Motors and Me

Time to explain the silence on here, me thinks. :) In short: I’ve sold the Mini and now have the red 350Z. Result! The long version’s a little less clear cut in its joyfulness. First, I sold the Mini to a dealer for £6500 (now being sold for £9000). A week or so back, it would’ve been painful to even type that (hence the lack of posts), but now, I’m pretty much over it. Yes, I got a lot less than the car was worth, but: The car needed a fair bit of work doing, They didn’t quibble about the rattles that would’ve put off a private buyer, and It meant I was able to go and buy the Zed All in all, it was still a positive move that ended 2 weeks of the worst car-related stress I’ve ever known. Hell, it was so bad that I’d broken out in absolutely manic itching in my hands, feet, forearms and shins. It drove me absolutely nuts and was affecting my sleep. Anyway, with the cash safely banked, I took a half day off work and hopped on the train down to York with a banker’s draft

Oh, man, what a day. My stomach doesn't know which way to flip. At lunchtime, I took the car back to the dealer that had offered me £7k for it. Today? £6500, no more. Damn! Turns out they'd watched my auction on Ebay and decided that they could get away with offering less. They even bidded on the thing, apparently. Anyway, I'd feared this would happen and walked away without doing a deal. The Zed was thrown into jeopardy. :-( All afternoon, I've been doing my best to ignore frustration that bordered on blind rage. I told the owner of the Nissan that I had to re-think things and requested again that he drop his price by £250 to help clinch the deal. He offered a £100 drop. Pissing in the wind, really. Anyway, I've just let it stew since then, giving myself time to think it over. I no longer feel the same pressure to get things resolved, at least. In fact, I even started reconsidering that 135R. And then, out of the blue, the Zed was handed a lifeline. Within mi

Sick to death of the FIA yet? I certainly am. While McLaren lost all their constructors’ championship points for 2007, were fined $100m, and still have to wait till February for permission to compete in 2008, Renault have got away without penalty for the same crime. I used to think the FIA had a pro-Ferrari bias, but now I’m starting to think they’re just anti-McLaren. Elsewhere, and related to this fiasco, there’s a chance UK viewers might see Martin Brundle’s access to information for ITV’s coverage restricted next year. All because he spoke his mind in the Sunday Times . In fact, they’ve even issued a writ against him (which will fail). Thankfully, he’s not backing down . Go on there, Martin, son. Stick the boot in. :)

This post could well end up being a painful read in a few weeks’ time. That’s because I’m about to count my chickens before they’ve hatched. I went to view that 350Z yesterday and... well, I want it badly . It seemed to be in pretty good condition (allowing for the odd mark consistent with its age) and was thoroughly unmodified. Apparently, it hadn’t been out on track either, but I wouldn’t have held it against the guy if it had. Just because it hasn’t been on track, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been driven by a hooligan on the roads. Upshot of all of this is that I need to sell the Mini ASAP to get the cash for the Zed. To this end, I’ve dropped the price on Pistonheads to £7750 and have listed the car on Ebay too. I’ve had another couple of part-ex offers come through on PH (neither of which was what I wanted) and, while the actual bidding’s still very low on Ebay, I’ve had 3 people send me questions asking directly for what price I want; one of whom is a mackem, one a Scot and the

Oh, the sweet irony: 90mph police chief banned from driving . A chief constable who was Britain's most senior traffic police officer was banned from driving yesterday after admitting speeding at 90mph on a road with a 60mph limit. Take that, you hypocritical idiot. Incidentally, the road he was on at the time was the A5, the main artery into the heart of Wales’s best driving roads. And he was on holiday. Wonder what he might’ve been planning for his time off. I just wish he'd lost his job as well as his licence for this.

Right, sod that yellow S2000 — I've got a new object of desire . Right car, right price for its age, right location. Hell, it's even the right colour for trackdays. Only one thing's missing: the offer of a part-ex. So, this week I've currently got off work has suddenly turned into a sell-my-car-f***ing-quickly week. Think I'm gonna have to get pimping it round the local dealers looking for the best price I can get and playing them off against each other. I just wish the damned roads were dry; the Mini gets dirty in less than a mile!

