Macca

Gidday Dave. I know about the grey matter. I though i already posted this but obviously not...

http://www.evo.co.uk/porsche/911/187...ew-carrera-yet

Looks like this is the one to have (pick of current crop). I should think it would be a very well suited car to NZ conditions and on the quoted Corsa tyre option would worry a 991 GT3 on track, driver dependent (its faster at the Ring if that's any clue in any case).

Those A45 AMG offer insanely good buying on the used market right now. Cheaper than a new Ford Focus RS.

Im sure the rennos will pay you back in spades later. Also Happy Wife, Happy Life!

Im REALLY looking forward to the Alfa. More than anything else I have inbound. Assuming it doesn't play up I think it will suit me very well. I have two friends took delivery of them now, they both know me and how/what I like to drive and reckon it will fit like a glove. Hairy assed italian muscle car with great sound track and tonnes of character. Here's hoping. Its cheaper than an M2 (another very good and close contender, but a coupe, and I want a sedan), but Im sure the residuals on the Alfa will be crap which is why its being registered as a company car and 20% DV depreciation!

There is so much good metal out there today and the relative price compared to the average Auckland property moguls asset value is pittance. We are living in a renaissance period for cars. The last party on the Titanic before it hits the emissions berg.

In the Uk from 01 April the first time rego fees go sky high. All based on grams per KG C02. You can see why there is a race on to go turbo now (even though in reality i dont think they are much more efficient if you drive with purpose). Take a manual transmission 911 Carrera C2S for example, shortly that will be a 1500 GBP car to register first year and 500 per year after. Up from around 1/3 of that today. Really makes luxury car ownership a bit more expensive. A GT3 will be over 2200 GBP! Its catching on everywhere (already in much of Europe) and one day will catch on in NZ too. Of course the system is designed to incentivize low/no emissions hybrid/full electric. This is where its all going in the next 5 years as we all know...sigh...

Macca

P.S. Good luck Yaris hunting mate ;-).

Obsessed

This one Dave?

Maxem

No, then I'd drive it. Truth is that for a daily commute a small Japanese hatch makes the most sense.

John McM

Dave, when do you get your old life back? The NITT is only 8 or so months away, not to mention road trips. It could be a lean P car year.

Spokes

Great to see some activity back on this thread. Really looking for to 2018 when the group heads to the South Island for its track sortie. I will definitely join for more days beyond Highlands. I am good for passing practice ;-)

nzskater

How great was the run in 2016!? Highlight of the year for sure. Definitely in for the next one assuming everything aligns. Also keen on a few overnight B road runs towards the end of summer, sing out if you're interested.

993 Targa

That's a shame about the new GT3 not making 9k. The new GT4 RS sounds good too if it proves to be real.

The new GTS sounds very quick and great as far as non-motorsport products go, but I feel more speed is hardly what new cars need these days. I took a 488 Spider out for a bit a little while ago and it is damn fast but I'd still rather have NA than that speed, especially in NZ.

When does the Alfa get here?

gt38088

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/197...st-recreation/

Auction sale at USD200k. Interesting to read the thread comments.

Macca

2016 was an awesome P-car year, kicking off with the Festival at HD, then the SITT (definitely the highlight as Jake said), followed by the NITT which is always a key event. As someone who doesn't live in NZ I managed 12 track days, a number that might even be hard to better in 2017 living in NZ!

It's not the speed of the new 911/718 that's impressive on the road as much as the torque. For back road driving I find I can virtually never use all 9000 rpm in the GT3 other than perhaps 2nd gear (I think good for 120 kmph). The real revelation of these newer machines is the 400lbft torque available from 2000 rpm. It means you always have something under your foot to get out of even the tightest situations in almost any gear. Plus you can get the performance out of the chassis without having to be in higher reaches at unrealistic speeds. I still prefer a good NA engine but Im quite impressed with how good the new engines are at revving and the benefit of torque appreciated in the flat 6 which has never been a very torquey unit. I'd love to throw some MPSC2 on that GTS (it uses exact same width and size as 991 GT3) and give it a run at HD to see if it could break into 13s

Alfa exited production Friday I believe so still a number of months away. My spies say price in NZ will be announced today/tommorow with first dealer demo cars arriving March and first customer orders April/May. Id like to see mine in April...

gt38088

I reckon the on throttle behavior of modern turbos is now pretty good with minimal lag lots of torque and rev limits although lower it doesn't really compromise the experience except on track.
Where the feel is not so good is off throttle. Good NA is always very sharp on lift off and I think this adds a lot to the feel and responsiveness of the car even driving along at 6/10th. For some reason even the high compression turbos don't really feel like this - M2 doesn't and it will be interesting to see what you think of the Alfa Macca

John McM

Not sure when Doug is looking at doing his multi-weekend effort down the East Coast, ending up in Wellington. That looks like the potential road trip highlight of 2017 for me if/when it comes off. Personally I’m hoping that’s more Autumn/Winter than Summer as I have Perth and Japan travel blocking me out until late April. I’m also hoping Dave will keep his interest in running air-cooled cars on those trips so I have company at the back of the group.

Maxem

It could be, reno' started in June and will likely finish in April. So weekends are pretty busy keeping ahead of the builders. The SC is good to go for road trips and I'd make time for those, but the T is some time off I would think. But then again I don't actually know. Quite good having the garage space at the moment.

John McM

I saw the SC parked on the street this morning so figured garage space was tight. When your renos are finished our additions will no doubt get priority, however I don't intend getting my hands dirty on that. I have cars to work on after spending my Summer DIYing on the house. Maybe June/July for the trip South? I could take the Project car.

Macca

Anyone wishing to base out of central NI for a few fast drive weekend tours of the region (early morning loop to HB back via Gentle Annies, Taranaki runs etc) later in 2017 let us know. Im sure between myself, Scott H, Matt B and Tony R we can billet a small group and put together some interesting/entertaining back road routes...