Classic Car Club Spring 2010 Weekend - 23rd - 25th April

I promised everyone a little more advanced notice of the next weekend away, so here it is. After feedback from the last couple of events, we have decided to revisit one of the favourite locations from a previous trip. This spring McKinlay Kidd will be organising a return to the Isle of Skye, where we last ventured in October 2005. More details will follow in January, but do keep the date free!
Here are a few pictures from that trip - you will note the stunning weather, now there's a challenge!

Classic Car Club Weekend 9/10/11 October.

Classic Car Club Weekend 9/10/11 October.

Well it was another great trip organised by Robert and Heather Kidd. We headed North – almost as far as you can go on the mainland. Cars included the Ferrari, Porsche 911, TVR, Boxster, Healey 6/100 and the Elise.

The route beyond Inverness included stops for lunch at the very busy “Storehouse of Foulis” and then further north on the A836 to Crask Inn. A wonderful place to stop – apparently it is bad luck not to stop – so we had tea & cakes and although one or two had a glass of beer.

Resting inside Crask Inn.

This road is single track with passing places, super views to help along the way, and then you get to the coast with it’s beaches, cliffs and of course the sea.

The hotel we stayed in was The Tongue Inn, in Tongue and provided a warm welcome, clean rooms and good food.

Picture: diners at Tongue Hotel.

The attached pub provided the beer – we drank them dry of “real ale” on the Friday night.

Saturday, a dry start - we went east – some to John O’Groats others stopped in Thurso – a busy town with the usual coffee shops, museum and walks by the river.

Lunch was at the award winning Captains Galley, at Scrabster.

Picture of restaurant. Inside and out.

Famous for it’s fresh seafood and we enjoyed some fantastic food during the afternoon there. Some took a long route back to Tongue – again mainly single track roads.

Saturday night we were entertained by the locals in the hotel bar and we enjoyed an impromptu darts match which stretched late into the night – more because of the poor scoring than the excitement of the game.

Photo: Hotel bar.

Elaine’s looking forward to the next one.

Myke

Momentous News!

Classic Car Club is hugely excited to tell you about it's latest news - we're moving home! After 8 years in Leith, the opportunity has arisen to dramatically improve our garage. So, effective from the 1st October 2009, we will be living at 60 St John's Road, Corstorphine. It's on the main road between the Zoo and the Airport, on the corner of Clermiston Rd and St John's Road. We will mainly be using the entrance on Clermiston Road.

CCC's new home is a genuine 1930's garage, and is some 3 times the size of our old home. It's full of period features, and the top floor is light airy and sunny (when the sun shines....) and is the perfect clubroom. With free wifi, a full-size slate pool table, a pinball machine, a library, a 150 inch projector screen for films and video games, plus coffee making facilities and a fridge for those looking to hang out and bring a beer or 3, we hope this will turn into a destination for members and their guests to enjoy, and bring a new dimension to the already exciting benefits of membership.

Sometime later in the month (or maybe even at the start of November) we'll be holding a party to celebrate the new venue and 8 exciting years of Classic Car Club being north of the border. All members and their partners will be invited - it will be on a saturday evening - and if we lay on a band and some entertainment could you members bring a bottle or two to enjoy?

Classic Car Club Scotland
Autumn 2009 Club touring weekend
9th – 11th October
This October we are planning our furthest flung trip, to explore the far north coast of Sutherland for the first time. It is a wildly beautiful area, and sure to be dramatic come rain or shine.

We will be based in the village of Tongue, around 100 miles north of Inverness– staying at the Tongue Hotel

This traditional hunting lodge has recently been refurbished but remains a simple and welcoming Scottish country hotel surrounded by stunning scenery, including the impressive Ben Loyal. The area, and indeed the hotel, recently appeared on BBC’s “Who do you think you are” featuring actor and comedian David Mitchell in search of his Scottish roots.

Friday
As a group we plan to arrive Friday late afternoon. Tongue is around two hours 30 minutes north of Inverness.
You leave the A9 at Alness, pass Bonar Bridge, to Lairg. From here you wend your way on single track roads, through genuine wilderness scenery!

