Special K

Cheap . . .
 
. . . if I had the spare cash I'd snap it up at that price . . .
 
Spec K

Yeah. It's spent more time at Fensport this year than on the road, I reckon.... nothing to do with Fensport/engine/body mods, it's the blurry autotrans... had a report back from Kris at SSP in the States this morning which I need to absorb. .
 
Your mainfold is on board . .
 
Spec K

Can never have too much, plenty spare for after you set it on fire

James - it's a shame I didn't know you were going to Thurrock, I would have met you there as well.. did Nick check your passport. . ?
 
Good figures. Virtually the same as my own with the stage 2 AVO kit.
 
Good firm, TDI
 
Spec K

After 60, if you don't wake up aching in every joint you're probably dead.. ( indeed, I've now reached the age where "happy hour" is a nap..)
 
The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket..
 
Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs
 
Do you realise that, in about 40 years, you lot will have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos..?
 
A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep sh*t...
 
... and remember, politicans and nappies should be changed often and for the same reason.
 
Spec K
 
Always be yourself  -  the people that matter don't mind and the people that mind don't matter

A man walked into a pub, went to the bar and ordered a beer.
 
"Certainly Sir, that'll be a penny."
 
"A penny?" the man exclaimed.
 
He glanced at the menu and asked " How much for a nice juicy steak and a bottle of wine?"
 
"Five pence" the barman replied.
 
"Five pence?" the guy exclaimed. "Where's the guy who owns this place?"
 
The bartender replied "Upstairs with my wife".
 
The man asked "What's he doing upstairs with your wife?"
 
The bartender replied "The same thing I am doing down here to his business".

The following is, I am assured, a genuine answer given by a mid-term chemistry student at the Univeristy of Arizona..
 
The answer was so profound his professor shared it with colleagues via the internet - hence I had the pleasure of enjoying it as well.. and I invite you to share..
 
" Bonus Question - is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat) ? "
 
Most students wrote dissertations based on Boyle's Law  (gas cools when it expands and heats up when compressed) or a variant thereof.. one student, however, wrote the following -
 
' First we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving, which is unlikely. I think we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving..
 
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.
 
Most of these religions state that, if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion we can project with certainty that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
 
Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proptionately as souls are added.
 
This gives two possibilities -
 
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure will increase until all Hell breaks loose..
 
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over..
 
So.. which is it..?
 
If we accept the postulate given to me by Annabelle during my Freshman year that ".. it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you.." and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night - number two must be true and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.
 
The corollary of this theory is that, since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore extinct.... leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a Divine Being which explains why, last night, Annabelle kept shouting "Oh, my God..!!"
 
Spec K

Hi Mike,
 
Is the wheelchair permanent?  Is yours an auto?
 
 
Spec K

Is it me.. or are these 'glue-on' bodykits merely a pain-in-the ar*e?
 
The only person I know who has an add-on hairpiece like this without a problem so far is GT86 Ian. But that was installed by professionals.
 
And I won't mention Nige's saga...
 
Our cars, in standard form, are capable of 140mph. A lump of self-stick glassfibre which flies off at that speed - or even at 40mph - can invite a swerve/accident from a following car or kill a pedestrian.
 
I really do hope you self-stick guys are declaring these 'bling' mods to your insurers.. I think you are totally irresponsible.
 
Spec K

Got back yesterday afternoon following a really great week in Malta.
 
First time there... a petrolhead paradise where the 420,000 locals own 380,000 cars between them! First words a baby learns is not 'Mama/Papa' but 'where's my car?'
 
A taxi driver told me he used an MX5, I asked him about spares and he told me he had three of 'em to plunder... classic MGB's, Corvettes and the like, in beautiful condition, can regularly be seen on the roads..
 
True to his word Andrew met me at the airport and ferried me to my hotel in his GT86. The roads are appalling - potholes that eat Transit vans - but that didn't deter him from drifting his rear end about like a demented Lauren... the driver/car combo is good which is more than can be said for their petrol at 87octane.. he has to load 30 Euros-worth of octane booster into each tank of fuel every 2-3days... ouch! A positive step is to go water/meth injection, should get rid of the need for accelerator.
 
