The Classic Car Show - Channel 5 7pm 26th February 2015

Tonight's episode starts with Quentin Wilson's article about the Range Rover. Known as the best 4x4 by far it gave the driver the ability to drive off road in comfort and luxury that had not been put together before. The Range Rover evolved from the 1948 Tickford Land Rover. Flat sides, a tall roof, big glass windows and a tailgate that can drop down. Land Rover played with the design for 10 years but then they acquired the rights to a V8 from Buick that the project took off. Originally the Range Rover was not meant to be a pretty car, the interior was plastic so it could be hosed down, there were no electric windows or automatic gearbox. You were able to cruise on the motorway at 100mph, you could cross fields and deserts and climb hols with a 1:1 Gradient. The Range Rover has won several awards. Sales really picked up when Prince Phillip wax photographed standing on the split tailgate of a Range Rover. Land Rover then went up market offering a 4 door version with a leather and wood interior, electric windows, automatic gearbox and air conditioning. In the 1980's sales figures rocketed passed 100,000 and it soon had several imitators from Mercedes, Ford, BMW and Volvo. Quentin then puts the Range Rover up against the Lexus RX 450 in an off road test. Quentin drives the Range Rover and the Lexus IS driven by a trained 4x4 driver. Over the course of bumps and hills the Range Rover is better than the Lexus. In the 1990's BMW bought Land Rover and really took it upmarket giving it chrome a stunning interior and a 5 litre supercharged engine. The biggest irony for Range Rover is that most of them never go off road, people preferring to use it for the school run. They soon became a symbol for class hatred earning nicknames, one being the Chelsea Tractor. In 2012, Range Rover came out with its 4th generation Range Rover and it has good reviews. Currently selling 6000 a month with a year waiting list. The Range Rover also inspired every SUV on the market so it has an important place in history as an innovator.
Next up Jodie Kidd and Quentin Wilson travel to Monaco to visit the Historic Grand Prix. This event happens every two years. They travel to Monaco in a Citroen DS Decapotable, this car now makes around £150,000. They take the Citroen around the Monaco track but as racing is due to begin, they are soon ushered off the track. Quentin then goes to the COYS Auction room while Jodie takes a boat to the paddock. Walking around the paddock, Jodie walks past some old Ferrari's Jaguars and many others before meeting up with John Romano, a surgeon from Boston with a passion for classic cars. John will be racing a 1964 Brabham BT11 Climax. They have a chat about how he got into cars.Qualifying day and Jodie has a quick chat with John about how he's feeling and then leaves him to it. We find out ho he got on later in the show.
Alex Riley then does article about classic cars you can buy for £5,000. Today's subject is a Porsche 928. This was the car that was supposed to replace the Porsche 911. The 928 came equipped with a front mounted water cooled 4.5 litre V8. For die hard Porsche fans, this was a hard car to get to grips with although it was voted car of the year in 1978 , a year after its release. The 928 did not fit into a mold as it was too big to be a sports car and too small to be a GT car. Porsche made a lot of refinements to the car over it's 18 year life span to improvements. Alex is driving an S4, one of the later 928's. This comes with a 5 litre engine that produced 320 horse power that would take the car from 0-60 in under 6 seconds and a top speed of 168mph. The aluminium engine was in the front of the car and the gearbox in the back gave the car optimum weight distribution and balance. As for looks, the 928 is a pretty car, there are plenty of windows to light the cabin and a decent sized boot.
Bruno Senna is next with another lap in a classic car. Today Bruno will be driving a 1965 Mustang. This Mark 1 Mustang has been race prepared, with 350 Horse power, a 0-60 of just 5 seconds and a top speed of 145mph. Driving the car around the track, Bruno has to keep the rear end in line as the car has so much power. Power-sliding around corners looks great but it's not the fastest way around the track. At the halfway point the mustang is almost a second quicker than the Mercedes was last week. Bruno is able to keep the car in line without loosing the back end of the car. by the end of the lap he is over 2.5 seconds quicker that the Mercedes was.
We then have part 2 of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix. We return to the qualifying where Jodie is acting as his timekeeper and sign holder. Red flags are then shown which means a big crash has happened. Jodie returns to the paddock to find John. He is OK. Qualifying then resumes as John posts a lap time of 2.06 the session ends. John is happy to have qualified for the race. It's race day and Jodie has a surprise for John. She takes him to a seated area where Sir Stirling Moss is waiting to chat to him about driving around Monaco. They talk for a while and then once finished, John thanks Stirling for taking the time to talk to him. On the Grid, John is in the car and Jodie has goosebumps. Once the race has started, we learn that John  is in 22nd place. as each lap passes, Johns confidence grows, lap times get quicker and he starts to make his way through the field. The winner of the race is Andy Middlehusrt driving Jim Clark's Lotus 25. John finishes in 17th place.
This has been another good episode of the show. I would like to have seen more of the cars at the auction but i understand that they only have an hour show to broadcast.

