Not too brief a diary of a trip
Discussion
...back from a couple of weeks drive down to Italy covering just under 2500 miles. Set off on a Sunday looking to take a different route this year via Monaco and then around the coast into Italy and then via Florence over the mountains to the Adriatic, as we wanted to only take a couple of days I stuck to the autoroutes to start with and made great time stopping in a small town just outside Dijon for the night (for some reason I thought driving a real British car it was quite appropriate when sitting at a bar looking at a statue of a knight killing a dragon to find the town was called nuits-st-george). The next day saw a big change in plans, wanting to go over the mountains then down into Monaco I left the autoroute at Grenoble heading for Briancon, the first 20 mins were great then we hit a solid wall...of Lycra, someone hadn't remembered the tour de France was on that stage in 2 days time and half Europe wanted to be there first to give the mountain stages a go, we got held up behind more pumping thighs clad in body hugging material than I ever want to see again! A re-route via Turin saw us back on schedule after a great mountain drive over the border and back onto autostrada. The run down was excellent until 10 miles from our last exit the heavens opened on a big scale, 30-40 mph winds were belting marble sized hail so hard into the side of the car I was convinced the drivers window was going to smash, the noise was almost unbearable and just as bad I thought the damage was going to be extensive, I managed to 'hide' behind a lorry for a minute or two until he stopped suddenly then the only thing to do was drive slowly on until after what seemed hours but was probably only 15 minutes or so when it stopped as quickly as it began and was replaced by torrential rain. Getting off the autostrada eventually and taking cover in a closed petrol station was pretty much the first time we could talk without shouting but at least we were ok, the next day we found 2 people died in a crash and one person was killed out in the open somehow.
The next day I cleaned the car and discovered not a single scratch (other than already there) and no other damage, I was surprised even to find paint.
The rest of the holiday passed much quieter in a more family friendly Corsa, until leaving junior with his grandfather we left for Lake Como where my wife grew up. The drive was easy to Milan especially as looking over the central divide we could see some of the estimated 30million Italians on the road on the first Saturday in August all stuck in jams ha-ha.
Driving in the Italian lakes was one of the reasons I got my car and the experience of driving roofless in the mountains is second to none. In 3 and a half years I have never experienced so much genuine interest in any car as when we stopped for the night and the photographs being taken would fill an album, I actually felt very proud.
Only other TVR seen was a Chimera parked in Bellagio on Lake Como.
Only problem on the trip was a slight misfire in and after the torrential rain which quickly went when the sun came out and dried everything out. The thought of AA European cover is always good to have though.
Thoughts:
Driving standards vary as always but sorry to say it's the English who seem to drive without rearview mirrors. German autobahns show how motorway driving should be done.
Is there anybody left in Belgium or Holland in the last couple weeks of July because they all seem to be heading south?
To anybody else who's filled up in France, my fuel gauge isn't the last word in accuracy but when at home or in Italy,Germany,Switzerland showing 15l I expect to fill it using 40 odd litres of petrol, why is it that in France on 1 occasion it took an indicated 48l before stopping?
Sorry it's been long but it was my holiday and I wanted to share it
The next day I cleaned the car and discovered not a single scratch (other than already there) and no other damage, I was surprised even to find paint.
The rest of the holiday passed much quieter in a more family friendly Corsa, until leaving junior with his grandfather we left for Lake Como where my wife grew up. The drive was easy to Milan especially as looking over the central divide we could see some of the estimated 30million Italians on the road on the first Saturday in August all stuck in jams ha-ha.
Driving in the Italian lakes was one of the reasons I got my car and the experience of driving roofless in the mountains is second to none. In 3 and a half years I have never experienced so much genuine interest in any car as when we stopped for the night and the photographs being taken would fill an album, I actually felt very proud.
Only other TVR seen was a Chimera parked in Bellagio on Lake Como.
Only problem on the trip was a slight misfire in and after the torrential rain which quickly went when the sun came out and dried everything out. The thought of AA European cover is always good to have though.
Thoughts:
Driving standards vary as always but sorry to say it's the English who seem to drive without rearview mirrors. German autobahns show how motorway driving should be done.
Is there anybody left in Belgium or Holland in the last couple weeks of July because they all seem to be heading south?
To anybody else who's filled up in France, my fuel gauge isn't the last word in accuracy but when at home or in Italy,Germany,Switzerland showing 15l I expect to fill it using 40 odd litres of petrol, why is it that in France on 1 occasion it took an indicated 48l before stopping?
