This year’s spring weekend will see us continuing our exploration of the far north of Scotland, with our base the historic small town of Dornoch, less than an hour from Inverness on the east coast, a great touring base for Sutherland and Cromarty.
We will be staying at Dornoch Castle Hotel :steeped in Scottish history and fascinating legends, this 15th century castle hotel firmly stands its ground opposite the inspiring 12th century Dornoch Cathedral. Set in private and beautifully manicured gardens, this Scottish Castle still bears an air of magnificence and grace. There is a choice of superior castle rooms and recently upgraded garden rooms in a more modern extension.
What to see and do
Apart from the town of Dornoch itself, with its 12th century cathedral, and championship golf course, there are also some wonderful empty beaches close by to explore. You can also drive further north to Dunrobin Castle, seat of the Dukes of Sutherland. To the west is the village of Lairg and some fabulous open roads to the north coast, including Strathnaver, and a favourite stop off point in past trips – the Crask Inn.
Pretty fishing villages dot the Eastern seaboard to the south, which is an area of historic importance. Proud of their ancestry, the villages are linked by the ‘Pictish Trail’. The Old Church at Nigg displays a magnificent stone decorated with Pictish symbols and imagery.
The renowned Glenmorangie Distillery is also close by, where creating the famous malt is entrusted to the ‘Sixteen Men of Tain’.
Price: £183 per person for a standard room in the garden wing, or £230 per person for a superior castle room. This is based on two sharing a twin or double room ensuite. Single occupancy of a double room available for a £47 supplement.
Price includes two nights’ accommodation including dinner both nights, a full route plan, and Robert’s Recommendations on what to see and do in the local area.
To book:
Call Robert Kidd on 0141 202 0638 or email to Robert@mckinlaykidd.co.uk to book your place.
Contact Matt to reserve the car of your choice.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
They don't make 'em like they used to...
Archie Vicar was old school. Very old school. Here is an apocryphal tale from his time as a motoring journalist in the 60's - a review of the then new Bentley T series. Enjoy, Matt
Archie Vicar drives to Sicily in the new motor carriage from Crewe.
Photos by Douglas Land-Windermere
The Bentley marque conjours images of the driver Richard "Dick" Seaman charging along the Mulsanne Straight at a hundred miles per hour. That he achieved this very respectable pace minus a tyre is a tribute to his Bentley and to his boundless idiocy. Great chap. He is very much missed in motoring circles. For a while Bentley´s sporting character has been as absent and as lamented as Mr Seaman. The last batches of Bentleys have, to be rather frank, been a little hard to distinguish from their Rolls-Royce stablemates.
"...athletic credentials..."
The glad tidings are that there now comes a new Bentley, the T-type, which might re-establish Bentley´s athletic credentials. To quote the elegantly handwritten letter from Bentley´s public relations fellow: "The new Bentley T is truly a motor-carriage for the man who likes to conduct his own vehicle and for whom sporting performance is a matter of great interest. The T-type saloon offers peerless acceleration, superb roadholding and ride-quality of the highest standard, coupled with comfortable, supportive seating for the most spirited motoring." Was this true? Upon receipt of this letter we telephoned Bentley to make an appointment to ask if we could gain access to one of their motor cars.
Bentley very kindly offered us a T-type, (finished in Sepulchre Blue over black, only 1200 miles and as new, one of the finest we´ve seen) to take for a little spin to see how sporting the T really is.
"...besmirch the upholstery..."
We booked the Bentley onto the Silver City flight to le Touquet, feeling that a morbidly blue Bentley probably ought not to mix with the plebeian motorists found on the Townshend Thoresen steam ferry. Furthermore, Mr Land-Windermere is prone to sea sickness and it would have been not a little unpleasant to besmirch the Bentley´s leather upholstery. Off we flew and within a trice the Bentley was purring along on the worst of French roads as if gliding on melted butter. We were able to appreciate the smooth power of the 6,230 cc 8-cylinder engine and could casually dismiss the flocks of white Renaults and Peugeots that, to this day, infest much of France.
