Corranga
Member
- Messages
- 1,223
I collected my 4200GT with about 10 days to go last month. The car was going through a private plate change, and the DVLA process was being a bit of a pita, so I decided to park it up off the road until the 1st of the month, and tax for the complete month, by which time the plate would be sorted too.
So... I have a toddler, who had an eye infection, so the inevitable happened, and it seems my immune system has suffered massively since, so I've ended up with flu! just as we get a summer
but I felt better on Saturday morning, so managed to get the car out for a couple of hours for a run and some photos
I'm lucky enough to live close to one of the best roads in the country, so there was no question on where I'd take it for it's first run. The A93 'Old Military Road'
This is a road I'm very familiar with, it's been my go to run in my Elise for a number of years now. The turns, undulations, mix of twisty and longer sweeping bends, never being too busy and scenery is near perfect.
I didn't have time to go right up to Tomintoul / Grantown On Spey as I usually would, so turned back at around Braemar, but it was a great fun couple of hours, with some good weather too.
I'm not sure I can say anything about the car that you won't already know, but I was very, very surprised at how capable the car was.
There is only so much you can tell from a test drive, and I was a little worried that the car would be a bit too neutral in feel, or dull compared to my Elise, or that it wouldn't be able to corner at all due to being over twice the weight! Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a replacement at all, I guess I just didn't know what to expect.
So, on the way out, I have a little bit of dual carriageway. Dull and pointless on a run, but I like it as it allows me to get to the fun bits, and to comfortable and settled in whatever car I'm in, and also gently warm the car up, so is a necessary evil. It also makes me a little apprehensive as the car is smooth and comfortable, quiet, and generally, a really nice place to be - in my experience, these aren't good signs for a car that will stick to the road, and handle the challenges of the road I'm heading for.
I turn off onto a nice A road I'm very familiar with, it's a long, winding road, with a nice tight section in the middle, only a few miles, but I'd say you could get a god judgement of most cars on it.
The first couple of fast sweeping bends have me second guessing my choice as the car seems somehow unsettled / unstable, not at all stuck to the road. I feel like it's going to throw me into a field with the slightest blip of the throttle. I figure it's probably a body roll thing. With the Elise I'm used to virtually no body roll, though I have been known to take our little Panda 100hp out for a run, and that rolls a little and I've never felt like this - of course with nearly 75% less power... well.
The revelation is the Sport button. As a manual 4200, I believe all it does is *something* to the Skyhook suspension. I say something, as the technical details aren't really important. There doesn't seem to be any introduction. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe some sort of bump, or clunk fro the steering or similar, but nothing. What is obvious though is that *something* happens. The car is transformed from a stability perspective, wallows less and really starts to inspire confidence. For the A93, for me, it transforms the car from a slightly terrifying experience, to an absolute joy.
It soaks up the bumps perfectly, and stays very well composed over the undulations, hiding it's weight very well.
The performance, in comparison to more or less anything I've driven before is brutal in a way I hadn't really expected.
Off the marks, the Lotus is no slouch, but the midrange torque in the Maserati is incredible, there is always power there, even when you're not in the right gear.
The noise is addictive (if a little restrained), and the feel through the wheel is good enough to enjoy a road as extreme as this one.
All in all, the perfect introduction to these special cars.
You'd all better get used to me, I think I'll be around for a while!
Chris
So... I have a toddler, who had an eye infection, so the inevitable happened, and it seems my immune system has suffered massively since, so I've ended up with flu! just as we get a summer
but I felt better on Saturday morning, so managed to get the car out for a couple of hours for a run and some photos I'm lucky enough to live close to one of the best roads in the country, so there was no question on where I'd take it for it's first run. The A93 'Old Military Road'
This is a road I'm very familiar with, it's been my go to run in my Elise for a number of years now. The turns, undulations, mix of twisty and longer sweeping bends, never being too busy and scenery is near perfect.
I didn't have time to go right up to Tomintoul / Grantown On Spey as I usually would, so turned back at around Braemar, but it was a great fun couple of hours, with some good weather too.
I'm not sure I can say anything about the car that you won't already know, but I was very, very surprised at how capable the car was.
There is only so much you can tell from a test drive, and I was a little worried that the car would be a bit too neutral in feel, or dull compared to my Elise, or that it wouldn't be able to corner at all due to being over twice the weight! Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a replacement at all, I guess I just didn't know what to expect.
So, on the way out, I have a little bit of dual carriageway. Dull and pointless on a run, but I like it as it allows me to get to the fun bits, and to comfortable and settled in whatever car I'm in, and also gently warm the car up, so is a necessary evil. It also makes me a little apprehensive as the car is smooth and comfortable, quiet, and generally, a really nice place to be - in my experience, these aren't good signs for a car that will stick to the road, and handle the challenges of the road I'm heading for.
I turn off onto a nice A road I'm very familiar with, it's a long, winding road, with a nice tight section in the middle, only a few miles, but I'd say you could get a god judgement of most cars on it.
The first couple of fast sweeping bends have me second guessing my choice as the car seems somehow unsettled / unstable, not at all stuck to the road. I feel like it's going to throw me into a field with the slightest blip of the throttle. I figure it's probably a body roll thing. With the Elise I'm used to virtually no body roll, though I have been known to take our little Panda 100hp out for a run, and that rolls a little and I've never felt like this - of course with nearly 75% less power... well.
The revelation is the Sport button. As a manual 4200, I believe all it does is *something* to the Skyhook suspension. I say something, as the technical details aren't really important. There doesn't seem to be any introduction. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe some sort of bump, or clunk fro the steering or similar, but nothing. What is obvious though is that *something* happens. The car is transformed from a stability perspective, wallows less and really starts to inspire confidence. For the A93, for me, it transforms the car from a slightly terrifying experience, to an absolute joy.
It soaks up the bumps perfectly, and stays very well composed over the undulations, hiding it's weight very well.
The performance, in comparison to more or less anything I've driven before is brutal in a way I hadn't really expected.
Off the marks, the Lotus is no slouch, but the midrange torque in the Maserati is incredible, there is always power there, even when you're not in the right gear.
The noise is addictive (if a little restrained), and the feel through the wheel is good enough to enjoy a road as extreme as this one.
All in all, the perfect introduction to these special cars.
You'd all better get used to me, I think I'll be around for a while!
Chris