Note: With a travel time of 6 hours plus from Edinburgh, we know that some members will wish to stop a night on the way north, or indeed on the way back. McKinlay Kidd can assist with ideas and bookings as required – for example a room in an award-winning guest house in Inverness from £110. Or you may even choose to combine it with your own classic car trip to Orkney – again, we can assist with ferry and accommodation arrangements. Please advise Robert of any such requests as soon as possible to guarantee availability.

Once the party is confirmed, a suitable meeting point en route to Tongue will be identified.

This evening dinner will be a two course bar meal in the hotel

Saturday
Today we will explore the coast, perhaps including Durness, a favourite holiday destination for John Lennon, home to the wonderful chocolate-maker Cocoa Mountain, and an area of glorious beaches. (We did investigate the option of a visit to Cape Wrath, but this is impossible due to planned military exercises in the area!)

Other possibilities, weather permitting, include the Victorian tourist attraction of Smoo Cave – the largest and most dramatic coastline cave in Britain, and the eerie valley of Strathnaver, once home to 40 small communities, now a poignant memorial to the Highland clearances.

Return to Tongue, for dinner.

Sunday
Explore area on own before returning to Edinburgh/Glasgow.
We will make a number of route suggestions for the return journey, and can assist with overnight accommodation if required.

Price:
£189 per person, based on two sharing a twin or double room ensuite.

Prices includes 2 nights’ accommodation on a B&B basis, plus evening meals as described and an activity on the Saturday.

Some single rooms will be available, for a supplement of £10.

How to book
Call 0844 804 0020 or email Robert@mckinlaykidd.co.uk to reserve your place.

As space is strictly limited we advise booking as soon as possible!
Contact Matt to book your car.

Autumn weekend 9th -11th October

Full details will follow shortly, but do put these dates in your diary!

Cobra training this weekend

Still a couple of spaces on saturday morning's Cobra training. Call the office if you want to come. Remember you need this to drive the Cobra, Elise, Ferrari, TVR, Caterham and Maserati!

May Bank holiday BBQ, and free lunch!

One of the small hotels and inns we use for our See Scotland differently holidays - The An Lochan Tormaukin Inn, in Glendevon, near Gleneagles - has offered a free lunch to any Classic Car Club member bringing one of the club cars to their bank holiday beer festival and BBQ.

The event takes place Sunday 24th and Monday 25th May between 12pm-8pm. They will be serving around 10 Local Ales, Lamb, Highland Beef and Venison Burgers & Sausages. There will be a Shetland Pony, Birds of Prey and Face Painting too!!

If you plan to go, call ahead (01259 781 252) and they will reserve a prime parking space for you.

(Lunch will be a burger and pint per person or equivalent.)

This inn is about 90 minutes from Edinburgh, on the A823, north of Yetts o'Muckhart.

Classic Car Club Scotland – Weekend trip ( 24 – 26th April 09)

This trip was based at Hotel Tigh an Eilean, Shieldaig, Loch Torridon and was arranged, as always, by Robert Kidd of McKinlay Kidd.

The aim of these trips is to get members together to enjoy good drives, good food, a couple of beers along with a few unusual and interesting adventures. I drove the Porsche Boxster and brother-in-law Frank drove Elaine’s Honda S2000. (no rivalry there then)

The first drive on Friday took a detour route to avoid the roadworks on the A9. The route took in some good roads via Knockhill, Crieff, Aberfeldy and we met for a superb lunch at the Killiecrankie hotel. They were holding a “Seafood Festival” and we all enjoyed the variety and quality of the food, it set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

[ Photo of fleet outside Hotel]

From Killiekrankie, we went via Dalwhinnie to Spean Bridge then on to Invergarry then on the A87 – super road. Then we picked up the A890, which got us to our destination in time for a refreshment in the bar before dinner in the “Coastal Kitchen”.

On Saturday we took a short drive heading for a “Seafood Safari” on Dry Island.

