I donโt need another car. Butโฆ..
My 92 yr old uncle has owned this XJ-R from new. He gave up driving a year ago and, with a new battery, the Jag started first time. Drives beautifully. Used to own one. Loved it. Too good to sell??
A brave friend has bought a 14yr old, 90k miles, twin turbo, V10 RS6.
I drove it yesterday and it was very impressive. Fast, quiet and comfortable.
As usual in my experience, old, large Audis just donโt feel their age. No visible wear, no creaks and everything works. Wonderful
Just got the Project 8 back with its newly refurbished wheels. Wheel colour seems to be one of the more emotive subjects on automotive Twitter so letโs just say that I think they are a big improvement on the previous black and show the great design so much better.
Just paid a couple of very expensive ULEZ fines as my parents unfortunately live inside Mr Kahnโs anti car zone. So this time I made sure my car was compliant. It happens to be one of the oldest, most polluting cars I have, but at least the drive was fun and fine free!
My wifeโs impressive knowledge of cars, Part II
โThatโs a strange looking Ferrariโ
โThatโs because itโs a Fordโ
โBut it had a horse on the frontโ
Collected this E30 Ravaglia today. Been dealing with Barney
@classicheroes
for years and this car is absolutely perfect. Missed my old E30 so itโs great to own another one. Recently I keep gravitating to older, smaller, slower cars that are just fun to drive
Part of the pleasure for me of owning fun cars is sharing them. I went on a 200 mile, very early morning drive today with a mate who had never driven a 599 GTO before. Glad to say he enjoyed itโฆ.
Really sad to see my 4 seat 4 door, LHD, V8 1 of 67 go. The BMW M3 CRT has been sold.
Really excited to see my new 4 seat 4door, LHD, V8 1 of 15 arrive.....
I am fortunate my wife is very tolerant of my car habit. But sometimes I wish she took a little more interest. I picked her up in the Vanquish and as we came into our drive she saw the Merc C43 parked there, looked a little puzzled and said โso weโre not in the Mercedes then...โ
Iโm surprised, but delighted for Lotus, at the number of orders for their new Emira.
Iโm increasingly drawn to older, smaller, slower, lighter, usable sports cars. So, bucking the trend, I seem to have just bought this....
Just completed a long-planned task to put a photo of each car Iโve owned up in the man cave. In chronological order of the purchase date. 1980 - 2020. Brings back wonderful memories of great trips and fun drives with family and friends. And a few I shouldnโt have sold.....
Thanks to Harvey
@DK_Engineering
I own a 599 GTO again, my favourite modern Ferrari by far. Itโs a bit too large but the raw character of the engine and chassis and the simple interior more than compensate. Look forward to covering some enjoyable miles very soon
Excited to have picked up my GT3 RS this morning. I rarely buy new so great to have the chance to spec this exactly as I want it. So good to drive. Almost managed to make the M25 exciting. Almost....
We needed a proper family car and an
@ALPINAGB
B3 Touring really fits the bill. Keen to get the running in done as we have a few big trips planned.
Thanks to Guv, James and Megan
@SytnerBMW
Tring for truly great customer service.
A full tank of V Power put to good use today. So glad Iโve got a CSL back in the garage. It came from the excellent
@OCsupercarsales
, been fettled by Birds BMW and is a real joy to drive. Iโve learned my lesson and this oneโs a keeper. One of the best BMWโs ever made in my view
So the Ford GT has finally arrived! Itโs only the 5th to be delivered in the UK surprisingly. Only driven it up my drive so far but absolutely love the finish, looks and singularity of purpose. It needs
@perfectionvalet
and some PPF then first track day is on 23rd.....
200 sunny miles in the NSX today. The more I drive this car, the more I love it. Powerful enough. Fast enough. Small enough. Loud enough. Just enough of everything.
My father in law sadly passed away this year after a long illness. My wife unearthed this lovely memento from his flat and had it framed for me. Itโs a mark-up by Keke Rosberg of a map of Monza in 1084 describing his lap. Fascinating.
In the late 70โs my uncle was a race official at Brands Hatch. My first track experience was on the GP circuit in his then brand new BMW 633 CSi. A 6 series has been on my wish list ever since. Finally taken the plunge with this M635 CSi thanks to Barney
@classicheroes
First 170 miles done on the B3. Itโs even better than Iโd hoped, particularly the cosseting ride closely followed by the massive torque.
Thereโs also real evidence that
@ALPINAGB
is a manufacturer that cares. Just look at the detail of the running-in instructions.
I feel privileged to have just collected our new daily driver GR Yaris. Even with some gentle running in miles I think the hype is justified. Everything about the car is impressive and you can see and feel the thought and effort that Toyota have put into it.
