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Aragorn
24th April 2022, 19:38
In the vein of the many touring/traveling videos posted by our brother Gio, but without derailing his own threads, I thought I'd start a new thread dedicated to the road trips of Harry Metcalfe.

For the non-petrolheads among you, Harry Metcalfe is a now retired automotive journalist and former editor at EVO (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_(magazine)), a British motoring magazine — you can find their YouTube channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/evo) — and he himself owns two YouTube channels, Harry's Garage (https://www.youtube.com/c/Harrysgarage) and Harry's Farm (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFNRLTPU9263dTOYgrVcnHw) — the latter dedicated to his activities as a farmer.

On the Harry's Garage (https://www.youtube.com/c/Harrysgarage) channel, Harry regularly reviews new and exciting automobiles, as well as that he also details the restoration and/or repairs of his many classic cars — of which he owns a great many, among which a Lamborghini Countach, a Lamborghini Espada, a Ferrari Testarossa, a Porsche 930 Turbo S, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a Jaguar XJ12, and so on — as well as a number of historically important motorbikes.

Every now and then, Harry and his wife also embark on a road trip in one of his venerated vehicles. Some of those trips have turned out quite epic and yielded some beautiful footage of the scenery. For instance, Harry has taken the Ferrari Testarossa to the edge of the Sahara desert, and the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow all the way up to the arctic circle.

Even though the emphasis of Harry's road trip videos does of course lay with the motoring aspects of the journey, there is a lot of impressive scenery and interesting travel information in his videos, which is why I've decided to start posting them here. I will however not be doing it in chronological order, but that shouldn't be any problem for anyone — the videos are all recent enough. The videographer on Harry's road trips is his wife; for his other motoring-related videos closer to home — which I won't be posting here — it is usually his son doing the filming.

We'll start off with Harry's most recent road trip, of which he has just uploaded the video. In this one — 48 minutes long — he's taking his Porsche 930 Turbo S to Spain, and it appears to be consuming quite a bit more fuel (and oil) than he had anticipated. ;)

Enjoy! :)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4anhPIyQncc

Aragorn
24th April 2022, 19:43
This one is of Harry's trip to the Sahara in his Ferrari Testarossa — 29 minutes. ;)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRjGN--R4pE

Aragorn
24th April 2022, 19:45
And for contrast, driving a 1969 Rolls-Royce all the way up to the arctic circle in winter — 38 minutes. ;)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdNcbsgOiM

Emil El Zapato
24th April 2022, 19:47
The Jaguar has always been one of my coveted automobiles. Those are all epic automobiles, of course. I love that beautiful red with power under the hood that cannot be beat. I've driven mostly Chevy hatchbacks and other such degrading autos. Though, now I do have an aging Audi that I actually bought for my daughter but then she said she didn't want it, I think because she was embarrassed that I was driving an aging Chevy Malibu Maxx (hatchback, of course). My older brother use to race back in the day. I know a couple of people that have Porsches (the corksuckers) :)


If they're in Hell at least they're moving North...

Aragorn
24th April 2022, 20:30
The Jaguar has always been one of my coveted automobiles. Those are all epic automobiles, of course. I love that beautiful red with power under the hood that cannot be beat. I've driven mostly Chevy hatchbacks and other such degrading autos. Though, now I do have an aging Audi that I actually bought for my daughter but then she said she didn't want it, I think because she was embarrassed that I was driving an aging Chevy Malibu Maxx (hatchback, of course). My older brother use to race back in the day. I know a couple of people that have Porsches (the corksuckers) :)

Well, I don't want to get too carried away here because I know myself, and I first want to see where this thread is going in terms of views and replies, but I will say here and now that I've always had a soft spot for Lamborghinis.

In the USA, Lamborghini is probably the best known exotic marque — seeing how many rappers, rock stars, Hollywood celebrities and other wannabes are driving one — but over here in Belgium, the marque does still enjoy a reputation of sophistication, unfortunately paired to a lower degree of popularity among automotive journalists than, say, Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche.

Over here in Belgium concretely, Porsches are the cars to buy if you have lots of money and only little (or no) sophistication. They're the ultimate show-off cars for flaunting your wealth, and most Porsche drivers I know are indeed antisocial assholes with more money than brains.