Across a floating bridge [Picture above] we went aboard a fishing boat to explore the life of a creeler. [Picture]

We had a great time and Ian Macwhinnie gave us a very educational and amusing talk about the history of the Loch, the fish and wildlife as well as a great introduction to the geography and geology of the area. We (Ian) caught many crabs and showed us some interesting fish which live in the area – Starfish, Shoefish (poisonous), and tiny cod.

Only a few langoustines were caught – and they were supposed to make up our lunch.

Luckily Ian had been out before and there were plenty on the plate when we got back.
( Creelers fish all daylight hours) Lunch of Langoustines and squat lobsters was washed down with a glass of wine (non-drivers). A fantastic experience all round.

Other drivers took in Applecross, a trip to Skye and the Pass of Cattle. The cars performed perfectly - no one set a new land speed record. The DB7 was thirsty though and Gus had a few nervous moments on Sunday trying to do 18 miles on an “empty” tank - to get fuel.

Dinner in the hotel on Saturday is a little more formal – however, Robert was caught out when he realised his shirt matched the settee covers......


The hotel dinner on Saturday was impeccably served and delicious – unfortunately I had a large breakfast, fantastic lunch and then this superb dinner. I had to retire early as I had no room left for my after dinner drink. Others were late to bed.

The return trip was more or less unscripted – although Robert made many good suggestions of places to visit.

We set off in dull weather, ( thanks Heather) the later rain meant that hoods were up and down regularly – but no-one got seriously wet.

One of the best weekend trips we’ve had! Roll on the next one - natives beware!

Driver Tuition Dates...

All in East Lothian and with an Association of Race Drivers Schools instructor. Cost £80 in cash payable on the day, or £100 by card. You need to pass this course in order to drive the Cobra, Maserati, Elise, TVR, Ferrari  and Caterham.

28th April 6pm (tuesday)

16th May 9.30am (saturday)

26th May 6pm (tuesday)

29th June 6pm (monday)

27th July 6pm (monday)

These are sure to be popular, so please book quickly with me to avoid disappointment.

cheers

Matt

We've got an Aston Martin!

I've just returned from the South Coast of England where I picked up a lovely 2001 Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage. It's dark metallic green with a tan interior, and only has 21,000 miles from new with a full Aston service history. It's drop dead gorgeous and handled the cruise back up here with no problems. And it came with the private plate V12 TOP which really finishes it!

Pictures to follow soon, but if you want to see it over Easter, head to Ocean Terminal where it will be on display for the big boy's toy show!

So, why a DB7 and not a DB9? In my ideal world we would have bought a DB9, but since october the prices of 9's hasn't really dropped, whilst all similar cars have shown much greater depreciation. We must remember that compared with previous Astons, the current models are mass produced and as a result there are more DB9's for sale than Honda S2000's in the UK (and has been since Oct) this makes me think that reality hasn't bitten and more depreciation is yet to come for the DB9. I suspect even the older, and most depreciated ones will lose a further 25% over the next year. I also know of a city hedge fund manager who bought 50 brand new, unregistered DB9's from Aston for around half price..... So the club's view is that DB7's have pretty much done all their depreciation, and next year the 9's should be a good deal cheaper. And then, when you've all had a chance to try the 7, we'll upgrade to the 9!

Drop me a line if you want to book her!

Supercar day, Sunday 10th May, Corbridge

A couple of members are planning to visit the Dyvel's Inn Supercar day. It's just over the border near Hexham, which is a nice run down from Edinburgh. They are expecting nearly 200 exotica, including a GT40 and De Tomaso amongst all the usual suspects. Click on this link to find out what last year's event was like:
Pistonheads article on 2008 supercar sunday
Book soon if you want to take a club car.
MN

Photos & Video from driving day

28/29 March - OPEN WEEKEND

The darkness is gone and all round Scotland sleeping sports cars get rolled out of garages and washed as it’s time to DRIVE again. Sunshine, long light evenings and slip-free tarmac mean that for those who love to drive, the rest of the year starts now!

