Special K

Hey! That's what the car hire offers in the wilds of no-mans land... Fin sports? no flippers. Fan sports? No Wimbledon. Fun sports? No theme parks. Faith sports? Yep.... Of cors a enjoyed it...

Welcome AJ. Just follow the golden rule - bigger is better.... and get some tracktime, both you and the car will appreciate it... Spec K

Sorry I misheard... I though you were talking about Glayva.... Spec K

Wouldn't mind joining you at Brands, Ed... Spec K

Ian, As I look out of my office window I view 'Concours Auto Products' who trade as "Cover-Zone". They make bespoke auto covers and I chatted with them a year or so ago. As far as they were aware no-one made a cover for the GT86... but if you liaise with them they can use my car as the template if necessary... Spec K

Yeah.... and none of you lot tried the Grand Prix game..! My best lap was awesome - I only binned it 8 times... Great fun Jay. Thanks to Mum and Dad... also big thanks to Faith, who got me out of a jam when I was stranded in Chatteris at 8.45pm.... .... that was one heck of a wild ride to the hotel in Thetford, Faith - 60 odd miles in 55 minutes... my poor little Corsa definitely suffered following you, it ain't built to do 95mph... Spec K

Ah..... another km merchant, like Lauren.... 25k miles in nine months..... oooerr.... Spec K

Light blue touchpaper and stand well clear..... Spec K

Hi Howie... welcome! Did you bring your car to the UK on a temporary import? I like it! - I've been toying with doing the same when (if!) I go to Thailand... I'm guessing you may be located in East Anglia, so I look forward to having a chat at Snet on Saturday. Some of us are bunking down at the Premier Inn at Thetford tomorrow night - join us if you're able.. Spec K

Rob, you have to think 3".. when you become an f/i man you must put away childish things... Spec K

Aoshi.. great! When are you buying the car to put the bits on..? Spec K

Looks like a silencer... but could be their version of a resonator... My H&S straight pipe was certainly louder than the silenced version currently fitted.. very similar looking to the above.. Spec K

I met a fairy today,,, asked me to wish for something.. " I want to live forever" I said.. "Sorry" said the fairy, "I cannot grant that wish, it's out of my hands.." "Okay.." I said ".. then I want to live until England wins the World Cup" " You crafty bastard" said the fairy.. Spec K

Bumps! Bumps! Spec K

Good size choice, Ian. I thought I had overtyred with my 255/40/17 on 9" rims - being mindful of Lauren's comments on wall angles. But it is certainly throwable, I enjoyed the progressive feel at Woodbridge.. very little to choose between the two but I now have a bit more confidence in the Michelin Sport 3's than I did with the F1 Eagles.. (err... but I've not tried 'em in the wet yet..) Spec K

What tyres you going for, Ian? Spec K

Oi! Find you own links to a new missus... whatd'ya think I am, a pimp..? Spec K

High Noon? Spec K

Tired of being broke, unable to buy a GT86 and stuck in an unhappy marriage, a husband decided to solve his problems by cashing in on a large insurance policy taken out on his wife's life by arranging her demise.. A 'friend of a friend' put him in touch with a nefarious (dark-side?) underworld figure who went by the name of 'Artie'. He explained his going price for a spouse-snuff was £10grand.. Hubbie explained that, whilst willing to pay, he would not have the cash until he collected the insurance money. The hit man insisted on being paid something up front, so the husband opened his wallet, displaying a single pound coin therein.. the prospective murderer sighed, rolled his eyes and reluctantly agreed to accept the nugget as down payment for the dirty deed. A few days later Artie followed the man's wife into the local Aldi store. There, he surprised her and proceeded to strangle her with his gloved hands... As the unuspecting woman drew her last breath and slumped to the floor, the manager of the Aldi produce department stumbled unexpectedly onto the murder scene. As you can imagine, our Artie was unwilling to leave witnesses to his dastardly crime behind, so he had no choice but to strangle this poor unfortunate as well... However... unknown to Artie the entire proceedings were recorded on cctv and the store's security guard immediately called the police... Artie was caught and arrested before he could even leave the premises! Under judicial interrogation (boots, clubs and 240volts to the unmentionables) Artie revealed the whole sordid plan, including his unusual financial arrangements with the hapless husband who was also quickly arrested.. The next day, in the Sun newspaper the headline declared... " ARTIE CHOKES 2 for £1 at ALDI " (.. picks self up from floor...) Spec K

List price is £313.33 plus VAT, available 2-3 days.... (.. you could buy another car for that... or a new missus...) Spec K

Uprated torque converter/valve body/ trans oil cooler are being fitted next week... hopefully in time for a gentle test session at Snetterton.. Mike (Hilander) was the first UK owner to have this done, I believe - Mark at Abbey installed it for him. And he is s/charged... Spec K

Lauren - there are ways to 'launch' an auto.... by left foot braking and rev it to launch speed (spins the rear wheels) as graphically described and practiced in yesteryears by a certain Mr. Smith from the Fens..... However, it is definitely not recommended with the std. GT86 autobox. The torque converter, based on the Lexus box, is just not butch enough to take over 250 horses - the standard plates are so thin and the heat generated is so extreme that the metal buckles, I am told... and this is why I am reluctant to pursue my quest at this time for the Growly Hail. But time (and due diligence) have a propensity to find solutions, allegedly... Spec K

James - it is demonstrably and blatantly slower off the line! You cannot rev the damn thing up and slip the clutch - wheelspin is unknown on an auto from standing start... I crawl away from the line until I hit 2800rpm, the turbo kicks in and then it takes off.. I believe this costs me a full second off the line at the TSS.. I'd be happy to take part in a drag race against a manual turbo - or s/charged - just to prove the point.. I am hoping this will change with some new tweaks... looking to develop launch control... we shall see at Blyton.. The auto upshift is quicker than a manual and I think is quoted at 0.2sec... and so is the downshift. An auto driver can fully concentrate on braking, without heel-and-toe and can drop 2/3 gears, with autoblip, in less time than it takes a manual to change down once.. that's where the auto not only feels faster but actually is, in my opinion.. If I was a safety nutter I would ban manual gearboxes... to take one hand off the steering wheel to stir a pudding is perverse as it reduces your steering control by 50%... might as well leave the indicator and wiper controls on the dashboard... <discuss whilst I darfc..> Spec K

Dan - suffice it to say that, at 280 bhp/tonne you will be up there. The RMA Trackday instructor who tested my car said it was Porsche acceleration with 335i handling.. with manual box you will be way faster off the line than me. There's only one way to find out - come to a trackday ! Spec K

..for the ladies.. One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room he shouted to me "What setting do I use on the washing machine?" "It depends" I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?" He yelled back "Liverpool" And they say blondes are dumb.... -o0o- A couple are laying in bed... ... the man says "I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world" ... the woman replies "I'll miss you..." -o0o- What does it mean when a man is in your bed, gasping for breath and calling your name? You did not hold the pillow down long enough.. -o0o- Why do men whistle when they are sitting on the toilet? It helps them remember which end to wipe.. -o0o- How do you keep your man from reading your emails? Re-name the mail folder "Instruction Manuals" Spec K