Is colour a valid consideration when buying a second-hand car? The more I browse the Pistonheads classifieds, the fussier I seem to become about the colour of car I'll accept. And I'm not just talking about dismissing the odd pink Boxster here (odd being the operative word). There's such a wealth of quality used cars on that site, it almost encourages you to be choosy. But is it going too far when you're reluctant to take on a fairly standard silver car? Thing is, the more I see of graphite and medium silver-coloured cars, the more I think “Hmmmm... I'm not going to catch the eye in that.” And that's not a vanity thing. It's all about the trackdays. If I'm pushing someone, but not quite fast enough to get past cleanly, I at least want to be sure that they see me. To that end, the Mini's been great and I'd be more than happy to get another red car. The yellow S2000 (that I'm not getting, honest) would be great too. But cars that blen

Well, a couple more part-ex offers came in this week, but still nothing that really grabs me. One was for a relatively basic Holden Commodore — a V6, but with surprisingly little power at just 203bhp. Given that this car is rebadged as the Monaro in the UK, I was expecting more. Even then, it's too big and heavy for my liking. The second offer was a Boxster, but its owner (I suspect it's a dealer) gave so little info that I had no way of knowing which advert it was on Pistonheads. And they've not responded to my request for more info, so sod 'em. Truth be told, I've spent most of the week lusting after that yellow S2000. But it's just too damned expensive. I could stretch myself to get it, but I know the depreciation would be heart-breaking — it's already lost £10k in its first 2 years of life. As a final nail in its coffin, I only realised a day or two back that the current-gen S2000 gets a measly 3.5 stars out of 5 in the Knowledge section of Evo . Tha

Two weeks in and still the car’s not sold. But it’s not all bad. So far, I’ve had 7 people contact me about the Mini, despite it only being advertised on Pistonheads . That’s already 6 people more than ever enquired about the Puma when I put it on Autotrader . Anyway, of the 7, the breakdown is as follows: 2 dealers: one offered too little and had nothing of interest in stock; the other had interesting-but-not-perfect cars, so I decided to hold out 1 scam merchant, at least according to an email I subsequently received from PH 4 people offering part-ex: an ‘05 S2000; a 1990 Elan SE; a highly-tuned TT; and a Y-reg S2000. Of the part-ex deals, I’ve been most tempted by the S2000’s. The first was too expensive (but nice enough to make me want to stretch my finances) and the second is possibly a little old. And maybe a little too Kev’d up, albeit only with exhaust, alloys and adjustable suspension. I’ve yet to reply to the latter enquiry, but then it only came in an hour

Well, I've finally done it. The Mini is now officially for sale . Let the fun and games begin.

Nearly there with these reviews, honest. Next up, the Porsche Boxster S. So... the Porsche for people who can’t afford a 911. Or people who like to be seen. While I’ve long considered each car I’ve bought as a step on the ladder to a 911, the Boxster had never really been on my radar. Unlike the Elise and VX220, the soft-top on a Porsche felt more like a shop window for hairdressers than a practical ease-of-entry thing. In fact, in general, I’m fairly prejudiced against soft-tops and soft-top owners. But here’s where I’ll reel it in a bit. Last year, a good friend bought a Boxster S... for just £18k. I was, at once, both seriously impressed and hugely disappointed. Rather childishly, I’d wanted to be the first of my mates to own a Porsche. Me, me, me! ;-) Anyway, once I’d got over this and been taken for a drive, I had to investigate further. Turns out I can even fit in a Boxster with a helmet on — bonus! That, combined with the falling second-hand prices, was enough to make me co

Today, I shall mostly be writing about: the Honda S2000 Of all the cars I’m considering, this is the one I’ve come closest to owning in the past. Earlier this year, I extracted a wedge of cash from the bank and headed off to the Scottish border to do a part-ex. Problem is, it wasn’t in as good condition as it looked in the advert. It was a bit shabby inside and had well-rusted engine mounts and rust creeping into the bodywork. Add in the excessive wind noise from the hood (way worse than any other cabrio I’ve been in) and it was enough to make me back out. Not sure whether that’s endemic to S2000’s, mind. Guess I need more test drives. Still, I did get to drive the car, and at a pace that let me learn a bit about it. Engine and handling-wise, it was sound. The engine felt strong, the steering was nicely weighted and the brakes nice and progressive. Also high on the list of positives was the car’s appearance (provided you ignored the rust). Although trumped by the 350Z, the S2000 is