At the moment, I myself am absolutely in love with the brand-new Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica — see the image below.




https://i.imgur.com/ov622QO.jpeg



It is basically a more comfortable and more civilized version of the very track-focused but road-legal Huracán STO, with which it shares its drive train. In other words, it has the same high-revving, naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine, with the same 640 PS (~631 bhp) — albeit that peak torque has been lowered to 565 Nm, versus the 600 Nm in the Huracán EVO 4-wheel-drive — mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that's driving the rear wheels only. It has 20% more down force than the Huracán EVO and 35% less drag — both the front and rear ends were redesigned for better aerodynamics and improved cooling. It can be spec'ed as hardcore as you like (with a stripped-out interior and even a titanium roll cage) or as luxurious as you like (with electrically adjusted and heated comfort seats and lots of leather and alcantara), including with regard to the exterior touches and livery. :)



"You buy a Ferrari if you want to be someone. You buy a Lamborghini if you are someone."

(Frank Sinatra)

Emil El Zapato
24th April 2022, 20:40
yeah, nice ... I can dig it ... :)

Wind
24th April 2022, 21:06
I've only seen once a Lamborghini here as a young boy by chance. It looked cool.

Some young guy with his brother had made a lot of money with their IT business.

https://hs.mediadelivery.fi/img/658/d191ff454b2e4901bea6c487c0d2c1df.jpg.webp

Emil El Zapato
24th April 2022, 21:07
wow... :)

Aragorn
24th April 2022, 22:16
I've only seen once a Lamborghini here as a young boy by chance. It looked cool.

Some young guy with his brother had made a lot of money with their IT business.

https://hs.mediadelivery.fi/img/658/d191ff454b2e4901bea6c487c0d2c1df.jpg.webp

That's a Lamborghini Diablo, which was introduced in the late 1980s as the successor to the Countach, and it was the predecessor of the Murcielago, itself the predecessor of the now outgoing Lamborghini Aventador with its 6.5-liter V12. I have seen one of these — in yellow, just as in the picture — back in the 1980s. It was owned by the guy who owned a discotheque that I regularly hung out at. There was another Lamborghini — a red Countach — that I regularly saw parked here in town in the mid 1980s, and out on the road, I have once or twice run into a black Murcielago.

All of the above are V12-powered, though. The Huracán on the other hand is the successor to the Gallardo and is "the baby Lambo". It has a V10 engine, and it's a little more compact. It's also less of a handful to drive than its brutal bigger brothers with their whiplash-inducing, old-school single-clutch automated manual gearbox, and it's a lot easier to thread through traffic. :)

I've also seen a yellow Ferrari 430 once, but supercars are really rare in this area nowadays. You will on occasion run into an Aston Martin Vantage — a guy I know owns one of those — and I've also already seen an old Maserati BiTurbo once, but those are GT cars, not supercars. And there was a rich guy here in town who owned a Rolls, and a couple more who own a Jaguar, but that's about as "exotic" as it gets. There's also someone here in town who owns a new Mustang, and one with a BMW i8, but those aren't supercars either, and while they may be expensive, they're not quite as expensive as a Lambo, a Ferrari or a McLaren.

And speaking of McLaren, I've never seen one of those in the flesh. Sure, there are videos up on YouTube of McLarens in Knokke-Heist, a very wealthy city at the coast, but I've never actually seen one with my own eyes. But Porsches, Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, Teslas, Audis... If I had a Euro for every time I see one of those, then I'd be able to afford one of them myself. :p

I reckon that the biggest prohibiting factor here will probably be the annual amount of road tax you pay on cars with large-displacement engines. It's them carbon dioxide emissions, you know? It's even the main reason — well, the EU emission standards, to be precise — why most manufacturers of family cars are now replacing all of their medium-sized naturally aspirated engines — say 1.6 liter and above — by turbocharged engines with fewer cylinders and a (much) smaller displacement.

While there still are large-displacement engines around, we are now witnessing their swan song. Lamborghini categorically refuses to put turbos on its supercars — the Lamborghini Urus does have a twin-turbo V8, but that's an SUV and it has a slightly more powerful version of the engine in the Porsche Macan — and for good reason too, because a turbocharged petrol/gasoline engine just isn't as linear and predictable as a naturally aspirated one, but even Lamborghini knows that their next models are going to have to have smaller engines. They'll probably stick to a V10 again for the successor of the Huracán — which is scheduled to be released in 2025 — and they have definitely already announced that the successor of the outgoing Aventador will still feature a V12, but they are going to focus on hybridization instead. McLaren and Ferrari already have plug-in hybrid supercars out now — both of them with a V6 engine — albeit that the internal combustion engines in those do come with turbochargers.

But that naturally aspirated Lamborghini V10 engine really is something special, and I sincerely hope they'll decide to keep that configuration. Nothing sounds quite like it, and its design and engineering are simply staggering. It has a 12.7:1 compression ratio, both direct and indirect fuel injection, it redlines at 8500 rpm, and it already has more than 70% of its peak torque available from 1000 rpm, which is only just above idle. It's a masterpiece in engineering.