And for those of you with curiosity about the merits of some of the most exciting metal on the roads, help is at hand. For here at CCC we’ve spent over £200k on new SUPERCARS. AMG S55L, Ferrari 550 Maranello, Porsche 911/996 Turbo, TVR Tamora, big Healey, Porsche Boxster S, Caterham 7 SV, Bentley Turbo RL and I *think* (long story) an Aston DB7 V12 Vantage - all new for 09.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that is some SERIOUS fun. And the best news is that a membership of CCC allows you to drive the cars above, and 11 other very desirable motor cars, when and where you wish. See www.cccedinburgh.co.uk for full details of the fleet, and how the club works. You could be driving off in a legendary 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello. 5500cc, V12, 485bhp, 199mph for stat heads. Timeless elegance, genuine object of desire, sheer luxury for the aesthetes. Unbelievable VALUE for £200 per mth!

Even better, is that if you happen to be in Leith over the weekend of the 28/29^th March, and drop in to see all the cars at our Open Weekend, we’ll give you an extra 10% driving free when you join! (Not Country) See you there 11-6? To all current members - bring all your pals to envy at your fine selection of motor vehicles. And if any of them take the plunge and join, we'll give you 10% for each off your renewal!

PS remember the Clocks on Sunday!

A frustrating week for CCC

I just wanted to share some of the frustrations that have wasted far too much of my time this week, and apologise if this impacts any member. As you can see, all of this was out of out my control, but incredibly annoying.

1) The good news - I agreed to buy a 2001 Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage on Tuesday. The bad news - since then the owner has turned his phone off and disappeared. Very odd, but back to stage one on the Aston hunt I suspect.

2) The good news - the Exige mentioned in the previous post sold for £2500 less than we originally bought it for. The bad - not to us. British Car Auctions 'Live online' system crashed 2 mins before our auction and didn't let us bid, despite the fact that we would have happily bid higher than the winning bid. I vented my anger by writing stroppy letters to the head of BCA and also to Black Horse, the underlying vendor.

3) The good news - we were offered a low miles 2003 Honda NSX 6-speed gearbox for a good price. As the current one is starting to show signs of sloppiness, and as the current 5-speed takes an expensive twin plate clutch, the new box will not only be nicer to shift, have a taughtness about it and a nicer clutch action, it will also pay for itself after 2 clutch changes. The bad news - despite being expected to arrive a week ago, TNT have managed to lose it. It's only a little gearbox on a pallet, so I can understand how it might have slipped down the back of someones desk. God only knows when and if it might arrive.

4) The good news - the Boxster is in the club garage, complete with V5 to tax it. The bad news - on thursday someone marched into the garage and ran off with the only set of keys that came with the car. This means that the car has to be unlifted to Porsche, who then order a new set of keys from Stuttgart, and then spend a couple of hours being reprogrammed. About £500. Annoying, but it should be ready by the Open Weekend.

I know that after 6 properly great months for the club I really need to put this into perspective, but it still frustrates me that stuff like this can impact on you guys. Anyway, the sun is shining, and I'm off to collect our new Bentley from the paint shop. Pics on Monday!

MN

Boxster S is here and Exige?

On friday I bought you guys a Boxster and an Exige - more of the latter later...

The Boxster is a 2000 S manual in Silver with black leather and sat nav. It's currently sitting on 997 turbo 19" alloys which don't look right on it, but I may put them on our 2002 Turbo and get some original wheels. Here to replace the S2000 it will be an interesting comparison for those of you who enjoyed the Honda. I'm just waiting for a V5 so I can tax it, then it's good to go!

I also bought a 2006 Lotus Exige. Black, with black wheels and black interior, it's everything you'd want an Exige to look like. I bought it at the trade auctions, but shortly after I bought it I threw a strop because driving it away it was clear there was a problem with the gearbox. So, the car will go back to auction with the auction house declaring a defective gearbox, and maybe we will buy it again for a decent amount less!