The self-levelling independent suspension has made a dramatic difference to the Bentley´s ride when compared with the old S3. It absorbed the bumps and undulations of the French road network and gave me great confidence in pressing on to our lunch in Rennes. The three-speed torque converter transmission struck me as a flexible and robust device, managing shifts at a second´s notice. When it came to decelarating, for example when I saw a good place for a spot of liquid refreshment, the triple-circuit hydraulic servo brakes quickly brought the Bentley to heel. The monococque chassis is another characteristic of the modern sporting saloon. Just such a thing is to be found somewhere behind the leather and wood that covers every available square inch of the Bentley´s interior. Despite the Bentley´s sporting appearance (the low bonnet line and unique Bentley grille help) the car still has many luxuries such as a standard radio, electrically adjustable chairs and air-conditioning. We appreciated this useful feature in the warm weather that prevailed during the test.
"...sleep entirely undisturbed..."
Taking the car south to Bordeaux (collecting some fines wines) , we then motored via the Perigord across the Massif Central, intent on driving the Bentley to the home of sporting motoring, Sicily, where the Targa Florio takes place annually. The T1 covered the ground (Puy, Montelimar, St Raphael, Monaco, the Italian Riviera, Rome) without demur. For most of the time Mr Land-Windermere was able to sleep entirely undisturbed on the ample rear-seats. I can think of no greater compliment to a car´s suspension.
We stopped in Monaco after 18 hours at the wheel, during which I paused only to refill the car´s splendid 24 gallon fuel tank every 288 miles (equating to approximately four-hour intervals). We averaged 65 m.p.h., proving the Bentley really can show other sports cars how it can be done. Where conditions allowed, the Bentley had no difficulty sustaining a comfortable hundred miles per hour. 120 miles per hour is the maximum speed. Is that sporting enough? Well, speed is not everything. Whilst a Ferrari or one of Mr Lamborghini´s fragile new confections may be able to reach far higher outright speeds, the idea of crossing Europe in a roasting-oven on wheels defies contemplation.
"...the output is not specified..."
The Bentley is powered by an overhead valve motor. Cleaving to Crewe´s traditions, the output is not specified. Two SU carbs help out and, if one is critical, the 9 to 1 compression ratio seems a little behind the times. A 12 volt electrical system keeps the lights glowing. I mention these details for the sake of completeness. It would appear the time is upon us that some motorists are quite uninterested in the mechanical attributes of their machines.
Despite the distance travelled it was not until reaching Sicily that I was fully certain that the conditions were right to really challenge the Bentley´s performance and handling qualities. This, I felt, would be the true test. So, pushing the accelerator with as much vim and vigour as only a Malvern man can, I set out to explore Bentley´s reserves of grip, braking and acceleration. With a map of the Targa Florio pinned to the walnut dash, I charged off and worked hard to keep the T on the boil.
"...oblivious to his surroundings..."
Not having the time to do a proper recce, I had to use all available clues to read the road. The dangerous corners seemed to be the ones where the people gathered to watch the cars. They don´t have so much else do down in Sicily, it seems. Near San Giussepi, a pasta vendor cycled right out in front of me, oblivious to his surroundings. The Bentley slid rather gracefully around him as I locked the brakes completely. With a bit of opposite lockery, we were safely around a corner and Land-Windermere drifted back to the land of nod. Over the course of the route, I noticed that if by-standers were not looking at me, I probably wasn´t going fast enough. If they started scattering, I was probably overdoing it. Out of respect for Bentley´s property, I did try to ease off occasionally.
