Snoozin
Posted a lot
Toyophile
Posts: 1,557
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I was thinking about a run I had yesterday across the Summit Road in the Alfa.... and I was thinking, what are some of the most enjoyable DRIVING moments you've had in your pride and joy. Notice I specified DRIVING moments... no other conquests thanks I'm talking the kind of moment where everything works perfectly, the car is responding as it should, you're in the zone, totally focused on the moment in hand, nothing else matters and all the time, money, skinned knuckles, greasy fingernails and dejected girlfriends (sorry Gina if you read this) is all put into perspective - the kind of time when you fully realise why you love your car and why you've spent the time and money on it! be it road or track, dirt or tarmac, let's hear about those flawless episodes you've experienced while driving your object of automotive affection.... Anyways.... into one of my favourite moments - yesterday's run over the Port Hills. The Alfa had just had the jetting and mixtures altered, and the carbs properly balanced for the first time in about 18 months - 2 years, on the Saturday preceeding. Damn the thing is running flawlessly, probably better than it ever has done, according to the gas analyser the efficiency at which it was burning fuel was comparable to that of an EFi vehicle. No more hestating and stuttering below 4000rpm. Thus, we end up at Sumner on Sunday afternoon. A mate floats the idea of a run across the Summit road, seeing as the weather had turned it up a notch. Being the ever enthusiastic twistyphile that I am - and NO, that is nothing to do with harbouring a strange fetish for the ubiquitous Bluebird wheat snack! - I naturally agreed that this indeed would be a most attractive idea. A quick fuel up with 10 litres of BP's finest, and we're off. The start of the run, as you exit Sumner and head up the hill to Lyttleton isn't particularly exciting, it comprises a 70km/h speed limit, a few minor sweeping bends but at least the surface is baby-skin smooth - until you make the turn off to the Summit road. There the surface turns to custard - and I don't mean the nice smooth silky kind - I mean the lumpy, lukewarm-school-camp-issue material. But hey, there's corners. So I am one contented Alfa pilot. Heading up and over the hills is perfect for 3rd gear in the Alfa. The wide torque spread offered by the 1.7 is very well suited to hill driving, as long as the revs are kept above 3500, you can get along at a fair clip! With the window down, negotiating the bumpy yet nicely cambered twists and turns was a pleasure.... not a hint of understeer at any stage, turn in was crisp, communication through the steering wheel seemed superlative to any previous drive. This, I though, is most definitely how motoring should be. The suspension soaked up all but the most major bumps without a hassle, times like that I appreciate the fact I allowed some compliancy when choosing the spring rate. Throughout the rapid drive, nothing brought a more satisfying grin to my face than the distinctive Alfa boxer exhaust note - complete with trademark popping and crackling on the overrun. Merge this with a wound down drivers window, and the rorty induction sound afforded by twin Dellorto's as the engine climbs toward the 7000rpm redline, and I am once again, one EXTREMELY contented Alfa pilot. Even the many mountain bikers zipping out onto the road from the verge, and riding 3 abreast with complete disregard for other road users didn't dampen the experience for me. A brief tap on the middle pedal, a friendly wave to counter their raised, vigorously waving fists, and it's a quick downshift and I'm off accelerating into the next bend..... until the experience is finally over, as I pulled into the carpark at the Sign of the Kiwi, the top of Dyers Pass Road. The TX3 pulls in 4 minutes later...... Anyways, that's one of my more memorable moments of late, hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed recounting the moments!!! Cheers, Richard
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Just driving 550 miles in 12-13 hours to Wales and back, via Cov, Brum and Kidderminster. Revelling in the satisfaction of being 4 up in the car, loaded with camping gear, returning 30mpg plus and cruising at 70-80 on the M-way in comfort. Nothing like filtering the lanes in style, admiring the scenery, with good company, great music and the smiles on the faces from other road users Oh yea, once i was on my own on the way back after dropping the rest on, was thinking "haven't seen another Dolly the whole trip" because I usually see at least one on a long drive... Then at a roundabout there's this frantic honking, look left and in this white Toledo with GT6 (I think) steelies, there is this hella hot 24 year oldish lass waving frantically at me!
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Last Edit: Nov 7, 2005 12:00:42 GMT by Lewis
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MWF
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,945
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The moment for me was during the charity event I did about a year ago. We drove Triumphs around the UK 48 hours.
We were in a Mk2 Triumph Spitfire 1.3
We were about 30 hours in and feeling dreadful, we were lost in North wales and and 2hrs late when we got to our checkpoint. We weren't, alone there was a GT6 convoying with us. We needed to get to the next checkpoint down in South England before it closed. Chasing the GT6 we flew flatout down the Welsh A-roads in the dead of the night, sometimes onto tight old B-roads. I had to work the little Spitfire so hard to stick with its more powerful counterpart. It was hours of absolute bliss constantly trying to outbrake the other car and carry more speed out of the corners in the hope we'd keep up on the straights.
