Brian_Innes
Member
On the Wharfdale trek looking towards Burnsall.
Life after Cayman - My 2021 Alpine A110 Legende GT.
- Thread starter Brian_Innes
- Start date
Brian_Innes
Member
At the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight hangar.
Brian_Innes
Member
A Lancaster Mk 1. The rear gunner had a terrifyingly vulnerable position as this photo shows. They had to wear a heated suit as it was so cold in the rear gun turret.
Brian_Innes
Member
Car Tour 2022 Part 2
Following the stressful journey on the A17 due to the horrendous Sutton swing bridge road works, my eventual arrival at the village of Congham uplifted my spirits. This delightful rural village hosts the Congham Hall Hotel which was to be my base for the next four nights. It didn't disappoint. Set in beautiful grounds with an orchard and herb garden, this hotel now in private ownership provides luxurious accommodation. Guests have complimentary use of the indoor infinity swimming pool and spa facilities which were among the best I have experienced. My stay was further enhanced with the arrival of friends from Hertfordshire for two of the nights. We had pre-booked tickets to the Sandringham House and Gardens which are located only a few miles the north of Congham. Thankfully the weather in Norfolk was sunny and warm, in contrast to the weather back home in the Highlands. My two sessions at the pool and spa substantially rejuvenated my spirits.
With the arrival of my friends on the Saturday and Sunday, I was grateful for their kind offer to chauffeur me around for a couple of days. Our first excursion was to the beach at Hunstanton. Being a Saturday it was very busy. Car parking spaces were at a premium, and we were lucky to find a space available. The Pay and Display machine took payment by phone. I had been forewarned of the likelihood of this requirement and had set up my phone with Apple Pay prior to leaving home. However, I needed to install the appropriate app on my phone in order to make the payment. After several aborted attempts, a very helpful young lady came to my rescue with technical assistance, the app was installed, and payment successfully confirmed. I always find installing apps where money is involved a fretful business. One wrong click and all hell can break loose. I am pleased I now have the parking app sussed out for future use. Hunstanton beach is long wide expanse of very soft sand which made walking long distances extra hard work. The beach was busy with families as you would expect at a weekend, and the many kite surfers enjoying the stiff breeze were taking to the air on the choppy sea. On our return to the car park, we took the dunes pathway as an easier option than the soft sand.
The following day we visited the Sandringham estate. Our tickets included access to the house and gardens with complimentary car parking. Sandringham is very well organised for visitors with ample staff on hand to guide us through the registration. The car park uses ANPR. Your car registration is logged on entry to the estate on a tablet by the visitors entrance, which automatically raises the barrier when you leave the car park. All very slick and impressive. Also impressive are the garden grounds and woodland walks at Sandringham which have a wide variety of plants, trees, and shrubs, all beautifully laid out in the extensive policies surrounding the house. After my guided tour experience at BBMF at Coningsby, it was with relief that at Sandringham house you are left to follow the house tour at your own speed. I didn't take the option of the audio headsets available, preferring to ask the guides in each room any questions that may arise.
It was during one of those question sessions with a resident guide, that we received information regarding the former rail station at Wolferton. During the chat with the guide, my Scottish accent trigged a conversation on Balmoral, and subsequently the restored royal station at Ballater in Aberdeenshire. The guide suggested we take the opportunity to visit the Wolferton station, which like Ballater had been a victim of the dreaded Beeching purge of rural branch line stations in 1966. This tip turned out to be an absolute diamond. Wolferton station is only a couple of miles from Sandingham house, and was formerly used by royal visitors arriving by train from London. The old station is immaculately restored, and is looked after by an older couple who voluntarily give their time and effort to keep the station environs in pristine condition. At the rear of the station platform is a memorabilia room containing a wide selection of items from the 1920's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. It proved a fascinating diversion. Old railway associated memorabilia was mixed with other lifestyle items from across the decades. For example an old garage sign advertising National Benzole petrol at 1/6 per gallon. That's 8p in today's money. Compare that to the prices I paid for E5 super unleaded on my journey south which approached £10 per gallon. It was during conversations with the gentleman curator that the topic of cars and motorsport came up. It transpired that his daughter was in Baku, Azerbijan, with the McLaren F1 team that weekend, and was off to Canada the following week for the next F1 race. We all had an enthusiastic chat about F1, the drivers, and team bosses. For legal reasons, I'll not repeat any of the content of our discussions on a public forum. Suffice to say it was very candid and interesting. Cars were also discussed and the curator asked what I was driving. When I replied an Alpine A110, his response was, "Oh a Renault Alpine!". I replied that if you can find a Renault badge on it you can have it. All good banter, and this encounter exemplified one of the joys of touring, that is meeting interesting people along the way.
Some photos follow.
Part 3, with my final report follows later.
Brian.
Pole position at Congham Hall.
'
Following the stressful journey on the A17 due to the horrendous Sutton swing bridge road works, my eventual arrival at the village of Congham uplifted my spirits. This delightful rural village hosts the Congham Hall Hotel which was to be my base for the next four nights. It didn't disappoint. Set in beautiful grounds with an orchard and herb garden, this hotel now in private ownership provides luxurious accommodation. Guests have complimentary use of the indoor infinity swimming pool and spa facilities which were among the best I have experienced. My stay was further enhanced with the arrival of friends from Hertfordshire for two of the nights. We had pre-booked tickets to the Sandringham House and Gardens which are located only a few miles the north of Congham. Thankfully the weather in Norfolk was sunny and warm, in contrast to the weather back home in the Highlands. My two sessions at the pool and spa substantially rejuvenated my spirits.
