├ëprouvez l'├®l├®gance!

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├ëprouvez l'├®l├®gance! - Printable Version

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├ëprouvez l'├®l├®gance! - BLINGMW - 04-11-2006

I'm sure we'll post more about it later when we're less lazy, but for those who don't know, John and I and our Jess's(es?) survived our eurotrip including two days at the Nurburgring. For anyone who'd like to share in the fun, our rental car was a Mercedes E220 CDI, and our experience was summed up by the shift knob:

[Image: 06eurotrip234small.jpg]

Don't forget the ELEGANCE! 8)

specs:
http://www.buyacar.co.uk/technicalSpecificationyq2624.jhtml

6spd, 150hp, 250lbft. It was a sled, but amazingly got out of its own way pretty well. Of course the sticker added a few HP:

[Image: 06eurotrip251small.jpg]

And surprisingly we enjoyed it a lot. It really handled quite well, the engine was smooth, and it even got 19MPG ON TRACK (45 highway!). Gas engines are dead to me now.

Anyway, if you want some idea of what it was like, I spent a little time comparing this morning. Fire up GT4, arcade mode, pick the BMW 120d. Then do the "quick tune up", add 10% weight, subtract 10% power, and slap on the worst tires, regular economy tires. :lol: Then take it for a spin. I found the corner speeds, grip and power to be pretty darn close. Gear ratios are way long, but that's ok. Not much fun? Well, shut up. It was awesome. Maybe it'll help if every time it leaves the ground or the tail gets out, you remind yourself that you're driving a luxury car that you can't afford, thousands of miles from home. :wink: Oh, and it's lightly snowing off and on! HA!

Oh, and I'm pretty impressed by the game as well, I thought it was a GREAT model of the track. The elevation seems so much more serious in reality, but I think it's all there in the game, it's just hard to get perspective on it. And the pavement was actually better and smoother than I expected. So keep playing, and save up for some plane tickets. Tongue

We had a great time. Here's some pics my Jess took, just a bit in front of the Hotel an der Nordschleife that we stayed in. You can see it in the game!

[Image: 06eurotrip108small.jpg]

- Andy - 04-11-2006

Please give us more pics.

- Dragon - 04-11-2006

Andy Wrote:Please give us more pics.

+1
FYI - I hate you! Big Grin

- Sijray21 - 04-11-2006

Dragon Wrote:
Andy Wrote:Please give us more pics.
+1
FYI - I hate you!

- Feersty - 04-11-2006

That's cool man, who did you rent from?

- Mike - 04-11-2006

you win my "awesome award" for the week.

- Ginger - 04-11-2006

*jaw drops*

I wouldn't have come home!

- JohnC - 04-11-2006

388 unsorted pics - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.boostrot.net/gallery/v/europe2006/">http://www.boostrot.net/gallery/v/europe2006/</a>

- Andy - 04-11-2006

JohnC Wrote:388 unsorted pics - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.boostrot.net/gallery/v/europe2006/">http://www.boostrot.net/gallery/v/europe2006/</a>

Please sort immediately. According to level of excitement. From most (CDI on the Karrussel) to least (You and Chan in leather chaps at Eurotrash bar.)

- JohnC - 04-11-2006

Andy Wrote:Please sort immediately. According to level of excitement. From most (CDI on the Karrussel) to least (You and Chan in leather chaps at Eurotrash bar.)

Unfortunately I don't think our camera has many decent Nurburgring pics on it. Lots of architecture and scenery though 8)

Here are some highlights that I can remember:

1) Being called a "Canadian bastard" at a little neighborhood pub in London. Then being challenged to a tag-team battle royale with the local drunks. And though it all, laughing our asses off because we really had no damn idea what was going on.

2) Seeing a British military marching band heralding the arrival of some dignitary. And not having the damn camera with me.

3) Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms - If you have the slightest interest in WWII or Winston Churchill, these linked museums are awesome. I did these on my own of course, along with the Imperial War Museum, which was ok, but definitely not up to the standard of the first two.

4) Cabbie getting lost at 4:30am (on our way to Heathrow airport), and driving us around some ratty suburb while he was muttering to himself.

5) Insisting on a manual transmission rental car, and having the very confused woman (who had just offered us some shitty Peugot minivan thing) say "Sir, you can't drive an automatic?". And then being told that they wouldn't rent a Mercedes to a reckless 26 year old (little do they know). We just went down the line of booths until we found someone who would rent us a decent car. Would rent a luxury car ($60k) to a couple of twenty-somethings, even after one of them (Chan) actually said the word "Nurburgring" while we were standing at the counter. Yay, Budget!

6) The nav system's voice speaking in proper, complete sentences. Of course, she would start telling you about a change in direction about 100 meters ahead of time, and then the sentence would go like "Please consider the possibility of making a slight turn to the RIGHT", at which point we were past the turn and would have already guessed wrong. That nav system was fricking cool though - boy did she get pissed off if you missed a turn.