Hmm, I said I wasn't going to allow myself to get carried away, and yet here I am, raving on. :p Oh well... :p

Emil El Zapato
24th April 2022, 22:30
That's a Lamborghini Diablo, which was introduced in the late 1980s as the successor to the Countach, and it was the predecessor of the Murcielago, itself the predecessor of the now outgoing Lamborghini Aventador with its 6.5-liter V12. I have seen one of these — in yellow, just as in the picture — back in the 1980s. It was owned by the guy who owned a discotheque that I regularly hung out at. There was another Lamborghini — a red Countach — that I regularly saw parked here in town in the mid 1980s, and out on the road, I have once or twice run into a black Murcielago.

All of the above are V12-powered, though. The Huracàn on the other hand is the successor to the Gallardo and is "the baby Lambo". It has a V10 engine, and it's a little more compact. It's also less of a handful to drive than its brutal bigger brothers with their whiplash-inducing, old-school single-clutch automated manual gearbox, and it's a lot easier to thread through traffic. :)

I've also seen a yellow Ferrari 430 once, but supercars are really rare in this area nowadays. You will on occasion run into an Aston Martin Vantage — a guy I know owns one of those — and I've also already seen an old Maserati BiTurbo once, but those are GT cars, not supercars. And there was a rich guy here in town who owned a Rolls, and a couple more who own a Jaguar, but that's about as "exotic" as it gets. There's also someone here in town who owns a new Mustang, and one with a BMW i8, but those aren't supercars either, and while they may be expensive, they're not quite as expensive as a Lambo, a Ferrari or a McLaren.

And speaking of McLaren, I've never seen one of those in the flesh. Sure, there are videos up on YouTube of McLarens in Knokke-Heist, a very wealthy city at the coast, but I've never actually seen one with my own eyes. But Porsches, Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, Teslas, Audis... If I had a Euro for every time I see one of those, then I'd be able to afford one of them myself. :p

I reckon that the biggest prohibiting factor here will probably be the annual amount of road tax you pay on cars with large-displacement engines. It's them carbon dioxide emissions, you know? It's even the main reason — well, the EU emission standards, to be precise — why most manufacturers of family cars are now replacing all of their medium-sized naturally aspirated engines — say 1.6 liter and above — by turbocharged engines with fewer cylinders and a (much) smaller displacement.

While there still are large-displacement engines around, we are now witnessing their swan song. Lamborghini categorically refuses to put turbos on its supercars — the Lamborghini Urus does have a twin-turbo V8, but that's an SUV and it has a slightly more powerful version of the engine in the Porsche Macan — and for good reason too, because a turbocharged petrol/gasoline engine just isn't as linear and predictable as a naturally aspirated one, but even Lamborghini knows that their next models are going to have to have smaller engines. They'll probably stick to a V10 again for the successor of the Huracàn — which is scheduled to be released in 2025 — and they have definitely already announced that the successor of the outgoing Aventador will still feature a V12, but they are going to focus on hybridization instead. McLaren and Ferrari already have plug-in hybrid supercars out now — both of them with a V6 engine — albeit that the internal combustion engines in those do come with turbochargers.

But that naturally aspirated Lamborghini V10 engine really is something special, and I sincerely hope they'll decide to keep that configuration. Nothing sounds quite like it, and its design and engineering are simply staggering. It has a 12.7:1 compression ratio, both direct and indirect fuel injection, it redlines at 8500 rpm, and it already has more than 70% of its peak torque available from 1000 rpm, which is only just above idle. It's a masterpiece in engineering.

Hmm, I said I wasn't going to allow myself to get carried away, and yet here I am, raving on. :p Oh well... :p

My older brother use to own one of those Maserati GT thingy bobbys. I was with a couple of grand nephews one time here in Houston at a mall and they bolted toward a car that was idling on one of the intersection. I was thinking, "What the hell is that all about" ... I guess it was a Lamborghini ... I was like ,ho-hum, yawn, what about the Ferrari ... that would likely get my attention. I was running around one time in the 'rich' part of the city and a Rolls rolled up next to me ... I didn't want to stare or let my eyes bug out, but it was cool.

What about the Corvette. I remember long ago I was walking across a minor thoroughfare and about 2-3 blocks down the road A Stingray was sitting at a light, when the light turned I watched it gain velocity and just literally hug the road and its small curves. It was a very impressive sight. I never forget it and I still think wow when I remember. It was a beautiful sight.

Aragorn
24th April 2022, 22:39
I was running around one time in the 'rich' part of the city and a Rolls rolled up next to me ... I didn't want to stare or let my eyes bug out, but it was cool.