Like me, Andrew and his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (who has not passed her driving test yet but already owns an immaculate ex-UK WRX STI) are  food gourmets, so we had a number of superb meals. When left to my own devices I did the touristy stuff - the Cathedral in Valetta is a fantasic example of Baroque architecture, I spent over two hours there and the walled city of Mdina is amazing with an a-v presentation of its history and that of the Knights of Malta - fifty minutes of fascinating history for 12 Euros. If you're a beach bum there's loads of places to get your kit off and roast yourself but beware, the UV factor there is amongst the highest in the world...
 
There were two especial 'treats' - I chartered a 37ft yacht for the three of us for a day (with a skipper) and we cruised up to Comino and back with a swim at the lunch stop, with Julia pushing a reluctant Andrew off the bathing platform... tsk, tsk, who's idea was that..?
 
Shame there was not a trace of wind so we couldn't hoists the rags but had to donk everywhere - turned out that Adrian our skipper was into IT so he and Andrew were having techy conversations whilst Julia and I engaged in convivial imbibation... I got sunburned to blazes, it was so damn hot..
 
Second treat was Thursday evenings trip to the drag strip. This is the only spot for 'motorsport' on the island, if you want to track your car you have to ferry to Sicily..  Met up with all of Andrew's chums - including Kim who has a Ninja GT86 and thus two-thirds of the island's GT86 owners were present.
 
This is real manicville - just join the queue and blast up the strip whenever you like. Run what you brung.. music at 120 decibels, food and booze on call, it was so laid back it was horizontal..
 
The friendliness and goodwill these guys have towards each other is amazing  and I was made so welcome amongst them it was like being at a TSS round... I was also given a special treat as passenger for a run in Andrew's car as we logged some data for Adrian (Fensport) to tweak a bit.. Andrew's friend with a Skyline insisted on drifting it around the paddock and finally blew a rear tyre, stopping inches from the rear of a Golf... quick wheel change and no harm done.. and Andrew beat the Skyline over their run together.. respect!
 
Finally met up with Andrew as I prepared to leave yesterday morning - he was in total awe of his new map from Fensport and it was a shame I did not have time to experience it. He hopes to drive up to the UK some time in October and I have offered to show him around and see if we can get some track time / social meets organised. This is one seriously committed Forum member, as can be seen from his detailed postings on HKS s/c installation, but in addition he is a bloody nice guy who went out of his way to make my visit memorable. And is sure was.
 
Spec K
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here is a reference of my bone structure and some flesh just in case you ever see me wandering about the streets of london!
 

 
And this is my beauty, the one that makes me smile every single day  

Got back yesterday afternoon following a really great week in Malta.
 
First time there... a petrolhead paradise where the 420,000 locals own 380,000 cars between them! First words a baby learns is not 'Mama/Papa' but 'where's my car?'
 
A taxi driver told me he used an MX5, I asked him about spares and he told me he had three of 'em to plunder... classic MGB's, Corvettes and the like, in beautiful condition, can regularly be seen on the roads..
 
True to his word Andrew met me at the airport and ferried me to my hotel in his GT86. The roads are appalling - potholes that eat Transit vans - but that didn't deter him from drifting his rear end about like a demented Lauren... the driver/car combo is good which is more than can be said for their petrol at 87octane.. he has to load 30 Euros-worth of octane booster into each tank of fuel every 2-3days... ouch! A positive step is to go water/meth injection, should get rid of the need for accelerator.
 
Like me, Andrew and his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (who has not passed her driving test yet but already owns an immaculate ex-UK WRX STI) are  food gourmets, so we had a number of superb meals. When left to my own devices I did the touristy stuff - the Cathedral in Valetta is a fantasic example of Baroque architecture, I spent over two hours there and the walled city of Mdina is amazing with an a-v presentation of its history and that of the Knights of Malta - fifty minutes of fascinating history for 12 Euros. If you're a beach bum there's loads of places to get your kit off and roast yourself but beware, the UV factor there is amongst the highest in the world...
 
There were two especial 'treats' - I chartered a 37ft yacht for the three of us for a day (with a skipper) and we cruised up to Comino and back with a swim at the lunch stop, with Julia pushing a reluctant Andrew off the bathing platform... tsk, tsk, who's idea was that..?
 