With the arrival of my friends on the Saturday and Sunday, I was grateful for their kind offer to chauffeur me around for a couple of days. Our first excursion was to the beach at Hunstanton. Being a Saturday it was very busy. Car parking spaces were at a premium, and we were lucky to find a space available. The Pay and Display machine took payment by phone. I had been forewarned of the likelihood of this requirement and had set up my phone with Apple Pay prior to leaving home. However, I needed to install the appropriate app on my phone in order to make the payment. After several aborted attempts, a very helpful young lady came to my rescue with technical assistance, the app was installed, and payment successfully confirmed. I always find installing apps where money is involved a fretful business. One wrong click and all hell can break loose. I am pleased I now have the parking app sussed out for future use. Hunstanton beach is long wide expanse of very soft sand which made walking long distances extra hard work. The beach was busy with families as you would expect at a weekend, and the many kite surfers enjoying the stiff breeze were taking to the air on the choppy sea. On our return to the car park, we took the dunes pathway as an easier option than the soft sand.
The following day we visited the Sandringham estate. Our tickets included access to the house and gardens with complimentary car parking. Sandringham is very well organised for visitors with ample staff on hand to guide us through the registration. The car park uses ANPR. Your car registration is logged on entry to the estate on a tablet by the visitors entrance, which automatically raises the barrier when you leave the car park. All very slick and impressive. Also impressive are the garden grounds and woodland walks at Sandringham which have a wide variety of plants, trees, and shrubs, all beautifully laid out in the extensive policies surrounding the house. After my guided tour experience at BBMF at Coningsby, it was with relief that at Sandringham house you are left to follow the house tour at your own speed. I didn't take the option of the audio headsets available, preferring to ask the guides in each room any questions that may arise.
It was during one of those question sessions with a resident guide, that we received information regarding the former rail station at Wolferton. During the chat with the guide, my Scottish accent trigged a conversation on Balmoral, and subsequently the restored royal station at Ballater in Aberdeenshire. The guide suggested we take the opportunity to visit the Wolferton station, which like Ballater had been a victim of the dreaded Beeching purge of rural branch line stations in 1966. This tip turned out to be an absolute diamond. Wolferton station is only a couple of miles from Sandingham house, and was formerly used by royal visitors arriving by train from London. The old station is immaculately restored, and is looked after by an older couple who voluntarily give their time and effort to keep the station environs in pristine condition. At the rear of the station platform is a memorabilia room containing a wide selection of items from the 1920's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. It proved a fascinating diversion. Old railway associated memorabilia was mixed with other lifestyle items from across the decades. For example an old garage sign advertising National Benzole petrol at 1/6 per gallon. That's 8p in today's money. Compare that to the prices I paid for E5 super unleaded on my journey south which approached £10 per gallon. It was during conversations with the gentleman curator that the topic of cars and motorsport came up. It transpired that his daughter was in Baku, Azerbijan, with the McLaren F1 team that weekend, and was off to Canada the following week for the next F1 race. We all had an enthusiastic chat about F1, the drivers, and team bosses. For legal reasons, I'll not repeat any of the content of our discussions on a public forum. Suffice to say it was very candid and interesting. Cars were also discussed and the curator asked what I was driving. When I replied an Alpine A110, his response was, "Oh a Renault Alpine!". I replied that if you can find a Renault badge on it you can have it. All good banter, and this encounter exemplified one of the joys of touring, that is meeting interesting people along the way.
Some photos follow.
Part 3, with my final report follows later.
Brian.
Pole position at Congham Hall.
'
Brian_Innes
Member
Beautiful Sandringham.
Well worth a visit.
Well worth a visit.
Brian_Innes
Member
Wolferton Station and memorabilia room.
Also well worth a visit.
Also well worth a visit.
Brian_Innes
Member
Car Tour Part 3.
Thank you Andrew for the tip on the change of photo uploading rules. Noted.
The next stage of my tour took me to Baslow, Derbyshire, near the Chatsworth House estate.
While packing luggage into my car prior to leaving Congham Hall, a couple with a young child parked next to me struck up a conversation regarding the A110. It transpired that they used to own a 996 Turbo before the family came along. They now drive a late model Land Rover Discovery, and had been admiring the A110 and remarked how tiny and compact it looked compared to photos. The rave press reports on the car were mentioned, and also the fact that there were so few to be seen on the roads. This was the second time on my tour that the A110 had caught the attention of casual onlookers. I had a similar conversation with a passer-by at the Wharfedale hotel. The A110 certainly attracts attention from the casual observer who knows about cars.
My pre-programmed sat nav route west to Derbyshire required further amendment to avoid the horrific delays on the A17 at Sutton swing bridge. The sat nav on the A110 works very well once you get the hang of it. It's a bit slow and clunky to programme compared to the current Porsche PCM systems, but in general efficiency it compares very favourably otherwise. Waypoints were programmed into the destination route to avoid the A17 road works which took me south to Downham Market to join the A17 near Wisbech, then the A47, A15, north to Sleaford. This route took me through beautiful Norfolk countryside which was a pleasure to observe. Far more appealing than the congested motorways with lane closures and accidents. Despite the detour, I arrived at my destination in Baslow ahead of schedule.
One of the attractions of my hotel choice in Baslow, The Cavendish, is that it provides free walking access to the Chatsworth House estate grounds. A path leads from the car park to the glorious Lancelot "Capability" Brown landscaped meadows that surround Chatsworth House. At the time of my visit, sculptures from Radical Horizons, part of the USA Burning Man art organisation of Nevada, had been installed in various locations around the parkland and Chatsworth House vicinities. Up to 12 sculptures were involved, all with amazing impacts on the surrounding landscape. I spent a thoroughly enjoyable day exploring the Chatsworth estate and getting up close to the various exhibits, some of which were animated in spectacular fashion, and for me as a walker, all free. My two nights at Baslow provided an ideal chill-out time towards the end of my tour. Again the weather was glorious.
