Toy car

Well, drove myself home today.

S***! S***! S***!

It’s nothing like being a passenger. Even at 45kph (that’s a mite under 30), there’s a lot to have to pay attention to.
But I did it.
First time I’ve ever driven in my life.
Bloody hell.

Gotta be terse, standing outside (for 4G) as big thunderstorm so I’ve turned all the tech off. Time for a carbonara and a stiff Tetley.

Bravo! Le début de la reste de ta vie!

T’est vraiment indépendant!

Le monde est ton huitre!

Leve une tasse de ma parte aussi!

Well done. But remember that the most dangerous period for driving is not right at the start but when you have become blase and are still inexperienced. At least that is what I was warned many years ago.

I have been reading about the Cats Newspaper, first published 20-th October 1880, which reported in the first issue, in its Food column, on the strike of the Hull fisherman.

Even at 45kph (that’s a mite under 30), there’s a lot to have to pay attention to.

And at the other end of the scale, I’m going at about 112 in a 110 area, and a BMW zooms up behind me, overtakes, and speeds off into the distance (going at at least 130!)

It’s usually other people that you need to watch out for…

Even at 45kph (that’s a mite under 30), there’s a lot to have to pay attention to.

In line with Chris’s comment there’s a comment that my father made (and I heard the same from my instructor) – 10% of driving is controlling the car and the other 90% is keeping away from the other idiots on the road.

Specialist idiots tend to have cars marked “Uber” or have similar identifiers.

I had one of these as my daily driver for five years. I would have assumed you were parked.

I had one of these as my daily driver

Not around here you wouldn’t. Wobbly country roads (often 1 1/2 lane width), an obsession for speed humps (because French drivers), potholes, tractors, muck spreaders…
A car like that is only slightly less practical than a Sinclair C5.

Come back with a big ass 4WD so that when several tractors are blocking the road, their drivers enjoying “une verre” and showing no intention of moving, you can think “stuff this” and detour across the field.

Congrats, Rick!

For the first time in my life, with over 350,000 miles driven, I got caught in a speed trap a couple of weeks ago. Doing 112kph on a stretch of German autobahn that had a 100kph limit that I hadn’t noticed. Cost me €20 fixed penalty. Heigh ho.

Hadn’t noticed it probably because there was so much to pay attention to in the way of Big Trucks.

I used to drive a little 4WD (this one: http://clive.semmens.org.uk/Opinion/OffRoading.html ) and was once rather glad of the ability to detour across a field – at the top of the brow of a hill on the A68 I met an idiot coming rather fast the other way on my side of the road, overtaking someone.

At 50mph a series one Landie can jump a ditch and go clean through a hedge. Not comfortable for the driver, but the Landie didn’t care. Then I had to find a way back without charging a hedge and a ditch.

Come back with a big ass 4WD

It is 4WD.

It is 4WD.

Not really designed for offroading though, I suspect.

It’s amazing how many you do see off road though, probably not intentionally! :-p

It’s the rear-wheel steering. At the limit it feels like the back end is slipping, so many are tempted to ‘steer into the skid’… but it’s not slipping, it’s steering out to maintain grip, and so overenthusiastic newbie ends up wrapped around a tree.

Very…

…very…

…very…

…common…

…indeed.

It’s not like Gran Turismo you know.

Many people recommended removing the HICAS because if you didn’t know what it was and what it would feel like, it would probably kill you, and certainly kill the car.

The secret to driving the Skylines and GT-R at the limit is to just keep looking where you want to go and trust the gizmos to get you there. If you try and fight it, you won’t win.

Like the original Audi Quattro – many drivers were killed or injured as they assumed that the car could beat the laws of physics and pushed the car past its limits (and definitely past their own)…