I spent the last few years with an Aston Martin DB9 Manual which after a generous offer from a good friend and months of self doubt, I went ahead with the deal .
I had owned the car for nearly 5 years and was driving it less and less. My original intention was to keep it at all costs as a future classic but it felt like it wasn't being enjoyed or used as much as I would like. This also had an impact on it's reliability, with small niggles (some that only I would notice, but they still annoyed me) creeping up. I will never forgot the manual gearbox to V12 pairing, it was a glorious thing and I doubt I'll get to drive another as they seem to be on the way out. After test driving both the automatic/paddle vs the manual I can say that the manual gearbox completely changes the feeling of the car and is an exceedingly rare combination on the DB9.
Goodbye my friend .
Following on from that, last year, I had added a stablemate in the form of a BMW E60 M5 which served as my more practical car (in relative terms!). I drove this car, on my first weekend of ownership, all the way to Stuttgart and back again, for a friends birthday. It performed absolutely flawlessly and hit 175mph GPS on the autobahn - Not sure where the 155mph limiter had got to...
With the departure of the DB9 looming, I seeked a potentially more radical change by looking into other options for a practical & fun car. After a few months of debating I traded the M5 in and I ended up with these, both of which were delivered last month:
Tesla Model S P90D
Caterham SV 420R
Track spec'd but road legal for the odd weekend drive
I am both delighted and ever so slightly sad at the change - I absolutely love "living in the future" with the Tesla - I use the autopilot functionality on every journey that involves A roads and I don't yet find charging a big concern. The over-the-air updates are already proving to be a revelation - I've had it about 6 weeks and already received 2 updates, one which contained enhanced autopilot and another than completely revamped the UI. I've done over 1500 miles and, other than insurance (comparable to my old policy), I haven't paid a single penny in running costs (zero on electric, zero on congestion charge, zero on car tax) - just tyre wear .
I also cannot wait to get more track time in the Caterham next year when the weather brightens up a bit as it really does alter your expectations when cornering/braking - I've already had a bit of an incident with a Silverstone wall when I touched the white line in the damp at Chapel which was rather embarrassing - thankfully I got off lightly.
I am ever so slightly sad as I might never drive a high capacity N/A engined car again. Turbos and engine technology have come on such a long way, and with the advent of electric cars, I just can't see a future for them outside of the very niche (OcUK Motors perhaps!) . Not to mention self-driving cars.
Anyway, thought I'd share my journey with fellow petrolheads (can I call myself that anymore with a Tesla?)! I will probably update this thread if my car gets any new features/updates etc.
I had owned the car for nearly 5 years and was driving it less and less. My original intention was to keep it at all costs as a future classic but it felt like it wasn't being enjoyed or used as much as I would like. This also had an impact on it's reliability, with small niggles (some that only I would notice, but they still annoyed me) creeping up. I will never forgot the manual gearbox to V12 pairing, it was a glorious thing and I doubt I'll get to drive another as they seem to be on the way out. After test driving both the automatic/paddle vs the manual I can say that the manual gearbox completely changes the feeling of the car and is an exceedingly rare combination on the DB9.
Goodbye my friend .
Following on from that, last year, I had added a stablemate in the form of a BMW E60 M5 which served as my more practical car (in relative terms!). I drove this car, on my first weekend of ownership, all the way to Stuttgart and back again, for a friends birthday. It performed absolutely flawlessly and hit 175mph GPS on the autobahn - Not sure where the 155mph limiter had got to...
With the departure of the DB9 looming, I seeked a potentially more radical change by looking into other options for a practical & fun car. After a few months of debating I traded the M5 in and I ended up with these, both of which were delivered last month:
Tesla Model S P90D
- Facelift
- Insane mode (3.1s 0-60 time)
- Air suspension
- Uprated speakers
- 21" wheels
- Next gen seats
- Autopilot v1.0
- Cold weather pack
Caterham SV 420R
Track spec'd but road legal for the odd weekend drive
- R Pack
- Race rollcage
- Track suspension
- Track day exhaust
- Lowered floors
- Sequential shift lights
- Kevlar race tillet seats
- Uprated front brakes
I am both delighted and ever so slightly sad at the change - I absolutely love "living in the future" with the Tesla - I use the autopilot functionality on every journey that involves A roads and I don't yet find charging a big concern. The over-the-air updates are already proving to be a revelation - I've had it about 6 weeks and already received 2 updates, one which contained enhanced autopilot and another than completely revamped the UI. I've done over 1500 miles and, other than insurance (comparable to my old policy), I haven't paid a single penny in running costs (zero on electric, zero on congestion charge, zero on car tax) - just tyre wear .
I also cannot wait to get more track time in the Caterham next year when the weather brightens up a bit as it really does alter your expectations when cornering/braking - I've already had a bit of an incident with a Silverstone wall when I touched the white line in the damp at Chapel which was rather embarrassing - thankfully I got off lightly.
I am ever so slightly sad as I might never drive a high capacity N/A engined car again. Turbos and engine technology have come on such a long way, and with the advent of electric cars, I just can't see a future for them outside of the very niche (OcUK Motors perhaps!) . Not to mention self-driving cars.
Anyway, thought I'd share my journey with fellow petrolheads (can I call myself that anymore with a Tesla?)! I will probably update this thread if my car gets any new features/updates etc.