Subsequent to my promise to a few folks, my review of our recent Bookatrack trip to Italy.
(Apologies for the limited Exige content).
The preparation
As those that know us well will be aware, the 255 Cup went off to a new owner in Sweden at the end of 2011. There have been various excuses for the lack of a replacement but on committing to Italia 2013, it was decided that action was needed.
The Exiges outing to Duns in May for the Jim Clark memorial confirmed attempting to drive Aberdeen to Florence and back in a S1 (without accounting for reliability issues) would likely end in divorce. Similarly trying to hoon across the Alps and back in a Discovery felt like it’d be a missed opportunity.
Delivery times on the V6 meant we had missed the boat for ordering an S3 Cup, so back to looking at GT3s again. Somehow whilst meant to be scouring PH for a 996 RS, the other half informed me that there’s a nice 2-eleven for sale. It was actually a car he’d tried to buy at the beginning of the year but had eventually missed out on. So after several calls to Stephen at Trackgroup, arrangements were made to have the car checked over/ collected. Despite being in the middle of de-camping to Spa to support their Astons, Stephen made the time after work, to go down on an evening and collect the car from it’s owner on our behalf.
Great! somehow a S1 Exige was not considered viable and now we were facing approx. 3,000mls, two of us, plus luggage for a week in a 2-eleven! After initial thoughts of GT4 roll cages and roof boxes, it quite quickly dawned that getting BAT to ship the car across was the only real option.
So now we just needed to get ourselves across there. Flying over and using the BAT shuttle service was the obvious, hassle free, sensible option, so that was quickly discounted.
A few friends from ABZ were also looking to doing Monza, so a decent road car was needed. My vote was for an early Boxter, whilst he wanted a E46 M3 or WR1 Impreza. In the end, mainly as we were fast running out of time (3 weeks to go), we managed to reach a compromise. A V8 Vantage it is then!
The trip
Day 1: ABZ - Newcastle, 291 mls
After a fairly uneventful run down through the Scottish borders, the Tom Tom gave up about 6 mls from the ferry terminal. Turns out the 12v socket wasn’t working (hopefully a blown fuse) so the unit had run out of power. We ended up with about 17 cars mostly TVRs congregating at the ferry. First breakdown/ fault was a tie between the Aston and the Noble (hot starting issue), whilst the first speeding ticket was claimed by a Sagaris.
No comment necessary.
All aboard the Geordie booze cruise.
Day 2: Amsterdam - Strasbourg, 394 mls
Waiting to disembark the ferry, so time to find the offending fuse, however took 30 mins to find the cabin fuse box, never mind the fuse, so run out of time. Never mind we can always resort to the much criticised Volvo Sat Nav, fired the system up and it recognised that we were in Holland ,” Yeah, success”
Instruction to change disc - met with
OH “ah, that’s probably what was in the box marked Sat Nav”
Me “probably, so where’s the box?”
OH “ehm, in the garage. I thought it was just for initial install”.
You be able to guess the rest of that conversation. Thankfully able to convoy down with a few others, so not the end of the world. At the lunch stop, tools out, carpets up and got into the fuse box but the fuse was fine. Turns out there is another 12v socket, in the boot. Obviously the cable wasn’t long enough to reach the windscreen, but we could keep charging it on the motorway and then moving it to the front window in town. Turns out Sat Navs are pretty useless in Strasbourg, with several folks resorting to parking-up and then finding the hotel on foot.
Ready to let rip on the autobahn.
Taking it slow(ish) and steady.
Typical hotel car park.
Day 3: Strasbourg - Milan, 356 mls
Folks opted for various routes, we set of at 8:00am with a Noble in tow, for a run through the Black Forest via Todtnau, Todtmoss, Wehr and onto Lucerne for lunch. Picked up a 12v extension cord to get Tom Tom back into fulltime action.
In the afternoon, it was the Grimsel, Furka & St Gotthard passes. Weather wasn’t the best with heavy rain & thick fog/ cloud on Grimsel.
Introductions & meal with the BAT lot scheduled for 7:30pm, arrive on motorway directly outside hotel at 7:15pm, only for the Tom Tom (hateful piece of crap) to proudly announce “You have reached your destination on your right”. Brilliant, except for the small matter of the barrier & 30ft banking. Spent the next 90 mins driving round Milan in the dark trying to find the hotel. Eventually ended up back on the motorway heading in the opposite direction. Pulled into a services and asked for directions, now more than a touch frazzled. The staff had a gate that allowed them to access an adjacent Ind. Est. without having to re-join the motorway. Then one of the staff very kindly jumped in her car and led us directly to the front of the hotel. Turns out a few others had similar problems, so still managed to get some dinner.
Black Forest before lunch, Swiss passes after.
Lunch break at Lucerne.
Coming down Grimsel, Furka in the background.
Furka to the left, Grimsel just visible top right.
Clouds rolling across the top of Furka.
Sunny one minute, raining the next, just like home!
Day 4: Monza - Overcast but dry, 25 mls
Given the previous night’s performance from the Tom Tom, we waited to follow the BAT minibus to the circuit, of course got split up at first set of traffic lights. Managed to get to the entrance of the track on our own, only for the minibus to turn up behind us.