Another day, another car. This time out, it’s the Lotus Elise. For my budget, the Elise is arguably the definitive road-friendly trackday toy. Relatively low on power, but far lighter than most cars, they’re everything a sportscar should be. Not only that, but the car’s lack of bulk gives it reasonable fuel economy figures. Where’s the downside?!? Well, clearly, it’s not a very practical car. Easily the smallest I’m considering, the passenger seat and footwell would no doubt be the primary luggage space. It’s also the hardest to get in and out of. The first time I tried it with the roof on, I strained a muscle in my groin. Seriously, it’s like posting yourself through a letterbox. Plus, it has the same problem as the VX220 for trackdays: my head would be the highest point on the car. Unsettling. :-/ Still, I do find myself tempted by the prospects of trackday fun and planet-friendly fuel consumption. The only question becomes which model do I go for? Well, for starters, it has to

From one outsider (the Legnum) to another: the Clio V6. There’s something that attracts me to nutter cars. Legnum, BMW M Coupe, Clio V6. They’re all hooligans that care more about having a wild time than about their looks. And yet, those brutish looks still put a smile on your face. Actually, I love the way the V6 Clios are styled. As Rick Dagless would no doubt remark, they’re compact and muscular — like corned beef. In fact, they’re both of those things and aggressive with it. A great example of form reflecting function. And that function, of course, is to provide the driver with a lot of fun. I’ve read, however, that in the case of the Clio V6, one man’s fun is often another man’s fright. The original is said to be wild to the point of being uncontrollable, although the 2nd generation model apparently calmed things down a bit. If I were to go for a V6 then, it would have to be the 2nd generation. Unfortunately, this restricts my choice, as they’re not exactly cheap — £15k minim

Right, time for something of a wildcard. ;-) For those not familiar with the name, a Legnum is the estate version of a Mitsubishi Galant. And the VR4 is the meanest Legnum going; a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 0-100km/h? 6.0secs. Or better . Actually, there’s another video on there of a Legnum out-dragging a BMW M3. No mean feat. Blistering straight-line performance aside, what else can one of these beasts offer? Well, for starters, there’s its trump card: size. It is a massive estate car. Very B&Q friendly. In fact, it’s this combination of size, stealth and performance that gets it on the list of candidates in the first place. Throw in the fact that you can pick them up for between 4 and 6 grand, and we could be looking at a genuine contender. The thing even looks pretty good. On the downside, its size is likely to also work against it. On track, I would be worried that the back end would throw me about all over the place, but without trying it, it’s impossible to

So, the VX220 ticked all of the ’fun’ boxes, but neither of the sensible-shoes boxes. How will the 350Z fare? On the surface, the strongest card the 350Z holds is its kerb appeal. It’s subjective, but to me, the car is a work of art. Perfectly proportioned, and beautiful from every angle. Its attractiveness is not the only string to its bow, however. It’s pretty quick too, even if it is just shy of my ideal 6.0secs to 100km/h. It holds the road pretty nicely too, based on my 2 test-drives. And it’s a tin-top, which is definitely my preference; greater structural rigidity and no faffing with a leaky and/or awkard roof. Crucially, I can even get in the 350Z with a helmet on - a requirement that’s ruled out plenty of other contenders. When it comes to practicality, however, it’s another compromise. The boot is suitable for long weekends away, but that’s about it. Just as with the VX220, you can forget about trips to B&Q. But then, I’m pretty much resigned to having another impract

As promised, here’s the first of many cars to which I’m considering upgrading: the Vauxhall VX220. Or VX220 Turbo. I’m not fussy. In the Vauxhall’s favour are its most obvious attributes: it’s fast and light. Although I’ve yet to drive one, I suspect I could have a lot of fun in one of these, both on the open road and on trackdays. The light weight, in particular, is a great attraction. The closer I can get to a go-kart on trackdays, the better. One other attraction that’s a little more subjective is the car’s looks. I swear, if it didn’t have a Vauxhall badge on the front, it would get far more positive reviews for its looks. ‘Razor-sharp’ is the phrase that comes to mind for me; I love it. On the downside, the VX would cause me to be a little unnerved on trackdays, due to the fact I’d have to take the roof off. I simply can’t fit in one with a helmet on. Not only that, but with the helmet on and the roof off, my head would be the highest point on the car. While I don’t intend t

