsSt]

Sounds like fun. Out here in Newmarket, there's just enough rich people around to make it interesting, but supercars aren't two a penny. In fact, I can probably remember all the regular spots...

There's a couple of black 599s around, a yellow Gallardo spyder, and possibly a white 560, Frankie Dettori (or his wife) had a red 430, and I've seen a white Aventador too.

There's also a red California around, but I don't count that as a supercar ;-)

I do enjoy keeping my eye out for supercars.

Edited by SnipsSt on Monday 18th February 19:27

[m8rky]

Mercedes Benz World is also a good cheap,as in free to get in,petrolheady day out.Some very interesting stuff there and usually something going on with the silver arrows display team at busy times.

[Hoofy]

m8rky said:

Mercedes Benz World is also a good cheap,as in free to get in,petrolheady day out.Some very interesting stuff there and usually something going on with the silver arrows display team at busy times.

Yep, that's my first thought. Go upstairs, watch them spinning round the skid pan or sliding on the track.

[croyde]

And there is Brooklands Museum next door, which is fairly cheap. I took my boys there one weekday and we were the first in so had the place to ourselves. Lots of old boys from Vickers to show you round, sat in the cockpit of a Harrier and various 70s passenger jets, loads of old cars and motorbikes, the first Concorde and there is an F1 simulator.

Basically the car with a big PC screen in front of you and a proper F1 steering wheel with 'realistic' feedback. I did 5 laps and was absolutely knackered

[markCSC]

SnipsSt said:

Sounds like fun. Out here in Newmarket, there's just enough rich people around to make it interesting, but supercars aren't two a penny. In fact, I can probably remember all the regular spots...

There's a couple of black 599s around, a yellow Gallardo spyder, and possibly a white 560, Frankie Dettori (or his wife) had a red 430, and I've seen a white Aventador too.

There's also a red California around, but I don't count that as a supercar ;-)

I do enjoy keeping my eye out for supercars.

I'm from Newmarket too. I'll add a black Aventador and a light blue 360 (are they still classed as supercar now?). Race days are best from some truly huge barges though. Saw a new Bentley Mulsanne, and old Bentley Continental and two Phantoms in the space of 5 mins