BennyD
Sea Urchin Pate
- Messages
- 15,008
Well, the title says it all!
Friday evening; went for a lovely meal with a mate who has just picked up a very late 997 Carrera 4 GTS convertible. He took Ryan home fom Manchester and gave it the beans. A launch control start and up to 150, roof down. A very nice car and a good start to the weekend!
Saturday; Dream Drivers Day at Dunsfold Park. Adams prediction was correct but only because of 1 factor which we changed on the day; the Gallardo was a Balboni! He loved it and understands why Dan bought one. He enjoyed the 458 and that would have been his favourite but lacked the overall nutsack fizz of the Lambo. The GTR was fabulous on track and the flying laps he had with the Chief Instructor were truly mind-blowing but it didn't feel 'special' enough. He really disliked the Aston; heavy clutch, slow gearbox and soft suspension. Finished the day with dinner at the Mulberry at Chiddingfold (Chris Evans's place) which was very nice.
Sunday; went over to see a chap I met at the June Supercar charity event at Dunsfold Park. He promised Ryan a lap in his Ferrari 275 GTB/C on the day but he had to leave before we had chance to do it. He contacted me through Pistonheads and told us to come over, and I'm really glad we did! First up; the 275GTB/C, which is a 60s racing car that was raced at Le Mans and the Nurburgring. Total theatre! The smell of hot oil, the sound of open pipes and the mayhem at 9,000rpm was awesome. Apparently the best sound since my spyder!
Next was Ferrari 250 SWB. Very much a civilised 275 that would be perfect for a continental tour/blast. Next up, a 612 Scag, which is a fully loaded ex-factory demo car with very loud pipes. Very nice indeed, especially as an everyday hack! We didn't have time to sample his Brand new Eagle E-type (seriously lovely) or his 60s Merc convertible, beautiful to look at but not that great to drive apparently. However, he did have time to give Ryan a run his new pride and joy; a Pagani Zonda F. What an exquistily detailed car. Ferociously powerful, very, very fast and very, very scary. Almost too much, but what an experience!
On the way home we tried to compare the diverse character of the cars he experienced over the two days. Every one had pros and cons and the whole list would be too long to detail here but he came to the following result; no third place but in joint second was the Zonda and (cue Dans smile!) the Balboni. However, the most complete automotive experience of the weekend was the....Ferrari 275GTB/C. Strange how it worked out; had we got the lap in June Ryan would not have got to experience the 250, the 612 or the Zonda and this weekend wouldn't have been anywhere near as good as it was.
Thanks go to Everyman events for treating us like royalty; nothing was too much trouble and the staff were fantastically helpful. If you have a few quid to spare, give them a go. Really good. FWIW, I bought 4 laps in the MacLaren MP4 but I broke it and it went into limp mode after 2 laps and I wasn't driving it anywhere near as hard as I would my spyder. Not a great shame as I didn't really like it. What price progress? However, being a little churlish, I asked if I could have my last 2 laps again in something that worked and I got them in the Balboni. I too, now understand why Dan bought one, but I'm still glad I have my spyder. It's not as fast, doesn't handle as well but it always makes my nutsack tingle!
Friday evening; went for a lovely meal with a mate who has just picked up a very late 997 Carrera 4 GTS convertible. He took Ryan home fom Manchester and gave it the beans. A launch control start and up to 150, roof down. A very nice car and a good start to the weekend!
Saturday; Dream Drivers Day at Dunsfold Park. Adams prediction was correct but only because of 1 factor which we changed on the day; the Gallardo was a Balboni! He loved it and understands why Dan bought one. He enjoyed the 458 and that would have been his favourite but lacked the overall nutsack fizz of the Lambo. The GTR was fabulous on track and the flying laps he had with the Chief Instructor were truly mind-blowing but it didn't feel 'special' enough. He really disliked the Aston; heavy clutch, slow gearbox and soft suspension. Finished the day with dinner at the Mulberry at Chiddingfold (Chris Evans's place) which was very nice.
Sunday; went over to see a chap I met at the June Supercar charity event at Dunsfold Park. He promised Ryan a lap in his Ferrari 275 GTB/C on the day but he had to leave before we had chance to do it. He contacted me through Pistonheads and told us to come over, and I'm really glad we did! First up; the 275GTB/C, which is a 60s racing car that was raced at Le Mans and the Nurburgring. Total theatre! The smell of hot oil, the sound of open pipes and the mayhem at 9,000rpm was awesome. Apparently the best sound since my spyder!
Next was Ferrari 250 SWB. Very much a civilised 275 that would be perfect for a continental tour/blast. Next up, a 612 Scag, which is a fully loaded ex-factory demo car with very loud pipes. Very nice indeed, especially as an everyday hack! We didn't have time to sample his Brand new Eagle E-type (seriously lovely) or his 60s Merc convertible, beautiful to look at but not that great to drive apparently. However, he did have time to give Ryan a run his new pride and joy; a Pagani Zonda F. What an exquistily detailed car. Ferociously powerful, very, very fast and very, very scary. Almost too much, but what an experience!
On the way home we tried to compare the diverse character of the cars he experienced over the two days. Every one had pros and cons and the whole list would be too long to detail here but he came to the following result; no third place but in joint second was the Zonda and (cue Dans smile!) the Balboni. However, the most complete automotive experience of the weekend was the....Ferrari 275GTB/C. Strange how it worked out; had we got the lap in June Ryan would not have got to experience the 250, the 612 or the Zonda and this weekend wouldn't have been anywhere near as good as it was.
Thanks go to Everyman events for treating us like royalty; nothing was too much trouble and the staff were fantastically helpful. If you have a few quid to spare, give them a go. Really good. FWIW, I bought 4 laps in the MacLaren MP4 but I broke it and it went into limp mode after 2 laps and I wasn't driving it anywhere near as hard as I would my spyder. Not a great shame as I didn't really like it. What price progress? However, being a little churlish, I asked if I could have my last 2 laps again in something that worked and I got them in the Balboni. I too, now understand why Dan bought one, but I'm still glad I have my spyder. It's not as fast, doesn't handle as well but it always makes my nutsack tingle!
