James Junior Posted September 15, 2016 Author Share Posted September 15, 2016 (edited) Last day before boarding the Chunnel we visited the historic Reims raceway. This used the be a grand prix circuit but was mothballed in the 60s. Now the home straight is a public road, but the structure of the old stands, pitlane garages and control tower is still intact, as are the old period placards. It is pretty surreal being there and well worth a visit. Here are the last of the pics: Edited January 21, 2017 by James Junior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted September 15, 2016 Author Share Posted September 15, 2016 (edited) And lastly here are a few video clips of the Z doing drivebys on the home straight! All the videos open in 'mute' mode for some reason so you just have to click the sound item to switch the sound on! https://www.facebook...?type=3 https://www.facebook...?type=3 Oh and did I mention I got to drive the Gallardo Superleggera?! https://www.facebook...?type=3 Edited September 15, 2016 by James Junior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted September 15, 2016 Author Share Posted September 15, 2016 So thats me finally up to date. I am off to Scotland for one final tour at the end of the month, then the season will truly be over. I have just replaced one of Michelin Pilot Super Sports at the back and put the spacers back on, then off for four wheel laser alignment and geo next week before I go. Then once autumn/ winter is upon us it will be time for a few upgrades ready for spring. Definitely want an oil cooler and looking at Mishimoto and Stillen options at the moment. Might also add a Mines rear lip spoiler and have been hankering after a set of black BBS CH-Rs with the polished rim. Will keep the thread updated as it all comes together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 I really REALLY need to stop clicking into this thread. Cracking updates mate, super jelous of your trips, makes me want to do another Euro tour. Glad you made it Reims too, its a great photo opporunity and general wander about 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 Been browsing some more wheel options today (hard at work on a Friday afternoon!) and came across these absolute beauties. They are perfect and exactly what I had pictured my ideal wheels looking like in my minds eye. Trouble is, as always I seem to have an eye for expensive things. When I looked at the pricing I realised that a set of 19s would be setting me back somewhere around £4,000! As porntastic as they are, I just can't justify dropping that much on a set of wheels for the Z as it would be around 25% of the value of the car, not to mention almost half the cost of a supercharger! Will have to revisit in the future when I am (hopefully) running something a bit more exotic. In the meantime I am just going to leave these here. Mmmmmmmmmmm, they are so beautiful.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Car looks great mate Stick some boost under the hood you will love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodyboarder81 Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Interesting to see the zed can hold its own with the Cayman and exige...... Just shows what a well set up suspension can do for the zed ! Awesome pics .... As we've all come to expect now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 Car looks great mate Stick some boost under the hood you will love it Mate, if mine didn't have so many miles on it I would, She's on 55k now. If she was more like 30k then I defiitely would, but not sure how appealing a supercharged Z with 75k on the clock would be on the used market a few years from now. In the meantime F-Types are continuing their inexorable fall towards £30k.... Think it will be between an F-Type S and a 35is when it comes to time to change. In the meantime I am still loving the Z. Off to bonny Scotland next week for more shennanigens so will be fun to see how she holds her head up in exhalted company again! Will have a look for the attendee list, hold on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 Okay, here is the attendee list for adventures in Scotland next week: M235i M235i Boxster Spyder TVR Tuscan Cayman GTS TVR Chimaera Porsche 911 Audi R8 Merc C63 Nissan 370Z Porsche 997 lightweight Ferrari 458 Speciale Merc GTS (because the Focus RS is broken!) M235i 400bhp Aside from our freakishly talented tour guides Pete and Dan in their m235is, I know Adil is fast in the Boxster Spyder. He was quite a bit quicker than me given open road when we toured Europe in July. That said the power to weight ratio of that thing makes a mockery of the Zs. I don't know the drivers of the 458 Specialé or the Merc GTS (looking forward to seeing one of these in the metal), but no doubt they will be way too much for me to handle. I will still have a good go though! Quite fancy my chances jousting with the rest of the crew though. Looking forward to some more sparring sessions on good roads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Car looks great mate Stick some boost under the hood you will love it Mate, if mine didn't have so many miles on it I would, She's on 55k now. If she was more like 30k then I defiitely would, but not sure how appealing a supercharged Z with 75k on the clock would be on the used market a few years from now. In the meantime F-Types are continuing their inexorable fall towards £30k.... Think it will be between an F-Type S and a 35is when it comes to time to change. In the meantime I am still loving the Z. Off to bonny Scotland next week for more shennanigens so will be fun to see how she holds her head up in exhalted company again! Will have a look for the attendee list, hold on... So you remove the kit and move on But yeah if you have your heart set on a change no point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Car looks great mate Stick some boost under the hood you will love it Mate, if mine didn't have so many miles on it I would, She's on 55k now. If she was more like 30k then I defiitely would, but not sure how appealing a supercharged Z with 75k on the clock would be on the used market a few years from now. In the meantime F-Types are continuing their inexorable fall towards £30k.... Think it will be between an F-Type S and a 35is when it comes to time to change. In the meantime I am still loving the Z. Off to bonny Scotland next week for more shennanigens so will be fun to see how she holds her head up in exhalted company again! Will have a look for the attendee list, hold on... So you remove the kit and move on But yeah if you have your heart set on a change no point having said that an f type that's been spanked for half its life for 30k isn't that appealing either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 (edited) A little late, but here are a few of my favourite snaps from my adventures in Scotland at the end of September. Sadly it wasn't a great tour for me. The inner edge of one of my rear tyres was a bit short on tread at outset, but I thought it would last the tour. I was wrong and it wore down much quicker than I was expecting. We ordered a replacement to arrive on day 2 of the