Below is a link to the episode

http://www.channel5.com/shows/the-classic-car-show

Ferrari Vs Lamborghini Driving Experience - Everyman Racing

                          Vs

Today I have the pleasure of driving two cars made by Italy's best of rivals. I will be driving a Ferrari 360 Spider and a Lamborghini Gallardo Spider in what is set to be an amazing experience. I set off early as I'm off to Prestwold Hall in Leicestershire and as I live in Wiltshire it's quite a trek. The cars and instructors are provided by Everyman Racing.

 My companion for the trip is my friend Dave Young. Making our way to the purpose built 1.8 mile track we arrive in good time. Upon arrival we find parking easy and we make our way to register for the drive. We watch as an Ariel Atom is screaming around the track giving passenger rides, the driver is dressed as The Stig. 

It's then time to have a look at the cars they have to drive and there are various Ferrari's, Lamborghini's and Audi's on display.

More people arrive and the place begins to fill. Eventually my name is called out and several of us that are driving are ushered into a safety briefing. We are given a talk and watch a DVD. We are also informed that the whole place is rigged to a noise gate and that if we over do it, this will then trip the gate and shut everything down. Why build a track and have Supercars but then have a noise gate? I would imagine that this is to do with noise laws. I welcome anyone from Everyman Racing to comment. After the briefing we are taken around the track by a professional instructor in a Subaru Impreza. 4 laps later with big smiles all around, the instructors drop us off and then begins the wait for the cars. 

David is poised with his camera and has a quick wander around the site before my car arrives.

The Ferrari is first up and today I have been allocated a blue 360. This car has a 3.6 litre V8 engine that produces 400 break horse power and a top speed of 180mph. The gearbox is a six speed manual transmission.

Getting in and getting comfy is easy enough but it is fairly cramped as you would expect. The dash is easy to understand and the view out of the windscreen is great.

The instructor comes to the driver door to make sure I'm in and ok. When I ask if I can start the car, I'm flatly denied. This was a first for me but they have a noise gate so I'm not overly bothered. The car is started and goes into a nice idle. The instructor then gets in the passenger side and plugs a memory stick in as today's drives will be filmed.

The instructor then asks me to make my way out of the paddock onto the track. On the track the acceleration is amazing and the gearbox feels like I'm in a gym, it really is heavy on the clutch and gear stick. Once used to this the Ferrari becomes a very enjoyable car to drive. The grip in the corners is staggering and over the course of the four laps, I really do enjoy myself.

It's time to hand the Ferrari over, I pull in to the paddock and wait until the Lamborghini is ready. 

The Lamborghini Gallardo has a 5 litre V10 engine that produces 513 break horse power and a top speed of 199mph. The Gallardo has a six speed sequential e-Gear that is operated by using the paddles behind the steering wheel. To change up you pull the left paddle towards you, to change down its the right one. This makes gear changes easier on the driver as the cars computers do most of the work.

Getting into the Gallardo is easy and the seat is really comfy. The dash in the Gallardo is much more advanced than the 360 and the view out of the windscreen is great.

The instructor gets in and without asking, he hands me the keys but I'm told not to rev the engine hard. I start the car and it goes into a nice idle noise.

Moving off, you put your foot on the break select first gear and then accelerate. I make my way out of the paddock but initially we forget the memory stick. Once plugged I. I start off again and get onto the track. 

Immediately the Gallardo is easier to drive due to the the gearbox, I find it easy to get on with. It feels quicker than the Ferrari while accelerating and more planted in the corners. This really is a great car to drive. I could easily imagine spending a great deal of time in this car, it feels effortless. With a big smile I enjoy my four laps in the Gallardo but all too soon it's finished.

Today has been a great day and one I would repeat. It has been amazing to drive these two iconic cars.

However next time I would not go to Prestwold Hall. This has nothing to do with the staff as they are very friendly and knowledgeable. My issue is the noise gate that everyone was afraid of setting off. 

Also if you want to compare cars to see which is best you need cars that are similar. While the 360 and the Gallardo were released close to one another, I feel that either both should have been manual gearboxes or both have a paddle gearbox. This then gives you a fair comparison as they would have the similar technology. 

If I was to choose one of these to take home based on my drive it would have been the Lamborghini. It was a faster car there was more room and it was easier to drive. If the Ferrari had the equivalent gearbox, it may have been a different story.

Please find below links to the footage of the Ferrari and Lamborghini drives

http://youtu.be/BWCKOYmTBDQ

http://youtu.be/FmJn4R0eJK8

The Classic Car Show - Channel 5 19th February 2015

Tonight's episode begins with Quentin Wilson is first up with an article about the E-Type Jaguar. This is a car that Enzo Ferrari described as the most beautiful car ever made. In the last five years The 1961 E-Type has quadrupled in value and is now worth around £300,000. Originally. Jaguar were only going to make 250, but the success at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961 meant that over 1000 were made. Having driven an E-Type, I can relate to what Quentin Wilson has to say about it. The interior us beautiful, the view over the bonnet is amazing and if you drive it to its full, it is capable of 150mph. The steering on the car is also light and despite being over 50 years old it still feels modern and has a smooth ride. The E-Type was to cars what The Beatles were to music.

