UPDATE - AUGUST 2011
Well its been a long time since I updated this so i thought its about time i brought it upto speed.
441 has had an interesting year so far, getting lots of nice updates back in March which improved the ride no end, it was fitter then it had been for a long time and was driving perfectly. I decided to take it to my local race track which is Snetterton as i was keen to try out the new 300 circuit. So Alan (BigboyAl) and myself took our puma's down there back in March and had a cracking day. Some pics from the day:
It was brilliant fun, and the new 300 circuit is amazing, highly recommended.
So after a few months of enjoying 441 on the weekends it was time for the annual trip to 'the Green Hell' of the Nurburgring. This years trip included Rob (Burfyboy), Adam, a couple of robs workmates plus this year would see my Dad make his debut trip (more on that later!)
We also decided to sticker up the cars for this years trip, and i copied the theme of a German DTM car from the Nurburgring 24 hour race. Some pics of the car as it looked during the trip:
The trip was brilliant as it always it, im completely in love with the whole place, and the thrill of being on that track is addictive. Some pics of the action:
Everything was going so well, until my dad went for his first lap with me not in the car, and made a very uncharacteristic mistake. He is a very good driver, and i trust him completely, but as many other people have found out, the Nurburgring is an unforgiving and challenging track not to be taken lightly, and his very small amount of experience on the track led to him carrying too much speed into a tricky corner and unfortunately running wide into a gravel trap. Now obviously im not going to admit on an internet forum that he hit any barriers, so during this trip into the gravel the NSR wheel sustained enough force to bend the rear beam, and smash the side window, give the whole side of the car some nasty gravel rash,and ruin the suspension geometry. In other words it was game over for the weekend.
A plucky german fellow managed to video the whole thing, and ive put a link to this below for your entertainment!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTP03UJtMW0
Here are some pics of the damage:
The sum of the damage amounts to: smashed side window, heavy stone chips along length of car, damaged wheel and tyre, bent rear beam, torn rear bumper.
I guess its not too bad, and we did mange to drive the car nearly 700 miles back home without any issues.
Since June the car has sat around the side of my house, looking sorry for itself, but last weekend i collected a rear beam and this weekend it will be repaired. I cannot wait to get it back on the road as im really missing it.
The plan now is to fix all mechanical damage, then as the cars paint was scruffy anyway, put the body through a full restoration, with a full respray and rust removal/proofing.
i really do love this little car, and i want it to be top notch, so i will be taking my time to make sure everything is perfect. It will be off the road for a while after this summer but when its back it will be perfect
So thats it for now, some good and bad news i guess. But the best part is that ive had this car over a year now and i love it more today then when i collected it, this doesnt usually happen to me, so i think 441 will be in my collection for many years to come
In the mean time, i have a new project to play with which will become a fully stripped, fully race prepped car to take my dad and me into our first steps of motorsport. At the moment it looks as pictured below, but thats soon to change. More details to follow soon!
This post has been edited by RESTELL: 18 August 2011 - 03:11 PM
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melinamotor, on 06 March 2011 - 09:09 PM, said:
