anybody know of some good auto/car/racing museums/dealers/ or just cool car places i should see in and around london? also any websites or anything like times and stuff would help.... also what are the laws/limits for driving in England/UK? could i do a driving school there, like a half day course or something? so also race tracks with schools that i may be able to attend... and that are pretty cheap, 150 to 300 pounds?/dollars mabey or is this not possible? i will be in london the end of next week and i am also looking at some schools their.. so if anybody ever went their from the USA and has any opinions on it i would like to know...
Coincidentally, I am also going to London at the end of next week (March 13th - 19th). ... That probably wasn't much help.
Ask for some out of the way B roads or a secret C road that you can tear up. Socially, the places I went you don't want to go (like the Slimelight in the Angel District, hanging out with my mechanic in the empty parts of Diss, etc). Sunny
Don't know any car museums but the history ones are cool with spitfires hanging from the ceiling and tanks. Madame taussads wax museum is awesome. When i went they had ayrton senna on display. It has a cool ride to take in the basement. Brands Hatch southeast of london probably has a museum. I rented a new bmw when i was there and drove like i saw others doing only to find out that there was a national speed limit that i had been blissfully ignorant of until i talked to the hotel doorman. You might find yourself on the wrong side of the road if your mind wanders. What a terrrific city. If you have time and like gardens visit hampton court palace depending upon temp. T
I had to do a long drive to the southwest coast in one day so i first called looking for an exotic. This was before fchat and my p-car days. I was shocked by the 1 day price for renting an exotic ( i remember it being about 1200 lb.s, couldn't believe anyone would pay that) so i just started calling local london rental joints. I was staying in the high rise sheraton and found a place just north on some main commercial street. Went in looking for just some cheap econo box and asked if they had anything nice. They did. Brand new 3 series, british racing green 180 miles on the clock. Different than a us 3. Nice car for the day. Very reasonable rate i thought. I found local small rental companies that only had a few offices had very cheap rates for cars like mercedes 300. You would only find those thru the concierge desk at your hotel. Similiar rate as you would pay for a ****box from one of the big airport based rental comps. I think i read somewhere that an old arrows driver was doing something regarding tracking cars in britain, either thierry boutsen or dr. jonathan palmer. might want to search that. T
Not sure about museums and all, but on Hyde Park, there is a McLaren storefront that has had a car on display for years. If you get some time to get out of London, go on a tour of the Lotus factory (call ahead to schedule) or visit Aston Martin or TVR or there's a ton of other small sports car manufacturers. Also, what kind of schools are you looking at? I went to the London School of Economics and highly recommend it. I had friends at University College London, City University, and the Architectural Association, if you were looking at any of those.
I've heard a bit about the London School of Economics. Sounds like a really prestigious school. How would it compare to say Wharton or Harvard for an MBA in Finance?
The Mclaren dealership is cool. Also, there is a neat racing memorabilia shop out by Windsor castle. We drove right by it in Windsor, as you just start to climb up to the castle it's on the right side of the road. It was closed when we drove by, and I didn't get a chance to make it back to it. I saw so many Ferraris around the city I stopped counting. There was a Lotus Elise parked across from our b & b ever morning, fun to check that out every day.
For the LSE, I know it is pretty well respected compared to many of the top US schools, but unfortunately it is better known in Europe then on this side of the pond. Also, many of the degree plans don't directly correspond to US degrees, for instance, most graduate degrees are only one year. One place I forgot in London... if you're into model cars, go to St. Martin's Lane. There's a great place with nothing but model cars.
i am and so far have only found 2, but the main one is the University of Loughbrough... and i am looking to get into automotive Engineering, i noticed you were from dallas so i am asumming your friends were americans applying/attending schools in england?... do you know were/ or what the grading scale to theirs/ours is?... thanks seth
Some of my friends there were American, but some were also European. The grades at the LSE were First, Second (Upper and Lower), and Third. There's not a great translation of grades, but a First is what you want, but difficult to get. It's not like in the US, at least at the LSE, where if you earn an A, you get an A. They had more of a breakdown of 6% got a First, 20% Upper Second, etc., and they pretty much stuck to it. Interesting system. But, during my time in London, I learned a lot, and met some of my best friends. I highly recommend studying abroad if you have the chance.