We then see the new F-Type Jaguar as the modern homage to the E-Type. With a five litre V8 and a 185mph top speed it is beauty mixed with speed.

Next up is Will Best and an article about Crystal Palace race track. First opened in 1927 it became known as London's own race track. The 3 kilometre track with six corners hosted many events. Lined with railway sleepers for safety barriers it left no room for error. Eventually saftey concerns and noise complaints meant that the track hosted its last event in August of 1972. In five days from the film, Will Best will make his Motorsport debut at a sprint run at the restored Crystal Palace track. Will enlists the help of Gordon Spice, the man that held the lap record at the old track and was the British Saloon Car champion in 1969. Gordon then describes what it was like to drive the track 45 years ago. Will then goes to his uncle to get a car do the sprint in. Will's uncle prepares classic cars for racing and has an 1972 MG Midget ready for Will to use at the event.

With two days to go, Will then heads to Mercedes Benz World to learn about car control and driving on a track. Having done an experience at Mercedes Benz World, I can relate to what Will goes through while driving around the track. Once finished there, he goes around the wet circle to learn about wet control. This is a two part report that finishes later on.

Next we have some classic car adverts, one about a Range Rover and one about a Ford Escort.

Alex Riley's article this week is about one mans car collection. Chris Tallents has spent his life collecting some unusual vehicles. He has a Ford Jeep, an Austin Ant, a crane, a 1941 Army Fire Service Truck and a Shortland Armoured Personell Carrier to list a few. This truly is a most amazing collection of vehicles.

Next up, Bruno Senna drives a Mercedes Benz M90E, the car that Ayrton Senna drove in the 1984. Bruno really put this car through its paces at the Brooklands Test Track and even managed to go sideways as he posts a time of 53.838 seconds. This will be the benchmark for all of his future laps for The Classic Car Show.

Quentin Wilson then takes us through some investment cars. First we have a Mercedes 190E. Five years ago you could pick one up for £5,000, now they are around £12,000.

We then have a Peugeot 205 GTI. These used to be around the £4000 price mark. They are now going for £15,000. Lastly we have the Bentley Arnage T. This started life in 2002 at £122,000 new and went down to £25,000 a few years ago. Now they are around £30,000.

Lastly we find out how Will Best gets on with his Motorsport debut. After a saftey briefing, all cars go for scrutineering. Once the car has passed. It's time for some warm laps. This is a point to point sprint. On Will's first practice lap he manages a 58.44. Once these laps are over. It's time for the real lap. On wills first lap he spins but does not crash the car. His second lap is much better at 45 seconds. Will then has his last lap and completes the sprint in 45.22 seconds. With 5 days of training Will Best was able to knock over 13seconds off his original time. This I would consider a big achievement.

This to me has been the best episode yet as I have been able to relate to what the presenters are saying and doing. Please keep up the brilliant work.

Below is a link to the episode

http://www.channel5.com/shows/the-classic-car-show

Classic Car Club London

Did you ever want to drive a classic car but not want the responsibility of ownership and all of the maintenance that goes with owning a classic car?

Well now you can by joining a classic car club. 

I am writing today about the Classic Car Club London. This was formed in 1995. The club is based in Pitfield Street, London and over the years, they have bought together an impressive collection of cars and motorcycles for the enthusiast to drive. Their fleet of classic cars includes a 1965 Ford GT Recreation, a 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible, a 1967 Ford Mustang Notchback, a 1963 Jensen CV8, a 1964 MK2 Jensen CV8, a 1974 Jensen Interceptor Series 3, a 1959 Jaguar XK150 DHC, a Series 1 E-Type Jaguar, a 1963 Karmann Ghia Coupe and a 1977 Porsche 911 Carrera to name a few. They also have modern cars including, a TVR Tuscan SpeedSix, a TVR Chimera, a Nissan 350z, a Jaguar XK8 Coupe (X100) and a BMW M3 E46. The motorcycles of the fleet are a 2005 Ducatti Monster 620, a 2008 Triumph Bonneville 'Black' and a 2008 Triumph Bonneville T100. There is something for everyone.

To get access to this you can join the club through the website http://www.classiccarclub.co.uk

You pay a joining fee (renews after a year if you want to) and this gets you an allocation of points. These points are then what you use to book the cars. The Classic Car Club also offers driving experiences. Theses come in the form of day drives and night drives. The idea is that there are 10 drivers to 5 cars, you get to drive and be a passenger in each car. The day drive is designed to go around some country roads around London and you stop for a pub lunch. The drive starts at 9am and finishes around 4:30pm. The night drives take you around many of London's iconic landmarks. There is a stop for coffee and snacks at the midway point. The drive begins at 7pm and finishes around 1:30am. How much does this cost I hear you asking. £295 per person. This to me is great value for money. 

If you are in America there is a Classic Car Club in New York. For information on them please visit http://classiccarclubmanhattan.com

Below are more photos I took while on a visit to the club.