Shelby GT500 Drive with Car Chase Heroes

I recently booked a drive with Car Chase Heroes. It was for a Ford GT40 replica. The day came and I made good time to Barton Stacey in Hampshire where the drive would take place. I met up with my brother who would be taking photos and we went to locate the check in area. Upon arrival it was clear that this was a makeshift track on decent size piece of Tarmac. There were several great looking cars in the Pit area. The GT40 was among a Shelby GT500 Eleanor

The General Lee Dodge Charger that was used in the Dukes of Hazard TV show

A race prepared 1965 Ford Mustang,

A Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

A race prepared Corvette

 A Nissan Skyline and a Toyota Supra styled as the cars from the Fast and the Furious film,

 A Lotus Elise

 A Mazda MX5 made up to be Lightning McQueen.

Lots of people had come to drive some iconic cars and the weather was good. I was given a safety briefing and on introduction to the cars by Dave the head instructor. During this he offered out sighting laps to introduce you to the track. This struck me as a great idea as we would get familiar with the breaking points and what to expect. I was one of only a handful of people to do this. Dave took us to a Gulf liveried Porsche Cayenne and proceeded to drive us around the track giving us hints and tips.

This was brilliant as he gave us three laps before pulling in to the pits. I got out and made my way to the waiting area to have my drive. While here I met the company owner Tom Roche and chatted with him about Car Chase Heroes and the vehicles they had. The GT40 came to pit and the car was ready for me to get in.

I squeezed myself into the cockpit and tried to get comfortable. Before I could shut the door, the instructor pointed out that I would not be able to shut the door as I was too tall for the car. With that I got out and made my way back to the help des to find out what my options were.

I was told I could drive any of the other vehicles that were there. I opted for the Shelby GT500 as I have recently driven a GT350 and I wanted to know how different it was. My name was called and this time there were no height problems..

I got in and made myself comfortable. This GT500 came equipped with the Ford 302ci or 5 litre V8 engine that produces around 450bhp, a manual Ford gearbox, all round disc brakes and Gaz Gold Pro suspension. The dash was busy with dials and switches.

My favourite detail was on the gearstick, a red button with "go baby go" around the edge.

Turn the key to start the car and the Ford engine roars into life and settles to a lovely V8 idle. Into first gear and I make my way to the track. Before I can exit. The General Lee speeds past me. My goal immediately becomes to overtake the General Lee. I make my around the track, remembering all that Dave had said about how the track worked. His tips were brilliant. I chatted with the instructor, he did not have to tell me when to brake or accelerate. Trying to get past the Charger was challenging as the track was quite narrow but undeterred, I kept trying. With the first lap done, time was not on my side. At the end of the second lap, the General Lee pulled over and with a clear track I really started to enjoy the Shelby. Into the first corner and the tail steps out slightly, accelerate and wait to brake and turn right onto the back straight. As you come back towards the main area there is a tricky little corner on a slight downhill area. This is then followed by a short straight and a double apex left hander that puts both driver and car to the test, onto another short straight and then into a tight right hand corner and onto a straight to start another lap. The more I drove the better the car got. On the final lap an instructor overtakes me in the Lotus Elise. It's time to pull in and give the keys back. 

I've had a fantastic time and the staff have been really welcoming and helpful. I would recommend anyone that is thinking about booking a drive with Car Chase Heroes to do it. You will not regret it. To the staff at Car Chase Heroes, especially Tom Roche for answering all of my questions, Head Instructor Dave for the sighting laps and the instructor that took me around in the GT500. I would also recommend that someone at Car Chase Heroes puts a height restriction on the GT40 as I have seen nothing on the website that indicates that those around 6 foot would struggle to get in to the GT40. The instructor in the GT40 was around 5'5 and had about an inch of headroom.

More information about Car Chase Heroes can be found at http://www.carchaseheroes.com

On a final note if anyone reading this has a Ford GT40 living in the south of England that can accommodate someone that is 6 foot tall and you are willing to let me have a drive, please drop me a line. Thank you

Wilton House Museum

In one of the outbuildings around Wilton House you will find one called The Old Riding School. This now contains some of Lord Pembroke's car collection. At times not all of the cars are at the exhibit due to the cars being used. Occasionally Lord Pembroke will display other people's cars. Examples of these are the Lamborghini Muira and the vintage Bugatti's.

