Marc's Public Blog - Cars


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Below is a recounting of various car events I've attended along the years, from car club meets, autocrosses, track events, and enthusiast drives.

Table of Content for cars:
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2013/03/31 Putting on a few miles on Calaveras
π 2013-03-31 01:01 in Cars, Ncars
I had to break in my new car before going to the track with it, and Brian's Easter Party in pleasanton happened to be that weekend, so it was a good excuse to go drive on Calaveras both ways.

The brakes did need some bedding, so my first times braking, it didn't quite stop where I expected, but apart from that, the handling was good, and the power definitely on tap. Way more than I needed for that road :)




See more images for Putting on a few miles on Calaveras
2013/03/28 Time for a New Car: McLaren MP4-12C
π 2013-03-28 01:01 in Cars, Ncars
Wait, a new car you're asking? But don't you have one already?

Well, turns out my F430 is actually 6.5 years old. Yes, really :)

It's served me well, but it was getting a bit old, and some punks with GTRs groceries and baby seats in the back where starting to get faster than I could keep up with.

So, why not a F458 you say? Well, I did drive it on the track, it is a nice car, really, but

  • 1.5 year wait for a convertible. 1.5 years? Really?
  • I got a custom ordered McLaren Spider in 4 months flat, including a 1 month boat trip from England and trucking across the US from New York.
  • Well, the McLaren is really a better car than the F458.

    • Why is it better?

  • It has better stability control, active brake steering.
  • It has more power than a F458.
  • It has independent active geometry for each wheel, keeping wheels flat in turns. This is a big deal, see the picture of why my tires get shredded sideways on my F430 in just one track day:

    • Look at the left wheel not on the track. That's bad :)
    Look at the left wheel not on the track. That's bad :)

    Anyway, here are a few pictures of the new car:





    Storage space is limited, even less than the F430
    Storage space is limited, even less than the F430

    I'll be honest, the entertainment system is a custom designed thing on top of Windows CE, and it's far from good or finished. The car itself however has been quite good so far :)

    Ah yes, the numbers: 3.8L V8 twin turbo with 25 to 28psi of boost (!), giving a nice 616hp. 204mph top speed for the convertible and 0-60 in 3.1sec. The DSG gearbox is nothing short of amazing.

    See more images for Time for a New Car: McLaren MP4-12C
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