When I was in England during the Easter holidays of 1981, we got to see Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Jaguars by the busloads, and especially so in the heart of London, where our hotel was. ;)

Aragorn
25th April 2022, 13:22
40 minutes, this one. :)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhYGgid82yE

Lord Sidious
25th April 2022, 13:54
Porsche + Spain = win

Emil El Zapato
25th April 2022, 15:18
40 minutes, this one. :)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhYGgid82yE

Wow, beautiful!

I know you're not going to believe this but I just found out I am working on the tech side of the company that owns Jaguar ... :) That guy must be super rich, he owns everything. I had the grand honor of working for one of the family for about a week before another branch overrode the hire so I would have to work on their project but on a Verizon product. (I told Verizon to f*ck off a few years ago, I hope they don't remember). It is a small world and everything is connected. Something I constantly try to emphasize. :)

Aragorn
25th April 2022, 16:39
I know you're not going to believe this but I just found out I am working on the tech side of the company that owns Jaguar ... :)

Tata Motors? They're the ones who own Jaguar these days. And they own Land Rover too.


That guy must be super rich, he owns everything.

You mean Harry Metcalfe? Well, he has certainly done well for himself, that's a given. But you do have to keep in mind that most of his cars are old-timers, and as such, they were quite a lot less expensive when he bought them than when they were new, plus that there are also special insurance and tax arrangements for such vehicles.

Now, if you're going to talk about being super rich, then you should check out Jay Leno. He's got a YouTube channel about his cars as well, and there's some stuff in his garage that Harry Metcalfe can't even begin to touch, plus that he's got a whole crew of mechanics and engineers just to keep that stuff in pristine condition. ;)

Here's another guy (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIRgR4iANHI2taJdz8hjwLw) that's super rich, and he's still very young. He goes by the name Shmee150 on YouTube, but his real name is Tim Burton. He's only 34, but he "owns a couple of websites", and he does come from a wealthy family — they own a house in Monaco.

He started off as a car spotter on YouTube, and then he began buying cars and then selling them on again after a while in order to buy different ones and then enjoy those for a while. He has in the meantime owned several McLarens — McLaren even has a custom dark blue color in their catalog that was named Burton Blue, because it was custom-designed with him for his McLaren 650S Spider — and Ferraris. He currently has a garage very similar to that of Harry Metcalfe's, but filled with supercars and hypercars, among which a Ford GT, several McLarens, several Ferraris, a completely custom-designed Lamborghini Huracán STO, several Mercedes-AMGs, and a lot more.

He also does a lot of road trips, but they're more car-focused than Harry's videos, and he generally travels together with a bunch of friends, so that he can take multiple of his cars along on the same trip. He also regularly meets up and travels with other YouTubers with car channels, and he is often invited by both car manufacturers and dealerships to do early reviews on their new cars — that's how popular his channel has become, with over 2.33 million subscribers. ;)

Emil El Zapato
25th April 2022, 21:51
40 minutes, this one. :)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhYGgid82yE

Damn, I thought Americans were bad drivers...Those folks need to stay on their side of the road. Don't know for sure if I remember when it happened, the boat crash ... probably I remember it well from TV.

Aragorn
26th April 2022, 17:15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKK9QvjwmEM

Aragorn
26th April 2022, 17:52
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP2SXLpYicc

Emil El Zapato
26th April 2022, 20:18
[ video ]

Cat seems to quite like the roar of the Ferrari ... :)

Where's the autobahn ... I remember hearing about a guy test driving his Ferrari on the autobahn and surprisingly at 185 mph he missed his turn off ... it wasn't a pretty result. He drives like I like to drive ... Appears to have really tight steering which is cool.

Aragorn
26th April 2022, 21:09
Cat seems to quite like the roar of the Ferrari ... :)

Where's the autobahn ... I remember hearing about a guy test driving his Ferrari on the autobahn and surprisingly at 185 mph he missed his turn off ... it wasn't a pretty result. He drives like I like to drive ... Appears to have really tight steering which is cool.

The Autobahn is, as its name suggests, in Germany. It is the generic name for the German highway network, and although there is a speed limit of 130 km/h on many sections of the Autobahn, the German highways are of course best known for their many unrestricted areas where you can drive as fast as your car will go, albeit while still adhering to other traffic regulations and conducting yourself responsibly. In other words, if you were to behave like a hooligan on the deregulated sections, then you can still get yourself arrested, because the German police does monitor those sections of the Autobahn just as closely as they do the restricted areas.

There is also a section of the infamous Nürburgring — specifically, the Nordschleiffe — that is part of the deregulated Autobahn and that is open to the public on weekdays, albeit that you do have to pay for passing through there — it's a toll road — and if you're caught with a ticking chronograph in your car, then you're screwed. It is strictly verboten to time your lap at the Nürburgring when it is open to the public, although many still do, and then often crash.

