corozin

With respect, driving from MK to Bedford is hardly the same as the journey the OP was contemplating is it? The point is the rules do allow you to book in a car for MOT and drive it to the test, however in realistic terms trying to convince a Trafpol that your driving 360 miles from home to get an MOT done is pushing the boundaries of luck. If the Trafpol had reason to believe the OP was acting unreasonably and decided to impound the untaxed, un MOT'd and potentially unroadworthy car at the roadside, the OP would possibly have a very long walk home indeed. They can (and do) do that now regularly now with untaxed/MOT'd cars. I doubt if even having an MOT booking would prevent that if the officer had reason to believe the boundaries of reasonableness were being exploited.

A fair point I grant you but I'd say extremely unlikely as the system isn't that good. If it were there would be hundreds of people without tax or insurance being chased up and down the country by the boys in blue...... and I suspect that isn't the case as the police themselves are the first to say how many people are out there uninsured or untaxed. You should be right, but you have to factor in sod's law...

Honestly I think you really would be pushing your luck if you tried to drive the car to an MOT test 360 miles away. I think you'd be very hard pressed to convince a dibble that a Volkswagen requires such specialist work. As for the tax, your other problem is that with a distance like that you'll trigger half the ANPR cameras in the country. Even if you're lucky enough not to pass a police car with one fitted the roadside versions will be directing the traffic division to your location.

If you go out for even a single formal track session they'll insist on both a driver briefing and scrutineering/sound check. It's an insurance condition. The time we went out 3 years ago were parade laps, and thus exempt.

About 24mpg :clap: :clap: :clap:

I know what you mean but I thought it was a bit weak to film a video which was practically identical to what many of us have already seen 20 times on YouTube. The 'halo' bits of TG are good, but I really am starting to feel as though the programme is being heavily padded out these days. The interview last night with Michael MacIntyre went on forever (which is tougher when he isn't even funny). You could have lopped off 15-20 minutes from last night's programme and not missed it frankly. I think the problem is that the BBC is trying to wring as much out of TG as it possibly can. The programme has been one of the BBC's biggest ratings pullers in recent years and they can't resist the pressure to make as many episodes as they can. So now we're actually getting more than one series a year, with more episodes, and frankly they don't have the material to fill the space. I'm sure the TG team is trying as hard as they can to fill the void, but there's only so much you can do, especially since the programme's budget has been reportedly moderated this year by the BBC (so possibly no more African expeditions or shuttle launches which are expensive to film). That's a shame for the viewer. Personally I think a little less would actually mean more quality for the viewer. I still find the three hosts entertaining (and James May just gets funnier every year IMHO) but more and more I find myself popping away from the TV whilst the show is on to do something else while I wait for the next good part to arrive. The good (smoking tyre) bits are usually right at the start and the end of the show these days.

a) If you don't know then you're not grown up enough to be told b) You can google, but Susie Stoddart is (depending on your view of these things) probably the more ornamental, and the more successful driver. Personally I think KL looks like a guest from the Jeremy Kyle show but it's all subjective innit. Wendy of course is a faster driver, better company, better cook, better looking and more competitive than either of them. By the way those statements are unrelated to the fact that she can punch really hard if you say bad things about either her or her driving, LOL

In repairs and modifications? easily more than the cost of the BMW M5 I should have bought instead 3½ years ago (at the price an E39 M5 was 3½ years ago). Thats not really a nice thought is it... Frankly if you can keep a VR6 properly maintained for £1,000 a year you're doing fairly well. When I think back to the times when I ran the first two Corrados (not the current money pit) I think I was spending easily £1,000-£1,500 per year before the cost of the modified bits.

Since it's trip to the bodyshop in May my car has recently been mistaken for a tank, a battleship, and a project car that just needs painting with topcoat (the 'primer' joke as it's now known) But since the engine expired 10 days ago it's been mistaken for a sculpture, as it's taken up permenant residence on my driveway. :(

Taking a rough guess I think it's possible to assemble the answer to this question on the forum's magnet board with a bit of imagination :)

Well you guys can fight over Suzie and I will take the Merc :lol: No need. If you tie up the wonderful Katherine Legge as well it will save me & Timbo a fight and you get to qualify an Audi as well. :lol: :lol:

If I had Susie Stoddart tied up with ropes I'm not sure I'd bother with the Merc. :norty: That's a fair point actually :D

Yes there is a mandatory safety briefing at the Autometrix Day. You aren't allowed on track unless you attend it. Normal trackday rules; passing only allowed on the right & by consent; no overtaking in the braking zones & corners, no aggressive behaviour, monitoring/warning & blag flagging by the marshals if you break the rules etc. Frankly if you're slightly concerned about being on track with the others, I suggest you try to line up at the back of the line, or alternatively pull over & let everyone pass you on the way out to the track, give them some time to get clear, and then go out onto an empty track. The fastest Corrados will take at least 1m30s to come around so you have plenty of time. You'll enjoy the clear track far more IMHO, and take things at your own (undoubtedly excessive) pace. If you do catch anyone they'll pull over to the right and let you pass if they've followed the rules. Most common overtaking spots at Combe trackdays are (1) main straight between Camp & Folly (2) between Quarry & the Esses (3) between Bobbies & Camp (although that one takes a bit of confidence even if you're being let past). If you have monster brakes and the confidence necessary you can also overtake (4) over the Avon Rise into Quarry and (5) from Hammerdown into Tower :cuckoo: Are you really doing the Autometrix session then Wendy?

