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Cars

For the last 10 days I have been driving round in a Mini Copper SD while ‘Baby’ was in the garage getting fixed after someone who wasn’t looking decided to run into her while she was parked.

Never before have I had such a courtesy car as this one, in fact Hubby commented that even when he had the Jaguars he never got a courtesy car as good as the Mini, with only 24 miles on the clock when it was delivered and not the basic model either it seems somewhat extravagant, but hey I am not complaining I would never be able to afford one so it is nice to get the chance to drive it.  (although you can pick up a new Mini Copper SD for just under £20k this one with all its bells and whistles would cost you another £10k).  I am glad to get ‘Baby’ back and have missed her, in my book she is more fun to drive she is gentler and more refined, she is a lady while OWF the title of this post which is the last three letters of the Mini’s registration better describes it.

It’s been fun, but now with me and it parting company I thought I would share my thoughts if anyone out there is in market for a Mini Copper SD.

It is a punchy little car with a kick like the Jag when you put down your foot and even when not in sports mode the engine races making the car go quicker unless you put on the brakes, no coasting to slow down in this little number.  It is not for the faint hearted nor for the newbie driver and it gobbles diesel as if it is going out of fashion (I’ve got 39.7 which for a diesel isn’t very good at all).  It is being sold and has been built as a sports car but it doesn’t handle like one, due mainly to its height, it certainly doesn’t stick to the road but it’s 2 litre engine and twin exhaust reminds you each time it grunts that it is a very different beast from the mini of old that my grandma used to drive.

Inside is like sitting in the lap of luxury, and just like every other sports car that has rear seats, there is no room for your legs.  There is more buttons than a keyboard and some of them are out of reach when you are driving including the rear heated windscreen and the hazard lights, yes they put buttons on the steering wheel to change the cd, or radio, to turn the sound up or down, to speak on your phone, with none steering wheel buttons in easier reach than those two essential buttons!  And while we are on the subject of bad design the sun visors don’t go along the whole length of the window so you are still blinded by the sun, however they have put a very nifty extra visor over the side window which gets plus points.  However the major flaw in my book is the gear ratios and the fact that reverse is right next to first, alright when you are driving but when you are stationary and setting off it can be difficult to know which gear you are in till you try to move!  These gripes aside it is indeed very well designed inside and extremely comfortable with three heat setting for the very comfortable leather seats and the most wonderful courtesy lights which have for the first time ever made me all girlie about a car.

For those of you who haven’t already heard me wax lyrical about them here goes, for those of you who have sorry I am off again you might want to skip to the next paragraph.  The lights light up the inside door handle, the inside door pocket, the glove box, the gear knob, the seat belt retainer, and there are two which beam down on the bank of switches plus there are extra lights in the back – for the passengers without legs.  It isn’t the number that I will miss, but that you can change their colour, red, green, yellow, orange, white, blue, purple, or even indeed have them gently scrolling through all the colours, you can also change their intensity.  I am so glad I have had the Mini during a change in the liturgical year as it has meant I have been driving in a car whose lights are liturgically correct!

On a practical level the boot is hopeless almost none existent although the back seats fold down simply and quickly however getting them back up isn’t quite as straight forward, well it might be if you have arms a foot longer than mine.

Would I buy one?  Well there is a question, which having posed I will immediately not answer directly.  If someone was to hand me one, then I wouldn’t turn it down, but I would probably only drive it for a while and then replace it, as fun as it was it isn’t really my type of car.  If I had £30k to spend on a car I would save or borrow another £5k and buy a second-hand Lotus Evora a proper sports car, with back seats that you can actually sit in!  But then again I don’t want another car now that ‘Baby’ is back.

Cheeky Little Number

For those of you who don’t read Hubby’s blog you might be unaware that he has a new car, somewhat different from the old one, a Fiat 500.  You might also be unaware but not surprised to hear that this week the trip over to Fife for work has been impossible so he has been working from home.  Which has meant that rather than go skating in ‘Baby’ I have been driving around in ‘Cheeky’ – yes much to my amazement and amusement he decided to name his car – who with front wheel drive and narrower tyres being on the corners of the car is far better in the snow than ‘Baby’ and her rear wheel drive and overhang.

Now there are few things that ‘Cheeky’ doesn’t have that the Jag did that Hubby bemoaned the loosing of, one being heated seats.  Can’t say I noticed the lack of them, but then fabric seats don’t get as cold as leather ones do, what I have noticed is that for a little run around it is very well equipped having lots of gadgets that ‘Baby’ doesn’t have – although having a sun roof that doesn’t open is not a patch on having a convertible.  I am reckon it was the gadget fest that sold the car to Hubby.  ‘Cheeky’ is fun to drive but not in the way that ‘Baby’ is.  Hubby might miss his heated seats, however, when ‘Cheeky’ starts making the trip over to Fife again and ‘Baby’ is once more my driving companion I will miss having the controls for the music on the steering wheel, having an ice warning (not that it is needed at the moment when it is so obvious) and miss having that feeling of satisfaction when the speedo and rev counter needles are aligned (The rev counter is inside the speedo).  On the other hand I wont miss keep being told by the car to change gear, apparently this feature is to conserve petrol, well maybe, but at one point I did find myself telling ‘Cheeky’ that if it was going to tell me it was icy outside it should realise why I was driving in a low gear and not keep nagging!