Shame there was not a trace of wind so we couldn't hoists the rags but had to donk everywhere - turned out that Adrian our skipper was into IT so he and Andrew were having techy conversations whilst Julia and I engaged in convivial imbibation... I got sunburned to blazes, it was so damn hot..
 
Second treat was Thursday evenings trip to the drag strip. This is the only spot for 'motorsport' on the island, if you want to track your car you have to ferry to Sicily..  Met up with all of Andrew's chums - including Kim who has a Ninja GT86 and thus two-thirds of the island's GT86 owners were present.
 
This is real manicville - just join the queue and blast up the strip whenever you like. Run what you brung.. music at 120 decibels, food and booze on call, it was so laid back it was horizontal..
 
The friendliness and goodwill these guys have towards each other is amazing  and I was made so welcome amongst them it was like being at a TSS round... I was also given a special treat as passenger for a run in Andrew's car as we logged some data for Adrian (Fensport) to tweak a bit.. Andrew's friend with a Skyline insisted on drifting it around the paddock and finally blew a rear tyre, stopping inches from the rear of a Golf... quick wheel change and no harm done.. and Andrew beat the Skyline over their run together.. respect!
 
Finally met up with Andrew as I prepared to leave yesterday morning - he was in total awe of his new map from Fensport and it was a shame I did not have time to experience it. He hopes to drive up to the UK some time in October and I have offered to show him around and see if we can get some track time / social meets organised. This is one seriously committed Forum member, as can be seen from his detailed postings on HKS s/c installation, but in addition he is a bloody nice guy who went out of his way to make my visit memorable. And is sure was.
 
Spec K
 
 
 
 
 
 

Without doubt the nicest and best GT86 build going on ANY of the forums!

As many of you will know, the uprated transmission broke at the TSS round at Woodbridge. It started when I lost 3rd, then 2nd and finally 4th couldn't make its mind up..
 
I managed to nurse the car back to Fensport - by the time I arrived on Sunday evening (60-odd miles) I was left with 1st and 6th gear, even reverse was slipping. (Driving a car in this state brings a whole new meaning to the phrase  'intelligent anticipation', particularly with Sunday drivers faffing about..)
 
It took me a week in Malta to dispel my despondency and, whilst I was away the 'Angels of Chatteris' tore the broken trans out and replaced it with my new spare, brought in from USA a couple of weeks beforehand.
 
The broken trans has been shipped over to SSP in the States and arrived last week. Kris and his team are about to strip it down and, hopefully, find out what went wrong and why. Then it's a question of whether it can be put right..
 
In the meantime I collected the car from Fensport yesterday. Transmission is working perfectly on the road power settings at the moment but I am not going to risk any competitive events/high power settings until I have a definitive answer from SSP.
 
This is turning into an expensive learning curve, both financially and in terms of TSS points...
 
Spec K

A man walked into a pub, went to the bar and ordered a beer.
 
"Certainly Sir, that'll be a penny."
 
"A penny?" the man exclaimed.
 
He glanced at the menu and asked " How much for a nice juicy steak and a bottle of wine?"
 
"Five pence" the barman replied.
 
"Five pence?" the guy exclaimed. "Where's the guy who owns this place?"
 
The bartender replied "Upstairs with my wife".
 
The man asked "What's he doing upstairs with your wife?"
 
The bartender replied "The same thing I am doing down here to his business".

The EU has decided that all  Euro notes will henceforth be printed on Greece-proof paper

The EU has decided that all  Euro notes will henceforth be printed on Greece-proof paper

Got back yesterday afternoon following a really great week in Malta.
 
First time there... a petrolhead paradise where the 420,000 locals own 380,000 cars between them! First words a baby learns is not 'Mama/Papa' but 'where's my car?'
 
A taxi driver told me he used an MX5, I asked him about spares and he told me he had three of 'em to plunder... classic MGB's, Corvettes and the like, in beautiful condition, can regularly be seen on the roads..
 
True to his word Andrew met me at the airport and ferried me to my hotel in his GT86. The roads are appalling - potholes that eat Transit vans - but that didn't deter him from drifting his rear end about like a demented Lauren... the driver/car combo is good which is more than can be said for their petrol at 87octane.. he has to load 30 Euros-worth of octane booster into each tank of fuel every 2-3days... ouch! A positive step is to go water/meth injection, should get rid of the need for accelerator.
 