The Ring is well known as a very dangerous circuit — many people have already lost their lives there, including professionals — and it is often referred to as "the Green Hell of the North". There are several blind corners, two very treacherous carousels — i.e. flat-surfaced corners with a concrete banking on the inside of the corner — as well as several climbs followed by heavy compression.

There is also a prohibit of driving over the Ring more than once a day if your car is too loud, as Shmee150 recently found out when he went onto the Nürburgring in his Huracán STO and wanted to come back for seconds after his first lap. Although not a road trip video in and of itself, I'll post Shmee150's video — 20 minutes in length — of that event below, because he's got cameras in his car and he's showing the whole lap on screen as if you yourself are behind the wheel of his car. It is quite spectacular to behold. ;)





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk57CV3iIP8

Fred Steeves
26th April 2022, 21:41
The Autobahn is, as its name suggests, in Germany. It is the generic name for the German highway network, and although there is a speed limit of 130 km/h on many sections of the Autobahn, the German highways are of course best known for their many unrestricted areas where you can drive as fast as your car will go, albeit while still adhering to other traffic regulations and conducting yourself responsibly. In other words, if you were to behave like a hooligan on the deregulated sections, then you can still get yourself arrested, because the German police does monitor those sections of the Autobahn just as closely as they do the restricted areas.

I had a chance to drive one of those unrestricted autobahn sections when we visited Germany years ago. Generally kept the rental car from 160 -180 kpm, not being used to that kind of speed I was plenty good inside that range.

Funny side story to that: Cruising along right there in that range of speed, when out of seemingly nowhere two brand new pure white BMW's came ripping by in tandem like we were sitting still, and were out of sight in no time. That, was a bit of a jaw dropper, because I had thought I was going fast. Bought new meaning to the term getting your doors blown off!

Aragorn
26th April 2022, 22:02
I had a chance to drive one of those unrestricted autobahn sections when we visited Germany years ago. Generally kept the rental car from 160 -180 kpm, not being used to that kind of speed I was plenty good inside that range.

Funny side story to that: Cruising along right there in that range of speed, when out of seemingly nowhere two brand new pure white BMW's came ripping by in tandem like we were sitting still, and were out of sight in no time. That, was a bit of a jaw dropper, because I had thought I was going fast. Bought new meaning to the term getting your doors blown off!

Or as my dad would say about drivers like that, they're not driving really fast, they're just flying really low. :ttr:

Emil El Zapato
26th April 2022, 23:24
The Autobahn is, as its name suggests, in Germany. It is the generic name for the German highway network, and although there is a speed limit of 130 km/h on many sections of the Autobahn, the German highways are of course best known for their many unrestricted areas where you can drive as fast as your car will go, albeit while still adhering to other traffic regulations and conducting yourself responsibly. In other words, if you were to behave like a hooligan on the deregulated sections, then you can still get yourself arrested, because the German police does monitor those sections of the Autobahn just as closely as they do the restricted areas.

There is also a section of the infamous Nürburgring — specifically, the Nordschleiffe — that is part of the deregulated Autobahn and that is open to the public on weekdays, albeit that you do have to pay for passing through there — it's a toll road — and if you're caught with a ticking chronograph in your car, then you're screwed. It is strictly verboten to time your lap at the Nürburgring when it is open to the public, although many still do, and then often crash.

The Ring is well known as a very dangerous circuit — many people have already lost their lives there, including professionals — and it is often referred to as "the Green Hell of the North". There are several blind corners, two very treacherous carousels — i.e. flat-surfaced corners with a concrete banking on the inside of the corner — as well as several climbs followed by heavy compression.

There is also a prohibit of driving over the Ring more than once a day if your car is too loud, as Shmee150 recently found out when he went onto the Nürburgring in his Huracán STO and wanted to come back for seconds after his first lap. Although not a road trip video in and of itself, I'll post Shmee150's video — 20 minutes in length — of that event below, because he's got cameras in his car and he's showing the whole lap on screen as if you yourself are behind the wheel of his car. It is quite spectacular to behold. ;)



Definitely cool, he hit about 150 miles per hour ... that's flying. Noise limits? very interesting. Man, that's great though

Emil El Zapato
26th April 2022, 23:30
I had a chance to drive one of those unrestricted autobahn sections when we visited Germany years ago. Generally kept the rental car from 160 -180 kpm, not being used to that kind of speed I was plenty good inside that range.

Funny side story to that: Cruising along right there in that range of speed, when out of seemingly nowhere two brand new pure white BMW's came ripping by in tandem like we were sitting still, and were out of sight in no time. That, was a bit of a jaw dropper, because I had thought I was going fast. Bought new meaning to the term getting your doors blown off!