My tour north to Scotland from Derbyshire was the usual mix of motorways to by-pass the cities, and rural roads across the border to my hotel near Edinburgh. Fuel prices continued to rise through my 11 day tour. E5 super unleaded rose from £1.93 per litre at the beginning of my trip, to an astonishing £2.14 per litre at the final fill-up. I don't consider fuel economy a priority when choosing my sports coupe. After 13 years of driving Porsches, exclusively Caymans, except for the Macan Turbo, I had become accustomed to average mpg figures of between the high 20's to the low 30's. It was therefore a pleasant surprise when my A110 average arriving back in Scotland was 41.2 mpg. This illustrates the benefits of lightness of mass when combined with a punchy engine in a low-riding sports coupe such as the A110 GT.
A couple of photos follow of the spectacular Chatsworth sculptures. The winged horse was superbly animated. It "flew' into a very realistic galloping action on the hour every hour, much to the startling amusement of on-lookers.
Brian
Thank you Andrew for the tip on the change of photo uploading rules. Noted.
The next stage of my tour took me to Baslow, Derbyshire, near the Chatsworth House estate.
While packing luggage into my car prior to leaving Congham Hall, a couple with a young child parked next to me struck up a conversation regarding the A110. It transpired that they used to own a 996 Turbo before the family came along. They now drive a late model Land Rover Discovery, and had been admiring the A110 and remarked how tiny and compact it looked compared to photos. The rave press reports on the car were mentioned, and also the fact that there were so few to be seen on the roads. This was the second time on my tour that the A110 had caught the attention of casual onlookers. I had a similar conversation with a passer-by at the Wharfedale hotel. The A110 certainly attracts attention from the casual observer who knows about cars.
My pre-programmed sat nav route west to Derbyshire required further amendment to avoid the horrific delays on the A17 at Sutton swing bridge. The sat nav on the A110 works very well once you get the hang of it. It's a bit slow and clunky to programme compared to the current Porsche PCM systems, but in general efficiency it compares very favourably otherwise. Waypoints were programmed into the destination route to avoid the A17 road works which took me south to Downham Market to join the A17 near Wisbech, then the A47, A15, north to Sleaford. This route took me through beautiful Norfolk countryside which was a pleasure to observe. Far more appealing than the congested motorways with lane closures and accidents. Despite the detour, I arrived at my destination in Baslow ahead of schedule.
One of the attractions of my hotel choice in Baslow, The Cavendish, is that it provides free walking access to the Chatsworth House estate grounds. A path leads from the car park to the glorious Lancelot "Capability" Brown landscaped meadows that surround Chatsworth House. At the time of my visit, sculptures from Radical Horizons, part of the USA Burning Man art organisation of Nevada, had been installed in various locations around the parkland and Chatsworth House vicinities. Up to 12 sculptures were involved, all with amazing impacts on the surrounding landscape. I spent a thoroughly enjoyable day exploring the Chatsworth estate and getting up close to the various exhibits, some of which were animated in spectacular fashion, and for me as a walker, all free. My two nights at Baslow provided an ideal chill-out time towards the end of my tour. Again the weather was glorious.
My tour north to Scotland from Derbyshire was the usual mix of motorways to by-pass the cities, and rural roads across the border to my hotel near Edinburgh. Fuel prices continued to rise through my 11 day tour. E5 super unleaded rose from £1.93 per litre at the beginning of my trip, to an astonishing £2.14 per litre at the final fill-up. I don't consider fuel economy a priority when choosing my sports coupe. After 13 years of driving Porsches, exclusively Caymans, except for the Macan Turbo, I had become accustomed to average mpg figures of between the high 20's to the low 30's. It was therefore a pleasant surprise when my A110 average arriving back in Scotland was 41.2 mpg. This illustrates the benefits of lightness of mass when combined with a punchy engine in a low-riding sports coupe such as the A110 GT.
A couple of photos follow of the spectacular Chatsworth sculptures. The winged horse was superbly animated. It "flew' into a very realistic galloping action on the hour every hour, much to the startling amusement of on-lookers.
Brian
Brian, I suspect the animation was very similar to one in the Guggenheim in Barcelone but less grisly (Nana Vasconsolos IIRC). it featured a life size doll being hoisted up and then every few minutes dropped with a resounding crash. You would know when it was due because all the crowd would build up. It gives a totally diffent perspective, kinetic vs static sculpture.
cheers, Maurice
cheers, Maurice
Brian_Innes
Member
Car Tour 2022 - Homeward to the Highlands.
Following a relaxing overnight at my hotel near Edinburgh, I decided to take the A93-A939 Snow Road over the Cairngorm mountains to Inverness. Programming the sat nav revealed major road works on the A93 Perth-Blairgowrie route, so the voice informed me the route was being re-calculated via the A94 Scone - Coupar Angus road. I hadn't travelled this route for many years. The A94 used to be the route taken by my late dad on our frequent visits to race meetings at Ingliston circuit near Edinburgh, and also the Bo'ness hill climb near Grangemouth. Driving this route again after so many decades evoked happy memories of observing my dad skilfully making brisk progress in his 1965 Cortina GT. No dual carriageways back then. It was single carriageway "A" road all the way. This is where I learnt my overtaking skills to execute safe overtaking. Mirror, appropriate gear selected, signal, then conduct the overtake at maximum acceleration. My dad had a rule never to overtake in the face of on-coming traffic, unless the distance was such as to not cause alarm or braking to the opposing traffic. It is a rule which I still abide by to this day.
At Blairgowrie I took the A924 to Bridge of Cally, then the A93 to Braemar. The first section of the A93, Blairgowrie to Spittal of Glenshee had a very bumpy, patchwork surface. Not the best for brisk, smooth progress, especially with the A110's light body mass and firm damping. Light rain was also evident with pools of standing water by the road verge. Care was taken. Cup 2's do not take standing water kindly. After the Spittal of Glenshee the road surface improved significantly, with a smooth tarmac surface. For the first time on this tour I selected Sport mode and manual gear-shifting. My tour up to this point had been conducted solely in Normal mode, auto, using manual gear-shifting only as an over-ride function when appropriate. No doubt this contributed to the satisfactory mpg figures. Now was the time to have some fun.
On damp, smooth, well drained road surfaces the Michelin Cup 2's provided remarkable grip. By this juncture the tyres were properly warmed up, and with the light body mass of the A110 the Cup 2's coped admirably well with the damp road surface. It was a joy to be back on the roads I know well, and in a car ideally suited to this environment. After passing through Braemar I took the single track B976 at Crathie joining the A939 at Gairnsheil. It was on this section of my route that I caught up a 992 Carrera 4 GTS Convertible with the top down. The weather had improved by this time with dry road surfaces and a patchy blue sky. The 992 was following a trio of European plate motorcycles which were going very carefully on the twists and turns of this narrow road. Speeds were in the low 30mph region. I had time to study the 992 GTS for a good few miles. Compared to my A110, the 992 looked huge on this narrow single track road. When we came to the severely hump-backed old Bridge of Gairn, the 992 filled the road between the bridge parapets. Not a lot of space either side. By the way, there is currently a new bridge being constructed nearby, which is long overdue. Too many motorhomes have been beached mid-ships on this bridge. The old bridge will be retained for pedestrians and cyclists.
After many miles of following this slow moving convoy, I waited until the road widened on the Corgarff section before planning an overtake. This had to be done with great caution, as the 992 was taking up a lot of room, and I was coming to the conclusion that the driver and his passenger were quite content to follow the slow motorbikes. Using my local knowledge, an overtaking opportunity was coming up ahead following a tight right-hand corner with good visibility, which led onto a wider section of road, again with clear visibility to an uphill straight of some 300-400 meters. As the convoy ahead negotiated the tight corner at 20mph, I was already in second gear with the turbo spooled-up. With no traffic ahead or behind, I gave a double flash of the lights and full beans to A110, rapid up-shifting through 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, saw me safely overtake the 992 and the three motorbikes with room to spare. I half expected the 992 to follow me through, but they were obviously content to plod on at 30mph. Because I knew the route, I took the opportunity to overtake because the A939 from this point on, towards Grantown on Spey, offered some of the best driving roads in the UK. I sometimes wonder what the occupants of the 992 thought of my opportunistic overtake. The road was clear ahead and an obvious opportunity to clear slow traffic. If it had been me in the 992, I would have followed through and overtaken the bikes while I had the chance. The width of the 992 on these winding roads was perhaps a concern, being a car more suited to mile-munching on the autobahns. The A110 by contrast is designed with the Tour de Corse in mind, and has the gearing and road footprint accordingly designed in. Horses for courses best describes the two cars.
My fun drive across the mountains in Sport mode and manual gear-shifting, impacted the overall mpg stats. The trip recorder revealed a drop in mpg from 41.0 mpg to 38.0 mpg. This still worked out at an average for the entire tour of 39.0 mpg. Back home I checked the oil level on the dipstick, and no oil had been consumed over the 1100 mile trip.
So ended a wonderful holiday blessed with excellent weather and convivial company. This is what touring is all about.
Brian
Photo. On the A93 after the Spittal of Glenshee heading towards Braemar.
Following a relaxing overnight at my hotel near Edinburgh, I decided to take the A93-A939 Snow Road over the Cairngorm mountains to Inverness. Programming the sat nav revealed major road works on the A93 Perth-Blairgowrie route, so the voice informed me the route was being re-calculated via the A94 Scone - Coupar Angus road. I hadn't travelled this route for many years. The A94 used to be the route taken by my late dad on our frequent visits to race meetings at Ingliston circuit near Edinburgh, and also the Bo'ness hill climb near Grangemouth. Driving this route again after so many decades evoked happy memories of observing my dad skilfully making brisk progress in his 1965 Cortina GT. No dual carriageways back then. It was single carriageway "A" road all the way. This is where I learnt my overtaking skills to execute safe overtaking. Mirror, appropriate gear selected, signal, then conduct the overtake at maximum acceleration. My dad had a rule never to overtake in the face of on-coming traffic, unless the distance was such as to not cause alarm or braking to the opposing traffic. It is a rule which I still abide by to this day.
At Blairgowrie I took the A924 to Bridge of Cally, then the A93 to Braemar. The first section of the A93, Blairgowrie to Spittal of Glenshee had a very bumpy, patchwork surface. Not the best for brisk, smooth progress, especially with the A110's light body mass and firm damping. Light rain was also evident with pools of standing water by the road verge. Care was taken. Cup 2's do not take standing water kindly. After the Spittal of Glenshee the road surface improved significantly, with a smooth tarmac surface. For the first time on this tour I selected Sport mode and manual gear-shifting. My tour up to this point had been conducted solely in Normal mode, auto, using manual gear-shifting only as an over-ride function when appropriate. No doubt this contributed to the satisfactory mpg figures. Now was the time to have some fun.
