It has been months since I finished the car but between DIY in the house, bad weather and most recently the birth of our second daughter, I just have not seemed to have the time or opportunity to drive the car.
So after hundreds of hours of work and a fair chunk of money, the car has effectively been sitting gather dust since it was finished.
All that changed today when everything finally fell in to place. Heidi was out with both of the kids this afternoon, it had not rained for several days (so the road was fairly dry) and the sun was shining (although very cold!). So I decided it was finally time to take the car out and give it the good run I have been promising myself for months.
So as soon as Heidi, Hannah and Lilly were packed off to meet with friends, I headed for the garage and rolled the beast out in to the drive.
As I had not driven the car since November, I started by checking over the car to make sure oil and brake fluid levels were ok. I should also have checked the water level but forgot (must remember next time). I also checked the brakes and had a general look over the car, then I twisted the key and jabbed the start button….and it did not start!
The engine turned over but did not spark, after 20 seconds, the started started to labour so I headed back to the garage to get my battery charger.
Mark from MAC#1 had told me that I should keep the battery on trickle charge all the time as the sealed race style battery I used was prone to discharging over fairly short periods of time. I didn’t really believe him but turned out he was absolutely right. I think I will need to add a plug somewhere on the car so that I can plug in the car charger without having to mess around with ‘jump’ leads.
Actually, it only took 20 minutes to charge the battery but I was not idle during that time. I took a look at the throttle cable as I was not happy with the ‘sticky’ feel. I had intended to take the cable off and re-route it (which I still need to do) but that is a tricky job without taking off the dashboard so I tried just loosening the cable which did the trick nicely.
With that battery charge showing a full charge, I tried starting the car again and this time, it caught after just a couple of revolutions. So it was finally time to get out their with no distractions, no question marks over brake, no warning lights and no family members to worry about. Time to have some fun.
I started with a slow lap round the village followed but a long straight run out towards the coast. This road is always totally empty so a good place to go of you are unsure about the car but I need not have worried as everything ran fine.
So with a bit more confidence, I decided take a round trip to Withensea (local seaside town) via some nice, twisty back roads.
This nice route allowed me to start to get a feel for the car as it involved lots of hills and corners as well as some nice fast straights. Once I arrived in Withensea, I picked my way through the town centre and am happy to report I was able to get over the speed bumps. The route back to my home village was via more conventional ‘A’ roads where I spent most of my time behind a Range Rover. I should have overtaken but I was still getting used to the car!
So what were my thoughts?
Firstly, the car runs really well. The engine is easy to drive and gear changes via the sequential box are much easier and intuitive than I thought they would be. At lower speeds the car feels very stable and planted on the road but I am not so convinced once the speed heads north of 60 as it felt just a little unsettled. I assume this is a setup issue but I will ask the experts at MAC#1.
Visibility is not great and I am not sure I have the driving position correct but I can tweak the seat position over the coming months.
Brakes are another area that will take a little getting used to. They do work well. I know this because I tried an emergency stop from about 40mph and I certainly stopped quickly but because the brakes have no servo assistance, the usual light pressure that would stop my BMW had virtually no effect on the MAC#1, an altogether more positive approach is needed to apply the brakes, but that is just something I need to get used to.
There was also one slightly scary moment when I broke a little too hard while taking a bend which resulted in a very very slight slide, no problem but a timely reminder that playing Forza does not make you a race drive. I must make sure I take things steady and walk before I can run!
So I finally got a good run in the car and now I can’t wait for the next opportunity. On the whole I was really pleased with the car today and now have a lot more confidence in both the engineering and about driving the car. Sure it was cold (and I was glad I had a helmet on) but the sun was shining, the roads were dry and I had a whale of a time. Now I am thinking about a track day sooner rather than later.
There are a few things I need get done and today’s adventure has given me the renewed enthusiasm to get them done, which is good as a Kit Car Magazine is coming to review the car in just a few short weeks. More on this later.
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