I've hit 105 mph on my way to work ... :) always have to worry about tickets though. The worst ticket I've had is going 85 in a 55 ... speed trap.

Emil El Zapato
27th April 2022, 12:08
I was driving the interstate once and chugging along at my usual 85 and a BMW and a Mercedes pulled up behind me, passed me, and then side-by-side just blasted off. It was cool. I didn't have the horsepower or the huevos to compete so I just watched them blast on down the road. I was driving an older middle-class 'sporty' car. I'd had a chance to buy a well cared for Mustang and passed it up because of the paint job and always regretted my choice. About 5 miles down the road I passed an overturned Mercedes. I don't know for sure if it was the same car, but I suspect it was.

Aragorn
27th April 2022, 18:44
Part 1: 23 minutes
Part 2: 15 minutes
Part 3: 20 minutes





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Q11Nd6-VI



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Bfi065bAM



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7243yfPVwXs

Emil El Zapato
27th April 2022, 22:17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Bfi065bAM

Damn that autobahn run ... the dude was screaming ... wow ... woohoo lol ... I have to ask what the hell does the 'Green Party' have to say about it ... he be just driving down the road.

Dreamtimer
28th April 2022, 11:10
I guess 'gear-heads' might not relate to Teslas since, as my brother told me, they don't have gears. How does that even work? I don't know the mechanics of a Tesla, clearly. He bought one at the end of last year and when he had to drive a rental he just kept complaining that it had no power. Poor guy.

Aragorn
28th April 2022, 11:36
I guess 'gear-heads' might not relate to Teslas since, as my brother told me, they don't have gears. How does that even work? I don't know the mechanics of a Tesla, clearly.

When it comes to a Tesla, they have one or two electric motors — one driving the rear wheels and possibly an extra one driving the front wheels. Other electric vehicles may have individual motors per wheel — it really depends on the manufacturer.

Electric vehicles normally don't have any gear ratios, or at most two ratios. The reason for this is that the gear ratios are intended to multiply the torque, given that internal combustion engines have a very narrow torque band. But electric motors have their peak torque available from the moment they are powered up, even when they're not spinning yet.

So, an electric vehicle has its peak torque available across the entire power band and will have no problem accelerating and pulling its mass forward, and that's why they generally do away with the added complexity of a transmission with multiple gears. It gets rid of some of the complexity and of some of the weight, because electric vehicles are much heavier than vehicles with an internal combustion engine, courtesy of the battery pack. A Tesla Model 3 for instance weighs over 1'800 kg, whereas my own car — a typical front-wheel-driven European "hot hatch" of approximately the same size as a Model 3, but with a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol/gasoline engine and a 6-speed manual transmission — weighs about 1'300 kg.

Dreamtimer
28th April 2022, 11:55
:thup::cool::scooter::dog:...no exhaust.

Aragorn
28th April 2022, 12:49
:thup::cool::scooter::dog:...no exhaust.

Hydrogen-electric seems like the most interesting technology to me. You get all the benefits of an electric, but without the weight of the battery pack, because instead you have a regular-capacity battery and a fuel tank, and the fuel tank contains hydrogen, which is then oxidized. This generates electricity, and all that comes out of the exhaust is pure water. No wasted hours of recharging, no car that weighs more than Mount Everest, no battery pack that only lasts a number of years, doesn't perform at freezing temperatures and needs to be recycled — which is expensive — at the end of its lifetime, a decent range per refill, and no pollution.

In addition to that, hydrogen can also be used differently, namely in internal combustion engines that use the Otto cycle — e.g. spark-ignition engines, like a petrol/gasoline engine. Refilling the tank uses the same procedure as with a hydrogen-electric vehicle, and what comes out of the exhaust will be the same as well, but possibly added with a mild percentage of lubricants, given that it's a piston engine.

So hydrogen is actually a dual-purpose fuel — or rather technically, not a fuel but an energy carrier — and it would solve many of the existing problems. However, the problem is political willingness. The infrastructure for the distribution of hydrogen just isn't there yet, and considering the risk of fire and/or explosion — hydrogen can readily be combined with oxygen and other airborne gases in the presence of a spark or a flame — the political-industrial apparatus rather places its bets on battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids that have limited range, with heavy and expensive batteries with a limited lifetime, which need over an hour to recharge on a speed charger — or about 12 to 14 hours on a domestic power outlet — and that don't perform very well when it's freezing outside.

Harry Metcalfe has tested many battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars on his channel, and the invariable conclusion is that they can only get about half the range that the manufacturer claims they would.

