tommallett

Monday:

For the first time I was able to let rip in the 172, fuel economy unsurprisingly dips to a 20 something mpg figure but at least there is a nice noise to help one forget the financial obliteration! I had been expecting the car to feel more lively if I am honest, maybe turn in a bit more sharply and provide more feedback through the steering (that isn’t torque steer). This isn’t to say I am not very pleased with it though, it is plenty of fun and for £2000 it feels like a bargain, the Xenon headlights are very good and the navigation is easy to use and thus far accurate. Certainly modern Renault Sport models have rectified and refined my issues but they are considerably more money.

Tuesday:

I am not quite sure how it has taken me this long to find a Nissan GTR to have a go in. I have heard so much about it that is invariably positive but am a little perplexed as to why no one seems to keep them very long if they are that good? Initial thoughts include rock solid suspension but a nicer interior than I remember and it certainly is amusing looking at all those dials. Straight away one realises how damn quick the car is, second and third gear in particular being blistering. But it is the way that the car turns in and grips that belies belief, giving you unimaginable confidence. One corner will live in my memory for a while: I actually miscalculated how tight this right hander was, so upon finding myself going 20mph too fast 20 yards before the corner you just press the brake pedal a touch harder then turn in and stamp back on the throttle. It is the part where you feel the torque transfer from a rear bias to the front wheels that you really know that the car is doing ALL the work. I actually felt quite relieved to park it on the drive for the night.

Wednesday:

I had a day fettling at Silverstone today, getting ready for my season opener at Oulton Park in Cheshire – a lovely track that I haven’t got to grips with yet. Andy Dawson (Ex works Lancia and Audi group B rally driver) is helping us and I realise that I must start carrying round a Dictaphone. Anyway, later on in the day I also disposed of the Nissan. Without doubt it is a fantastic piece of kit but it is so digital in its response that it ultimately does nothing for me. You need to go so fast in it in order to get any thrill like one would in a roller coaster that it’s almost scary on public roads and there is no pleasure really to be gained below wharp speed. The double clutch gearbox also feels a bit old now – pull the paddle twice and it only shifts one gear which isn’t great when multiple downshifts are needed. It is a fantastic car if that is what you want but I’ll take analogue and a third pedal any day.

Thursday:

I have always liked the original Mercedes Gulwing so when the new one was announced I was pretty excited. I wanted to like it which always helps a car when you come to drive it. It makes a thunderous noise and looks very special from the outside, especially the front in my view. I even quite like the interior which has come in for criticism, I can see why this retains the Mercedes DNA which would enable it to be used every day by a wealthy businessman. No, it doesn’t light the emotional fire inside you that a 599 GTB does when driven hard cross country but it grows on you like most Mercedes do, especially on a return visit to the car. Noticeably the Gearbox is infinitely better than it was in the Nissan.

Friday:

Having driven some pretty fast and exotic machinery this week I am looking forward to something a bit simpler like changing gear in my Ginetta G20 manually next week at Mallory Park and the Oulton at the weekend. I also feel surprisingly pleased by the idea of hopping back in the Renault, the pleasures of having your own car are like the advert says – money can’t buy it, for everything else there is MasterCard. I particularly like the fact that my sunglasses are in the centre console where I left them, there is a drink and some Nurofen if I need it and an Arai in the boot......just in case.