Two Good Reasons

… not to get an electric car.

Driving home I was behind an electric car, as we travelled the car – which held the driver and passenger – got slower and slower until it was doing under 20 mph!  The road in question is hardly a hill more an incline (for those who know the area it was Craigdhu Road) the speed limit along that road is 40 mph, in my opinion that makes the car not much better than a bike, in fact that same bit of road often has cyclists on it and I think they would have been more than capable of overtaking it!

I said two reasons, the second is that it is down right ugly!  Go and look here.

Now, don’t get me wrong if they get a car right that doesn’t use petrol I would seriously consider it, the Tesla is getting there but way too pricy and even less practical than ‘Baby’.  The Lotus Exige is tempting, but not for everyday driving and again the price is an issue, as indeed is how to get the fuel, can’t help thinking I would end up putting petrol in it for convenience.   The PGO Cevennes Roadster Turbo is the one that might get me owning an alternative fuel car but not in that colour way and only after I have done a whole lot of saving.

Enterprise In Action

The door bell rang, three young girls from up the road were standing there looking to make a bit of extra pocket money.

‘Do you want your car washed?’

Ask a silly question.

As Hubby is in Bolton at the moment in someone elses car they now have two cars to wash.

Maybe I shouldn’t blog about this and he would think I washed his car for him!

Soap Box Time

Why do 4×4 drivers think that double yellow lines don’t count for them?
It isn’t always easy to park a car at All Saints and I have got used to cars parking where they shouldn’t, even preventing me from getting into the limited parking at the church, but today takes the biscuit!
It is quiet and plenty of parking both in the car park opposite the church and further up the street passed the double yellows, yet, a Range Rover decided that it still had the right to park up on the pavement at the corner of the road. Forcing at least two people to have to walk in the road to get round it and making it near impossible to get out on to the main road for any cars.
All they needed to do was drive 50 feet max to park legally and safely.
Now I have that off my chest I can get on with Easter Communions.

Beaulieu Motor Museum

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Beaulieu Motor Museum

To the person who asked the question, of course we also went into the Motor Museum when we visited Beaulieu.  If I could have driven away in any car it would have been this one …

Jaguar XK140 OTS

Inside Jaguar XK140 OTS

or maybe this one …

Lotus F1 Car

then again there was this one too.

Austin Healey

Or rather than a car there was also something smaller, this little gem.

The Whisper

Rolls Royce’s lesser know hood ornament.

As it was I came away with nothing more than memories and photographs.

What I Am Missing

Having just watched on BBC i-player ‘Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady’, part of the story about the fascinating Dorothy Levitt who was a woman racing driver at the turn of the last century and to prove men wrong drove unaided from London to Liverpool and back in two days.

So what you may wonder is it that I am missing well as part of the programme Penelope Keith was reading from Dorothy’s book in which she states that no woman should travel without good chocolate and a revolver to protect herself.

No I am not missing a revolver, but I don’t have either the fine chocolate – rose and violet creams recommended – or the book, and I as am not giving up chocolates for Lent, I am hoping that the chocolates might miraculously appear in my car by the morning and the book will appear at some time – oh perhaps Mothering Sunday if either of you are reading this!

By the way if you have any interest in cars you can see the programe on BBC’s i-player here for the next couple of days.

Funeral Cars

I have ceased to be amazed at how inconsiderate other drivers are to Funeral Cars.  I have witnessed hearses being cut up, others cutting inbetween the hearse and family cars, cars refussing to slow down or stop or tooting their horns impatiently. 

This however was a new one, a woman having suddenly realised the car she had just decided to undertake was stopped because of the hearse crossing in front of it, took her hand off the steering wheel to cross herself sending the car off in the wrong direction!  Somehow she didn’t crash, into either us or anyone else although I think she might have dented her bumper on the high curb, maybe it was the self blessing that she had just done that saved her, it certainly wasn’t her driving awareness.  What then did she do, well she then decided to sound her horn at us as if it was our fault!

Public Information Announcement

Three tips for driving in snow: 

1. Don’t think that because a road is usually two lanes but only one lane has traffic is in that it makes any sense whatsoever in your micra – other cars apply – to try and drive in the 4 inches of snow (which probably has a layer of compacted ice like snow at the bottom of it) which is covering the unused lane, chances are you will get as stuck and end up facing in the wrong direction just as the person I saw trying such a feat was.
2. Don’t think the 3 inches of snow on the roof of your car is going to stay there when you car heats up – it won’t!!!  It will either end up sliding down your windscreen and blocking your vision or falling off the back of your car and causing problems for the person behind you – also witnessed today.
3. Just because someone isn’t right up the bumper of the car in front but has decided to leave some room don’t think you can suddenly cut in.  Chances are you will end up loosing control and your car will end up auditioning for the Olymipics ice dancing competition like the driver of the Rav4 who obviously thought that because he was in a 4 wheel drive he didn’t need to take any extra care in the snow.