In my opinion the Ford GT looks good, and purposeful, from every angle. It really benefits from being designed as a race car where form has to follow function, an approach which is often at the heart of the best designs.
So the cowboys at
@LeShuttle
charged me ยฃ262 to travel Sunday night as opposed to Monday morning. Both peak days. As you can see from the photo, this is what peak looks like. This is either extortion or fraudโฆ..
The automotive news this week has mostly been about a new, blue GT3. The original 996 GT3 is a brilliant car and after a run in the sun today, in my view is still one of the best. And, yes, it does have quite a stiff chassis as I noticed after I took this photo....
Thanks to
@matty_prior
for a brilliant, succinct and spot on description of train travel in
@autocar
this week. This is why Iโm off on holiday in a car...
Iโve had worse days. 250 miles in a 3.8 RS and my 4.0 RS. Small differences of course but both just brilliant on a relaxed cross country drive. Not sure why we only got 17mpg though.....
In 2011
@perfectionvalet
detailed my CSL and posted a photo. I joined Twitter to see what it was all about. After nearly 10yrs of reading and tweeting car nonsense Iโm delighted to now have 6,000 followers, many of whom have become friends. Social media working as it should
I certainly donโt need any more cars.
But an Elise has always been on โthe listโ.
A friend was selling his.
So I drove it.
Looked at some others to compare.
Mate decided to keep his.
So Iโve just bought one of the others Iโd seen.
Canโt even blame man maths this timeโฆ.
I cannot believe I waited so long to get a 991 GT3 RS. Itโs a brilliant car. Off to a decent track on Monday to try it properly. Thanks to
@JZMPorsche
for their typically wonderful service
Iโll take this instrument panel in the R8 over any digital screen equivalent Iโve experienced to date. In my book it wins hands down on looks, clarity and practicality
Great to get out again in one of my favourite cars. The latest GT3 RS is a wonderful thing, but the purity and simplicity of the 996 is very enjoyable and completely different to its descendant
Finally put front licence plate on to the GT. Not the standard issue Ford kit which was a big lump of plastic. I know that many donโt bother on cars like these but I prefer to be legal, if inelegant....
I always buy a car for specific reasons - driving fun plus design, technology or rarity. However, if I donโt drive it often it tells me all I need to know. So much as I admired the LFA, itโs gone to a new home. Thanks to Lucas at Octane Collection for sorting a great deal
I donโt need any more cars. So of course Iโve just bought one. Thanks to the very persuasive and efficient
@TomBlackmore90
. Surprising how different the Clubsport S is to the R
Four generations of BMW in the sunshine. My E30 M3 and E24 M635i getting a visit from younger and older family members. BMW remains one of my favourite brands, although Iโm taking time to warm to the latest styling.
New arrival. Itโs not that fast. Itโs a bit too loud. Itโs quite unsophisticated. And not sure about lime green highlights. But, itโs simple and wonderful to drive, which for me is what itโs all about. Thanks to
@DSB555
and
@TOP555Cars
for their usual great service.
These old cars are OK. Fun and rewarding to drive and all that. But how on earth did drivers survive in the 60โs without knowing the outside temperature, average mpg and having to turn the lights and wipers on themselves???
My new blast from the past. Manual 996 Turbo with X50 pack, factory aero kit. 22k miles and beautifully specced. Re thread from
@harrym_vids
earlier today, Iโm more and more going back to cars from an earlier era. Thanks once again to the great team
@JZMPorsche
Just back from a trip through Spain and France with some friends. The 720S was wonderful. Fast, fun and 100% reliable. Really glad to have a McLaren back in the garage
Excited to be on my first trip to the Continent since Lockdown, with some good friends. So here are a couple of Obligatory Chunnel Shots to mark the occasion
My Ford GTโs gone to a new owner. Itโs a special car and I feel privileged to have owned it for 2 years. Itโs a wonderful experience to effectively drive a Le Mans winning car on the road. Thanks to the team
@TomHartleyjnr
for a very professional job
The Yaris GR is a very cool, practical little car. I loved it for what it was and how it drove. However, due to my 1 in 1 out policy, itโs now left the garage and Iโll miss it. But after 8k miles selling it back to the dealer for more than I paid somewhat softens the blow
Early start for the last track day of the year. Cold but sunny at Silverstone and great fun.
McLaren 720S continues to prove itself the least economical car Iโve ever owned
Some idiot left the LFA door open and forgot to plug in the charger. Still, it was a good excuse to take it for a run to charge up the battery.
PS. The idiot was almost undoubtedly me
So good to be getting back to the Continent for a couple of weeks with family and friends. Alpina should be perfect for the gentle trundle down to Italy
A friend and I decided to share a classic car. We have just bought an original U.K. 1965 4.2 E-Type with only 4 owners, but sprinkled with some
@eagleetypes
fairy dust to make sure it starts, stops and steers. Just so much character and fun to drive and the engine is glorious
The very generous
@hillsidefarmers
let me drive his new GT4 today. Somehow, as always, Porsche have managed to make a new model feel measurably better than the last one. Engine and ride much improved. Only area worse is the sound. Fantastic car.