I make it sound wreckless but it was far from it, it just felt like we were flying due to working the car so hard. At no point did it feel dangerous.
It really went to show me that power does not always equate into fun.
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quite a few moments i can think of i bought my fiesta in England and drove it back upto scotland for my last couple months of school and the drive back down (leaving home) with all my clothes and posetions cramed in the rear, enough food for a feast sitting on the passenger seat, lovely sunny day......450+miles of driving ;D through the lovely rolling hills of lowland scotland the north of england (the joys of the A1 in an overloaded car) racing a a couple of forigners in a BMW (they obv thought the speed limit was 40mph ) then almost getting lost and ending up in the middle of new castle....oh i missed out the fourth road bridge, bit of rain as we join the M1 come off the M1 at the rong junction miss the A46 and get completly lost 20miles from home......car at this point is feeling the strains of the long journey and having the od backfire as we roll round the last few roads but she made it from Angus in scotland to Leicester in the Eastmidlands in around 9 and a half hours.....think i had 4 hours worth of resting (which included a lovely clear day for a boarder stop) ....thinking about going back up next year sometime
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once again rocking with 1117cc and 4 gears!
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Thrashing along motorways through Europe in total darkness in Snapdragonclubman's Mini with no lights, recently. Scary! That guy is as mad as a lorry! But totally hardcore!
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...........then screaching onto a posh hotel car park full of late model Mercs and Beemers in his (somewhat crusty) old Mini, still with no lights.
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Too many to mention Croft circuit in my AE86 while helping to set up for a rally there was good. Heading to the borders for a rally again in my AE86 with 3 people and going over the yumps (max speed 30 ) at over a ton ;D 1000 mile round trip to france by myself in a vectra drissel in 26 hours with a 12 hour shift at a steel plant in between to break up the journey. ;D
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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Your memorable driving momentsDavenger
@dminifreak
Club Retro Rides Member 140
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Hmm, drag racing an Astra SRi in my sadly departed GT, and winning ;D Or ragging my girlfriends mini round the backroads near my mums house. Getting a 1500 Lada Riva to drift and do doughnuts was interesting too ;D
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on a private road, driving in a mate's Rapid...was a straight road upto a farm yard, down a slight hill, into the yard and back down the road...at the end of a road was a t-junct. onto another country lane. Drove round there for about an hour, had really good fun...liked the time when i wasn't sure about the breaks and managed to skid Had lots of other good drives as a passenger too!
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Not exactly what you are looking for but my most memorable driving moment was on the A12 from Southend to London.
I was in my 1973 Cortina 1.6XL when this Capri got right, right, right up my boot and kept flashing his lights to get past. There was no space for me to get into the inside lane to let him go but that didn't stop him from driving about 10 inches from my bumper. As soon as there was a gap I pulled over and let him pass - then I gave chase. After all the badge on the back said that his was a 1.3!
1.3 my 'arris! At about, well no, at exactly 96mph we were going round a sweeping left turn when the Cortina's back end started to let go!
There was that horrible, horrible feeling as the rear started to drift and everything seems to go in slow motion. I remember the look on my girlfriends face as her nails dug into the side of her chair, I remember my mate in the back saying "Don't hit the brakes!" I remember desperately fighting the slide and thinking "Oh my god, we're going to hit the central reservation and somersault over into the oncoming traffic - What a stupid way to die!"
Then the back end began to snake the other way where I'd over compensated on the steering! Now there was even less room for error as the inside lane was full of cars just waiting to smash into us if I couldn't stop the counter slide!
Fortunately my hours of chucking the car around on wet grass and muddy car parks had paid off and I was able to get control back without hurting anything apart from four sets of underwear.
A couple of minutes later when I was driving at about 30mph and ignoring every other car hammering past me my mates girlfriend said, "Nigel, don't do that again 'cos you had me a bit scared." It was only when we got home that my mate and I explained to her that I hadn't done it intentionally!
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Being driven - any time I was in my uncle's Mexico (circa 1980-1986), going to Reading in a Rally prepped shove-it (circa 1982).
Driving - the night I crashed the golf in Bracknell, diesel spills and roundabouts do not mix, the night I killed a deer in the golf, a run through the peak district in a 106 (hmm, nice smelly brakes), a fantastic guildford to brighton run this summer, far too many VW's!
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John
Part of things
Posts: 347
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I was working in a pub, the rich 30 something locals thought I was the young kid with the custom car.
One night coming out of Leeds, no doors on the Reliant, BMX hanging out of the rear hatch, I pull up at the lights and one of the pub locals pulls up in his modified Cossy Sierra (this guy has come in the top 20 in the RAC rally).