Remember the open weekend next weekend - come along and see all the great metal we've bought!

cheers

Matt

Spring diary dates for you & Premium cars explained.

We will soon be opening for the year, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to explain a couple of things, and give you important dates for your diary.

New in 2009 is 'Premium' Cars. They are available to those with 'Premium' Access - Investors, Platinum members, and every current member until their next renewal, at which point they need to decide whether they wish to upgrade to Platinum membership or whether they wish to join the investment pool if they wish to maintain their access to the 'Premium' cars. The 'Premium' cars are currently:

Ferrari 550 Maranello

Aston Martin DB9

Porsche 911 (996) Turbo

Maserati 3200 GT

AC Cobra

On top of that, Investors get 2 months exclusive access to the new cars (as was detailed in the investor prospectus). After that, they are free to be used by the relevant membership.

Weather-dependent, we will open for members to take cars from Tuesday 16th March. Cars available to all members will include the NSX, Elise, Bentley and 928. Investors will be able to take new cars, should they wish, with the exception of Tuesday 24th March, which will be the press day for the relaunch of the Club.

Cars will not be available from midday on friday 27th March until 6pm on sunday 29th March. This will be our spring open weekend, and we would be delighted if members wished to join us between 10.30am and 5.30pm on both days to see the fantastic new fleet!

From sunday 29th at 6pm all cars will be available, including the Austin Healey, E-type, Corniche, Mk2 and Citroen DS. The Porsche 550 Spyder will likely be available towards the end of April as we await new parts from Brazil.

9-13 April is Easter, and Ocean Terminal's Big Boys Toy show, where we will have 3 cars.

24-26 April are the dates of the Club weekend away as detailed in Robert's post below. Book soon if you fancy coming as only 4 rooms are now left!

Finally, in mid May, the Ferrari 550 & 911 Turbo will be available for all those with 'Premier' Access and the TVR Tamora and AMG S55 will be available to all. At the end of May our Caterham should be delivered and assembled, and available to investors.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Open Weekend, if not before!

MN

ps. We've decided after chatting to the other clubs, that the 550 Maranello has to be taken for a minimum of 2 days.

Club Spring Weekend - come and join us!

Classic Car Club Scotland
Spring 2009 Club touring weekend
24th – 26th April 2009

For our next club weekend we have chosen to return to the northwest highlands, for dramatic scenery and open roads, ideal to try out some of the exciting new club fleet.

For those who have yet to experience a car club weekend tour, you can be guaranteed good food, entertaining company, great roads and overall a relaxed atmosphere.
Oh yes – and the sun always shines!

Our base this April will be the small, family-run Tigh an Eilean Hotel in the picturesque village of Shieldaig, in Wester Ross, surely one of the most scenically beautiful and secluded locations in Scotland.

Grand mountains form a stunning backdrop to the hotel, which nestles in the crescent-shaped village high street. Converted from a row of white-washed fishing cottages, the hotel overlooks an idyllic loch which reflects a tiny island covered in Scots Pines. Two snug lounges offer glorious views over the peaceful loch, but on calm, warm days, you will not be able to resist the lure of the gorgeous outdoor terrace, where Italian style meets Scottish hospitality. Imaginative pizzas topped with fresh local produce are served straight from the wood-fired oven, and, if you are lucky, you could be treated to one of the west coast’s spectacular sunsets.


The charming restaurant, adorned with driftwood sculptures, is a welcoming setting for a more complete dinner, with its ever changing menu of fresh fish, shellfish, and top quality meat and game.

The picturesque village was originally built in 1810 to house and train sailors for the Napoleonic wars, but following Waterloo, the place was left to its own devices. Once, quite literally, the end of the road north, the village has retained that other-worldly ‘Brigadoon’ feel, and offers an overwhelming atmosphere of peace and tranquillity

Outline itinerary (provisional and subject to change)

Friday 24th April
Arrive at leisure late afternoon. We will arrange a lunch time meeting place in a convenient location. Our suggested route would be Glencoe, then Fort William on towards Skye then turn north just before Kyle of Lochalsh.

