sayerbloke Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 On sunday I went on another driving experience, this time at Bruntingthorpe. I drove a Subaru Impreza WRX, Porsche 911, Lotus Elise, Ferrari 360 and the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage. This isn't one of my better reviews after one of these days but I think the heat has fried my brain and I can't remember much else! . Anyway, hope you enjoy it Subaru Impreza It's always difficult to remember much about the first vehicle you drive on a new track because you spend more time working out where the circuit is going than what the car itself is like. The Subaru had been stripped out and fitted with full 5-point racing harnesses, which added to the rally-car-ness the car already had. It was a fairly conventional layout in terms of seating/pedal positions, which aided settling in and getting comfortable with the car. Acceleration felt brisk, braking was good. With it's 4wd system, handling was fairly neutral, generally resulting in slight understeer or 4 wheel drifts at speed. The racing harness did a good job of holding you in place through the faster corners. I did manage to put it sideways going through the cone-chicane on the first lap when it wasn't obvious which way you were supposed to go! Even then, the car wasn't unsettled by the sudden changes of direction. I emerged at the end of the three laps suitably impressed. Porsche 911 I have a confession to make here; I can't really remember a lot about what the 911 was like to drive. After the somewhat raw, stripped out Subaru, things like the interior, the seats, the gearchange, etc, felt smoother and more refined/expensive. Oh, and I remember that my foot never quite sat happily on the throttle pedal... but other than that it's all a bit blank. It was just a car. A quick car and one deserving of respect, sure, but... uninspiring? Maybe the fact it does feel fairly normal is what attracts some people to it. You are aware the engine is out the back while cornering but it didn't cause any problems on a dry track. The thing I remember most is noticing the heat from the engine and the resulting smell as I climbed out and walked around the back of the car to let the next person have their turn. I've never been a particularly big Porsche fan and my first drive in one has done nothing to really alter that. It felt like a car you could actually use everyday and Porsche deserve congratulations for that but I'm not sure it'd make your journeys feel special in the way some other cars would. Lotus Elise The Elise was even more of a "kitcar" than I was expecting. It's easy to see why it's so fast despite the small engine once you climb inside; it's a real back-to-basics car. It has no power steering, no power windows and even the brakes lack power-assistance. The inside looks like it's been put together by someone in their shed who then ran out of materials half-way through. It's impossible to get into [or especially out of] properly, even with the roof off and once you are behind the wheel the seats aren't even on nodding terms with the concept of comfort... and I don't care because as far as trackday cars go, this thing is incredible! I prefer the Noble M12 in every way, but there is an attraction to what is basically a grown up racekart. The steering had a similar feel to the M12, with it's quick precision, though a little heavy at low speed. The brakes were disappointing as they had no real movement or feel to them. Also, due to it's lightweight, it was easily upset by the wind or bumpy surfaces; not a big problem on the track where you'd be concentrating hard anyway but I suspect it'd get wearing on the public roads. That said, it was easy to drive quickly, which made it fun. Indeed, if it wasn't for the fact I've driven that Noble, I think I'd be even quicker to sing it's praises. Trouble is, the M12 does everything a bit better in my opinion and that does take the shine off the Elise. It's a very different car to the other ones I drove at Bruntingthorpe that day and I can understand why some people may choose it as their favourite. However, mine was yet to come... Ferrari 360 On these experience days, I've had the chance to drive about 15 cars, many of them being things of dreams to most of us. However, there was one manufacturer's name missing from my list of cars tested; Ferrari. Like them or loathe them, you can't deny my checklist of cars wouldn't be complete without trying one. Well, the final scheduled car of what will likely be the final driving experience I do was a bright red Ferrari 360 with a flappy-paddle gearbox. I'll get straight to the point; the Ferrari was special. It has a... delicacy quite unlike any of the other cars I've driven. I think it's something to do with the free-revving nature of the engine and the sensitivity of the steering. Power delivery was smooth and the brakes were really sharp. The car was LHD [which I prefer in a trackcar] and as mentioned had the flappy-paddle gearbox. It was the first time I've driven a car with one of those and it was actually quite nice. Not sure whether the appeal would last in real world situations, but on the track it really added to the experience. The up-change was too jerky but the downchange was fine. With no clutch to push, I did find I was using my left leg to stop myself sliding about too much through the fast corners, but I'm sure I could get over that quickly enough. From the outside, the 360s sounded glorious every time they drove up the "pit straight", but from the inside I didn't really notice the engine noise as much as you might expect. That said, I don't recall noticing the engine from the inside of any of the cars I've driven on these experiences, other than the Noble with it's distinctive turbos. Happily, I'm sure it'd be more noticeable in real world situations. I don't think you'd use the Ferrari everyday; it wasn't really built with that in mind. . However, the one I drove had over 100k miles on the clock though you wouldn't know to drive it! That may have something to do with the recent £20k engine rebuild it's owner was telling me about, but it's an impressive feat none-the-less! Besides, it's too special to waste on mundane trips, even though it would guarantee to put a smile on your face by the time you got to where you were going It was my favourite car of the day. It's also one of my top three cars I've ever driven. Aston Martin AMV8 A drive in the Aston Martin was an extra I bought separately while waiting for my turn in the Ferrari. Pretty much any of the cars at Bruntingthorpe that day were available to be driven individually... for a price. I'd never driven an Aston so I took the opportunity and paid for a single lap. Because of the unique way I came to be driving the AM, it also meant getting to do something else I'd never done on these experiences before; starting the car up. As the car's owner walked up to me, he smiled, chucked me the keys and said "There you go!". I then unlocked the car for us, put the keys in the ignition and pushed the big engine start button. The seat controls are mounted on the centre console. The handbrake is positioned by the door but the lever doesn't latch in position, presumably to aid getting in/out of the car. Rather, to take it off, you first have to lift it up, then release it with the button pressed in as normal. That done, I was ready to leave the pitlane. By this stage of the day it had started pouring with rain, which it had looked like it was going to do all morning. I wasn't overly concerned; I'd had my speed fix for the day and just wanted a lap to experience an Aston Martin. It was a nice, refined car and felt pretty well made from my brief time with it. My biggest problem with the AM was visiblity; the windows are just too narrow and that makes seeing out of it a bit tricky. The "A" pillar got in the way, too. Pity. I suspect on a dry day it'd be fun to do a couple more laps with. It's a rival to the 911 and they have a pretty similar approach to life, which makes choosing a winner difficult. I'd need more time in both to reach a proper verdict. We also had karting and a 4x4 offroad trip on offer, but the queues were long, it had started raining and we were hungry so we decided to call it a day. Didn't matter; it was still a very good day out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark_90 Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 I'm doing a very similar thing on Friday in Oxford Not driving the AM though.. hopefully the others will keep me occupied! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bantam Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 How much was it for this day out? Cheers, B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woppum Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Sounds like a great day, and very intresting hearing your views on a 911. What was it BTW a 996? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted July 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 [ QUOTE ] How much was it for this day out? Cheers, B [/ QUOTE ] Ah, well I paid £250 for the 4 cars [with free passenger ride in a 4x4 and a few laps karting included], but if you've held a full license for over 2 years [which, unfortunately, one of the people I went with hadn't] and go to a different location you can get it for £180 with one experience company, iirc. Alternatively, one destination had the same cars and also an Audi RS4 but no karting for the same price as Bruntingthorpe had for those 4 listed above, but again, tighter restrictions on who can do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted July 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Sounds like a great day, and very intresting hearing your views on a 911. What was it BTW a 996? [/ QUOTE ] Yes, it was a 996. Not sure which derivative, but I don't think it had a turbo. I'll see if I got a picture of it. I'm sure I used to know this, but what exterior clues are there [other than a badge!] that can be used to tell the models apart? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted July 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Alternatively, one destination had the same cars and also an Audi RS4 but no karting for the same price as Bruntingthorpe had for those 4 listed above, but again, tighter restrictions on who can do it. [/ QUOTE ] Less than that, actually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza_g Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Sounds like a great day, and very intresting hearing your views on a 911. What was it BTW a 996? [/ QUOTE ] Yes, it was a 996. Not sure which derivative, but I don't think it had a turbo. I'll see if I got a picture of it. I'm sure I used to know this, but what exterior clues are there [other than a badge!] that can be used to tell the models apart? [/ QUOTE ] Sounds like you had a brilliant day fella The easiest way to tell 996's apart - the Turbo has air intakes in the rear wings, the C2 and C4 does not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted July 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Sounds like you had a brilliant day fella [/ QUOTE ] Was good indeed! Thankfully the rain didn't start until right near the end! Driving multiple cars on the same day definitely makes for a more enjoyable driving experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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