67 replies to this topic

[CocoPops]

Lucky escape Speedy! First thing I noticed tho is how sh*t those "barriers" are! They don't even look strong enough to be used as a hand rail!

[TheStoat]

sofly, softly catchy monkey...

Ahhh... [strokes beard] Wives and monkeys - some of the most difficult prey out there...

I think we'll take the smooth bore elephant gun today Smithers


Seriously though, if you're going to get tied to one vehicle for a while (and not in the good sense involving "equipment" etc ) then you could do a lot worse than a supercharged Exige. I say hurry up and buy the damn thing. Then come over here on a mini holiday so we can all have a go/look

Andy

P.S. I think you may have kerbed one of the alloys!

[Dave]

glad your still with us Dave

[Mutt & Jeff]

Gulp! So glad you're still with us mate Now, stop teasing us and tell us what you've been looking at!

[speedyK]

is the chassis still intact? engine working?
coz the only thing that seems broken to me from the pictures is the panels and windshield?

AFAIK, chassis is OK – I asked yesterday when I viewed the car. Running gear should be fine too.

But the insurance assessor had already looked at the car eailier in the week and informed me that it is definitely a write-off.

Like I said, the mech. said parts prices alone are crazy out here. He doubted very much that it would ever be rebuilt. Gave the example of another Speedster on which they replaced the seats (due, as I understood it, to inordinately high wear on the side bolsters). New O/E seats in leather were around Sfr.4,500.00 he told me.

Then items like new lights all round, virtually all new panels (clams front and rear, doors, rool hoop cover, sills), new windscreen – and repairing the frame might not be easy (and I'm not sure how this locates to the chassis, but there could be hidden damage at that point as it did take quite a knock – same applies to the mounting points of the rollhoop too), new seats, new head protectors,new side glass and trim panels, new side repeaters, new wheels, etc., etc..

Then factor in the cost of disassembly plus reassembly at Swiss labour rates...

And even if someone did fix it, keeping all that appeared OK on the car (suspension arms, etc.), I for one would not be too keen on taking it too the limit on track and hoping that nothing had been overseen that could suddenly let go . And I certainly wouldn't want to go on a mountain pass in it!

[cheeky_chops]

No, my head didn't hit the screen – those impacts are from the rocks it landed on.

ouch - reminds me of what could of been when i slipped 30 ft down a colouir, spun me round and then fell head first off 10ft of rocks snowboarding at Argentiere Luckily there was 4ft of snow to cussion my head/neck....

I've never felt the same about boarding since

[Black Knight]

Well, if you're selling it I may be interested, and also know a couple other chaps too. My chassis is bent it seems, the anti-roll bar mounting point is kinda bent, along with other things.. So I'd just move all the panels to your chassis, assuming the engine works on yours and all that.. Panels are easy to replace.. My front clam also gone though, I can get a hold of one cheap though.. But I also need headlights, crashbox, suspension arms, radiator mountings, basicly everything in front of the anti-roll bar/chassis.. Are your crashbox and radiator bits still intact? Front suspension arms?

[speedyK]

Now, stop teasing us and tell us what you've been looking at!

Not come to any decision yet...

I'm trying to look at it from all sides.

Looked at from my motoring needs/desires, I keep coming up with the same answer: Buy it!

Looked at from a financial point of view, it is at least twice the price I feel halfway comfortable spending.

Inside view of my troubled (bumped) head:

Really, I want a car that will be used purely for fun (I have other cars that meet the mundane day-to-day requirements for commuting, shopping, snowboarding, etc.). The way it is today with radar and computer-linked CCTV scanning evry move you make on the road, that means track use and the odd alpine excursion to combine the hobbies of cars and photography. Anything more without undue compromise of its track ability would be a bonus (comfort aspects like ventilation, heating, storage capacity, sound system, etc.) but they do not have priority.

Keep having thoughts like "For this money you could get a brand new Cayman S – brilliant drive, solid as a rock( both materially and in depreciation), easy to use, all mod cons, two year full guarantee – thinking man's choice". But would I feel the need to go to the garage just to look at it ( or even touch it to make sure I'm not dreaming) as I admit to doing with the Speedster from time to time?