Like me, Andrew and his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (who has not passed her driving test yet but already owns an immaculate ex-UK WRX STI) are  food gourmets, so we had a number of superb meals. When left to my own devices I did the touristy stuff - the Cathedral in Valetta is a fantasic example of Baroque architecture, I spent over two hours there and the walled city of Mdina is amazing with an a-v presentation of its history and that of the Knights of Malta - fifty minutes of fascinating history for 12 Euros. If you're a beach bum there's loads of places to get your kit off and roast yourself but beware, the UV factor there is amongst the highest in the world...
 
There were two especial 'treats' - I chartered a 37ft yacht for the three of us for a day (with a skipper) and we cruised up to Comino and back with a swim at the lunch stop, with Julia pushing a reluctant Andrew off the bathing platform... tsk, tsk, who's idea was that..?
 
Shame there was not a trace of wind so we couldn't hoists the rags but had to donk everywhere - turned out that Adrian our skipper was into IT so he and Andrew were having techy conversations whilst Julia and I engaged in convivial imbibation... I got sunburned to blazes, it was so damn hot..
 
Second treat was Thursday evenings trip to the drag strip. This is the only spot for 'motorsport' on the island, if you want to track your car you have to ferry to Sicily..  Met up with all of Andrew's chums - including Kim who has a Ninja GT86 and thus two-thirds of the island's GT86 owners were present.
 
This is real manicville - just join the queue and blast up the strip whenever you like. Run what you brung.. music at 120 decibels, food and booze on call, it was so laid back it was horizontal..
 
The friendliness and goodwill these guys have towards each other is amazing  and I was made so welcome amongst them it was like being at a TSS round... I was also given a special treat as passenger for a run in Andrew's car as we logged some data for Adrian (Fensport) to tweak a bit.. Andrew's friend with a Skyline insisted on drifting it around the paddock and finally blew a rear tyre, stopping inches from the rear of a Golf... quick wheel change and no harm done.. and Andrew beat the Skyline over their run together.. respect!
 
Finally met up with Andrew as I prepared to leave yesterday morning - he was in total awe of his new map from Fensport and it was a shame I did not have time to experience it. He hopes to drive up to the UK some time in October and I have offered to show him around and see if we can get some track time / social meets organised. This is one seriously committed Forum member, as can be seen from his detailed postings on HKS s/c installation, but in addition he is a bloody nice guy who went out of his way to make my visit memorable. And is sure was.
 
Spec K
 
 
 
 
 
 

Got back yesterday afternoon following a really great week in Malta.
 
First time there... a petrolhead paradise where the 420,000 locals own 380,000 cars between them! First words a baby learns is not 'Mama/Papa' but 'where's my car?'
 
A taxi driver told me he used an MX5, I asked him about spares and he told me he had three of 'em to plunder... classic MGB's, Corvettes and the like, in beautiful condition, can regularly be seen on the roads..
 
True to his word Andrew met me at the airport and ferried me to my hotel in his GT86. The roads are appalling - potholes that eat Transit vans - but that didn't deter him from drifting his rear end about like a demented Lauren... the driver/car combo is good which is more than can be said for their petrol at 87octane.. he has to load 30 Euros-worth of octane booster into each tank of fuel every 2-3days... ouch! A positive step is to go water/meth injection, should get rid of the need for accelerator.
 
Like me, Andrew and his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (who has not passed her driving test yet but already owns an immaculate ex-UK WRX STI) are  food gourmets, so we had a number of superb meals. When left to my own devices I did the touristy stuff - the Cathedral in Valetta is a fantasic example of Baroque architecture, I spent over two hours there and the walled city of Mdina is amazing with an a-v presentation of its history and that of the Knights of Malta - fifty minutes of fascinating history for 12 Euros. If you're a beach bum there's loads of places to get your kit off and roast yourself but beware, the UV factor there is amongst the highest in the world...
 
There were two especial 'treats' - I chartered a 37ft yacht for the three of us for a day (with a skipper) and we cruised up to Comino and back with a swim at the lunch stop, with Julia pushing a reluctant Andrew off the bathing platform... tsk, tsk, who's idea was that..?
 
