Silverstone Ferrari Roadtrip
Discussion
Hi guys,
I went down to Silverstone with Jonty last Friday, I needed an excuse to try out my new HD video camera and we had hoped for a blast in the Venom GT (sadly this didn’t happen on this occasion...).
It was a perfect opportunity to enjoy the 355 in all its glory, roof down and sun out, the weather was glorious. The drive down relied on the motorway for the most part, however there wasn’t a dull moment. How can there be when you’re cruising in a bright yellow 355 Spider!!
I’ll never forget that distinctive tone of the Italian V8 as we zipped under the flyovers, it made my hairs stand up on end. The noise with the roof off was ear piercing and I’ve never experienced a car with an exhaust tone quite so intoxicating through the entire rev range.
The 355 has always been a personal favourite but it was an awesome opportunity to get up close and personal with the car and to see what it’s like to live with, and drive :-) I had been out in a tubi’d Berlinetta in the past but this makes little comparison to a Spider in terms of noise.
There's always something to see at the circuit and technology park and the Porsche Centre is always worth a visit. Unfortunately the Venom GT wasn’t there when we arrived but it was still worth the drive. We pulled up for a quick nose about the Technology Park, where we spotted a few Fezza’s, Porsche’s, Maserati’s and a stunning original Cobra.
Meanwhile we could hear activity at the circuit so we popped in for a look. The ‘Ferrari nod’ was enough to gain access to the infield and we parked up in the paddock right behind a stunning Nero 430 Scuderia. Other cars in the paddock included a viper green GT3RS, David Richard’s Aston Rapide, Rowan Atkinson’s Phantom (he was racing an Aston), and a couple of DBS’s, oh and I nearly forgot about the DB4 Rally car...
However it was the pit garages that revealed the best treats. There was a gaggle of classic Aston Martin Race cars, a Lola, an Ultima, a Radical and a few others dotted around the various garages.
A good look round the pits lead us to the pit wall where we were able to get up close and personal with the race cars.
After some lunch we headed over to the Porsche Centre via the infamous copse tunnel to find we weren’t allowed in as they were hosting the new Cayenne launch. It’s not like the new one is any different from its predecessor but rules are rules... Personally I think it was because we turned up in the Fezza! It was a shame really as there was the RS Spyder and a couple of other cars in there I would have like to have seen up close. There was also a grey/red 997.2 GT3RS parked up outside and it was stunning. I want want want!
After a final nose about the pits we went to find some space to try out the HD camera and tripod. As you can see on the video link we had bags of space to play with and no-one seemed to mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsYV1OibIsY (make sure you watch in HD).
We captured some excellent footage of the 355 snaking out of the corners and accelerating away from the camera. At one point I was offered the driving seat which I happily hopped into. Unfortunately my footwear wasn’t ideal so I didn’t feel confident enough to floor it but it was still an awesome experience and something I’ll never forget. The bad thing is, now I want the same feeling of having all that noise and excitement under my right foot, but I recognise this a few years off!
We could have stayed there for hours experimenting with the different modes and setups, I even attached the camera to the side of the car for a quick blast and I’ll upload that footage later on tonight. However eventually the realisation that it was Friday and we could get caught in the rush hour on the M1 took its toll and set off back to Sheffield. There were a couple of brown trouser moments on the motorway where we hit patches of congestion and we were dangerously close to overheating however we made it through unscathed. It was a relief to see the 50mph section on the M1 had been lifted and we were back in Sheffield in no time.
What an awesome day and I look forward to more outings soon! If anyone wants to join in on a roadtrip some time over the summer, let me know and we’ll make a day of it.
Thanks for a great day!
More pics can be found here: http://athorby.zenfolio.com/p997193296 & more vids will be here: http://www.youtube.com/user/adtorbs
Adam
I went down to Silverstone with Jonty last Friday, I needed an excuse to try out my new HD video camera and we had hoped for a blast in the Venom GT (sadly this didn’t happen on this occasion...).
It was a perfect opportunity to enjoy the 355 in all its glory, roof down and sun out, the weather was glorious. The drive down relied on the motorway for the most part, however there wasn’t a dull moment. How can there be when you’re cruising in a bright yellow 355 Spider!!
I’ll never forget that distinctive tone of the Italian V8 as we zipped under the flyovers, it made my hairs stand up on end. The noise with the roof off was ear piercing and I’ve never experienced a car with an exhaust tone quite so intoxicating through the entire rev range.