Or, 911 Turbo: 4WD – could even use it in winter every day. But I've tried this car at Hock. and it left me uninvolved (as did even a GT3). People may think I must be mad, but they just don't do it for me...

On top of all that, though many respect, admire or even worship Porsches, I still don't like the looks.

Then a F355:

Yes, fantastic car, especially GTS: Like a bigger, supercar version of my old X1/9. Looked one over in detail at a race instruction track day and liked what I found, but this guy was lapping slower than me – presumably only to limit his risk and reduce his tyre/brakes bill. Clearly, the heavier and more exotic the car, the greater the running costs too.

Furthermore, some may shake their heads on hearing such a statement, but a 355 is old hat. The chassis rigidity and steering feel can't really compare to that of a super-rigid bonded alu chassis (though I know Noble do quite well with conventional chassis – my bro even talked to Lee Noble once at the Geneva show and, on the subject of chassis, Noble said he didn't care – they could be made of chocolate as far as he is concerned – main thing is the result – but no Nobles available here anyway, so that is academic).

Another factor is things like new legislation: at the mo, in Switz., we are
recommended to drive with headlamps on at all times – it is not (yet) mandatory. I'm just waiting for the first case where someone who has done nothing wrong is told they are partially to blame in a collision because they did not make use of all the possibilities to prevent a collision by having their lights on. Secondly, pedestrian safety is being written bigger and bigger, so the more mental in the anti-car lobby will no doubt want a special (additional) tax based on a car's pedestrian-friendliness – in the case of the F355, calculated with the pop-up lights up of course (as they should be on at all times) – that will get it a good rating I don't think and will antagonise the car-haters even more, leaving owners of pop-up lights cars open to harranguement. (c.f. the current anti-4x4 aggression of these nutters).

Finally, being a Ferrai owner can have many negative connotations amongst the envious, great unwashed in a relatively small community that I don't really want to have to live with. (They can think I'm insane, but shouldn't think I've got money to burn – which I most certainly haven't!).

Also tried the "Jap F355", the NSX, and wasn't convinced.

Could also get a DB7 for less, but when all's said and done, yes, it is gorgeous to look at and being able to say you own an Aston sounds good, but basically it is still an XJS (1970's chassis) at heart and how at home would that be at Hockenheim?

Not going to say more at the mo - still struggling between lust and the prospect of trying to explain something like this to a dyed-in-the-wool, sensible, conservative bank manager!

Anyone else like to suggest something I should consider that would thrill me on track and make me want to take pics of it? And no pitlane bunny suggestions thanks – I mean 4-wheels thrills (bikes are out of the question for me).

[BradW]

Wow...those pics make it a whole lot clearer than the one in the dark...you're so lucky! So, in choosing the next car, isn't 4 wheel drive on the list of priorities?

[Moonkey]

Good to read your ok. Looking at the pictures though you've got to praise the car for holding up so well. Would the Swiss authorities let you have a TVR Sagaris, the one with the loud side exit exhausts before they revise it with them out the back...

[Ferguson]

The recovery pictures make me even more amazed at your luck. Suggestions for replacement? Just for fun, why not try a C6 'Vette? Don't buy one, of course (you thought Ferrari drivers had image problems...), but it would be fun to see how they are, now that they've trimmed down. I grew up with a lot of Detroit "heavy metal", and there is something to be said for a big, bellowing V8. With its pushrods and huge displacement, the LS2 is the opposite approach to the screaming Ferrari V8s, but even in the rattly, noodly old C5 'Vette the smallblock was a lot of fun. I would give a pound of flesh (well, maybe a few grams at least) to have a go at the upcoming Z06 on a track or airfield... I would stay with "small and nimble". Colin Chapman was always my kind of guy, and as an engineer the philosophy really appeals to me of "adding lightness" for speed, and probably most of the VX/Speedster owners are on the same wavelength. I really like the Speedster, but I could see myself eventually going even more extreme and getting into a Caterham... if it's anyway just a driving toy, why not? Although you mention creature comforts being a bonus, does the small trunk and marginal heater of a VX or Elise really make a difference? I know I would go out to the garage just to look at a well-prepared 7. I spent a long time admiring one in a carpark the other day. Go crazy and get a bike-engined one. Or how about something crazy like the Westfield XI? Then again, side curtains and pop snaps are quite a drag. Edit: Now I remember from your "In memory" post that the whole reason you got the Speedster was for the increased safety (consideration for family, career, etc.) so guess that rules out any glorified go-karts... Looks like it has to be the Exige...