Expected the 2-eleven to get slaughtered for horsepower at Monza but with the exception of Radicals and Ferrari Challenge cars, it put up a valiant effort. What it lost on the straights it could claw back a fair chunk under braking.
Had a walk round to the old banking at the lunch break. It never looks that steep in pictures or even stood at the bottom. A few folks made it to the top, some didn’t. I still have the scars from my effort.
Unfortunately we also suffered the first proper breakdown of the trip with one of the Sag’s, sounding very rough under load, owner deciding it was best to get it recovered back to the UK. On the plus side a proper thrashing seemed to cure the Noble’s starting issues.
Almost 10 weeks after buying it, we get finally get to see the 2-eleven in the flesh.
2-eleven or not, had to let the old girl have a crack at Monza.
Big smiles.
A certain Mr Fangio.
Much steeper than it looks, could barely open the door.
Day 5: Milan - Scarperia, 200 mls
On our own from here as many of the others were intending to go off to Monaco, Germany, etc. Final battle through Milan traffic, maybe it’s all the coffee they drink in the morning. Made a detour to the Ferrari museum on the way down. Amazing how much attention a Aston gets in Italy.
Met a few other Lotus owners in the bar that night, so plenty to chat about (mostly about the merits of Honda conversions).
Somewhere outside Modena!
Tenuous Lotus link, Raikkonen’s 2007 championship winning car.
A bigger than normal Ferrari, a 1.1 scale mule.
Nice!
Day 6: Mugello - Warm & sunny, 17 mls
Preparing to go out on the sighting laps when we noticed a fluid trail on the diffuser. So into the Aston for sighting laps, back into the pits and trolley jack & tools out of the boot. Turned out to be small oil leak from the sump, managed to get a little nip on it. Undertrays back on and out for a few laps, back in to check, still leaking but only a small weap now.
Mugello is a fabulous track, but quite technical, the lack of running in morning made it quite difficult to find space to get into a settled rhythm. Great day but definitely unfinished business with Mugello.
Good to see the new arrivals getting along!
Finally some Exige content, still with UK tax, never did find the owner.
Mmmm, the German towcar with a less than German plate?
Day 7: Scarperia -Stuttgart, 527 mls
Leave hotel at 8:00am and head North to tick-off the Stelvio Pass, the Fluela Pass and onto Davos. Lost a couple of hours due to accidents on the autobahn, they are a completely different place at night when the lorries are allowed into the other lanes. Reached the hotel in Stuttgart at 10:30pm, checked-in, a couple of beers and off to bed.
Long day in the saddle ahead.
Breaking through the cloud base on Stelvio.
Hairpins ahoy!
Catching the traffic ahead.
Swiss alpine passes, the natural McLaren environment apparently.
Getting there.
Brakes getting a chance to cool off. Not a bad view either.
The new Mini testing possibly.
Camouflage working better on this. BMW but no idea which model.
Nice flowing roads on the Swiss side of Stelvio.
One of the natives.
V8 howl in 3,2,1.
Stunning scenery everywhere you looked.
Fluela all to ourselves.
Day 8: Stuttgart - Amsterdam, 422 mls
Tom Tom and Google maps reckoned just under 6 hours to get back for the ferry. Thought we better leave a bit earlier based on the time you lose if you catch an accident. Set of at 8:00am for a 4:45pm check-in, so almost 3 hours in hand. Heavy rain and spray doesn’t appear to affect Germans, especially BMW & Mercedes estates who were still nailing it in the outside lane with no real visibility (maybe they pray to a different God than us?). Lost about an hour due to accidents and another hour due to roadworks. Finally got to the ferry port with about 45 mins to spare after a sustained skelp along the autobahn (really hope it was an autobahn!) towards Arnhem.
Re-grouped with the others, dinner, beers and off to bed early, think most folks were exhausted by this point.
Regrouping at the Ijmuiden docks, almost beer o’clock.
Day 9: Newcastle - ABZ, 291 mls
Off the ferry and straight in the nearest pub for a farewell breakfast. Most folks headed off to make their own way home. Run back through the borders but quite a bit of traffic, by the time we hit the Edinburgh bypass everybody had become separated. Final hundred or so miles trying to remember we’re on a dual carriageway in the UK and not still on a de-restricted Autobahn.
A huge thanks are due to;
Stephen at Trackgroup for going out of his way to collect the 2-eleven, truly exceptional service.
Jonny & the team at BAT for committing to this trip, sorting hotels, shipping the car.
Stu Jones for his tuition, the man has the patience of a Saint.
The Milan petrol station staff, especially the very kind lady who got us to the hotel.
Scottish TVR owners club for the road trip, Strasbourg hotel.
&
Pete Watt for the official trip photography,
No thanks at all to Tom Tom, paid £60 for a updated map and about the same amount on the phone to their tech helpline trying to get it install, still not got the update to load. Total waste of space & money.
In summary 9 days, 2 cars, 2 tracks, 2,523 mls (not incl. track), £985.66 of Super Unleaded, Speeding tickets/ fines = £TBA
Great service.
you been on the gravy again