Shame there was not a trace of wind so we couldn't hoists the rags but had to donk everywhere - turned out that Adrian our skipper was into IT so he and Andrew were having techy conversations whilst Julia and I engaged in convivial imbibation... I got sunburned to blazes, it was so damn hot..
 
Second treat was Thursday evenings trip to the drag strip. This is the only spot for 'motorsport' on the island, if you want to track your car you have to ferry to Sicily..  Met up with all of Andrew's chums - including Kim who has a Ninja GT86 and thus two-thirds of the island's GT86 owners were present.
 
This is real manicville - just join the queue and blast up the strip whenever you like. Run what you brung.. music at 120 decibels, food and booze on call, it was so laid back it was horizontal..
 
The friendliness and goodwill these guys have towards each other is amazing  and I was made so welcome amongst them it was like being at a TSS round... I was also given a special treat as passenger for a run in Andrew's car as we logged some data for Adrian (Fensport) to tweak a bit.. Andrew's friend with a Skyline insisted on drifting it around the paddock and finally blew a rear tyre, stopping inches from the rear of a Golf... quick wheel change and no harm done.. and Andrew beat the Skyline over their run together.. respect!
 
Finally met up with Andrew as I prepared to leave yesterday morning - he was in total awe of his new map from Fensport and it was a shame I did not have time to experience it. He hopes to drive up to the UK some time in October and I have offered to show him around and see if we can get some track time / social meets organised. This is one seriously committed Forum member, as can be seen from his detailed postings on HKS s/c installation, but in addition he is a bloody nice guy who went out of his way to make my visit memorable. And is sure was.
 
Spec K
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the comments - I could wax lyrical about the place and the people, it makes a big  difference when there's someone like Andrew on hand to make all the introductions.. seafood you would die for, booze at realistic prices, fags at less than a fiver a packet.. national dish is rabbit, about time a use was found for 'em..
 
A leisurely three-day drive down there... a week in the sun... leisurely drive back..? Just an idea we chatted about, whereupon he committed to organise a shipment of V-Power for us... no holding this fellah back...
 
Nige - I just could not get grumpy, most disconcerting, my persona down the toilet... the hotel was full of ancients with 'singalongapiano' nights... no screaming brats... sheer bliss...
 
Spec K

Got back yesterday afternoon following a really great week in Malta.
 
First time there... a petrolhead paradise where the 420,000 locals own 380,000 cars between them! First words a baby learns is not 'Mama/Papa' but 'where's my car?'
 
A taxi driver told me he used an MX5, I asked him about spares and he told me he had three of 'em to plunder... classic MGB's, Corvettes and the like, in beautiful condition, can regularly be seen on the roads..
 
True to his word Andrew met me at the airport and ferried me to my hotel in his GT86. The roads are appalling - potholes that eat Transit vans - but that didn't deter him from drifting his rear end about like a demented Lauren... the driver/car combo is good which is more than can be said for their petrol at 87octane.. he has to load 30 Euros-worth of octane booster into each tank of fuel every 2-3days... ouch! A positive step is to go water/meth injection, should get rid of the need for accelerator.
 
Like me, Andrew and his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (who has not passed her driving test yet but already owns an immaculate ex-UK WRX STI) are  food gourmets, so we had a number of superb meals. When left to my own devices I did the touristy stuff - the Cathedral in Valetta is a fantasic example of Baroque architecture, I spent over two hours there and the walled city of Mdina is amazing with an a-v presentation of its history and that of the Knights of Malta - fifty minutes of fascinating history for 12 Euros. If you're a beach bum there's loads of places to get your kit off and roast yourself but beware, the UV factor there is amongst the highest in the world...
 
There were two especial 'treats' - I chartered a 37ft yacht for the three of us for a day (with a skipper) and we cruised up to Comino and back with a swim at the lunch stop, with Julia pushing a reluctant Andrew off the bathing platform... tsk, tsk, who's idea was that..?
 
Shame there was not a trace of wind so we couldn't hoists the rags but had to donk everywhere - turned out that Adrian our skipper was into IT so he and Andrew were having techy conversations whilst Julia and I engaged in convivial imbibation... I got sunburned to blazes, it was so damn hot..
 