Another week goes by and I’m still a Mini owner. This isn’t how I planned it. This past week, I was off work. I hesitate to say on holiday. The first day was spent... at work. And the rest was spent either being ill or decorating the house. And to think I had plans for getting a new car instead. Despite this, at least I’m making progress toward the next purchase. The front bumper is looking great following its respray. The exhaust’s all sorted. I even think I found the source of a persistent rattle coming from the back of the car. On top of this, I’ve made the car a little more photogenic, sprucing up the wheels and taking the opportunity to even the tyre wear by swapping front to back. The photos I’ll take could well be called upon soon too. I’ve contacted 3 private sellers about doing a part-ex on their cars, although I’ve only heard back from one so far. And that was a negative. The cars, by the way, are a mixed bag: an S2 Elise 135; a Honda S2000; and a VX220. Frankly, any of t

You get a £500 bonus at work — how do you spend it? The big decision for half of my colleagues appears to have been XBox 360 or Playstation 3? Myself, I’ve opted for a front bumper respray. Of course, as soon as I said as much, I was told, quite earnestly, that I really need to stop thinking about cars so much. Hehe. Well, it made me laugh anyway. :) Yes, I might well be chucking money away — I doubt the work will add the equivalent value to the car come the day I sell it — but it won’t half improve my enjoyment of the car. As it stands, the polka-dot affair I’ve got at the moment (courtesy of Bill Heaney’s crap finishing) makes my heart sink every time I approach the thing. In just a week’s time, I’m going to be smiling again instead. It’s been at least 6 months since that last happened (the lack of blogging here in that time is no coincidence) and maybe it’ll reinvigorate me full-stop. Dammit, I love driving too much to feel depressed about my car. Roll on the good times. Oh, a

Earlier today, I started to get excited for no apparent reason. It suddenly dawned on me that the trackday season is approaching. Most petrolheads reading that would think I’m nuts. Au contraire. I’m simply tight and fearless. ;-) Yup, for me, winter is the best time of year for trackdays, not least because the costs plummet. But it’s not just the cheaper ticket prices that attract me. In winter, you’re more likely to get a damp track, making it much more of a challenge and much more fun in the process. Thanks to global warming, the UK’s winters are increasingly mild too, so the chance of getting an icy track is greatly diminished. Other benefits include: Fewer cars on track (most people are shy of booking wet trackdays) Reduced tyre wear (can’t corner as quickly on wet surfaces) Reduced brake wear (can’t brake as aggressively on wet surfaces) The car’s more powerful (thanks to the colder, denser air) All in all, it’s the perfect time of year, especially for FWD cars tha

The Mini’s just about to pass the 60k mile mark and, sadly, it seems it’s starting to show its age. The service I had it booked in for when I last blogged on here threw up so many problems that the dealer didn’t even perform the service. Instead, they gave me a list of problems and told me they’d be in touch with estimates. 4 or 5 weeks later and I’ve still not received anything. I hate having to chase idiots just to give them my money. Clearly, business is far too good for them to be hungry. Clearly, they don’t need my business. Wankers. So, for the time being, I’m driving around with every controllable appendage crossed, hoping to hell that my exhaust stays put. To be fair, mind, I’ve looked at a number of things they said were problems and they simply aren’t. The steering column doesn’t make a grinding noise. The headlamp height adjustment does work. The clutch isn’t poor. Well, not massively. ;) And the exhaust’s support bracket isn’t snapped — it’s just a bit rusty. Are they

It’s started again. I’ve started out on the test drives. Five years ago, I took a week off work to test drive a load of different cars in an attempt to decide what I would get next. This weekend, I took my first proper test-drives in five years. I can barely believe it’s been that long, but I guess it must be. Even when trying to negotiate a deal on a Clio Trophy, I don’t think I took a test drive. Stupid, or what? Regardless, Saturday saw me searching (fruitlessly) for a particular garage in the Benton area that had a VX220. Clearly, map-reading’s not as much of a strength of mine as I thought. Never mind. I did, however, find and drive a couple of 350Z’s. :) The first was an import with a stupid nosecone and an equally stupid price tag: 16k for an 03 import is just daft. The dealer was pretty close to home too, so I got to try it out on roads I know well. While it felt just as planted as the Mini, it failed to blow me away. Acceleration was only marginally better than I was use