I nearly had a bit of a prang on the second lap, but managed to avoid doing more than knocking off a silly bit of chrome trim and the last hub-cap. We also broke two bottles of a fine Petrus. At about ten miles into the route I suspected the plugs were a bit oiled as the Bentley was firing uncertainly. Then they must have cleared as there was an almighty surge of urge from the motor and I found myself pointing at a rock face before a hair-pin bend with more power than with which I knew what to do. Luckily, a length of stout guardrail kept us on track and I was able to slide the car along it, shaving off speed hastily. We left the rear bumper behind us, clattering across the road. Land-Windermere got out shortly after – for a little exercise, perhaps. To do so he had to climb out of the window because the doors had sustained some damage when the car met the ironwork. The lesson learned here was the turn-in and steering quality were as one would of expect of car with a more sporting role in life but which also aspires to great comfort.
"...some loafing farmers..."
There fell much rain the night before so I was thankful for Bentley´s grippy standard tyre. Prodigious quantities of mud were sprayed all over the car´s body work by lunch time (usefully obscuring much of the damage). I ran across a bit of a muddy stretch and felt the car wander. On one side stood some loafing farmers who I didn´t really want to alarm so I had no choice but to let the Bentley´s masses find the line of most resistance, which in this instance, lay sideways in the direction of a heap of soft earth left standing about. There was a bit of a dull thud and the side windows went black while soil ploughed up to the roof. No harm done, however, and with a bit of revving the Bentley pulled itself free and off I went. The rear window remained clogged with soil and dirt but the air-conditioning meant I didn´t need to open it anyway.
"...bottom..."
While I would say the suspension was more than comfortable enough for most, the drawback was that, under very specific conditions, the car could bottom-out. Then the sump would occasionally make contact with the tarmacadam. I can report that the Bentley can take large doses of this kind of abrasion. It was a humpback bridge that led to the sump´s final undoing. We left oil all over the road and had to make an emergency stop at a blacksmith who kindly offered to affect a repair. We stopped for the night in Pelegrino where some urchins stole the Bentley badges and a curious passer-by broke the offside quarter light and removed the radio. The mortadella was excellent and I stocked up on some panoforte.
I carried on around the Targa Florio for the remainder of the second day, and the only reason I had to stop was that I had drained several of the smaller petrol stations in the area. Over the 3200 miles of the tour the Bentley consumed 290 gallons of four star and I consumed 240 cigarettes. The ashtray needed emptying just twice a day, which is very, very creditable indeed. This speaks volumes of the attention to detail Bentley have paid in making this a truly peerless sporting saloon.
Concluding remarks
I can conclude that having been declared to be a high performance motor, the T lives up to its billing. Otherwise we would not have attempted to ask of it tasks its sedate and bloated Rolls-Royce stablemate could never have managed. Thus, when Bentley inquired how the car returned with so many dents, scratches and bits of missing trim, they could not affect surprise when I replied "Well, we drove it in a spirited fashion. It´s not a Rolls-Royce, is it?"
A lambswool passenger rug (in matching colours) will be available to order.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Gordon Murray on the Honda NSX
To help while away the winter months and whet appetites for the coming spring, here's an interesting article by Gordon Murray on the Honda NSX and what makes a supercar. Gordon Murray was the pre-eminent Formula One car designer through the 70's and 80's. He also was the designer of the legendary McLaren F1.
Our 1995 NSX now has over 200,000 miles on the clock but is still loved by members just as much as it was when they first drove it some 8 years ago.
It's very difficult to discuss the NSX using current values and sensibilities. When the NSX debuted, the word "supercar" was still a relatively new idea in Europe. There are some who would say the Lamborghini Miura from the late 1960s was the first supercar. However, the truth is the explosion of modern supercars really started at the end of the 1980s.
At the end of the 80s was the time when McLaren Cars was conceiving the idea for the McLaren F1. To that end, I was concentrating on coming up with what I wanted in a road car.