On damp, smooth, well drained road surfaces the Michelin Cup 2's provided remarkable grip. By this juncture the tyres were properly warmed up, and with the light body mass of the A110 the Cup 2's coped admirably well with the damp road surface. It was a joy to be back on the roads I know well, and in a car ideally suited to this environment. After passing through Braemar I took the single track B976 at Crathie joining the A939 at Gairnsheil. It was on this section of my route that I caught up a 992 Carrera 4 GTS Convertible with the top down. The weather had improved by this time with dry road surfaces and a patchy blue sky. The 992 was following a trio of European plate motorcycles which were going very carefully on the twists and turns of this narrow road. Speeds were in the low 30mph region. I had time to study the 992 GTS for a good few miles. Compared to my A110, the 992 looked huge on this narrow single track road. When we came to the severely hump-backed old Bridge of Gairn, the 992 filled the road between the bridge parapets. Not a lot of space either side. By the way, there is currently a new bridge being constructed nearby, which is long overdue. Too many motorhomes have been beached mid-ships on this bridge. The old bridge will be retained for pedestrians and cyclists.
After many miles of following this slow moving convoy, I waited until the road widened on the Corgarff section before planning an overtake. This had to be done with great caution, as the 992 was taking up a lot of room, and I was coming to the conclusion that the driver and his passenger were quite content to follow the slow motorbikes. Using my local knowledge, an overtaking opportunity was coming up ahead following a tight right-hand corner with good visibility, which led onto a wider section of road, again with clear visibility to an uphill straight of some 300-400 meters. As the convoy ahead negotiated the tight corner at 20mph, I was already in second gear with the turbo spooled-up. With no traffic ahead or behind, I gave a double flash of the lights and full beans to A110, rapid up-shifting through 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, saw me safely overtake the 992 and the three motorbikes with room to spare. I half expected the 992 to follow me through, but they were obviously content to plod on at 30mph. Because I knew the route, I took the opportunity to overtake because the A939 from this point on, towards Grantown on Spey, offered some of the best driving roads in the UK. I sometimes wonder what the occupants of the 992 thought of my opportunistic overtake. The road was clear ahead and an obvious opportunity to clear slow traffic. If it had been me in the 992, I would have followed through and overtaken the bikes while I had the chance. The width of the 992 on these winding roads was perhaps a concern, being a car more suited to mile-munching on the autobahns. The A110 by contrast is designed with the Tour de Corse in mind, and has the gearing and road footprint accordingly designed in. Horses for courses best describes the two cars.
My fun drive across the mountains in Sport mode and manual gear-shifting, impacted the overall mpg stats. The trip recorder revealed a drop in mpg from 41.0 mpg to 38.0 mpg. This still worked out at an average for the entire tour of 39.0 mpg. Back home I checked the oil level on the dipstick, and no oil had been consumed over the 1100 mile trip.
So ended a wonderful holiday blessed with excellent weather and convivial company. This is what touring is all about.
Brian
Photo. On the A93 after the Spittal of Glenshee heading towards Braemar.
A great series of write-ups Brian … as always, very informative and enjoyable. Good to hear that you enjoyed your trip down south.
Just to pick-up on your dad’s comment about Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre. This was one of the primary rules drummed into us when we were learning to drive. Maybe it became second nature because we needed to demonstrate hand signals for the driving test, so a fair amount of time was required to plan before executing a manoeuvre. It’s a shame that these days many (younger?) drivers don’t appear to follow the procedure and seem to assume that it’s acceptable to signal your intention at the last moment, usually when turning the steering wheel! How many times have we either been following a car or waiting for an approaching car to pass before exiting a junction only for them to signal at the last moment? Totally frustrating, and discourteous to other road users too!
Jeff
Just to pick-up on your dad’s comment about Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre. This was one of the primary rules drummed into us when we were learning to drive. Maybe it became second nature because we needed to demonstrate hand signals for the driving test, so a fair amount of time was required to plan before executing a manoeuvre. It’s a shame that these days many (younger?) drivers don’t appear to follow the procedure and seem to assume that it’s acceptable to signal your intention at the last moment, usually when turning the steering wheel! How many times have we either been following a car or waiting for an approaching car to pass before exiting a junction only for them to signal at the last moment? Totally frustrating, and discourteous to other road users too!
Jeff
Brian_Innes
Member
Jeff,
Thanks for your kind comments on my scribblings.
I concur with your views on driving standards, particularly related to overtaking etiquette. My observations on the many miles of rural roads encountered, is that the art of overtaking safely has escaped the vast majority of drivers. Many seem content to plod behind slow moving traffic, often ignoring obvious overtaking opportunities. I found this often applies to drivers stuck behind slow-moving tractors, or farmers towing livestock trailers. They just don't seem to get the fact, that selecting the appropriate gear for the speed, and observing the road behind and ahead, they could be past in a few seconds in perfect safety. This reluctance to overtake makes it very frustrating for those possessed with the necessary skills. Instead of one vehicle to overtake, I have been confronted with two, or sometimes three vehicles ahead who will not shift. My resulting overtake when it comes, is therefore at higher speed than would have been the case had everyone taken their turn.
All of which brings me to the topic of dash-cams, whereby bloody-minded types who take umbrage at being overtaken by a sports car, submit dash-cam footage to the police in a fit of pique.
I'm glad I have lived in the era I have, when driving laws were less restrictive and the cars were fun to own and drive. Today, many current performance sports cars and saloons are too fast and too heavy, with 500-600bhp being commonplace these days in such cars. With a few high-end EV sports cars now approaching 1000bhp, I do wonder where this will all end.
I am perfectly contented with my lightweight 292PS A110. It is powerful enough for driver enjoyment at legal speeds on the roads that I love.
Brian
Thanks for your kind comments on my scribblings.