This evening an informal Mediterranean influenced meal in the Coastal Kitchen restaurant, with a roof terrace option is the weather is very kind!

Saturday 25th April
Today’s drive will take us north through Torridon to Gairloch. Several options for detours – including a couple of great dead-end roads! Destination is a unique “Dry Island”, home to a fisherman and his family- one of the last creelers in this part of Scotland. Here we will all enjoy a seafood lunch – with the freshest Langoustines and squat lobster. There will also be the chance to go out with the fisherman while we brings in a “flight” of creels.

Afterwards options to continue tour, for example, to Inverewe gardens or.

Dinner this evening in the hotel’s main restaurant.

Sunday 26th April
Explore area on own before returning to Edinburgh/Glasgow.
Return route options could include nearby Applecross and the famous Bealach na Ba – where we visited in 2007!

Pricing:
The price is £230 per person, based on two sharing a twin or double room.
There are also three single rooms available for no supplement.
We have reserved all 11 rooms at the hotel – 8 doubles/twins and 3 singles.
All rooms are ensuite, six of the doubles/twins have a seaview, will be allocated on a first booked basis.

Price includes two nights’ accommodation, dinner both nights, welcome drink on arrival, seafood lunch on Saturday.
The boat trip is extra and dependent on numbers costs between £15 & £20 pp

How to book
Call 0844 804 0020 or email Robert@mckinlaykidd.co.uk to reserve your place.
Contact Matt to book your car.

And there's more new cars! 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo, manual

Bought on friday down in London - it drove home beautifully. In Lapis (dark blue) and black leather I suspect this will be one of the club's most popular cars! More details to follow in the week

More NEW cars! - 2002 TVR Tamora

In silver with black interior - more to follow including pictures on Monday....

I've just ordered a brand new 2009 Caterham 7 for the club

Hot on the heels of our new AMG S55KL, is news of a somewhat oxymoronic purchase for Classic Car Club, Scotland. A brand new 2009 Caterham Super Seven Roadsport SV 1.6 Sigma to use it's proper name. With full weather gear, and leather seats, the widebody SV should make the Caterham experience open to all, and with useful luggage space it can be used for weekends away.

It is due to make an appearance in late spring - the Caterham orderbook is surprisingly full in these troubled times - and then Derek has to build it.... Caterham estimate this can be done in a week......

All we need to do is pick colours - I'm going for a combination of metallic orange and matte black - any other favourite colours?
MN

New in - 2003 AMG S55 - all 500bhp of it!

I've just driven the club's new car home from Manchester where it was being sold on behalf of Lady Carole Bamford - wife of billionaire JCB tycoon Sir Antony Bamford. It was her chauffeur-driven car, and she ordered it with all the options possible and would have paid in excess of £125,000 in 2003:

Full massaging seats in all 4 seats, with dynamic (self-adjusting to road conditions) in the front.

Distronic - a form of collision warning radar that also works with the cruise control.

TV tuner and a screen in the rear as well as the front.

Bose surround sound system

Linguatronic - voice activation for various functions.

Seat coolers (as well as heaters) again for all 4 seats.

Separate air-con for the rear passengers.

Keyless Go - a smart card that opens doors, and operates the ignition circuit with a button on the gearstick.

And many others...

Combined with a supercharged 5.5L V8 producing 500bhp and 516 lb/ft of torque, this makes for an absolute monster of a car. 0-60 in 4.2 secs and a delimited top speed of over 200 mph makes this a true Ferrari baiter. 14.2 inch discs with 8 piston calipers means it stops as well!

We were musing about getting an S600 (same power but from a twin-turbo V12 in a more comfort orientated body) but the drive home confirmed we made the right decision! Epic power available at about 80mph, and the fabulous noise of the engine (same as AMG SL55..) mean that I suspect a few people will lose their licences in this.

We have a couple of minor things to sort out, but it will be good to go for the start of the spring season!

Next week I'm looking at a 2003 911 Turbo, so watch this space for more news and pix.

MN