Delighted to see the love for my 599 GTO. Iโve just bought another car which I think deserves as much acclaim as one of the best driverโs cars ever. Thanks to the 2 previous owner friends who kept it in such great shape for me. Now time to really enact the 1 in 1 out rule
Back from 2,700 ml, 12 day holiday down to Italy. Journey home from Florence went smoothly so we just did it in 1 blast of 1,091 mls! Being Sunday the pretty empty motorways helped.
@ALPINA_GmbH
B3 Touring was so fast, comfortable and quiet - just perfect for the task.
Several weeks ago I booked a hotel stay for my wife and I.
2 days ago I watched one of
@harrym_vids
typically enjoyable videos. Turns out we, by coincidence, had very similar ideas. But in my case the Jag and its driver are slightly youngerโฆ.
I missed having a McLaren in the garage. Thereโs something about the way they drive and feel that I love and feels special. Very excited to now have this on the driveway.
Thanks to James and Craig
@McLarenHatfield
for brilliant service
1,700 miles now covered in the Alpina, including its first autobahn blast and first alpine passes. As a family car itโs been magnificent, if understandably a little more suited to the autobahn than the mountains.
Iโve decided that the only word to describe my Audi R8 is magnificent. It was huge fun - so swift and planted - for 3 days of Ardennes/Lux/Germany cross country blasts, and then cruised comfortably for 700 motorway mls in one hit down to visit family in Italy today. Itโs a keeper
A little bit of self-isolation this morning. Celebrating Motherโs Day without my mother. First proper drive in NSX for way too many months. Still one of my all-time favourites.
CLK Black always interesting on wet roads. And very little beats the sound of its V8, even when just parking it back in the garage. Iโm glad Iโve enjoyed the ICE era and will continue to do so for as long as I can
So delighted that thereโs not a screen in sight in my M635 CSi. Now completed nearly 400 miles since I collected the car last Saturday. This compares with an average annual mileage over the last 18 years of 500......
We have to be careful talking about colours these days. So suffice to say Iโve just changed from LHD to RHD. 997 GT3 RS 4.0 is one of my all-time favourites. Thanks as ever to the great folk
@JZMPorsche
for facilitating the deal.
Went to my parents forgetting they live just yards inside the absurd new London ULEZ zone. My fault but didnโt think about compliance for my Elise.
ยฃ80 fine rising to ยฃ240 if not paid within 28 days. Even Dart Charge let you off the first offence. This seems excessive to me.
Looking forward to my first Continental driving trip of the year. The DBS only covered 600 mls pa for its first 16 years. Iโm planning to do double that over the next few daysโฆ..
Thereโs not much better than a 911 Clubsport. Other than 4 other Clubsports. Fantastic few days away, 1,000 miles with a bunch of like-minded friends. My car ticked over 133k mls while I was away and is still as fast, fabulous and fun as ever.
My daughter was stationary in the SUVan at a roundabout and a complete k**b drive in to the back of her. Then was very aggressive. He really underestimated her and really shouldnโt have driven off before the Police arrived. He is going to have a very big Bill to pay
I recently turned 60 and just had the very good fortune of becoming a grandfather. So it seems appropriate to have been out in the quintessential old manโs 4 door saloon, the Jaaaag, listening to Elton Johnโฆ..
Took the 911 R out for a run today. It really is a wonderful car - even with the stripes.
Somehow the VW Group is taking over our automotive life, including with my daughterโs boyfriendโs elderly Polo...
300 partly wet x-country mls in the brilliant CSL yesterday. My recent assertion that itโs peak BMW caused Mr
@Andrew_Frankel
of
@_theintercooler
fame to write a whole article to disagree. If not peak, itโs very close to the summit. Iโve offered him a drive to refresh his view...
I had a little run out in Wokingโs finest today. It was my passengerโs first time in a 675LT, and he was shocked by the acceleration. Even more shocked by the dismal turning circle, the worst of any car Iโve ever owned, but to be fair itโs the only bad thing about the car
I drove in and out of Central London for the 1st time in ages. The road changes are a disaster - no exaggeration. I cannot see how London can function as a capital city in this state and it is excessively anti car. Sadiq Khan has a lot to answer for. Itโs a sad day.
In a world of ever more power, my latest car โonlyโ has 430bhp, but as a manual with great balance and a V8 itโs fast enough and huge fun to drive.
Vanquish S was lovely but didnโt quite work for me so thanks to Martin
@AstonHatfield
for brilliant service and arranging the swap