Sorry it's been long but it was my holiday and I wanted to share it
s6boy said:
...back from a couple of weeks drive down to Italy covering just under 2500 miles. Set off on a Sunday looking to take a different route this year via Monaco and then around the coast into Italy and then via Florence over the mountains to the Adriatic, as we wanted to only take a couple of days I stuck to the autoroutes to start with and made great time stopping in a small town just outside Dijon for the night (for some reason I thought driving a real British car it was quite appropriate when sitting at a bar looking at a statue of a knight killing a dragon to find the town was called nuits-st-george). The next day saw a big change in plans, wanting to go over the mountains then down into Monaco I left the autoroute at Grenoble heading for Briancon, the first 20 mins were great then we hit a solid wall...of Lycra, someone hadn't remembered the tour de France was on that stage in 2 days time and half Europe wanted to be there first to give the mountain stages a go, we got held up behind more pumping thighs clad in body hugging material than I ever want to see again! A re-route via Turin saw us back on schedule after a great mountain drive over the border and back onto autostrada. The run down was excellent until 10 miles from our last exit the heavens opened on a big scale, 30-40 mph winds were belting marble sized hail so hard into the side of the car I was convinced the drivers window was going to smash, the noise was almost unbearable and just as bad I thought the damage was going to be extensive, I managed to 'hide' behind a lorry for a minute or two until he stopped suddenly then the only thing to do was drive slowly on until after what seemed hours but was probably only 15 minutes or so when it stopped as quickly as it began and was replaced by torrential rain. Getting off the autostrada eventually and taking cover in a closed petrol station was pretty much the first time we could talk without shouting but at least we were ok, the next day we found 2 people died in a crash and one person was killed out in the open somehow.
The next day I cleaned the car and discovered not a single scratch (other than already there) and no other damage, I was surprised even to find paint.
The rest of the holiday passed much quieter in a more family friendly Corsa, until leaving junior with his grandfather we left for Lake Como where my wife grew up. The drive was easy to Milan especially as looking over the central divide we could see some of the estimated 30million Italians on the road on the first Saturday in August all stuck in jams ha-ha.
Driving in the Italian lakes was one of the reasons I got my car and the experience of driving roofless in the mountains is second to none. In 3 and a half years I have never experienced so much genuine interest in any car as when we stopped for the night and the photographs being taken would fill an album, I actually felt very proud.
Only other TVR seen was a Chimera parked in Bellagio on Lake Como.
Only problem on the trip was a slight misfire in and after the torrential rain which quickly went when the sun came out and dried everything out. The thought of AA European cover is always good to have though.
Thoughts:
Driving standards vary as always but sorry to say it's the English who seem to drive without rearview mirrors. German autobahns show how motorway driving should be done.
Is there anybody left in Belgium or Holland in the last couple weeks of July because they all seem to be heading south?
To anybody else who's filled up in France, my fuel gauge isn't the last word in accuracy but when at home or in Italy,Germany,Switzerland showing 15l I expect to fill it using 40 odd litres of petrol, why is it that in France on 1 occasion it took an indicated 48l before stopping?
Sorry it's been long but it was my holiday and I wanted to share it
Hi John, sounds like you had a great time, this is something Alison and I have on our list of things to definitly do. Managed to get your front end sorted out then!The next day I cleaned the car and discovered not a single scratch (other than already there) and no other damage, I was surprised even to find paint.
The rest of the holiday passed much quieter in a more family friendly Corsa, until leaving junior with his grandfather we left for Lake Como where my wife grew up. The drive was easy to Milan especially as looking over the central divide we could see some of the estimated 30million Italians on the road on the first Saturday in August all stuck in jams ha-ha.
Driving in the Italian lakes was one of the reasons I got my car and the experience of driving roofless in the mountains is second to none. In 3 and a half years I have never experienced so much genuine interest in any car as when we stopped for the night and the photographs being taken would fill an album, I actually felt very proud.
Only other TVR seen was a Chimera parked in Bellagio on Lake Como.
Only problem on the trip was a slight misfire in and after the torrential rain which quickly went when the sun came out and dried everything out. The thought of AA European cover is always good to have though.
Thoughts:
Driving standards vary as always but sorry to say it's the English who seem to drive without rearview mirrors. German autobahns show how motorway driving should be done.
Is there anybody left in Belgium or Holland in the last couple weeks of July because they all seem to be heading south?
To anybody else who's filled up in France, my fuel gauge isn't the last word in accuracy but when at home or in Italy,Germany,Switzerland showing 15l I expect to fill it using 40 odd litres of petrol, why is it that in France on 1 occasion it took an indicated 48l before stopping?
Sorry it's been long but it was my holiday and I wanted to share it
Cheers mate, Dean.
With the noise your car makes you'll need ear plugs for the longer tunnels! But the journey and reaction are something else, no envy that I've ever come across from anyone just real appreciation of the car.
Front's all done (but you can still see some grass poking out where it grew a goatee
)and I went for the T2 grill in the end. IMO it makes the front a lot more stable at speed, guessing from your response before you went for the egg crate grill after loosing the old one. I'll e-mail you pictures and see what you think.
Just waiting on the insurance situation to sort itself out!!!
Front's all done (but you can still see some grass poking out where it grew a goatee
)and I went for the T2 grill in the end. IMO it makes the front a lot more stable at speed, guessing from your response before you went for the egg crate grill after loosing the old one. I'll e-mail you pictures and see what you think.Just waiting on the insurance situation to sort itself out!!!
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