To my thinking, the ideal car is one in which I could get in the driver's seat and be out for a drive in downtown London, and then want to continue straight on to southern France. A car that you can trust, with functional air conditioning, and retains daily drivability. No offset pedals allowed. No high dashboards restricting your view either. Having a low roof hitting your head every time you go over a bump in the name of aerodynamics and styling is out of the question. It is essential that a supercar be a pleasure to drive, and anything detracting from that must be excised.
I started by driving the cars known then as "supercars." The Porsche 959, Bugatti EB110, Ferrari F40, Jaguar XJ220. Unfortunately, none of these fit the pattern of the supercar we were trying to build. What we wanted was a relatively compact, usable driver's car. The Porsche 911 had the usability, but with the engine packed in the back, it had a weakness in its handling stability.
During this time, we were able to visit with Ayrton Senna (the late F1 Champion) and Honda's Tochigi Research Center. The visit related to the fact that at the time, McLaren's F1 Grand Prix cars were using Honda engines.
Coincidentally, I spotted an NSX prototype parked near the course. I also learned at the time that Ayrton was assisting in the development of the NSX. And that Honda rear mid-engined sports car--the NSX--was the friendly supercar that we had been looking for. This car had perfectly functional air conditioning, a reasonably roomy trunk, and of course, it was a Honda, with the high levels of quality and reliability that implies.
Then I had the opportunity to drive it. Along with Ron Dennis (President, McLaren Cars) and Mansour Ojjeh (Tag McLaren Group Representative), we drove the prototype on the Tochigi Research Center test course. I remember being moved, thinking, "It is remarkable how our vision comes through in this car."
Of course as you know, the engine has only six cylinders; however, the NSX's very rigid chassis is excellent and would easily be capable of handling more power. Although it's true I had thought it would have been better to put a larger engine, the moment I drove the "little" NSX, all the benchmark cars--Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini--I had been using as references in the development of my car vanished from my mind. Of course the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSX's ride quality and handling would become our new design target.
When working on the development of a new car for years, it's easy to be caught in certain pitfalls. When you drive the car under development for testing every day (in truth, I was responsible for two-thirds of the testing for the McLaren F1), in that time, you can unknowingly convince yourself you are making progress when in fact you are not. For example, it's human nature that at the end of a long day you may want to think that your efforts to reduce low speed harshness are working better than they are. It is at times like this when you need a car to compare with. In those situations, the NSX time and again showed us the path in the areas of ride quality and handling, and also helped us recognize when we weren't making as much progress as we thought.
In my opinion, the NSX's most special quality has long been overlooked.
That could be summarized with the words, "The NSX's suspension is amazing."
Both the body and suspension are aluminum, and it probably couldn't be helped that journalists' attention has been focused on praising the aluminum body. However, the suspension is the much more impressive use of aluminum.
It's lightweight, tough, yet compliant. Also contributing to the refined NSX's handling and ride quality are 17 inch wheels and tires that are not overly large. The NSX's suspension is truly an ingenious system, and back then I imagined the development costs must have been enormous. To achieve that unparalleled accuracy and superior ride quality, longitudinal wheel movement is allowed via the use of a compliance pivot.
Compliance refers to when you travel over a bump, the tire experiences a longitudinal force, which the tire and suspension must move with and absorb the shock. The pivot couples the upper and lower arms. It is connected to the arms via ball joints so that they move as a unit. When encountering input, the pivot rotates, keeping alignment changes to near zero while retaining compliance (see diagram). The inspiration obtained from this NSX suspension system would later influence the development of the McLaren F1's suspension.
The NSX was also the first car to use DBW (Drive By Wire). It felt very pleasing. DBW is when instead of using a mechanical cable, an electronic signal is used to communicate throttle position. It achieved a very natural, linear feeling throttle, and I can now hide my embarrassment and confess that I copied the idea during the development of the McLaren F1 (laughs).
The low-slung NSX's driver's seat position also provided just the right head clearance and an amazing field of view. The NSX development team moved the air conditioning unit away from the dash and deep into the NSX's nose in order to obtain more space. That air conditioning unit is an excellent one, and normally, you don't notice whether it's on or not.
