Funny registration numbers

I came across this picture and it made me laugh. How cool is it to ask yourself every morning: to be or not to be?

Supercars on planks

Hi,

I found the Top Gear video that my wife was referring to. This is pretty much what happened to me in Calais with the Aston Martin DBS!!

Photos of the DBS

I took the new Aston Martin DBS for a weekend in Calais. We have family who live in an 200 years old “bourgeoise” house there. The entrance was very narrow with a high kerb. We had to use big solid planks to get the car on the driveway. My lovely wife joked at me and told I was doing a “top gear”. We had a splendid weekend which finished with me driving everyone for 2 hours with James Bond themes playing on the car’s audio

I’m trying to get pictures of the £170,000 car trying to get out the entrance on the planks. It’s difficult not to look like a complete pillock (or plank for that matter) in these circumstances

Aston Martin Vantage N400

P1 just received the limited edition of the new Aston Martin Vantage, the N400. The N stands for Nurburing, 400 for the number of N400 produces.

I didn’t really know what to expect. I had been really disapointed by the 56 reg model, and the press was really positive about the new model. Well, the N400 is really a good car. It’s more “together”, has better dynamics and is a great drive. It’s just a different car.

Parisian weekend in a Ferrari 430 Spider

Where did the last 35 years go? It’s my birthday this weekend, and I certainly still feel like I’m 25. I had decided to celebrate with sytle and with my friends, to help me get through this difficult day. Paris here I come!

We had booked  P1’s Ferrari 430 Spider for this very special weekend in Paris. The color is dark grey (can’t remember the exact name), which I think makes the car more refined and glamorous. The 599 is in the garage alongside the SLR. Next time maybe. The car is so fast! I drive carefully to Folkestones, get the car on the train (tip: go for the high vehicle lane) and put the car and my heart to rest.

Then something rather strange happen. 7 or 8 of (well behaved) 12 years old kids get out the minivan behind us and start looking at the car , were running around, and kept saying “nice car sir!”. That’s when the reminiscence hit me. My dream as a little boy had come true! I remembered the Testarossa poster on the wall of my bedroom and the discussion with my best mate Renaud about our dreams of one day driving a Ferrari.  I was 35 but felt like 12 again. That’s what supercars are all about then!

The rest of the weekend is a blur. We stayed at l’Hostellerie des 3 Mousquetaires, a very nice hotel in the north of France on Friday night. I can only recommend it. On saturday morning we drove to Paris to my parents’ house. Dad almost had a heart attack when he saw the car! For dinner, we went to one of Paris best restaurant: Le Pré Catelan. A wee bit expensive but the food is heavenly good. I have to admit that leaving this incredible restaurant with the woman that I love and seeing the 430 waiting for us outside, both doors opened with its engine running (or yelling) is a memory I won’t ever forget.

On sunday, birthday party with my friends (well the few who stayed in France). What a glorious day. My best mate is there and remembers the Testarossa poster as well!

It’s monday already and we load the front boot of the car (suprisingly big and practical) and head back to P1. We leave the car with them and now I really feel 35.

Isle of Wight in a 56 Vantage

It’s Morgane’s birthday and we’ve decided to celebrate it on the Isle of Wight to remind her of her native Bretagne With hindsight, going there in the middle of February when the channel is the most proned to storms, was a bit of a gamble! We’ve been very lucky: the sky was blue and the temperature at 12C. Global warming has its benefits…

I hired an Aston Martin V8 Vantage for the occasion, a car we always wanted to try. It’s a beautiful car that makes all the right noises… and a few more: the V8 music is great above 4500 RPM when the valves open, but at low speeds we could hear rattles, squeaks, and other unidentified noises The car was great fun on the twisted roads of the island! Another slight inconvenience was that Morgane could barely reach the pedals (hehe). Overall, a great looking car but a poor drive. Who cares!

The weekend was great fun. A lot of CO2 and Iode. Just the way we like it!

Aston Martin DB9 Volante

I drove the DB9 Volante for the weekend. This is the very first supercar I’ve ever driven. We stayed in a very nice hotel in the north of france: Le Château de Beaulieu.

I loved that car!