Oh and one final plea from one of the minority of drivers out there who drive rear wheel drive cars.  If we have to stop on the ice we have to start off very gently or we will just wheel spin and either go sideways or nowhere so don’t toot your horn, we are moving off as safely and as quickly as we can.

Here endeth the public information announcement!

Birthday and Christmas Rolled Into One

Friday saw a day which both Hubby and I got to fulfil a dream.  The catalyst was a Christmas present I gave him, which he then decided to copy and give me for my birthday so that we could both go back in time to the day when cars where cars and drive an E-Type Jaguar.

Knockhill, in Fife, was the venue and Bob as the owner of the afore mentioned Jag was going to be our instructor, but first we had to learn the circuit in a bright yellow SEAT and that was Sasha’s job.

I was first out and it was soon clear that the way I drive normally was not suitable for whizzing around a race track.  I tend to brake long and slow, but on the track the braking comes late and hard, by the time I got to my 6th lap I was starting to get it and thought I was braking late and doing quite well until we changed places and Sasha took me around for a couple of laps.  As she hurtled towards the turn foot still on the accelerator long after I had moved over to the brake she quickly showed me that I hadn’t got it at all.  Silently telling myself to remember to try and brake later when I got in the E-Type, she then terrified the life out of me by taking me around again and deliberately making mistakes to show me what could happen if I got it wrong.  I made a mental note to myself to stick to the braking I felt comfortable with, would rather go around a bit slower than not make it around at all.

Then it was out of the SEAT and into the E-Type.  Just sitting in it was a joy but soon we were off out of the pit lane and onto the race track.  The difference between the two cars was obvious straight off, you were aware of the weight of the car without any power assistance in the steering and as approached the hair-pin at the final lap I thought I had started to get the hang of it when it became obvious that the weight of the car plus my careful speed and early braking was going to make the climb out of the corner near impossible.  ‘Next time we will do that in 2nd gear,’ Bob said.  Not on your life I thought I am going to bite the bullet and do what Sasha told me to and do the hair-pin in 3rd like it should be done. 

Down over the finish line over to the left hand side of the track, brake for the first bend – the SEAT curves, a gentle right hander then as the car reaches the right hand side of the track, head downhill for the apex of the gentle lefthander taking you out of the SEAT curves; the car drifts to the right before you pull it back in to the left and braking turn into the Scotsman bend changing it from a 90 degree right hander into a more gentle curve, cutting the corner by starting out on the left kissing the apex on the right and heading back to the left hand side of the track; then a gentle incline towards Butchers a gentle right before the fun bit.  Climbing toward a blind summit it is time for some curb riding as the John Weir Z bend is tackled in an almost straight line although it meant turning quickly from right to left; round to the gentle Carlube before cranking up the speed, changing up to 4th and heading towards the hairpin.  Wait, wait, wait I kept telling myself, back down to 3rd, okay now brake no not yet, now brake I silently told myself, my arms twisted round as my thumbs hooked round the wooden steering wheel and I aimed for the apex on the other side of the track get your foot back on the accelerator I told myself, turning the wheel back and heading out of the corner and back to the left hand side of the track I realised it worked and there I was heading back towards the start/finish line the hair pin conquered in 3rd gear, only trouble being I was so pleased it wasn’t until Bob’s gentle reminder that I changed back up to 4th gear again.  I did manage it in 3rd gear for each of my remaining circuits though without Bob having to remind me about changing back up to 4th once I was on the home straight, which is where I was when Hubby took this picture with me behind the wheel.

What an experience, I must say I didn’t like wearing the crash helmet and it did start to get very hot inside it and the weight of it was telling near the end, but as it was a case of wear the crash helmet of don’t drive the car then the crash helmet won hands down.  Now it was Hubby’s turn, he whizzed around in the SEAT the hard braking didn’t phase him, however gears do, he drives an automatic, and as he made the switch over to the Jag Sasha told Bob he doesn’t like gears, which isn’t quite right, what Hubby doesn’t like is having to change gears!  So in he climbed …

… and off he went.  He turned out to be very lucky as the other people who had been on the track while I had been out had now also finished and while he had had traffic with him while out in the SEAT; he now had the whole track to himself.  Leg room proved to be a slight issue for him but once he was in the Jag suddenly his gear changing improved.  As for the hairpin, well he ended up doing it in 2nd gear first time around and so continued doing so, until Bob told him he could try it in 3rd, which he too accomplished, and here is Hubby going round that hairpin.

When he finished he was sporting a big grin and as we walked back to the car we chatted about when we might go back again, next time maybe taking ‘Baby’ around!