On the day I bought the NSX, I pressed the "Auto" button and since then until selling it, I never had to touch it. It was that perfect. Ah, I also remember the audio system as being very good.
However, the media wrote up the aluminum body, and the many merits and advantages I perceived in the NSX have largely been overlooked.
In my opinion, the NSX, while being such a great sports car, had two large flaws in it's marketing. First, at the time, the public was not ready to accept a Japanese car that was this expensive. The second is that for supercar customers, the power figures were not quite high enough. Of course, the prototype's engine was not bad, and soon the VTEC engine was added. Whenever I hear that VTEC sound it's amazing. I am repeating myself, but the NSX's excellent chassis would have been capable of handling much more power.
With just a slightly lower price, or possibly selling it with a different brand name and a different badge, or perhaps endowing it with a touch flashier and more aggressive styling and additional power, there is no question the NSX would have reigned as a cult star of the supercars.
However, during that time, in Honda's philosophy there was a resistance to large engines with many cylinders. I am not certain, but probably at the time, the voluntary restraint on power limits was a factor. Being a fan of Honda engines, I later went to Honda's Tochigi Research Center on two occasions and requested that they consider building for the McLaren F1 a 4.5 liter V10 or V12. I asked, I tried to persuade them, but in the end could not convince them to do it, and the McLaren F1 ended up equipped with a BMW engine.
The NSX's development costs must have been enormous. Everything on it is unique. The chassis, powertrain, even the air conditioning are peerless. That aluminum body was very expensive. The numerous hurdles overcome by the NSX to reach production in areas such as spot welding, corrosion, and repairability make it a monumental work in automotive history. The philosophy of creating a car for human beings is apparent throughout. If it were me, I probably would not have obsessed over the aluminum and would have settled for a steel structure with aluminum panels to try to achieve a similar weight reduction. But what I really want to emphasize is the suspension. It is a a groundbreaking use of aluminum.
There are a few things that could be improved on the NSX. First, the tires are too soft. Over the seven years I ran mine, I went through 14 sets of tires. After changing over to harder-compound Michelins in the rear, my tire life increased. As a result, rear grip was decreased slightly, but driving became more fun. The NSX's traction control and ABS are first generation systems and as a result are somewhat slow-acting. I also missed having more storage space in the interior. However, such things hardly seem significant in a sports car of this caliber.
The NSX is a landmark car. It awoke not only a lazy Ferrari, but Porsche as well and sparked advances in usability, ergonomics, and handling. It may not have achieved success from a marketing standpoint, but many influential and important people have owned them. The NSX is also unusual in that it continued to be on sale for so long. If I were to looking for that type of car now, I would--without a doubt--gladly own an NSX."
"To this day, the NSX is still a car that is near and dear to my heart. I put 75,000 km on my NSX over the course of six or seven years.
It's very difficult to discuss the NSX using current values and sensibilities. When the NSX debuted, the word "supercar" was still a relatively new idea in Europe. There are some who would say the Lamborghini Miura from the late 1960s was the first supercar. However, the truth is the explosion of modern supercars really started at the end of the 1980s.
At the end of the 80s was the time when McLaren Cars was conceiving the idea for the McLaren F1. To that end, I was concentrating on coming up with what I wanted in a road car.
To my thinking, the ideal car is one in which I could get in the driver's seat and be out for a drive in downtown London, and then want to continue straight on to southern France. A car that you can trust, with functional air conditioning, and retains daily drivability. No offset pedals allowed. No high dashboards restricting your view either. Having a low roof hitting your head every time you go over a bump in the name of aerodynamics and styling is out of the question. It is essential that a supercar be a pleasure to drive, and anything detracting from that must be excised.