tour at Inverness, but unfortunately they screwed up and ordered the wrong size! I soldiered on for a while with the balding tyre, but had to abort early on the last day and cruise to the hotel at 50mph as when I puilled in for fuel I noticed it was down to the threads! Still, I got to see some amazing scenery and also got a high speed passenger ride from Tongue to John O'Groats in a 458 Specialé, then did the return journey as a passenger in the AMG GT. In both cases there were some extremely capable drivers behind the wheel so was a great experience. The drive to John O'Groats is a great one - 35 miles of twisting B roads so really got a feel for the cars, even if it was only as a passenger. The 458 Specialé is scalpel sharp and feels like about as finely honed a driving tool as you're likely to find, feeling totally nailed down and stable under high speed cornering. The interior is pretty sparse with acres of alacantara and the engine note is a shrill howl that hardens as the revs pile on. The AMG GT meanwhile is more of a big burly muscle car, with a much more luxurious interior, piles of brushed aluminium details and a very long bonnet. This one had been breathed on and was pushing out nearly 650bhp. It was nothing like as composed as the Ferrari and the tail was a bit fidgety, but it still felt savagely quick and felt like it was pummeling the road into submission. The sountrack was awesome - a thunderous V8 growl which crackled on the overrun. Given the choise I think I would take the Merc. The road presence that thing has on the road is insane. Edited November 28, 2016 by James Junior 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 Unfortunately the trip highlighted an issue with the current suspension set up. It is chewing through the inner edge of tyres at an alarming rate, even with the car being fully aligned via laser wheel alignment. I think I am going to have to buy some adjustable camber arms which aren't cheap, then have the car sent for a full suspension set up with a specialist. I will report back as this little project comes together. One thing is for sure, whenever I eventually come to sell the car whoever buys it is going to be buying one very finely honed driving tool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Funny how the Zed (imo) doesn't look out of place at all parked up with the Porsche, Ferrari etc. Great pics. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Another cracking trip there dude, pics look excellent. Whats the sticker on your filler cap? Can't quite make out the last word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Oh, and that 458 Specialé looks incredible! One of my favourites for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 (edited) Unfortunately the trip highlighted an issue with the current suspension set up. It is chewing through the inner edge of tyres at an alarming rate, even with the car being fully aligned via laser wheel alignment. I think I am going to have to buy some adjustable camber arms which aren't cheap, then have the car sent for a full suspension set up with a specialist. I will report back as this little project comes together. One thing is for sure, whenever I eventually come to sell the car whoever buys it is going to be buying one very finely honed driving tool... Dude check out the kinetix combo kit I have it on mine great value and quality for what you get Without going silly on spl stuff https://www.z1motorsports.com/suspension/kinetix/kinetix-370z-g37-adjustable-camber-package-p-4201.html Edited November 28, 2016 by nissanman312 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leosille Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Funny how the Zed (imo) doesn't look out of place at all parked up with the Porsche, Ferrari etc. Great pics. Took the words out of my mouth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted November 29, 2016 Author Share Posted November 29, 2016 Another cracking trip there dude, pics look excellent. Whats the sticker on your filler cap? Can't quite make out the last word. It says 'keep calm and avoid marmots'. On the last Euro tour I ran over an Alpine marmot at high speed when it ran out into the road. When I pulled in to check if it had made a mess of the car there was no sign, but Stu who had been following me pulled in and declared 'yep - its definitely dead'. It was flat as a pancake a few yards back up the road... Oops. For the remainder of the tour I got ripped for it, with regular radio calls warning me of anything animal related either in or beside the road. For Scotland I bought that sticker for the filler cap and a fluffy marmot mascot. He now accompanies me on every journey sat in the round pot in the centre arm rest of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted November 29, 2016 Author Share Posted November 29, 2016 Unfortunately the trip highlighted an issue with the current suspension set up. It is chewing through the inner edge of tyres at an alarming rate, even with the car being fully aligned via laser wheel alignment. I think I am going to have to buy some adjustable camber arms which aren't cheap, then have the car sent for a full suspension set up with a specialist. I will report back as this little project comes together. One thing is for sure, whenever I eventually come to sell the car whoever buys it is going to be buying one very finely honed driving tool... Dude check out the kinetix combo kit I have it on mine great value and quality for what you get Without going silly on spl stuff https://www.z1motors...age-p-4201.html Mate thanks so much for posting this, this is just what I need and amazing value. Will get these ordered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 He now accompanies me on every journey sat in the round pot in the centre arm rest of the car. Ah that makes more sense, glad to see you have a sense of humour about it I've had a mascot in my car for years now, he also lives in the centre cup holder of the '70. This is Rory (get it...!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted November 30, 2016 Author Share Posted November 30, 2016 (edited) Parallel lives! Bizarre... Clearly it is a cupholder/ mascot slot. Edited November 30, 2016 by James Junior 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted November 30, 2016 Author Share Posted November 30, 2016 P.S. you need to get yourself a GTR starter button. It adds at least 10bhp... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 P.S. you need to get yourself a GTR starter button. It adds at least 10bhp... I did have one fitted, one of the first mods I did. Car felt so much quicker with it fitted Now that the 370 is up for sale I have removed it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted November 30, 2016 Author Share Posted November 30, 2016 P.S. you need to get yourself a GTR starter button. It adds at least 10bhp... I did have one fitted, one of the first mods I did. Car felt so much quicker with it fitted Now that the 370 is up for sale I have removed it Might that be to put it on a new car that you might be taking delivery of by any chance??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.