Monday, July 30, 2007
Topless again
Spent the weekend in the UK, driving from Bristol to Plymouth on Saturday, then back up to London on Sunday, dumping the car at Heathrow and heading into town on the train, which cost less than the overnight parking for said car.
Since it was only a few hundred miles with a camera-enforced 70mph I went for the bog-standard Ford Focus; on arrival at the Avis desk at Bristol Airport, was delighted to receive an upgrade, to a Peugeot 307cc. This is an interesting car: a coupe/convertible. Despite the overcast skies, I had to drive it with the lid down, of course ... apart from the 3-mile stretch on the A38 near Exeter where it rained so hard that I had to stop and raise the roof.
Compared with the 280SL, there's very little wind intrusion, thanks to the very steeply raked windscreen. Performance wasn't too bad - mine was a turbo-diesel which managed to accelerate well past the 70mph legal limit while still in fourth gear, so having a six speed 'box was overkill.
Over the weekend visiting relatives we managed four-up although there wasn't much legroom in the back - there wasn't even a seatbelt for a third person in the middle of the back seat.
Before the Heathrow drop-off I filled the tank, which consumed less than 40 liters (a relief since diesel in the UK is now a penny off GBP1 a liter, which is $8 a gallon. That's excellent for 400-or-so miles. I don't think it would qualify for the Alpentour 2008, though.
Since it was only a few hundred miles with a camera-enforced 70mph I went for the bog-standard Ford Focus; on arrival at the Avis desk at Bristol Airport, was delighted to receive an upgrade, to a Peugeot 307cc. This is an interesting car: a coupe/convertible. Despite the overcast skies, I had to drive it with the lid down, of course ... apart from the 3-mile stretch on the A38 near Exeter where it rained so hard that I had to stop and raise the roof.
Compared with the 280SL, there's very little wind intrusion, thanks to the very steeply raked windscreen. Performance wasn't too bad - mine was a turbo-diesel which managed to accelerate well past the 70mph legal limit while still in fourth gear, so having a six speed 'box was overkill.
Over the weekend visiting relatives we managed four-up although there wasn't much legroom in the back - there wasn't even a seatbelt for a third person in the middle of the back seat.
Before the Heathrow drop-off I filled the tank, which consumed less than 40 liters (a relief since diesel in the UK is now a penny off GBP1 a liter, which is $8 a gallon. That's excellent for 400-or-so miles. I don't think it would qualify for the Alpentour 2008, though.
Labels: Alpentour, petrolhead
# posted by Nesjo : 00:32
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