I started by driving the cars known then as "supercars." The Porsche 959, Bugatti EB110, Ferrari F40, Jaguar XJ220. Unfortunately, none of these fit the pattern of the supercar we were trying to build. What we wanted was a relatively compact, usable driver's car. The Porsche 911 had the usability, but with the engine packed in the back, it had a weakness in its handling stability.
During this time, we were able to visit with Ayrton Senna (the late F1 Champion) and Honda's Tochigi Research Center. The visit related to the fact that at the time, McLaren's F1 Grand Prix cars were using Honda engines.
Coincidentally, I spotted an NSX prototype parked near the course. I also learned at the time that Ayrton was assisting in the development of the NSX. And that Honda rear mid-engined sports car--the NSX--was the friendly supercar that we had been looking for. This car had perfectly functional air conditioning, a reasonably roomy trunk, and of course, it was a Honda, with the high levels of quality and reliability that implies.
Then I had the opportunity to drive it. Along with Ron Dennis (President, McLaren Cars) and Mansour Ojjeh (Tag McLaren Group Representative), we drove the prototype on the Tochigi Research Center test course. I remember being moved, thinking, "It is remarkable how our vision comes through in this car."
Of course as you know, the engine has only six cylinders; however, the NSX's very rigid chassis is excellent and would easily be capable of handling more power. Although it's true I had thought it would have been better to put a larger engine, the moment I drove the "little" NSX, all the benchmark cars--Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini--I had been using as references in the development of my car vanished from my mind. Of course the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSX's ride quality and handling would become our new design target.
When working on the development of a new car for years, it's easy to be caught in certain pitfalls. When you drive the car under development for testing every day (in truth, I was responsible for two-thirds of the testing for the McLaren F1), in that time, you can unknowingly convince yourself you are making progress when in fact you are not. For example, it's human nature that at the end of a long day you may want to think that your efforts to reduce low speed harshness are working better than they are. It is at times like this when you need a car to compare with. In those situations, the NSX time and again showed us the path in the areas of ride quality and handling, and also helped us recognize when we weren't making as much progress as we thought.
In my opinion, the NSX's most special quality has long been overlooked.
That could be summarized with the words, "The NSX's suspension is amazing."
Both the body and suspension are aluminum, and it probably couldn't be helped that journalists' attention has been focused on praising the aluminum body. However, the suspension is the much more impressive use of aluminum.
It's lightweight, tough, yet compliant. Also contributing to the refined NSX's handling and ride quality are 17 inch wheels and tires that are not overly large. The NSX's suspension is truly an ingenious system, and back then I imagined the development costs must have been enormous. To achieve that unparalleled accuracy and superior ride quality, longitudinal wheel movement is allowed via the use of a compliance pivot.
Compliance refers to when you travel over a bump, the tire experiences a longitudinal force, which the tire and suspension must move with and absorb the shock. The pivot couples the upper and lower arms. It is connected to the arms via ball joints so that they move as a unit. When encountering input, the pivot rotates, keeping alignment changes to near zero while retaining compliance (see diagram). The inspiration obtained from this NSX suspension system would later influence the development of the McLaren F1's suspension.
The NSX was also the first car to use DBW (Drive By Wire). It felt very pleasing. DBW is when instead of using a mechanical cable, an electronic signal is used to communicate throttle position. It achieved a very natural, linear feeling throttle, and I can now hide my embarrassment and confess that I copied the idea during the development of the McLaren F1 (laughs).
The low-slung NSX's driver's seat position also provided just the right head clearance and an amazing field of view. The NSX development team moved the air conditioning unit away from the dash and deep into the NSX's nose in order to obtain more space. That air conditioning unit is an excellent one, and normally, you don't notice whether it's on or not.
On the day I bought the NSX, I pressed the "Auto" button and since then until selling it, I never had to touch it. It was that perfect. Ah, I also remember the audio system as being very good.
However, the media wrote up the aluminum body, and the many merits and advantages I perceived in the NSX have largely been overlooked.