I concur with your views on driving standards, particularly related to overtaking etiquette. My observations on the many miles of rural roads encountered, is that the art of overtaking safely has escaped the vast majority of drivers. Many seem content to plod behind slow moving traffic, often ignoring obvious overtaking opportunities. I found this often applies to drivers stuck behind slow-moving tractors, or farmers towing livestock trailers. They just don't seem to get the fact, that selecting the appropriate gear for the speed, and observing the road behind and ahead, they could be past in a few seconds in perfect safety. This reluctance to overtake makes it very frustrating for those possessed with the necessary skills. Instead of one vehicle to overtake, I have been confronted with two, or sometimes three vehicles ahead who will not shift. My resulting overtake when it comes, is therefore at higher speed than would have been the case had everyone taken their turn.
All of which brings me to the topic of dash-cams, whereby bloody-minded types who take umbrage at being overtaken by a sports car, submit dash-cam footage to the police in a fit of pique.
I'm glad I have lived in the era I have, when driving laws were less restrictive and the cars were fun to own and drive. Today, many current performance sports cars and saloons are too fast and too heavy, with 500-600bhp being commonplace these days in such cars. With a few high-end EV sports cars now approaching 1000bhp, I do wonder where this will all end.
I am perfectly contented with my lightweight 292PS A110. It is powerful enough for driver enjoyment at legal speeds on the roads that I love.
Brian
Dash cams certainly can be a double-edged sword Brian, and I think naming-and-shaming is very much encouraged by the Welsh constabularies? As always, any supposedly dangerous manoeuvres have to be taken in context.
I think one of the problems is that there are so many “safety cameras” around in various forms these days, static and mobile, that drivers have become scared to exceed the posted limits under any circumstances, when overtaking in particular, and that includes cyclists in built-up areas. I’d agree that we’ve been fortunate to drive in a less restrictive era … when road policing was actually done by the police!
It seems that your Alpine is absolutely spot-on for your current driving requirements.
Jeff
I think one of the problems is that there are so many “safety cameras” around in various forms these days, static and mobile, that drivers have become scared to exceed the posted limits under any circumstances, when overtaking in particular, and that includes cyclists in built-up areas. I’d agree that we’ve been fortunate to drive in a less restrictive era … when road policing was actually done by the police!
It seems that your Alpine is absolutely spot-on for your current driving requirements.
Jeff
Brian_Innes
Member
Motorhead said:
After 9 months of ownership 5000 miles up, not forgetting the Knockhill experience, I have now come to the conclusion that this particular edition of the A110 genre suits me perfectly. I still regard the Cayman as the benchmark mid-engine sports coupe. In all its evolutions the Cayman excelled in every department, including practicality.
However, I cannot see myself returning to the Porsche fold at this late stage in my life. My current feeling is that this A110 will see me out regarding my driving days. Advancing years and my current illness will see to that.
I had intended considering moving to a Lotus Emira 2.0 DSG when available. Now, I think I'll stick with the Alpine. It has all the dynamic qualities that are important to me considering where I live and the roads that I drive. The fact there is now an Alpine franchise in Aberdeen is another factor in favour.
It's ironic that Inverness is to have its first Porsche dealership opening later this year. After 13 years owning 6 Porsches and having to travel hundreds of miles south for servicing, this is irony beyond belief.
Porsche ownership is something every keen driver should aspire to. Nothing drives like a Porsche. I have 13 years of happy memories to look back on, including my association with this forum. As a direct result I have made many friends along the way and have had the pleasure of personally meeting a good proportion of them.
I'll continue to drop-in to this forum section from time to time, to keep up with what is happening. Meantime my Alpine A110 GT 2021 edition, fulfils all that I could wish for in a car for my particular purposes. You can't say more than that.
Brian
Brian_Innes said:
Not a chance. That would be an incredibly expensive and resource intensive way to go about it when it's an entirely trivial matter to map the 2.5 to whatever power is deemed appropriate. Zero need to invest in major revision using the 4.0.
The 4.0 went into the GTS for two clear reasons. First, to help amortise the cost of tooling up the 4.0 across a much larger volume of cars. Second, for reasons of engine character and power delivery. Which isn't to say it's definitely better than the 2.5T in those regards. But it is very different. Significant figures at Porsche like Walliser have made it clear they don't like the flat four much.
It's increasingly clear Porsche isn't worried about making sure the true GT models beat lesser versions in terms of performance, the focus is the character of the powertrain and the ability of the chassis, less on outright engine performance which has now largely flatten off - the current GT3 only has 35hp more than the 991.1 model they launched nearly 10 years ago. Moreover, Porsche now quotes exactly the same 0-62mph times for the current PDK GT3 and PDK GTS 992 models. The GTS has far more torque than the GT3, not much less power and would probably be the quicker car in the hands of most lay drivers, especially on the road.
Brian_Innes
Member
Pothole,
I accept all that you say about the rationale behind Porsche's decision to abandon development of the 365bhp, 430Nm, 2.5t flat-4 as fitted to the 2019 Cayman GTS.
During my personal experience of the car both on road and track, I ploughed a very lone furrow enthusing on this forum about the power delivery and torque benefits attributed to this now discontinued version of the 2.5t flat-4. True to say, the motor did not win any accolades for the acoustics emitted from the exhaust pipes. When driven with well practised turbo engine experience, and a technical appreciation of the power and torque characteristics, aided in no small way by the superb PDK option, this car had no peers in the non-GT category, both on winding rural roads and on twisty, technical race circuits such as Oulton Park and Knockhill.
The advent of the 4.0 engine into the Cayman GTS, was instrumental in my decision to prematurely sell my Cayman 2.5t GTS PDK. I baulked at the idea of a 4.0 engine. Knowing now how things worked out with Porsche residual values post-covid, in hindsight I would probably have delayed the sale for at least another two years, enjoying driving the car on the wonderful Highland roads in my locality. The shorter gearing of the 2.5t PDK suited these roads ideally.
