| Author | Message | ||
| chris cummings (Entelechy)
Member Username: Entelechy Post Number: 505 Registered: 5-2001 |
Jon - you rock! Love the BMW hat, the Senna shirt and the Ferrari bib! Great story as well. Very inspiring driving in the latest round of videos you sent! Did some hot laps with Bob Bondurant in one of his C5's this week...it inspired me to take the M out to carve up some canyons :-) | ||
| Amir (Amir)
Junior Member Username: Amir Post Number: 112 Registered: 2-2003 |
Jon, great story. Thanks! | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Intermediate Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 1031 Registered: 8-2001 |
James, Drop everything and get him started TODAY!!!!! Your wife must have had a momentary lapse of sanity take full advantage of it right now! Did you get this on tape by chance? Just kidding! Below is a picture of my 3 month old son "Sebastian Ayrton". And yes his real middle name reads Ayrton on his social security card. My father took me to Zuffenhausen and Weissach (test track). My father always wore distinct blue ball cap. We always stood at the fence and watched the cars come by. One time it was raining really hard and a Porsche test driver saw us standing outside one of the turns and sent someone to get us. We were allowed to stand inside a make shift garage that the mechanics used to make adjustments on the car they were testing (seem to recall it was a 911 variant). The test driver said he recognized us as my father always wore the same cap and we stood at the same section of fence. The test driver asked my father if he wanted a ride around the test circuit. My dad asked if he would take me out instead. The test driver said he didn't think it was permitted to take children out but that he would be happy to take my dad out the next morning if the weather was good. Much to my amazement the next morning the same test driver pulled up in a 906 which was the coolest car I had ever seen up to that point. Most of what we had seen testing at Weissach were run of the mill 911's and occasionally VW would be allowed to test some cars there. Even more to my amazement, the test driver, Werner, motioned me over to the car. It had no second seat but a small space was available and there were harnesses in place to give rides. I will never forget that day as long as I live. My recollection isn't that he was really driving the thing fast (neither of us had helmets) but the sound and sensation of that car were to this day unbelievable. It was extremely cramped inside and how an adult would ever fit in the car is beyond me. My father sent a thank you letter to Porsche and we got a letter back from Dr. Ferry Porsche and a team hat and shirt. From that moment on I was hooked on race cars and Porsche's specifically. It wasn't until I moved to the states a few years later that I started to follow Ferrari and also became a Ferrari fanatic. Anyway, get your son in the mini dragster before your wife comes back to her senses. Regards, Jon   | ||
| James Dunne (Audiguy)
Member Username: Audiguy Post Number: 295 Registered: 6-2003 |
Jon, The gearboxes are suspect. My friends car is in the shop now with a broken main shaft. They are having to machine a new one as a replacement was not available. He said he will probably put his up for sale after the repairs are completed as he just took delivery of his new Enzo a couple of weeks ago. He put it up for sale one other time but withdrew it from sale after a short time because he decided there was nothing comparable to replace it with. My son sounds like you. He took the ride in the McLaren when he was seven. Since then he has been in 512BBi, 355, 360, 360 spider, 355 challenge, 360 challenge, F50. Before then he had already been in multiple M roadsters, M3, M5, 540 sport and a few others. My wife said the other day that my son and I did not get to spend enough time together and suggested that there might be a motorsport that we could get involved in together (Thank you God). She suggested the NHRA junior dragster program since she saw someone a couple of blocks over working on their car in the driveway last week. Sounds like a good idea to me since I am an old drag racer anyway (8 second-160 mph altered roadster). I cannot believe those words came out of my wifes mouth. | ||
| Ronny Jones (Ronny)
New member Username: Ronny Post Number: 48 Registered: 6-2003 |
If memory serves, the driver was Andy Wallace and the circuit was the VW test track. Interesting facts - The management team at Mclaren asked " why should I have to go to Italy to buy a supercar ? " This coupled with Ron Dennis' ambition to broaden McLaren beyond Formula 1, and Gordon Murray's ambition to build the ultimate supercar, led to the F1. Apparently the name started as a joke, as it was " 39 steps ahead of the F40 ! " ronny | ||
| Ben Cannon (Artherd)
Member Username: Artherd Post Number: 912 Registered: 6-2002 |
Is it just me, or was the driver posatively SCARED when he hit it coming out of that sweeper? I WANT ONE! Best! Ben. | ||
| chris cummings (Entelechy)
Member Username: Entelechy Post Number: 499 Registered: 5-2001 |
PS - many thanks Martin...despite the postage stamp size, that was awesome! | ||
| chris cummings (Entelechy)
Member Username: Entelechy Post Number: 498 Registered: 5-2001 |
Those of us that went out to watch some vintage racing awhile back at California Speedway got the chance to watch the Symbolic Motors McLaren F1 doing laps, then got to see it up close. It's the first time I'd ever seen one in person. I'm pretty impressed with the Koenigsegg (sp?), but my desktop image is still the McLaren F-1. | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Intermediate Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 1027 Registered: 8-2001 |