In my opinion, the NSX, while being such a great sports car, had two large flaws in it's marketing. First, at the time, the public was not ready to accept a Japanese car that was this expensive. The second is that for supercar customers, the power figures were not quite high enough. Of course, the prototype's engine was not bad, and soon the VTEC engine was added. Whenever I hear that VTEC sound it's amazing. I am repeating myself, but the NSX's excellent chassis would have been capable of handling much more power.
With just a slightly lower price, or possibly selling it with a different brand name and a different badge, or perhaps endowing it with a touch flashier and more aggressive styling and additional power, there is no question the NSX would have reigned as a cult star of the supercars.
However, during that time, in Honda's philosophy there was a resistance to large engines with many cylinders. I am not certain, but probably at the time, the voluntary restraint on power limits was a factor. Being a fan of Honda engines, I later went to Honda's Tochigi Research Center on two occasions and requested that they consider building for the McLaren F1 a 4.5 liter V10 or V12. I asked, I tried to persuade them, but in the end could not convince them to do it, and the McLaren F1 ended up equipped with a BMW engine.
The NSX's development costs must have been enormous. Everything on it is unique. The chassis, powertrain, even the air conditioning are peerless. That aluminum body was very expensive. The numerous hurdles overcome by the NSX to reach production in areas such as spot welding, corrosion, and repairability make it a monumental work in automotive history. The philosophy of creating a car for human beings is apparent throughout. If it were me, I probably would not have obsessed over the aluminum and would have settled for a steel structure with aluminum panels to try to achieve a similar weight reduction. But what I really want to emphasize is the suspension. It is a a groundbreaking use of aluminum.
There are a few things that could be improved on the NSX. First, the tires are too soft. Over the seven years I ran mine, I went through 14 sets of tires. After changing over to harder-compound Michelins in the rear, my tire life increased. As a result, rear grip was decreased slightly, but driving became more fun. The NSX's traction control and ABS are first generation systems and as a result are somewhat slow-acting. I also missed having more storage space in the interior. However, such things hardly seem significant in a sports car of this caliber.
The NSX is a landmark car. It awoke not only a lazy Ferrari, but Porsche as well and sparked advances in usability, ergonomics, and handling. It may not have achieved success from a marketing standpoint, but many influential and important people have owned them. The NSX is also unusual in that it continued to be on sale for so long. If I were to looking for that type of car now, I would--without a doubt--gladly own an NSX."
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Spring Tour: 8th-10th April 2011
Although the Autumn Tour to Ireland was much enjoyed by those who participated, overall numbers were rather disappointing. Our Spring tours are always more popular so we wanted to give anyone interested advance notice of the dates to help with your planning.
We are looking at a couple of options for the itinerary.
The first would be a return to one of our earlier trips of 6 years ago - to the small highland village of Archiestown in Speyside. There are some fantastic roads in this part of the Highlands, with the option of driving there or back by Glenshee and Tomintoul. The weekend would have a whisky theme, and could include a function at one of the nearby distilleries.
A second option would be a new location for us, heading north of Inverness to Dornoch in Cromarty, which we can then use as a base to explore Sutherland.
As we develop these ideas over the next few weeks any feedback from members would be appreciated. We will confirm the event details by mid-January.
We are looking at a couple of options for the itinerary.
The first would be a return to one of our earlier trips of 6 years ago - to the small highland village of Archiestown in Speyside. There are some fantastic roads in this part of the Highlands, with the option of driving there or back by Glenshee and Tomintoul. The weekend would have a whisky theme, and could include a function at one of the nearby distilleries.
A second option would be a new location for us, heading north of Inverness to Dornoch in Cromarty, which we can then use as a base to explore Sutherland.
As we develop these ideas over the next few weeks any feedback from members would be appreciated. We will confirm the event details by mid-January.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
On tour in Ireland
A small but exclusive band of club members enjoyed a sunny October weekend on the Antrim coast. After meeting for lunch at Maidens we crossed by the Express ferry to Larne, and drove directly to Bushmills. On arrival we quickly established our own "private" room in the hotel's atmospheric bar, complete with gas lights, peat fire, and of course several creamy headed pints.