Anyway he takes off from the lights and I leave him for absolutly dead.............I earnt some respect that night and was no longer the kid with "just the custom car"
On an A road, overtaking somebody overtaking, ie 3 cars wide on a 2 lane road! (Reliant again)
Driving 400 miles across Germany in 4 hours at night..........Reliant again!
Drifting sideways up the road in the wet towards a bus stop with my passanger screaming in fear!!!!!. I was in total control...................Reliant......
The local teenage gob 5h1ts were taking the P out of my Lada, so I stopped and took one for a spin around the local back roads, he did not know the speedo over read by 20mph so the indicated 110mph was only 90!! (still quite fast down muddy single track roads I suppose) He was very white and silent........no more hassle after that.
John
PS I am a little older and more sensible now!
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got to be getting a four wheel drift moment, in a mad thrash back to college after a McDonalds run in the lunch break.. and in the ALFA... distroying a chav in has corsa down the main road!! at half way point he looked in his mirror and gave up.. 15 - luv alfa!! LOL
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bryn
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,913
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Too numerous to mention, but thanks for making me remind myself of how lucky I've been behind the wheel ;D
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Volvo, Buggy, Discovery and an old tractor.
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Chris, what Reliant was it? Lada sounds 'special' too
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Pro-Street kitten if that's Mr. Beardmore.
206mph in a big silver Merc, felt like 120 until I glanced over at the instruments.
*n
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Last Edit: Jan 10, 2006 12:36:47 GMT by penski
Top grammar tips! Bought = purchased. Brought = relocated Lose = misplace/opposite of win. Loose = your mum
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mercmad
Posted a lot
Flush Hard,it's a long way to McDonalds.
Posts: 1,740
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Most Forgettable moment: Whilst having raging hay fever I took some anti histimine,then had to drive through the OZ out back from Condobolin to Cobar(NSW),along barely passeble dirt roads...in a BMW M6 I fell asleep at 200 Kph,and woke up still heading straight in loose gravel with my head bumping on the window.. I cut straight through a bend ,nearly hit some ancient gum trees and joined the road on the other side of the bend ,still at 190+. Same car ,a year or two later... Fitted a modified engine and did a test run from Townsville to Cairns (North Queensland). After a suitable running in period( about 20 Seconds) I was cruising towards Cardwell at 100KPH,when a Porsche 911 something or other came up behind me.The ignorant little pr**k started flashing his headlights at me to get me to pull over,being the hot tempered type of road rager I was in those days i gave him the message with my finger. I changed down to third and gave it a little bit of boot,changed back into 5th and went up to 180KPH,when the porker pulled out and came along side ,i changed back to 4th and really gave it a shove,giving my self a fright as the nitrous kicked in ( I told you I modified it!) ,Way over 200 Kph the Porker was dissapearing fast behind me when i changed back to top and I kept on it all the way to Cairns ,even through the really twisty bits,many of it in opp.Lock. That night ,me and mate were getting curse word in a backpacker joint,with my car parked out side,when a white porker was seen to cruise slowly past with the occupants staring at the "old Bmw" .It was worth it just to see the looks on their faces.. ;D ;D ;D
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Many years ago I changed my driving style to cope with rising fuel prices; I have now reached the stage where I am contemplating keeping my eyes shut in order to lower wind resistance.
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Driving to RCS this year in convoy,.. feeling like king of the world. Playing with a Porsche 911 on the A3 during the petrol crisis a few years back, 11:30pm no other cars on the road, me in my Alfa, we were racing between the speed cameras. We'd slow up get parallel and at a some un-seen sign just tear off hell for leather again. Polite waves and toot of the horn from him when I had to take my turning Same road, same car, a few weeks later, and this is memorable for bad reasons. Some gobshite in a big audi didn't want me to overtake him at night on an empty 3 lane road, so swerved across to the outside lane to slow me down. Then as I pulled into the middle lane, he did the same thing. Then I pulled to the outside lane and so did he.... I floored it heading for the very inside lane, and was past him before he could react. .... I was doing over a ton as I went through the speed camera.... ............... it had no film luckily.
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Rob
Posted a lot
You know, for kids!
Posts: 2,515
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Driving 500miles in one week in the Coupe around the hills and valleys of Northumberland - beautiful. AND! - Driving to RCS both years but for different reasons !! 1st year was the day after I'd fitted a twin choke nikki carb and it sounded lovely - then of course getting there and realising that i wasnt alone in my love of strange cars (it can seem very lonely in a small town with a small town mentality!) and being handed a flyer for some web site or other who were very suppoertive in my crazy modding ideas !! 2nd year - got 40 miles then went back for tent poles! after 60 miles we realised something was horribly wrong somewhere along the trans - turned out to be a blown diff but carried on regardless !! ;D Arrived in the dark and set up - next day was spent wondering whether to bother starting the drive home or not. Got 5 miles, parked up - got towed!! not the best really. Great to see all the cars on the stand tho - and a pleasure to be part of it ! ;D
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