Second treat was Thursday evenings trip to the drag strip. This is the only spot for 'motorsport' on the island, if you want to track your car you have to ferry to Sicily..  Met up with all of Andrew's chums - including Kim who has a Ninja GT86 and thus two-thirds of the island's GT86 owners were present.
 
This is real manicville - just join the queue and blast up the strip whenever you like. Run what you brung.. music at 120 decibels, food and booze on call, it was so laid back it was horizontal..
 
The friendliness and goodwill these guys have towards each other is amazing  and I was made so welcome amongst them it was like being at a TSS round... I was also given a special treat as passenger for a run in Andrew's car as we logged some data for Adrian (Fensport) to tweak a bit.. Andrew's friend with a Skyline insisted on drifting it around the paddock and finally blew a rear tyre, stopping inches from the rear of a Golf... quick wheel change and no harm done.. and Andrew beat the Skyline over their run together.. respect!
 
Finally met up with Andrew as I prepared to leave yesterday morning - he was in total awe of his new map from Fensport and it was a shame I did not have time to experience it. He hopes to drive up to the UK some time in October and I have offered to show him around and see if we can get some track time / social meets organised. This is one seriously committed Forum member, as can be seen from his detailed postings on HKS s/c installation, but in addition he is a bloody nice guy who went out of his way to make my visit memorable. And is sure was.
 
Spec K
 
 
 
 
 
 

Got back yesterday afternoon following a really great week in Malta.
 
First time there... a petrolhead paradise where the 420,000 locals own 380,000 cars between them! First words a baby learns is not 'Mama/Papa' but 'where's my car?'
 
A taxi driver told me he used an MX5, I asked him about spares and he told me he had three of 'em to plunder... classic MGB's, Corvettes and the like, in beautiful condition, can regularly be seen on the roads..
 
True to his word Andrew met me at the airport and ferried me to my hotel in his GT86. The roads are appalling - potholes that eat Transit vans - but that didn't deter him from drifting his rear end about like a demented Lauren... the driver/car combo is good which is more than can be said for their petrol at 87octane.. he has to load 30 Euros-worth of octane booster into each tank of fuel every 2-3days... ouch! A positive step is to go water/meth injection, should get rid of the need for accelerator.
 
Like me, Andrew and his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (who has not passed her driving test yet but already owns an immaculate ex-UK WRX STI) are  food gourmets, so we had a number of superb meals. When left to my own devices I did the touristy stuff - the Cathedral in Valetta is a fantasic example of Baroque architecture, I spent over two hours there and the walled city of Mdina is amazing with an a-v presentation of its history and that of the Knights of Malta - fifty minutes of fascinating history for 12 Euros. If you're a beach bum there's loads of places to get your kit off and roast yourself but beware, the UV factor there is amongst the highest in the world...
 
There were two especial 'treats' - I chartered a 37ft yacht for the three of us for a day (with a skipper) and we cruised up to Comino and back with a swim at the lunch stop, with Julia pushing a reluctant Andrew off the bathing platform... tsk, tsk, who's idea was that..?
 
Shame there was not a trace of wind so we couldn't hoists the rags but had to donk everywhere - turned out that Adrian our skipper was into IT so he and Andrew were having techy conversations whilst Julia and I engaged in convivial imbibation... I got sunburned to blazes, it was so damn hot..
 
Second treat was Thursday evenings trip to the drag strip. This is the only spot for 'motorsport' on the island, if you want to track your car you have to ferry to Sicily..  Met up with all of Andrew's chums - including Kim who has a Ninja GT86 and thus two-thirds of the island's GT86 owners were present.
 
This is real manicville - just join the queue and blast up the strip whenever you like. Run what you brung.. music at 120 decibels, food and booze on call, it was so laid back it was horizontal..
 
The friendliness and goodwill these guys have towards each other is amazing  and I was made so welcome amongst them it was like being at a TSS round... I was also given a special treat as passenger for a run in Andrew's car as we logged some data for Adrian (Fensport) to tweak a bit.. Andrew's friend with a Skyline insisted on drifting it around the paddock and finally blew a rear tyre, stopping inches from the rear of a Golf... quick wheel change and no harm done.. and Andrew beat the Skyline over their run together.. respect!
 