Mk1 Ford Escort Van

My friend Rob has recently bought and shipped a Mk1 Ford Escort van from South Africa and had it shipped to the UK. Rob owns MSC Importers based in Wiltshire. The van is in original condition and it looks great both outside and and inside. Today I have been invited by Rob to see if it drives as it looks. Rob has not had the van long and has not yet had the time to drive it.
On startup, the 1600 Sport engine with 4 Weber carburettors make a glorious noise and goes into a nice idle. We wait while the engine warms up and have a quick chat. Rob is a lifelong Ford enthusiast and has owned and worked on most kinds of Ford cars. Rob tells me that he loves the engine noise and they are great fun to drive. We pull out and we accelerate hard. Working up through the 4 speed box and listening to the BAAAAAAARRRRRRRP engine noise is something to behold.

The steering is sharp but there is a strange noise when the steering wheel is turned. It's the tyre's rubbing against the wheel arches. Rob tells me that he can fix this quickly as he has several sets of original wheels. We drive down some narrow lanes and the van is able to cope with the bends and the brakes work when they need to. We stop to take some photos of the van. Rob tells me that he is thinking about selling the van as he is unable to keep everything he has currently. We get back in the van and it will not start. Rob makes a call and opens the bonnet. Rob's friend Mark arrives with some jump  leads and we are soon going again. In the way back Rob tells me that he will check the alternator and the battery when he returns to his garage. On the way back we discuss the van and our opinions of it. We agreed that it drives really well and that it is good fun. Once the wheels and the small problem with the battery/alternator are dealt with, this will make a great classic to own. I also think that this would make an interesting entry to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We return to the garage and Rob sets to work on the engine. If Rob does decide to sell this van it will go on eBay. For further information on other cars that Rob has for sale, please visit http://mscimporters.co.uk

Audi TT Mk1 Coupe Drive

As a Christmas surprise, my brother took me out in his new car, a Mk1 Audi TT Coupe. Looking at it, the car has been well maintained with no dents and a clean interior. The car was cleaned before my brother picked it up but the photos were taken after the drive. The Audi TT is 13.26 feet long by 5.8 feet wide and is 4.4 feet in height. This car comes equipped with a 1.8 litre Quattro 5V Turbo engine that is transversely mounted, a six speed manual gearbox, fully independent suspension and Quattro 4 wheel drive system. This model also has the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and heated seats.

The interior is completely original and very clean. Press the TT panel to reveal a Bose radio with a cassette player.

Getting into the car is a bit of a squeeze but once inside the seats are comfortable and there is enough leg space. After a couple of issues with the cars battery we get the car started and it quickly goes into a nice idle around 1000RPM. We pull out and head off for a tour of some nice driving roads around Salisbury. Being a passenger at this point, the first thing that surprised me was the cars acceleration  In first gear, the turbo kicks in at around 3,400RPM, in second gear, it's around 2,400RPM. The initial acceleration is quick but when the turbo kicks in, you really do feel the car speed up.

Around some tight country corners the suspension keeps the car firmly planted and there are no drama's. Over potholes and speed bumps the Audi does not crunch your back while going over them. We pull up in a car park my brother get out and it's my turn to have a go. We pull out close to a dual carriageway so I accelerate my way up through the gears. The car feels fantastic to drive, the pedals are easy to operate, the gearbox feels sharp, the steering feels light and the brakes are good. Off of the dual carriageway and I find that as a driving the Audi is good fun. The engine is growling it'sway through the countryside, the ESP is off so I'm not being reigned in by computers. I can feel the road through the steering wheel and through my seat. Cornering around the lanes is good fun but the Audi feels wider than my normal car so i do make sure i don't scratch the paint. I pick up the dual carriageway for the return journey and this time the road is clear, so I make the most of it, the long road gets eaten up by the acceleration and speed of the Audi and after a few miles i have to slow down due to traffic in front of me. Into the outskirts of Salisbury and one last bit of fun, a slingshot off a roundabout onto a clear road. Towards the end of the drive we turn in and have to go over more bumps but again these cause no issues. With the drive finished I park the car and reluctantly hand my keys back to my brother. This car is a lot of fun to drive, if I owned it I can imagine me just going out for a drive for fun. My brother paid £3,000 for this car and it's worth every penny. If you have not driven one, I recommend you do, I think this is a future classic.