Well... it’s been a while. Apologies for the off-air time there. I lost my evening access to the internet for a month, then moved into the new house. That was over a month ago and, thanks to working into the evening pretty much every night, I’ve still not got round to ordering broadband yet. Or rather, I’ve tried, but my attempts online at work always fail and BT closes their phoneline before I get home from work. (No, I can’t be arsed to hang on the line forever while at work.) Upshot: I’m still offline. Tonight, however, I’m yours. So, what have I been up to? I could try to write everything up in its own post, but sod that. Here’s a quick list instead: Took part in another karting event and successfully threw this one. Seriously, it was a beautiful deceit. I was so chuffed. I managed to get fastest lap by over a second and still finish in third place due to an opportunistic ‘off’. Paid my 4th visit to Croft on another open pit-lane trackday. Totally wasted my brake

Trackday: £170. Accomodation: £75. Fuel: £160. New front pads, brake lines, fitting and retro-fitting: £320. Wheel refurbishment to fix scarred alloys: £110. Keeping up with a Porsche round Snetterton in the rain: priceless. *stops to reconsider* No, scratch that. It’s not priceless. It’s bloody expensive and it’s consumed a huge chunk of this year’s trackday budget (which was roughly £1500). What the hell was I thinking? Back to the matter in hand, though: Snetterton. It was... ok. In terms of layout, it has to be the least interesting, least technical circuit I’ve yet driven (mental note: avoid Mallory). The straights were nothing but points at which I got out of the way of faster cars and the tighter corners were pure frustration as I struggled for any kind of grip. Riches was fun and Coram was ok, but the rest — even the Bombhole — was remarkably unremarkable. Anyway, here are some of the high and low points of the day: An appalling lack of grip in the slow speed corners

Shopping trolley + weekend fun = £12k. Solve for x. Now that I’m getting a place with a garage and a driveway, I can seriously think about owning 2 cars and not worry about where I would keep them. As I’d like to reduce my carbon footprint, one car has to be a fuel-efficient shopping trolley for commuting and... well, shopping. The other would provide the fun. I reckon I’ve got a budget of the Mini plus £2.5k, making a total of £12k. The question is, where do I spend the money? Here are a few options I’m considering: Option 1 would be to go for an ultra-cheap banger and couple it with an aging S2000, VX220, Elise, or similar. On the up-side, I would get to own a proper RWD sports car. The fun car would even be practical enough to use day to day, should I need to. On the downside, the fun car would be getting into the high-maintenance phase of its life and there’s a good chance the banger would give me a load of grief too. Option 2 would be some kind of Caterfield for around th

A healthily large envelope arrived in the post yesterday: my Go Racing pack from the MSA . Yes, this means I’ve actually spent some money to get me started in competitive motorsport. Only time will tell whether it was a waste of money...

Another trip karting, another bruised back. And another trophy. I wasn’t meant to win, though. I’d been invited out by my brother to join his company’s karting event. I’d promised not to whip them and would even throw the event if need be. Some might consider that arrogant, but experience has taught that, with corporate karting events, I can be fairly confident I’ll be near the sharp end of the grid, if not on pole. On the day, I misjudged things a little. My first flying qualifying lap turned out to be quick enough to put me on pole, even though I felt I’d held a little back. Ooops. Then, when the race started, my only concern was to avoid getting injured from some over-exuberant T-boning action. I managed that, but it also meant that I got quite a few lengths’ lead in the first few corners. If I’d backed off at that point, it would have been very obvious and quite insulting. I had to accept the truth — I’d blown it. From that point on, I figured I might as well enjoy myself an

Is it possible to take off in a car safely ? From time to time, in the pages of Evo magazine , there’ll be a photo of an Impreza or Evo with daylight clearly visible under its wheels. Never more than a few inches, but the car will definitely be airborne. I used to think that only something like a rally-bred turbo nutter could take such punishment, but I was wrong. The Mini can do it too. Last year, I surprised myself by getting all four of the Mini’s wheels off the ground near Rothbury in Northumberland. As things slowed down to bullet-time , it was both exciting and worrying. We hung there for what felt an eternity; at least compared to earlier occasions when the car had gone light. And then we landed — all four wheels at the same time and beautifully cushioned. Seriously, I’ve driven over patches of relaid tarmac that have given my suspension more grief. I was both ecstatic and deeply relieved. Immediately afterwards, I vowed never to push my luck that far again. While the thri