Finally met up with Andrew as I prepared to leave yesterday morning - he was in total awe of his new map from Fensport and it was a shame I did not have time to experience it. He hopes to drive up to the UK some time in October and I have offered to show him around and see if we can get some track time / social meets organised. This is one seriously committed Forum member, as can be seen from his detailed postings on HKS s/c installation, but in addition he is a bloody nice guy who went out of his way to make my visit memorable. And is sure was.
 
Spec K
 
 
 
 
 
 

Got back yesterday afternoon following a really great week in Malta.
 
First time there... a petrolhead paradise where the 420,000 locals own 380,000 cars between them! First words a baby learns is not 'Mama/Papa' but 'where's my car?'
 
A taxi driver told me he used an MX5, I asked him about spares and he told me he had three of 'em to plunder... classic MGB's, Corvettes and the like, in beautiful condition, can regularly be seen on the roads..
 
True to his word Andrew met me at the airport and ferried me to my hotel in his GT86. The roads are appalling - potholes that eat Transit vans - but that didn't deter him from drifting his rear end about like a demented Lauren... the driver/car combo is good which is more than can be said for their petrol at 87octane.. he has to load 30 Euros-worth of octane booster into each tank of fuel every 2-3days... ouch! A positive step is to go water/meth injection, should get rid of the need for accelerator.
 
Like me, Andrew and his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (who has not passed her driving test yet but already owns an immaculate ex-UK WRX STI) are  food gourmets, so we had a number of superb meals. When left to my own devices I did the touristy stuff - the Cathedral in Valetta is a fantasic example of Baroque architecture, I spent over two hours there and the walled city of Mdina is amazing with an a-v presentation of its history and that of the Knights of Malta - fifty minutes of fascinating history for 12 Euros. If you're a beach bum there's loads of places to get your kit off and roast yourself but beware, the UV factor there is amongst the highest in the world...
 
There were two especial 'treats' - I chartered a 37ft yacht for the three of us for a day (with a skipper) and we cruised up to Comino and back with a swim at the lunch stop, with Julia pushing a reluctant Andrew off the bathing platform... tsk, tsk, who's idea was that..?
 
Shame there was not a trace of wind so we couldn't hoists the rags but had to donk everywhere - turned out that Adrian our skipper was into IT so he and Andrew were having techy conversations whilst Julia and I engaged in convivial imbibation... I got sunburned to blazes, it was so damn hot..
 
Second treat was Thursday evenings trip to the drag strip. This is the only spot for 'motorsport' on the island, if you want to track your car you have to ferry to Sicily..  Met up with all of Andrew's chums - including Kim who has a Ninja GT86 and thus two-thirds of the island's GT86 owners were present.
 
This is real manicville - just join the queue and blast up the strip whenever you like. Run what you brung.. music at 120 decibels, food and booze on call, it was so laid back it was horizontal..
 
The friendliness and goodwill these guys have towards each other is amazing  and I was made so welcome amongst them it was like being at a TSS round... I was also given a special treat as passenger for a run in Andrew's car as we logged some data for Adrian (Fensport) to tweak a bit.. Andrew's friend with a Skyline insisted on drifting it around the paddock and finally blew a rear tyre, stopping inches from the rear of a Golf... quick wheel change and no harm done.. and Andrew beat the Skyline over their run together.. respect!
 
Finally met up with Andrew as I prepared to leave yesterday morning - he was in total awe of his new map from Fensport and it was a shame I did not have time to experience it. He hopes to drive up to the UK some time in October and I have offered to show him around and see if we can get some track time / social meets organised. This is one seriously committed Forum member, as can be seen from his detailed postings on HKS s/c installation, but in addition he is a bloody nice guy who went out of his way to make my visit memorable. And is sure was.
 
Spec K
 
 
 
 
 
 

Got back yesterday afternoon following a really great week in Malta.
 
First time there... a petrolhead paradise where the 420,000 locals own 380,000 cars between them! First words a baby learns is not 'Mama/Papa' but 'where's my car?'
 
A taxi driver told me he used an MX5, I asked him about spares and he told me he had three of 'em to plunder... classic MGB's, Corvettes and the like, in beautiful condition, can regularly be seen on the roads..
 