James, Good for your son! He sounds much like myself in my youth (I am now 36). I grew up in Germany and am a certified car nut. My father used to take me to the Ring and to Zuffenhausen quite freqently. What sealed it for me was a ride in a Porsche 906 at the age of 7 with a Porsche test driver. From that moment on I was a car freak and loved both street and race cars. I knew they detuned the V12 BMW motor a bit but was under the incorrect impression that it was to save the gearbox. I know that Ray Belm and James Weaver kept breaking gearboxes in testing. I don't think there will ever be a roadcar that will win LeMans ever again. Some will argue that the Schupman street based 962 won it but that is a lame arguement since Schupman took a original 956/962 race car then modified it for the street and then re-modified it for the LeMans race. In my mind it was still a custom designed race car and not a street car like the F1 was. My favorite color schemes were the Gulf sponsord and Harrod's sponsored cars. I have seven different 1:18 scale models of the F1 including Letho Fina longtail and the Bell Harrod's car. Rumor has it that Derek Bell's son was given a ride in the road car before he got to drive the race version. They said he got out of the road car and said something on the order of "....My God if that's the road car, what in the bloody hell is the race like!". I don't think it will ever be equalled simply because I don't think anyone will design a no cost no object car again. The Bugatti is ugly as sh*t and engineered by a company that invented the VW Bettle not an F1 team. The Fina car at PTG in Winchester Va  Part of my 1:18 collection  | ||
| James Dunne (Audiguy)
Member Username: Audiguy Post Number: 293 Registered: 6-2003 |
Jon, What some people probably do not realize is that in Lemans trim, the engine was slightly detuned from the production one for endurance. The one in the car I drove was 627hp. The Lemans car was slightly under 600. The engineers found the car more tractable with the slightly detuned version of the engine. I still smile today when I think of it and that was about 6 years ago. My son still carries a picture of himself in the car in his backpack to school. A kid at school saw him wearing a Ferrari t-shirt and told him that "I have forgotten more about cars than you will ever know". Wrong person to say that to. My son is thirteen and his questions back were. 1.Who is in third place in F1 standing right now and how many points is he behind? What kind of car does he drive? Who did he replace? 2. How many times has Michael Schumacher been F1 world champ? 3. How much hp does the McLaren F1 have? 4. How many California Spyders were built? When the kid said "I don't know"., my son said, you are right, you have forgotten an awful lot. | ||
| BobD (Bobd)
Intermediate Member Username: Bobd Post Number: 1528 Registered: 3-2001 |
That was one long straight at 391 kph. The center driving position in the F1 is amazing. | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Intermediate Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 1024 Registered: 8-2001 |
James and Steve, You guys have done something that is #3 on my list of dream goals. #1 is to get up in a F15/F16/F18, #2 is drive an F1 car and #3 is to get a ride in an F1 (McLaren) at high speed. I have loved Ferraris all my life but if I won the lottery and the wife said only one space in the garage for an exotic it would hands down be the F1. 10 years after it was built it's still the fastest road car ever and the best. I may get a lot of flack for saying this on a Ferrari board but nothing, F40/F50/Enzo will ever touch the F1. It was simply a no holds, cost no object, race car for the road. Still amazing that other than some gear box upgrades and race prep it won LeMans. As great as the Enzo is it would never win LeMans without changing 50% of the car. All this talk about the Koenigsegg and the Bugatti is hogwash......if Gordon started with a clean slate again he would whip them all. Make mine Orange and in LM form. Thanks for the video Martin! Regards, Jon P. Kofod 1995 F355 Challenge #23 www.flatoutracing.net | ||
| Steve (V10_nut)
Junior Member Username: V10_nut Post Number: 105 Registered: 3-2002 |
James...I only touched 100mph for a few moments when I drove one. (realized I was writing a check I couldn't cash) but I was a passenger in one and took a long left hand sweeper at 260km's/160 mph on a two lane road in Germany. You're right on about the once-in-a-lifetime feeling. Unbelievable!! Steve | ||
| James Dunne (Audiguy)
Member Username: Audiguy Post Number: 286 Registered: 6-2003 |
I drove my friends to just a little over 175 mph and still had a ton to go but ran out of road and nerve. The car is absolutely rock solid at that speed with no indication of wandering or floating. The smile you come out wearing after driving one of these things stays on for a long time. It is a once in a lifetime experience, for sure.......... | ||
| Augustine J. Staino (Azzuro328)
Member Username: Azzuro328 Post Number: 341 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hey Martin, What road was he on, PGA Blvd? Just kidding.  Great video! | ||
| Kds (Kds)
Junior Member Username: Kds Post Number: 186 Registered: 5-2003 |
These videos never give you the actual impression of really how fast you are covering ground at speed. I once did 290 kmh (indicated on the speedo and at 6,800 rpm on the tach...who knows the real speed allowing for error) in my 1991 C4 and even going "that slow" I was really unable to guage how much ground I had actually covered, until I turned around and went back on the same road in the other direction at the posted limit. Add another 100 kmh to that.....I couldn't begin to imagine !! Great video Martin !!! | ||
| Omar (Auraraptor)
Member Username: Auraraptor Post Number: 979 Registered: 9-2002 |
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| ty (360mode)
Junior Member Username: 360mode Post Number: 164 Registered: 9-2002 |
awesome martin! i love it "391...391... it will not go any more than 391"! | ||
| John M.Pisacane (Chazferrari)
New member Username: Chazferrari Post Number: 33 Registered: 8-2003 |
THAT WAS AMAZING!! BARE HANDED TOO...WOW | ||
| Christopher Murphy (Cjmotorsports)
New member Username: Cjmotorsports Post Number: 15 Registered: 8-2003 |
Martin that is F'n awesome, once did 160mph and that was it, in a modified 87 911, coulda pulled a little more out of it but that's all I had nerves for. At that point my alrenaline was pumping so hard I thought my heart was going to jump right out of my chest. Holy S*** I can't imagine what kind of adrenaline he was feeling. I think that once you're over 200mph you kind of go into a euphoric state, kind of like shock... | ||
| Martin - Cavallino Motors (Miami348ts)
Senior Member Username: Miami348ts Post Number: 6108 Registered: 5-2001 |
http://www.fcafloridaregion.com/Graphics/Video/Mclaren241mph.mpeg go out and drive |