Things to do in 2007: new circuits... tick! A couple of months back , I made a typically rash, half-hearted commitment to increase my attendance at trackdays. Finally, I’ve begun to act upon it. Last weekend it was the Gallardo experience, if that counts, and now I’ve just booked myself in for a trackday at Snetterton . Up until now, I’d been holding off for a couple of reasons: I’m buying my first house and somewhat naïvely expected to be busy. I’m not. And neither, it appears, are my slacking solicitors. :( I don’t want to wreck the Mini’s tyres and brakes, as I aim to sell it soon after I’ve moved into the house. In the end, the frustration became too great. It seems there’s always something stopping me doing a trackday, but in reality, I’m the one holding myself back. Sod that. I’m rather looking forward to Snetterton. It’s not a circuit I’d really considered much before — Oulton was at the top of my list — but I’ll be meeting up with a fellow enthusiast there and good

Things to do in 2007: drive a Lamborghini Gallardo... tick! However, that’s it really. Driven . Not raced. Not thrashed. Just driven. To be fair, it’s no more than I was expecting when I coughed up £99 for Everyman’s “Lamborghini Thrill”. I’d hoped I would be able to push it, but I really didn’t expect it. So, if you’re a trackday regular who pines for the chance to drive a supercar on track, here are a few things you might like to know about the Everyman experience: You’ll be told what speed you have to take the corners e.g. 30mph in the chicane You’ll be told what gear to be in; generally a gear higher than you would choose yourself You’ll use barely half of the available rev range You’ll be told to brake very early and gently; no chance to go in hard on the brakes If you’re taller than 5’ 10”, you’ll not be comfortable. I had to shuffle my bum forward and lean right back to fit my head in. Oh, and you’ll only have 4 laps: an out-lap; 2 flying laps; and an in-lap. And t

Lewis Hamilton: the next Michael Schumacher. Discuss. You might think I’m talking about his talent, but it’s more than that. I’ve yet to see anything from the lad to suggest that he’s anything more than a machine. A personality-free zone. Granted, he’s being kept away from the press to a large extent, but whenever you do see him interviewed, there’s so little humanity there. You get the feeling he never really had a chance to grow up properly and, as a result, all the interaction he knows is polite media talk. There is no Lewis Hamilton. Okay, that might be a little harsh, but honestly, I feel sorry for him. Long term, I also feel sorry for the sport if this is what it takes to win. In so many ways, he appears to be the Tiger Woods of F1. Can Britain ever really take someone like that to its collective heart? I don’t know. Don’t we prefer our sporting superstars to be human? Wayne Rooney, for example. Ronnie O’Sullivan. Jenson Button, even. They’re flawed. And we love them for it.

My life, pt 1: It all started with Bo and Luke. When I was a kid, I used to love the crazy jumps they did on the Dukes of Hazzard. I wanted to be a stuntman when I grew up. I would gather my Blue Peter annuals and such like on the landing and make ramps for my Lego cars to bound over. I lusted after a TR7 on my best friend’s street. That was pretty much the limit of my automotive interests, though. Motorsport, for example, was barely on the radar. Sure, I’d always got excited at the sound of The Chain and loved watching Tony Pond rallying on TV, but it was far from a religion and no-one else in the family shared my passing interest. By the age of 14, I still wasn’t much into motorsport, but I still loved cars. I was quite the artist and would draw them at every opportunity. I even had a monochrome rendition of a Ford Capri Laser exhibited at county level. It was ace and I truly regret throwing it out a few years back. Sadly, by the age of 15, my artist skills vanished and I scr

You’ve got to feel for Heikki Kovalainen . Watching the Australian GP in the wee small hours of Sunday morning, I was beginning to wonder whether I’d drifted off to sleep and somehow found myself in someone else’s nightmare. Time and again he’d have an off. To be honest, were it not for Kovalainen’s antics, Coulthard’s rush of blood and the possibility of Lewis Hamilton winning his debut GP — well, it seemed possible until Alonso passed him at the second pit stop — this would have been another seriously dull race. As it was, it was merely dull. So, once again, I question my sanity for watching F1. I used to feel like this when I had my Newcastle United season ticket in the Souness era. In that case, however, I was able to tear myself away and I gave up the seat. With F1, I’ve never been able to give it up and I doubt I ever will. One glimmer of hope for the season ahead: Raikkonen. I really hope he storms away this season. He’s long overdue a smile. :)