:lol: :lol: :lol: you getting worried John? Actually Wendy & I did briefly discussed not being on track at the same time on the Autometrix Track day in case what I'll call 'serious competitive instincts' came into play. We both thought it would be a bad idea (not that I'd have pulled away anyway, haha) on both sides. Of course now my engine is boloxed so the problem has resolved itself. I just pity everyone else on track now. They won't know what's hit them, thats for sure. As regards the racing series I heard that Wendy was planning to visit the DTM round at Brands in September. So if anyone finds Suzie Stoddart tied up with rope behind the pits, you'll know who's qualifying the AMG Mercedes :)

Are you not worried that you might be just a little too competitive for mere motor racing Wendy? LOL

I was also very surprised by how close that was, especially since official figures for the cars show that the Veyron achieves 0-200mph faster than the MacLaren does 100-200mph. There's no doubt that the MacLaren is a hugely fast car though, and the fact that it took the Veyron some 15-16 years and another 350bhp to beat it is a testament to how fast it was. Totally impressive in my view. When I started this reply I was going to raiuse the question of whether the TG race actually proved anything at all, but instead I've now come to thinking that it doesn't actually matter at all which of them is faster at all. Both cars are simply ridiculously fast, and frankly I'd be very happy indeed if I ever came to possess either of them. The Veyron has the sheer numbers, but the MacLaren has a proven race history together with excellent residual values. Big thumbs-ups to TG for even organising the dual though. What a stunning piece of telly it was (as was May's 254mph Veyron run a few years ago).

Good choice!!! In lime green and black I hope? I was thinking a bit more "all black" like the one Reggie has in the movie Phantasm actually, but it's nice to know I'm not the only person who appreciates a 'Cuda :D And no, a Corrado is not on my list right at this moment. Shoddy, crappy, siezed engined piece of sh :censored: ...

- Land Rover Defender 110TDi (for pottering about in) - Ferrari F355 - Corvette C6 (with straight through exhausts) - Audi ur-Quattro 20v (again with a derestricted exhaust) - Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda - Bowler Wildcat - Ultima CanAm - An Aston Martin, preferably one of the old V8 Vantage 550/600s - A custom Hot Rod, preferably something like '32 Ford with a supercharged V8 - A Falcon V8 "interceptor", just like the one Mad Max had.

Hmm... "Does my car hate me? Let me see... (grabs coat & goes to phone the Samaritans...)

I think that's still less prep that KipVW puts into his car ahead of a show :D

It occurred to me today that whilst the advice I offered earlier is completely valid, that dropping straight into Borat mode and asking the caller how much it would cost for some sexytime would also work quite well. "Milky, milky..." so to speak...

Ok, 1) If a company you don't have a policy with keeps calling, you can demand them to stop calling, and remove you from thier database. 2) You can also register with the telephone preference service (look it up online) which all companies doing phone-outs have to remove registered numbers from thier call lists 3) If you are getting large numbers of unwarranted calls from a company you do business with, you can still demand that they stop making sales aclls to you. If they continue, you can complain to the management of the company who's doing it, but also mention that you will complain to the industry watchdog (in the case of car insurers, this is the Association of British Insurers). You can also complain to the Insurance Ombudsman, although I suspect a conversation along the lines of "if you don't stop harassing me with phone calls I'm going to get a solicitor involved and certainly won't be renewing - you decide - right now" will prove to be pretty effective. Hope this helps.

It occurred to me that if this divot on BB really does have a G60 then it's highly likely it will be broken for parts whilst he's locked in the Big Brother House for the next 2 months (being a TV star to an audience numbering around 28 sad people) You know... early bumpers aren't easy to find now... :D

Allegedly. We need the Stig to verify... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... gatti.html> A 1979 Volkswagen Golf bought for £50 is now allegedly faster than a Bugatti Veyron supercar following a £60,000 facelift. Father-of-three Andy Waite, 42, who owns a bodyshop near Newmarket, Suffolk, bought the Mk1 1.5 litre Golf for £50, nearly £900,000 less than the price of the Bugatti, the world's most expensive car. But after he modified the car to include a custom-built turbocharged engine, the Golf can hit speeds of 0-60mph in just 2.36 seconds - a tenth faster than the Veyron. The Golf, with a 700bhp and 1850cc turbocharged engine has a top speed of 180mph and can also beat the Bugatti in a quarter-mile sprint. "I took the chassis and shredded it up to make an absolute beast. The engine is custom-made and it has a roll cage like rally cars," said Mr Waite, of Fordham Cambs. He is leading the Eurosport Compact Chassis drag race at the Santa Pod raceway in Northamptonshire. "The tinkering's only just begun. I want to do a quarter mile in nine seconds," he said. "It drives like a normal road car at low speeds but when I put it on the drag track you realise you have created a monster." But he conceded: "The biggest problem is that once you get over 160 you can only drive it in a straight line because the steering goes wobbly..."

Rubbish... I currently have one on my coffee table :lol: How well do they work in that mode? Do they produce an acceptable froth on your latte with the valve open?