One reason for this is that the manufacturer-claimed range can only be attained with extensive use of regenerative braking — the car's brake system incorporates a generator that feeds electricity back into the battery — which works well in stop-and-go traffic or with a sporty driving style that involves many corners, but it is completely useless when you're cruising on the highway, because then you won't be using the brakes all that much. And in winter, the car's effective range drops to about 60%, because the batteries don't perform well when it's freezing — a phenomenon also already known from using cellphones and smartphones outside in winter.

Emil El Zapato
28th April 2022, 15:28
Hydrogen-electric seems like the most interesting technology to me. You get all the benefits of an electric, but without the weight of the battery pack, because instead you have a regular-capacity battery and a fuel tank, and the fuel tank contains hydrogen, which is then oxidized. This generates electricity, and all that comes out of the exhaust is pure water. No wasted hours of recharging, no car that weighs more than Mount Everest, no battery pack that only lasts a number of years, doesn't perform at freezing temperatures and needs to be recycled — which is expensive — at the end of its lifetime, a decent range per refill, and no pollution.

In addition to that, hydrogen can also be used differently, namely in internal combustion engines that use the Otto cycle — e.g. spark-ignition engines, like a petrol/gasoline engine. Refilling the tank uses the same procedure as with a hydrogen-electric vehicle, and what comes out of the exhaust will be the same as well, but possibly added with a mild percentage of lubricants, given that it's a piston engine.

So hydrogen is actually a dual-purpose fuel — or rather technically, not a fuel but an energy carrier — and it would solve many of the existing problems. However, the problem is political willingness. The infrastructure for the distribution of hydrogen just isn't there yet, and considering the risk of fire and/or explosion — hydrogen can readily be combined with oxygen and other airborne gases in the presence of a spark or a flame — the political-industrial apparatus rather places its bets on battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids that have limited range, with heavy and expensive batteries with a limited lifetime, which need over an hour to recharge on a speed charger — or about 12 to 14 hours on a domestic power outlet — and that don't perform very well when it's freezing outside.

Harry Metcalfe has tested many battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars on his channel, and the invariable conclusion is that they can only get about half the range that the manufacturer claims they would.

One reason for this is that the manufacturer-claimed range can only be attained with extensive use of regenerative braking — the car's brake system incorporates a generator that feeds electricity back into the battery — which works well in stop-and-go traffic or with a sporty driving style that involves many corners, but it is completely useless when you're cruising on the highway, because then you won't be using the brakes all that much. And in winter, the car's effective range drops to about 60%, because the batteries don't perform well when it's freezing — a phenomenon also already known from using cellphones and smartphones outside in winter.

The other potential drawback is that Hydrogen tends to blow up in place and is easily ignited. It is why despite being the most abundant gas in the cosmos, Helium is used much more often.

Wind
28th April 2022, 22:01
My brother just recently bought a new big car for his family, actually it's used and still was expensive.

It's BMW X5, a hybrid car. I haven't asked if my brother uses the charging option much though.

xRWm_uOSmOM

Emil El Zapato
28th April 2022, 22:20
My brother just recently bought a new big car for his family, actually it's used and still was expensive.

It's BMW X5, a hybrid car. I haven't asked if my brother uses the charging option much though.

that's my next car ... when it is about 10 years old ... :)

Aragorn
15th May 2022, 20:37
Not about cars this one, and not really a road trip in the common sense, but an interesting adventure nevertheless. This one's exactly 1 hour long. ;)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh7c7Hg_dwY

Emil El Zapato
15th May 2022, 21:20
Not about cars this one, and not really a road trip in the common sense, but an interesting adventure nevertheless. This one's exactly 1 hour long. ;)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh7c7Hg_dwY

Man, he went down. Harry has got some gumption. That's a great trip!

Aragorn
17th July 2022, 20:54
Harry's got a new road trip video up. 28 minutes, this one. ;)





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJRepjHVPjI

Aragorn
26th September 2022, 01:33
Road trip to the Isle of Man in a 1'000 HP hybrid Ferrari. 30 minutes. ;)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMrFEblnZrM

Aragorn
8th December 2022, 06:49
Harry has recently bought himself a Lotus Emira, and right away, he's taking it on a road trip through Europe. Part 1 of the video was simply him visiting the Lotus factory and picking up his new car. ;)

23 minutes, this one. ;)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpYwlCaO7jQ

Aragorn
12th December 2022, 06:52
Harry has recently bought himself a Lotus Emira, and right away, he's taking it on a road trip through Europe. Part 1 of the video was simply him visiting the Lotus factory and picking up his new car. ;)

And here's the sequel. 42 minutes for the first one, 18 minutes for the second one. ;)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuuKCAMjqMw



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hje0mmp4T4k

Aragorn
18th December 2022, 17:57
Final part of the Emira road trip — 27 minutes. ;)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J1ZnQ1J8TI

Lord Sidious
19th December 2022, 02:22
I like the Mission From 'Arry better............