7) Grappa. London's was shitty, Germany's was great (and free).

8) German phone system. None of the numbers in our Fodor's guide matched up with anything. I accidentally called the local police, a US toll-free number than ended up charging my phone card, someone's house (in Adenau), and finally Expedia, to change a hotel reservation. The phone actually cut me off and made me wait because I'd dialed too many completely wrong and incorrect numbers.

8) Downtown Paris at rush hour. Didn't get a scratch on the car, and didn't kill anyone (despite my best efforts).

9) Bratwurst in Freiburg. Best bratwurst ever.

10) Dirty, dirty hardcore porn on German TV. Wow. I reluctantly turned it off when it turned out that the nice young lady who undressing revealed that she wasn't exactly a lady. Mike may have enjoyed that program.

Thats all I can remember for now... More later.

- Jess - 04-11-2006

JohnC Wrote:
Andy Wrote:Please sort immediately. According to level of excitement. From most (CDI on the Karrussel) to least (You and Chan in leather chaps at Eurotrash bar.)
Unfortunately I don't think our camera has many decent Nurburgring pics on it. Lots of architecture and scenery though 8)

We got a few more pics of the 'ring, and Chan also shot a few videos of some test-cars that were being run on the 'ring. We'll post our stuff up soon! Big Grin

- John - 04-11-2006

I was just thinking about you guys the other day and wondering if you all had scrapped your plans to go. The Ring is definitely a must-do for any track junkie... hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Smile

- Jeff - 04-12-2006

COOL AS CHIT! I need to get over there sometime soon.

Also, when I saw this I had a thought...
[Image: img_4030.jpg]

"Imports are SO RELIABLE! I bet it will go 400,000 KM!!!"

- Feersty - 04-12-2006

As long as there is a E220 running around Europe with a MM sticker I am happy.

I need a sticker, by the way.

- Sijray21 - 04-12-2006

JohnC Wrote:8) Downtown Paris at rush hour. Didn't get a scratch on the car, and didn't kill anyone (despite my best efforts).

you drove in Paris ..... Confused

hock:

When i was there i was scared shitless just to ride in the taxi cab. he came so close to hitting other cars and hitting pedestrians it was ridiculous.

- Andy - 04-12-2006

Paris. Please. I drove during Rushhour in Mexico bitches. Now that shit was crazy.

- Sijray21 - 04-12-2006

Andy Wrote:Paris. Please. I drove during Rushhour in Mexico bitches. Now that shit was crazy.

Paris is tough, ever been?

only thing MUCH worse than Paris is Manilla and parts of the Philippines...try to get through there unscathed. My uncle got hit by two different people, hit another person and everyone just kept driving - no one abides by the traffic lights or lane markers either Confused

hock:

to Chapin and Channing: did you guys practice on GT4 to prepare for Germany? :wink:

- bassmangrammy - 04-12-2006

You just hijacked this thread about German cars with a picture of a Dodge Truck?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- BLINGMW - 04-12-2006

BassmanGrammy Wrote:You just hijacked this thread about German cars with a picture of a Dodge Truck?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was the ONLY one we saw on the whole trip IIRC. Maybe there were a few out on the highways, but I don't even remember seeing another full size pickup. Plenty of delivery van type things, but almost no trucks and SUVs.

Sijray21 Wrote:Paris is tough, ever been?

yeah, props to John with the help of the Elegance for getting us in and out of there without incident. It's really kind of amazing how everyone works together, keeping their heads up to stay tight together while bikes are weaving in and out everywhere. Drop too many average american drivers in there and the whole city would be a pile of bodies and scrap metal within the hour. :roll:

Sijray21 Wrote:to Chapin and Channing: did you guys practice on GT4 to prepare for Germany? :wink:

um.... remember? :wink:
http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2784

- BLINGMW - 04-19-2006

I FINALLY got all my pics uploaded to John and they're in the photo album now in case anyone would like to see them.

http://www.boostrot.net/gallery/v/Chans+Europe+pics+06/

Some highlights:

lots of minis in Paris
[Image: 06eurotrip+271.jpg]

this one sat here for 3 days:
[Image: 06eurotrip+026.jpg]

a mini...uh.....van!
[Image: 06eurotrip+029.jpg]

psh, they think they're so smart. I could take 'em.
[Image: 06eurotrip+030.jpg]

a scooter for RJ:
[Image: 06eurotrip+065.jpg]

even my E30 would look good next to cars like this
[Image: 06eurotrip+150.jpg]

I didn't know they had their own unique hondas over there
[Image: 06eurotrip+282.jpg]

E30 hatch!
[Image: 06eurotrip+228.jpg]

I tried to play it cool, but these French chicks wouldn't talk to me
[Image: 06eurotrip+012.jpg]