I have now moved on from the Porsche brand after 13 glorious years. My current 2021 Alpine A110 Legende GT has proved an absolute delight to own and drive. The lightness is the thing that impresses me most, being 300kgs lighter than a current Cayman GTS. You can tell the difference driving it within the first 100 metres.
The Porsche Cayman is still the benchmark for refinement, handling, and on-road performance. For pure fun, smiles-per-mile, and exclusiveness, the A110 scores very well by comparison with other £50k - £60k mid-engined coupes. I have no regrets whatsoever regarding this choice for my leisure driving requirements. Residual values are also holding up well, and the recent Alpine dealership opening in Aberdeen is also a very welcome development.
My Cayman experiences have now ended, but will never be forgotten.
Brian
I accept all that you say about the rationale behind Porsche's decision to abandon development of the 365bhp, 430Nm, 2.5t flat-4 as fitted to the 2019 Cayman GTS.
During my personal experience of the car both on road and track, I ploughed a very lone furrow enthusing on this forum about the power delivery and torque benefits attributed to this now discontinued version of the 2.5t flat-4. True to say, the motor did not win any accolades for the acoustics emitted from the exhaust pipes. When driven with well practised turbo engine experience, and a technical appreciation of the power and torque characteristics, aided in no small way by the superb PDK option, this car had no peers in the non-GT category, both on winding rural roads and on twisty, technical race circuits such as Oulton Park and Knockhill.
The advent of the 4.0 engine into the Cayman GTS, was instrumental in my decision to prematurely sell my Cayman 2.5t GTS PDK. I baulked at the idea of a 4.0 engine. Knowing now how things worked out with Porsche residual values post-covid, in hindsight I would probably have delayed the sale for at least another two years, enjoying driving the car on the wonderful Highland roads in my locality. The shorter gearing of the 2.5t PDK suited these roads ideally.
I have now moved on from the Porsche brand after 13 glorious years. My current 2021 Alpine A110 Legende GT has proved an absolute delight to own and drive. The lightness is the thing that impresses me most, being 300kgs lighter than a current Cayman GTS. You can tell the difference driving it within the first 100 metres.
The Porsche Cayman is still the benchmark for refinement, handling, and on-road performance. For pure fun, smiles-per-mile, and exclusiveness, the A110 scores very well by comparison with other £50k - £60k mid-engined coupes. I have no regrets whatsoever regarding this choice for my leisure driving requirements. Residual values are also holding up well, and the recent Alpine dealership opening in Aberdeen is also a very welcome development.
My Cayman experiences have now ended, but will never be forgotten.
Brian
The power delivery / engine character is obviously a subjective preference. I far prefer engines with sharp, accurate response and power delivery that builds to a crescendo at the top of the rev range. I'll happily give up some outright shove to maximise those elements.
So the F4T doesn't do it for me by those measures even before you get to the noise. And the noise is really important, too. But yes, i can well imagine if you liked the F4T in the 718 and also PDK, then the A110 is going to be a winner. I like the look of the A110 a lot, the chassis engineering and the low weight, too. But the four-pot turbo plus paddleshift powertrain is not even close to what I'd want in a driver's car. Has to be a zingy NA engine and as crisp a manual box as possible.
I also think given that the market is heaving with turbo cars, it was a pity to shift the 718 over to turbo and kill off (for a while) one of the last vaguely accessible multi-cylinder NA experiences. That NA flat six is really special, especially in a car at the Cayman / Boxster's pricing level. The F4T is not. It's a very good engine, but the market is overflowing with very good modern turbo lumps.
So the F4T doesn't do it for me by those measures even before you get to the noise. And the noise is really important, too. But yes, i can well imagine if you liked the F4T in the 718 and also PDK, then the A110 is going to be a winner. I like the look of the A110 a lot, the chassis engineering and the low weight, too. But the four-pot turbo plus paddleshift powertrain is not even close to what I'd want in a driver's car. Has to be a zingy NA engine and as crisp a manual box as possible.
I also think given that the market is heaving with turbo cars, it was a pity to shift the 718 over to turbo and kill off (for a while) one of the last vaguely accessible multi-cylinder NA experiences. That NA flat six is really special, especially in a car at the Cayman / Boxster's pricing level. The F4T is not. It's a very good engine, but the market is overflowing with very good modern turbo lumps.
Brian_Innes
Member
In my past life with performance cars and competitive motorsport, I also craved normally aspirated engines with a sharp throttle response and soaring rev limits. Turbo engines were for diesels, was my previous opinion in my youthful days. From the 1966 Lotus Elan S3 S/E Coupe with its throaty twin Weber bark, to the howling 998cc Hartwell Imp engine screaming all of 127bhp at 9000 rpm, was my bread and butter for many happy years.
Now at 75 years of age, I have adapted my driving skills to the modern turbo age, which has come a long way from the early laggy, all-or-nothing rush of torque which plagued the early turbo engines.
With an adaptive driving style, turbo lag is all but eliminated, and the short close-ratio gear stack of the Alpine A110 is sweetly matched to the 292bhp Renault Megane Trophy engine. To my now deafened ears, the A110 engine sounds pretty good to me when cascading through the 7 sequential cogs.
As you say at the outset to your last post, power delivery/engine characteristics are a subjective topic. I have the satisfaction of having experienced both worlds to the fullest extent. My first 3 Caymans were flat-6 n/a engines with manual gearboxes. Wonderful machines all of them.
I am now resigned to signing off my sports coupe ownership with this particular A110. I couldn't have chosen a better example.
