Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Spent a day remapping the Volvo yesterday- incredible change. The old map was done in a hurry and really only focused on WOT, this time the focus was on drive ability, partial throttle condition etc.

We managed to remove a lot of lag, and increase the top end also- win all round.

It also sounds magnificently angry at high RPM.

If the Dutch chap doesn't buy it, or doesn't want to pay the asking price then I won't be upset, although that said I am on the train to Somerset to test an M5 so am preparing the ground for an Admiral West on this position.

I really don't understand why you are spending so much money and time on it when it is about to be sold?

Genuine question?

t least the Testarossa is visually striking!

euph ?

I don’t want to sell a bad car, or one that is less than perfect.

Probably because I am a mental.

Yeah, but you're our mental.

Pretty sure it's the one that lives in catford. Nice guy, but gets through turbos at an alarming rate. "I just turned the go faster knob a bit too much and it won't work now"

Since you weighed it up, hoe close are you to the gt3 cost are you, if you count the cab and the ovlov spend?

Curious, not chipping - I see this as an excellent social lesson, where we all learn vicariously through your spending.

I’ve never really kept a record of what I’ve spent on the Volvo, but it’s been running at around 5k a year for the past three years - looking back at that sentence is terrifying btw.

The Porsche is possible to compare directly - it’ll never be a GT3 of course, but it’ll have better suspension, equal brakes and more power and torque.

It won’t have the aero as I’m going to keep the shape as clean as possible.

Costs - I’ve not looked at the spreadsheet for a while and I’m on a train to Bridgwater right now, but IIRC the car was 9.5 and I’ve spent 22 on it, with a further five to come in Jan with the new roof, rot correction and respray.

Let’s call it a 30k 996 (he’s mad! Mad I tell you!)

With the engine work done it’ll probably be a 45k car, in terms of what I’ve put in, and a 20k car, in terms of what I can sell it for (with a bit of luck, the right buyer and a following wind), so it absolutely makes no sense at all from a financial perspective.

But - a decent 996.1 club sport GT3 is around 70k.

Put the two cars together and yes - you have a GT3, although you’d struggle to get a Christmas tree home in the boot of one.

Interesting.

I have just had a look at the spreadsheet for the racer and we are well over half of what a completed fia b would have cost. It doesn’t help that 2/3rds of that went on what turned out to be a parts car.

Volvo just swapped wheels, the comets are gonna get a little refurb, the very edge of every rim is now damaged (the misses to begin with and then me, viscous kerbs everywhere here that you have to climb on and off every day). And tyres need a swap round anyway.
Comets were wearing NOKIAn z line which I've been very impressed with in all conditions, will buy again.
Bbs suit the c70 much better than the v70 but are wearing almost new Michelin primacy 3, which are a reasonable year round tyre, maybe better on a hot dry day than z line, but it's Scotland, so.... Lol.

Painting high quality plasti type paint over top of E coated brakes has kept them looking great for over 18 months now, only one has some slight rust showing

2 Attachments

I love those BBS wheels.

It’s a hobby, ultimately. No matter what the 911 costs me it’s my car- very personal, and not a car that could be purchased whole from any source.

I have in mind a sort of open topped GT3 Touring- all the power, brakes and handling with humble looks and no roof. I’m happy enough - happier still if we can resolve the horn issue.

Drove the M5 - very well made, very handsome car, all the toys.

It’s not a slow car - although I only drove it in 400bhp mode - but it feels slower than the Volvo.

I guess that’s because the BMW at 400bhp vs the Volvo at whatever it is - lets say 360 - it’s not the power figures telling the story but rather the power to weight, and the Volvo wins that.

If I’d switched to the 507bhp map then things would have been different I imagine.

It’s quiet - I’d expected more drama from a five litre V10.

Gearbox - this was much more convincing as a clutch less, sequential manual than it was as an automatic, but it’s not great. However, it’s the only available option so it is what it is.

Car is on for 23,450 - chap said he’d get it serviced (just past due) at BMW (to preserve the full history) and put two new Michelin Pilot Sports on the front for a sales price of 22,450. It’s had a new clutch and brakes all round in the last 30k.

I like the car, I’d prefer it if it had the removable tow hook but it doesn’t.

It’s not a slow car - although I only drove it in 400bhp mode - but it feels slower than the Volvo.

I reckon it will always gonna feel like that, as the BMW isn't heavily modified, let alone modified even compare to the Volvo.

Front wheel drive compared to rear wheeldrive?

The car was looked over and still hid alot. Part of me see's why some racers buy cars that need alot of work.

If the auto mode is crap the M5 feels like a compromise against your original criteria - lots of space, lots of grunt and automatic.

I'm 6 months into swapping my manual rs4 for a new auto s5 and I'm wholly unconvinced. I end up driving it in 'manual' mode on the paddles 95% of the time (including in commuting mode along the A3/M25).

If I was after something I was going to drive in auto 95% of the time I think I'd be after something more lazy than an m5.

Limiter cuts in at 8,250 rpm, which is dead on 70mph in 2nd- I could just leave it in 2nd all the time as it pulls away fine from a standstill in said gear.

I suspect I’d drive it in manual most of the time - with the paddles it’s very, very easy to go up and down the box. Fun fact- the M5 changes faster than the 360 F1 box.

M5 doesn't have huge torque does it? Might explain why it feels slower than the Volvo.

Correct- it’s got quite a lot less torque than the Volvo, and is heavier by 300kg

On the bright side, it'll make the 911 feel faster by comparison.

My 1.6TDI Passat estate with roof box does wonders in this department when I get in the MG.

True. Glass half full.

I should have bought the M5 today- freight train has broken down between Reading and London, been stood in a corridor by a toilet for 3hours now. For 85 quid.

Can someone answer the diesel question for me please?

I want a luxe estate. Fuck all in petrol, which I would prefer. Environment issues aside, is a diesel e class a bad idea?

Get an E61 535d M sport Touring- make me regret the M5