The 355 has always been a personal favourite but it was an awesome opportunity to get up close and personal with the car and to see what it’s like to live with, and drive :-) I had been out in a tubi’d Berlinetta in the past but this makes little comparison to a Spider in terms of noise.
There's always something to see at the circuit and technology park and the Porsche Centre is always worth a visit. Unfortunately the Venom GT wasn’t there when we arrived but it was still worth the drive. We pulled up for a quick nose about the Technology Park, where we spotted a few Fezza’s, Porsche’s, Maserati’s and a stunning original Cobra.
Meanwhile we could hear activity at the circuit so we popped in for a look. The ‘Ferrari nod’ was enough to gain access to the infield and we parked up in the paddock right behind a stunning Nero 430 Scuderia. Other cars in the paddock included a viper green GT3RS, David Richard’s Aston Rapide, Rowan Atkinson’s Phantom (he was racing an Aston), and a couple of DBS’s, oh and I nearly forgot about the DB4 Rally car...
However it was the pit garages that revealed the best treats. There was a gaggle of classic Aston Martin Race cars, a Lola, an Ultima, a Radical and a few others dotted around the various garages.
A good look round the pits lead us to the pit wall where we were able to get up close and personal with the race cars.
After some lunch we headed over to the Porsche Centre via the infamous copse tunnel to find we weren’t allowed in as they were hosting the new Cayenne launch. It’s not like the new one is any different from its predecessor but rules are rules... Personally I think it was because we turned up in the Fezza! It was a shame really as there was the RS Spyder and a couple of other cars in there I would have like to have seen up close. There was also a grey/red 997.2 GT3RS parked up outside and it was stunning. I want want want!
After a final nose about the pits we went to find some space to try out the HD camera and tripod. As you can see on the video link we had bags of space to play with and no-one seemed to mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsYV1OibIsY (make sure you watch in HD).
We captured some excellent footage of the 355 snaking out of the corners and accelerating away from the camera. At one point I was offered the driving seat which I happily hopped into. Unfortunately my footwear wasn’t ideal so I didn’t feel confident enough to floor it but it was still an awesome experience and something I’ll never forget. The bad thing is, now I want the same feeling of having all that noise and excitement under my right foot, but I recognise this a few years off!
We could have stayed there for hours experimenting with the different modes and setups, I even attached the camera to the side of the car for a quick blast and I’ll upload that footage later on tonight. However eventually the realisation that it was Friday and we could get caught in the rush hour on the M1 took its toll and set off back to Sheffield. There were a couple of brown trouser moments on the motorway where we hit patches of congestion and we were dangerously close to overheating however we made it through unscathed. It was a relief to see the 50mph section on the M1 had been lifted and we were back in Sheffield in no time.
What an awesome day and I look forward to more outings soon! If anyone wants to join in on a roadtrip some time over the summer, let me know and we’ll make a day of it.
Thanks for a great day!
More pics can be found here: http://athorby.zenfolio.com/p997193296 & more vids will be here: http://www.youtube.com/user/adtorbs
Adam
ferrari spider said:
Jonty's car always photographs great 
Looks like you had a great day mate.
Cheers Chas, Yeah we had a great day. Was nice to have a play with the Ferrari with a bit of room. I couldn't believe how much grip there actually is with it! When you bury the throttle on a corner it doesn't feel unstable at all. And even if it breaks loose its very controllable. Looks like you had a great day mate.Anyway, does anyone know anyone that might be interested in this? I'm trying to make some room at home and hardly use it these days.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Veranti-Spyder-Kit-Car-based...
Jonty - have you tried the classifieds on IMOC?
http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/
I've actually seen your car advertised for quite a while. If I had a little bit more money in the bank I'd seriously consider it, as the MR2 appeals in most ways but just doesnt tick the 'special' box.
I have also thought about how awesome your veranti could be with a woodsport V6 conversion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAVYM7Fwx5Y
Dont suppose you fancy a nice MX5 in p/x do you? It would make a great track car...!?
http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/
I've actually seen your car advertised for quite a while. If I had a little bit more money in the bank I'd seriously consider it, as the MR2 appeals in most ways but just doesnt tick the 'special' box.
I have also thought about how awesome your veranti could be with a woodsport V6 conversion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAVYM7Fwx5YDont suppose you fancy a nice MX5 in p/x do you? It would make a great track car...!?
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