What’s more important: a cousin’s wedding; or the chance to drive a Gallardo? These days, pretty much any time I find myself spending a weekend South of, say, Manchester, I have to consider the possibility of squeezing in a bit of track time while I’m there. When you live so far out of reach of most UK race circuits, you’ve got to take the opportunities as and when they arise. This time, one of my cousins is getting married in July. :) Her parents are from the Warwick area, so I promptly got onto BMRC.co.uk and then Google Maps to check out the local venues. Looks like Silverstone and Mallory Park are the closest, at 35 miles and 38 miles respectively. Silverstone, as you’d expect, is hosting a race that weekend (for BARC). Mallory, on the other hand, looks like a possibility, as it’s booked out by Everyman Racing, a driving experience specialist. Sadly, they’re not a trackday company at all, but they do have a Gallardo experience in their brochure. A snip at £99 for 7 miles o

I really should learn not to speak in absolute terms. Although I’ve kept quiet about it here, my endeavours to swap the Mini for a Honda S2000 have rattled on since my last post on the topic. One minute it was off, the next it was back on. Rinse and repeat. Today, finally, I got to see the car and take it for a drive. That, however, is where the story ends. In short, it wasn’t good enough. In the end, it was a combination of factors that put me off: Rust was developing on the underside of the driver’s door, behind both rear wheel arches and had taken a strong hold on various mounting points in the engine bay. The wind noise when the roof was up was something to behold. Far noisier than any other soft-top I’ve been in. At least one of the wheels was badly kerbed and they all needed a bit of love. The hood had a small tear just behind the driver’s ear. The inside of the car was in need of a hoover. Nothing major, but it’s a sign of neglect/laziness. Last, but not lea

My life’s goal has just been redefined. Ever since it was launched, I’ve been a great admirer of the Lamborghini Gallardo’s style. No, scratch that — I’ve lusted after it. Drooled over it. Just wished I were so rich I could afford one. For me, it’s the embodiment of childhood visions of the perfect supercar; visions inspired primarily by videogames and wild imaginations. It’s... just... perfect. Or, at least, I thought it was. I now realise that perfection is, in fact, the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera (that’s “superlight” to you and me). By god, it’s beautiful. Seriously, it’s a wet dream of a car. To think I used to dream of owning a Ford Capri Laser when I was 14 — I even had a piece of Capri-based GCSE artwork showcased at county level once — I clearly wasn’t aiming high enough. Seriously though, it’s nice to dream, but I can be pretty sure that cars like this will always be beyond my reach. At least in terms of ownership. I can also be pretty certain that requests fo

Looks like I’m not getting a Honda S2000. In the end, the seller was looking for a bigger lump of cash than I was willing to offer. I can’t say I’m too upset. Sure, it would’ve been nice, but other factors are starting to determine my next-car policy. I’ve just had an offer accepted on a house I’m looking to buy and had to offer £4k more than I’d hoped. Suddenly, cars worth about £4k less than the Mini are starting to look interesting. :) In fact, I even stopped off at a Ford garage on the way home to check out a SportKa last night. There’s no way I’d buy from a dealership, but the car was very nice. It was the SE model with Imperial Blue paint — the same colour as a Ford Racing Puma (he says, drooling). They’d clearly raided the Puma parts bin for it too, but it’s still a reasonably attractive option. Not least with evo continuing to rate it. You might think that a Ka is a major step backwards, but I would expect it to be a short-term thing. And, for once, it would probably tur

That Honda’s slipping through my fingers, you know. Turns out the guy selling it hadn’t considered a Mini until I contacted him and, at first, was quite keen to hear more. I supplied all of the relevant information, but made the mistake of not double-checking the market value of my car first. Had I done so, I could have made a far better offer than a near-swap. Mine’s worth about a grand less than I thought, if you look privately i.e. ignoring stupid dealer prices. He might have even bitten at the first contact. As it is, the opportunity’s almost dead now. Now, I could go back to him and tell him, “Actually, I could drop my car’s price by a grand,” but that might appear a little too desperate — too big a first move. The bargaining power would be firmly back with him. That said, since I enquired, he’s dropped the price of the S2000 by another £250, so he must be getting twitchy too. God, it’s a delicate business, this. In fact, I think I’m gonna have to sleep on it before I send t