Saturday was spent touring the Giants Causeway, Dunluce Castle and the other sites of this beautiful stretch of coastline, followed by a tour - and a few samples - at the Bushmills Distillery, the oldest registered distillery in the British Isles. (Apart from the Ferrari which decided to break down - rather terminally - in the village's main street. Caused quite a stir locally, with plenty of locals offering advice, and several tourists taking pictures of a stricken "supercar"!)
The group gathered for another great dinner on Saturday night - complete with five different styles of potatoes - only in Ireland - and a second evening in the bar, this time with some great Irish live music.
Before crossing back to Scotland, the group drove the length of the coast road, past Torr Head and Cushendun.
Watch for details on this blog of the spring tour.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Autumn weekend tour to Ireland
This autumn, for the first time, we will be leaving Scotland and crossing the Irish Sea to explore the beautiful Antrim coast of Northern Ireland
Our base will be the famous Bushmills Inn. http://www.bushmillsinn.com
Centuries of history exude from the old timber beams and rough plaster walls of this landmark inn. At its heart i
s the gas-lit sixteenth century snug, with soot-stained walls and ceilings and a pulley suspended above the fireplace. You could spend hours here over a Guinness or a dram, dreaming up romantic notions of encounters goneby. The snug is encased by a mere two-hundred year old inn, with an even more modern, yet sympathetically designed, outer shell. Guest rooms are spacious and atmospheric, with individual character and attention to detail in-keeping with the building's charm.
This place is a genuine meeting point for travellers and locals alike, buzzing with conviviality and conversation throughout a jigsaw puzzle of interconnecting public rooms and cosy corners. The outdoor courtyard and terrace come into their own in the summer months, while open peat fires provide the perfect ambience in other seasons. Service is attentive and friendly, many staff being young, local and very proud of the area. The menu offered throughout the restaurant and conservatory fuses local produce with a touch of creativity to make this one of the most renowned dining destinations in the North of Ireland.
Outline Itinerary
Friday 1st October
We will cross the Irish Sea from the
Dinner this evening at the hotel, followed by a few drinks. I suspect!
Saturday 2nd October
After a full Irish breakfast your day is your own to explore the famous sights of the Antrim coastline, including the geological phenomenon of the Giants' Causeway, and the much-photographed cliff-top ruins of haunting
Dinner again back at the Bushmills Inn – and plenty of time to explore a couple of other local hostelries.
Sunday 3rd October
Today you will have time to drive the full length of the
Price: £319 per person, based on two sharing a twin or double room ensuite.
Deluxe double or twin rooms are available for a supplement of £30 per person.
Some suites also available – price on request. These can work well for families.
Prices include two nights’ accommodation including dinner both nights, the ferry from Cairnryan to Larne and from Larne to Troon.
The supplement for a single person in a car by themselves is £175.
We will also supply a full route plan, maps and local guides and Robert’s Recommendations on what to see and do.
To book:
Call Robert Kidd on 0141 202 0638 or email to Robert@mckinlaykidd.co.uk to book your place.
Contact Matt to reserve the car of your choice.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Classic Car Club comes back from Skye
..apparently remarkably unscathed, despite:
- a tight squeeze on the ferry- a true classic vehicle
- beers and a music til the early hours on Friday
- some wide open roads on Saturday
- more beers and dancing (Gus!) Saturday evening
- drinking the hotel out of draft Red Cuillin 11pm Sat- lucky they had Black Cuillin in bottle
(yes Myke, you would have been proud of us!)
A few pictures as evidence:
Matt looks suitably concerned as the SM is first on the Glenelg ferry...
a valuable cargo on its way to Skye...
(most of) the fleet outside the hotel
Cramond is happy the sun is out...
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