Edited by Ferguson, 21 October 2005 - 01:56 PM.

[Mackem]

Good luck with everything speedyk

[speedyK]

Well, if you're selling it I may be interested, and also know a couple other chaps too. My chassis is bent it seems, the anti-roll bar mounting point is kinda bent, along with other things..
So I'd just move all the panels to your chassis, assuming the engine works on yours and all that..

Panels are easy to replace..

My front clam also gone though, I can get a hold of one cheap though.. But I also need headlights, crashbox, suspension arms, radiator mountings, basicly everything in front of the anti-roll bar/chassis..
Are your crashbox and radiator bits still intact? Front suspension arms?

Out of my hands I'm afraid – i'm just taking the insurance money.

AFAIK, all the bits are still intact apart from panels/lights etc. The car didn't hit anything head-on or drop nose-first. Because I got it as parallel to the road as possible, it just went over in a roll.

This pic my wife took (salvaging my Union Jack and Lotus roundels ) shows that the front (apart from clam/lights) is not too bad.

Attached Files

•  DSCF0008_bonnet.jpg   47.71KB   0 downloads

[speedyK]

So, in choosing the next car, isn't 4 wheel drive on the list of priorities?

Not for a track car – 911 Turbo is not involving enough.

(i have a 4x4 and a FWD for winter use).

[speedyK]

Looking at the pictures though you've got to praise the car for holding up so well.

A roll-hoop is something I would not want to be without. Did the job

Would the Swiss authorities let you have a TVR Sagaris, the one with the loud side exit exhausts before they revise it with them out the back...

Not my kind of car. I want traction out of corners and finesse.

My bro's neighbour in Hampshire recently bought one. He's already decided to sell as there was a long list of faults on delivery that the dealer has failed to adequately resolve and new ones have developed with frightening frequency. He's getting a 997 Carrera S...

As for the side exhaust, no chance here – when my bro was in Switz., he had a new Caterham built-up for him by a Swiss Lotus dealer – to get road approval a full- length, rear-exit pipe with extra box was required.

[speedyK]

why not try a C6 'Vette?

That's yet another Sfr.10,000 on top, so deffo not on anyway.

But, trouble is anyway, as with TVRs, you are always fighting for traction. I found it quite frustrating tracking my 300ZXTwinTurbo for that reason. C6 would be a nice car for a holiday for two, but I'm not into smoke screen drifts on track – not in my own car anyway – that's all money going up in smoke! Didn't mind at all doing it to the Opel-supplied Speedster Turbo I was allowed to test to my heart's content at the Boxberg testground back in '03 though

For me, needs to be mid-engined...

[robin]

lucky man main thing is your ok! as to car im afraid a exige would be my new toy without even thinking about it, they look great and do exactly what you want, get better soon

[Jules_E]

Looks like you had a seriously lucky escape mate! As many other's have already said, I'm really glad that you made it out with just the injuries that you have. I hope you do get back on the road soon and get something fun to replace the VX, but, at the risk of sounding like my grandma, do take care on all those twisty mountain roads!

[Smiler]

you already know what you want stop fighting it!...Echhhsiege.... messy pics.. so glad you got out of there to enjoy driving another day even looking at the pics gives me the judders... respect due

[Scottieb]

OK Keith, this is a long shot, but is this car V8 powered and made by a uk company? (or am i being a bit predictable ? )