True to his word Andrew met me at the airport and ferried me to my hotel in his GT86. The roads are appalling - potholes that eat Transit vans - but that didn't deter him from drifting his rear end about like a demented Lauren... the driver/car combo is good which is more than can be said for their petrol at 87octane.. he has to load 30 Euros-worth of octane booster into each tank of fuel every 2-3days... ouch! A positive step is to go water/meth injection, should get rid of the need for accelerator.
 
Like me, Andrew and his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (who has not passed her driving test yet but already owns an immaculate ex-UK WRX STI) are  food gourmets, so we had a number of superb meals. When left to my own devices I did the touristy stuff - the Cathedral in Valetta is a fantasic example of Baroque architecture, I spent over two hours there and the walled city of Mdina is amazing with an a-v presentation of its history and that of the Knights of Malta - fifty minutes of fascinating history for 12 Euros. If you're a beach bum there's loads of places to get your kit off and roast yourself but beware, the UV factor there is amongst the highest in the world...
 
There were two especial 'treats' - I chartered a 37ft yacht for the three of us for a day (with a skipper) and we cruised up to Comino and back with a swim at the lunch stop, with Julia pushing a reluctant Andrew off the bathing platform... tsk, tsk, who's idea was that..?
 
Shame there was not a trace of wind so we couldn't hoists the rags but had to donk everywhere - turned out that Adrian our skipper was into IT so he and Andrew were having techy conversations whilst Julia and I engaged in convivial imbibation... I got sunburned to blazes, it was so damn hot..
 
Second treat was Thursday evenings trip to the drag strip. This is the only spot for 'motorsport' on the island, if you want to track your car you have to ferry to Sicily..  Met up with all of Andrew's chums - including Kim who has a Ninja GT86 and thus two-thirds of the island's GT86 owners were present.
 
This is real manicville - just join the queue and blast up the strip whenever you like. Run what you brung.. music at 120 decibels, food and booze on call, it was so laid back it was horizontal..
 
The friendliness and goodwill these guys have towards each other is amazing  and I was made so welcome amongst them it was like being at a TSS round... I was also given a special treat as passenger for a run in Andrew's car as we logged some data for Adrian (Fensport) to tweak a bit.. Andrew's friend with a Skyline insisted on drifting it around the paddock and finally blew a rear tyre, stopping inches from the rear of a Golf... quick wheel change and no harm done.. and Andrew beat the Skyline over their run together.. respect!
 
Finally met up with Andrew as I prepared to leave yesterday morning - he was in total awe of his new map from Fensport and it was a shame I did not have time to experience it. He hopes to drive up to the UK some time in October and I have offered to show him around and see if we can get some track time / social meets organised. This is one seriously committed Forum member, as can be seen from his detailed postings on HKS s/c installation, but in addition he is a bloody nice guy who went out of his way to make my visit memorable. And is sure was.
 
Spec K
 
 
 
 
 
 

Greetings all,
 
I actually signed up a few weeks ago but just now getting round to posting, I've been enjoying reading the various topics in the meantime. You seem a friendly and knowledgable bunch :-)
 
I've had my '14 plate BRZ since August last year, it was an ex-demonstrator with 3,500 miles on the clock and managed to knock them down to £20k, I thought it was a bargain then and after nearly a year of ownership I still do now!
 
Sadly I was the recipient of a white van scrape from NSF wheel through the wing, door and into the rear quarter panel 2 days before Christmas! Thankfully their insurance company admitted liability as soon they saw the pics from the scene of the incident, I've pursued a diminution in value claim which should hopefully provide a couple of thousand soon to start me on the slippery slope of modifications......
 
I'm a Mechanical Design Engineer by trade (high-speed flywheel based mechanical hybrid systems - http://www.flybrid.co.uk if your interested - yes they really do spin at 60,000rpm!) and worked on suspension systems at Bentley and Nissan prior to my current job. 
 
My first foray into RWD motoring was a single seat racing car designed and built as part of my University Formula Student team (200kg spaceframe, 600cc bike engine + Avon hillclimb tyres = awesome), will fish some pics and post at some point at the future, its the 2015 competition at Silverstone next weekend, if any of you are in the area its worth a visit, the standard of the best cars is phenomenal! http://events.imeche.org/formula-student
 
Looking forward to getting involved and canvassing opinion as I begin my own build :-)
 
Dan.