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSQUq_xdHsM

Aragorn
19th December 2022, 09:51
I like the Mission From 'Arry better............

Wrong thread, ya nugget! :p



https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/five-year-old-funny-face-7527732.jpg

Lord Sidious
19th December 2022, 23:29
Wrong thread, ya nugget! :p



https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/five-year-old-funny-face-7527732.jpg

No it's not ya communist..................

Aragorn
17th May 2023, 04:11
Part 1: 27 minutes
Part 2: 38 minutes
Part 3: 38 minutes






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oi2pxT0QWU



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohARE8_bM0



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tgF7F4Eo58

Aragorn
26th June 2023, 15:15
40 minutes, this one.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhokc2IV9_c

Aragorn
24th September 2023, 18:09
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQbwxLSO8rg

Emil El Zapato
24th September 2023, 18:59
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQbwxLSO8rg

Harry's going for a spin...

Wind
27th December 2023, 00:50
amccMGe3ehs

Emil El Zapato
27th December 2023, 09:33
amccMGe3ehs

Definitely nice looking ride...170 top speed, nice.

Wind
27th December 2023, 12:50
Definitely nice looking ride...170 top speed, nice.

The engine purrs quite nicely too.

Aragorn
27th December 2023, 13:12
The engine purrs quite nicely too.

Astons have always had epic engine sounds. And loud ones too. :p

Emil El Zapato
28th December 2023, 01:00
Astons have always had epic engine sounds. And loud ones too. :p

yeah, sounded great...sound with speed is cool, sound while crawling is b*llsh*t. :) You asked sometime back what kind of car I had...It a 2011 Audi A3, costs me a fortune in repair costs but it keeps going down the road as fast as I want it to go...about 150,000 miles on it now...saving for another car but I'll hang on to the Audi, if I could just get the electronics straightened out on the p.o.s. :) I thought I would save money staying away from dealerships but that was probably just another huge mistake in the long run.

Aragorn
28th December 2023, 19:12
yeah, sounded great...sound with speed is cool, sound while crawling is b*llsh*t. :) You asked sometime back what kind of car I had...It a 2011 Audi A3, costs me a fortune in repair costs but it keeps going down the road as fast as I want it to go...about 150,000 miles on it now...saving for another car but I'll hang on to the Audi, if I could just get the electronics straightened out on the p.o.s. :) I thought I would save money staying away from dealerships but that was probably just another huge mistake in the long run.

Well, I'm surprised to hear you're having problems with it. Over here, Audi has quite a sterling reputation on account of reliability, and it is considered somewhat of a premium brand — they're in the higher price range.

Myself, I'm still driving my 2006 Opel Astra GTC 2.0 Turbo with a 6-speed manual. It doesn't have a lot of kilometers/miles on it because I'm always driving very short distances, but it's going on 18 years now and it always sleeps outside. Yet, it still smells and looks like new on the inside, and it drives wonderfully. I've had some expenses with it over the years, but most of that was natural wear & tear. And it has quite a few battle scars on the outside too.

It may not be the hottest of hot hatches anymore by today's standards, but I still consider a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 8.5 seconds fairly quick, and it's still a beautiful, sporty looking car, both in and out. It has a factory-installed OPC Line spoiler kit and five-spoke 18" alloy wheels. I actually personally feel that the new 2022 Astra — which is entirely built upon Peugeot/Citroën underpinnings — doesn't even look half as good. Opel's design language is now a lot more angular, and in my opinion, the new Astra looks more like an SUV that has been lowered, with a very horizontal hood and a more upright windscreen. Mine on the other hand is still from before General Motors sold Opel and its sister brand Vauxhall to the PSA Group, which has itself now merged with FIAT/Chrysler into a mega-holding called Stellantis, with its HQ in the Netherlands.

The image below is not my actual car — I used to have a couple of photos of it online, but my ISP has dropped the free web space that they used to offer to their customers — but it's the same make and model, including the spoiler kit, albeit that the body color and the design of the wheels are different.



https://www.njuskalo.hr/image-w920x690/vanjski-tuning/opc-line-astra-h-gtc-slika-2356302.jpg

Emil El Zapato
28th December 2023, 23:59
Myself, I'm still driving my 2006 Opel Astra GTC 2.0 Turbo with a 6-speed manual.

looks nice...

Aragorn
15th January 2024, 02:46
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA_2bxtLVoQ

Emil El Zapato
15th January 2024, 11:18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA_2bxtLVoQ

One would need 8 people paying for it... :)

Aragorn
18th March 2024, 13:59
52 minutes, this one.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PW_cBvp2i4