Brian
Now at 75 years of age, I have adapted my driving skills to the modern turbo age, which has come a long way from the early laggy, all-or-nothing rush of torque which plagued the early turbo engines.
With an adaptive driving style, turbo lag is all but eliminated, and the short close-ratio gear stack of the Alpine A110 is sweetly matched to the 292bhp Renault Megane Trophy engine. To my now deafened ears, the A110 engine sounds pretty good to me when cascading through the 7 sequential cogs.
As you say at the outset to your last post, power delivery/engine characteristics are a subjective topic. I have the satisfaction of having experienced both worlds to the fullest extent. My first 3 Caymans were flat-6 n/a engines with manual gearboxes. Wonderful machines all of them.
I am now resigned to signing off my sports coupe ownership with this particular A110. I couldn't have chosen a better example.
Brian
I get where you are coming from. I wouldn't want something with a massive top end but nothing in the mid-range.
I just think once you're in something like a 3.4-litre Cayman, you've got plenty of torque and mid-range for road driving with these modern naturally aspirated engines with the variable valve gear and variable inlet hardware. So I'm not willing to give up sharp response and that zingy naturally aspirated top end (and the soundtrack) in return for a chunk more mid range, which is basically the tradeoff involved.
I've done several thousand miles driving the current 3.0-litre Porsche turbo flat six and the turbo flat fours. I actually find the more I drive them, the more frustrating I find the turbo characteristics. First impressions are, 'oh, actually, there's not that much lag once you've got the revs off the floor, this is better than you might expect.' But then as the miles pass, you just can't get away from that slightly elastic response to throttle inputs versus the crispness and accuracy of the NA lumps.
In the end, if I've got well over 300hp I'm not willing to give up the things I love about NA engines for more power. I'll happily take more power, don't get me wrong. But it's got to be the right kind of power.
And like I said, no shortage of modern turbo lumps. So, the loss of the NA F6 in the 'regular' Cayman and Boxster models is IMO a great, great pity.
I just think once you're in something like a 3.4-litre Cayman, you've got plenty of torque and mid-range for road driving with these modern naturally aspirated engines with the variable valve gear and variable inlet hardware. So I'm not willing to give up sharp response and that zingy naturally aspirated top end (and the soundtrack) in return for a chunk more mid range, which is basically the tradeoff involved.
I've done several thousand miles driving the current 3.0-litre Porsche turbo flat six and the turbo flat fours. I actually find the more I drive them, the more frustrating I find the turbo characteristics. First impressions are, 'oh, actually, there's not that much lag once you've got the revs off the floor, this is better than you might expect.' But then as the miles pass, you just can't get away from that slightly elastic response to throttle inputs versus the crispness and accuracy of the NA lumps.
In the end, if I've got well over 300hp I'm not willing to give up the things I love about NA engines for more power. I'll happily take more power, don't get me wrong. But it's got to be the right kind of power.
And like I said, no shortage of modern turbo lumps. So, the loss of the NA F6 in the 'regular' Cayman and Boxster models is IMO a great, great pity.
Brian_Innes
Member
Pothole,
I think the main difference between myself and many others on this forum, is my perspective on performance driving.
I relate speed above all other things. That stems from the fact that I am a former hill climb and sprint competitor, where tenths of a second decided podium places. I was fortune enough to attain 19 speed event awards in my 50 year motorsport career. All with n/a engines and manual gearboxes.
The means by which speed (pace in motorsport language) was achieved is focused more on power at the road wheels and best practice driving skills applied, rather than the aesthetic values of sound and throttle response. I adapted my driving to the turbo era as technology evolved. I think your comment on the "elastic" throttle response of turbo engines is a good one. I use that to maximum effect on my current driving enjoyment.
I completely agree with your opinion that the demise of the flat-6 n/a engines in the regular Cayman and Boxster range was "a great pity". However, I chose to adapt rather than desert the marque, mainly because of the sublime chassis development the 718 derivative offered on the options package. My PB at Knockhill with the 718 2.5t GTS PDK with ceramic brakes was 58.76 seconds. I caught, passed and disappeared into the distance, many superior Porsche models on my day. It was very satisfying to hunt down, GT3, GT4's at Knockhill and Oulton Park due to the superior torque and rapid sequential gear-shifts of my 718 2.5t GTS.
We are all different people with different perspectives on driving our Porsches. I respect that, and always have.
Brian
I think the main difference between myself and many others on this forum, is my perspective on performance driving.
I relate speed above all other things. That stems from the fact that I am a former hill climb and sprint competitor, where tenths of a second decided podium places. I was fortune enough to attain 19 speed event awards in my 50 year motorsport career. All with n/a engines and manual gearboxes.
The means by which speed (pace in motorsport language) was achieved is focused more on power at the road wheels and best practice driving skills applied, rather than the aesthetic values of sound and throttle response. I adapted my driving to the turbo era as technology evolved. I think your comment on the "elastic" throttle response of turbo engines is a good one. I use that to maximum effect on my current driving enjoyment.
I completely agree with your opinion that the demise of the flat-6 n/a engines in the regular Cayman and Boxster range was "a great pity". However, I chose to adapt rather than desert the marque, mainly because of the sublime chassis development the 718 derivative offered on the options package. My PB at Knockhill with the 718 2.5t GTS PDK with ceramic brakes was 58.76 seconds. I caught, passed and disappeared into the distance, many superior Porsche models on my day. It was very satisfying to hunt down, GT3, GT4's at Knockhill and Oulton Park due to the superior torque and rapid sequential gear-shifts of my 718 2.5t GTS.
We are all different people with different perspectives on driving our Porsches. I respect that, and always have.
Brian
Posts made and opinions expressed are those of the individual forum members
Use of the Forum is subject to the Terms and Conditions