Would you swap a Honda S2000 for a Mini Cooper S? Well, I’m pinning my hopes on someone doing just that. Recently, at work, a friend has been considering what car she can get to replace her Suzuki Swift . She’s got a £10k limit and a wishlist that pretty much reads “Must be cute. Preferably a soft-top.” After desperate attempts to dissuade her from getting a Daihatsu Copen , I called in the big guns and suggested a second-hand Honda S2000 . Thing is, it kind of got me thinking about them again. A year or so back, I decided it was time for my next car. Yeah, well, best laid plans and all that. Anyway, one of the cars that made the shortlist was the S2000. While my eventual decision looked to be heading towards a 350Z , circumstances change. I’m currently looking to buy my first house and am hoping to be able to upgrade from the Mini soon after. The S2000’s cheaper second-hand values are now increasingly attractive. Out of curiosity, I went for a quick surf on Pistonheads . Lo and

One season in the Mini Challenge would cost £25,000. Minimum. At least, that’s what Gary Robertshaw of Robertshaw Racing (2004 Mini Challenge Clubsport champion) reckoned. Having spoken to other people about it, however, I reckon I could expect to spend double that. Despite the dizzying numbers, a few weeks back I was seriously considering having a go. I would need sponsorship, of course. I’ve got no desire to take out a loan to fund motorsport — it’s just not sustainable. Funding would have to come from sponsors, at least in part. So, I started to make a list of companies to whom I could pimp myself and the race series. I got information from the organisers of the Mini Challenge about TV viewing figures and their distribution. I started making plans. In the end, though, that’s as far as things went. The point at which my dreams became grounded in reality were when I spoke to my friend, Gav , about it, maybe a couple of weeks back now. He’s the most enthusiastic guy I know, wi

In the words of JeffK ... WINNAR! Last year, I went to the Geneva motor show for the first time (see photos ). Afterwards, I filled in an online questionnaire about the experience — I figure everyone benefits from feedback, so why not? Today, as a result, I won a free ticket to this year’s event in their prize draw. Call it karma. :) Unfortunately, the ticket value is about £6 whereas a return flight would cost over £100. So, I’ll not be going, then. Hardly worth it for the sake of using a £6 freebie. Still, for a brief moment, I felt like the spawniest get alive and was filled with dreams of a triumphant return. Yeah, I know, that’s a bit strange, but what the hell. Maybe next year...

I confess. I broke a hire car. No, I wasn’t doing any Top Gear-style malarkey. I was just pulling out onto a roundabout. A busy roundabout. During rush hour. Okay, so I had to pull out quickly, but you don’t expect the car to die of shock. :-/ Yep, earlier this week, I was out of town on an all-too-rare business trip. A colleague and I took an 05-plate Golf diesel (non-turbo) from the company’s pool of permanent-hire cars. The trip to our top-secret destination was pretty uneventful, but when heading out from the hotel for an evening meal and entertainment, things all went pear-shaped. The eventual verdict from Mr RAC was that the fuel pump had gone. The following day, the hire firm supplied a replacement car — a Vauxhall Astra. Bastards. Still, for someone who rarely changes his car, it was a nice opportunity to remind myself of the motoring landscape beyond the Mini. The Golf was actually pretty decent until it broke down. I wasn’t too keen on the slow steering — actually, it

I blame my parents. From the age of about 9, I’ve lived in a family of Vauxhall cars. First, it was a gold Cavalier, registration TRG 64 Y (funny how you remember those things). Following that came a metallic blue-grey Cavalier, whose registration plate I’ve forgotten. Following that was a metallic blue-grey Senator. It was at this point that I left home and, while that’s a coincidence, I feel I was well within my rights to protest. A couple of years back, my dad retired and so the rusting executive saloon had to go, replaced by… a Vauxhall Zafira. It is a truly awful car . Just sitting in the Zafira as a passenger, it makes you feel sea-sick. It is a car entirely devoid of redeeming features. Until recently, however, I thought the Zafira was as low as my parents would stoop. I was wrong. To go along with it, they’ve now replaced my mum’s trusty, zesty, characterful Cinquecento with… a Vauxhall Agila ! Oh the humanity! There’s a small set of cars that you’d look at and think: “

“This will not be my last attempt to get into motorsport,” I said. Right. Three years on and what have I done since? Nothing. OK, so I had bigger things in my life than motorsport (job troubles, depression, etc.), but I’ve mostly coasted. I even tried snowboarding, dammit. Who was I trying to kid? We all know that the one thing guaranteed to get me excited is the prospect of driving fast. I think it’s time to get back in the proverbial saddle. Let the good times roll.