Oddest GT40 Trips...

Rick, very cool story......no pun intended! Although a major thread drift (maybe we should move it to its appropriate spot) I find stories like yours interesting and entertaining.

My question to this eclectic group would be: What are the oddest things owners have done with their 40's (if you've had sex in your 40 you win!) and knowing how bad the weather is in other parts of the world how many have driven their cars in anything but sunny dry weather? This last part is due to the fact I know our European kin folk are more apt to use their 40's in piss poor weather then most US users. If you'll allow me.......

I've done grocery shopping in my saggy bottomed CAV and was able to get quite a few plastic bags of food into the passenger foot-well. The look from other patrons was priceless. I overheard one gentlemen say to his wife as they passed "if I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it." I have driven my car in the rain, twice. She was a hand full but quite manageable. (Let me add though it was not one of Florida's infamous down pours which I confess if it had been I'd have been been seeking refuge and/or my snorkel and fins!). In this instance I had minimal water intrusion which I was quite pleased to find out about so kudo's to CAV for their efforts.
 

Ian Anderson

Lifetime Supporter
Re: CAV or SPF GT40?

2008 went to Le Mans in mine
So loaded it with, tent, chair, clothes, camp stove, kettle, frying pan, tea, coffee, milk, cups, bacon, napkins, towel, rain jacket, tools, spares and did the 500 miles each way.

It pi55ed down all the way down, so just as well I had drilled drain holes in each corner of the floor panels so water could drain out, others had not and had to use a bailing method.

Put up my tent in the dry of the club marquee and the dragged it out to the soggy patch to be known as home for the next 4 days.

Next morning I jumped in my car at 7:30 drove to Arnarge and bought baguettes from the bakery, and went back and made coffee and bacon baguettes for about 20 campers in the group, who were still bailing out their cars!

Trip home was dry but slow and that trip I got a little over 30mpg, just as well as it was Bastille day and no fuel stations were open.

Ian
 

Malcolm

Supporter
I remember hearing that the late Tony Marsh, a farmer in Hampshire, used his 600 bhp GTD Mk2 to take vegetables the local market once!

The oddest use of my car was as a nappy changing table for my daughter when she needed a change at Goodwood! Just had to make sure she didn't roll onto the rear deck grill which would have been quite hot but the spoiler lip was a perfect shape to lay her down in!
 
Amazing stories Malcolm and Ian. Ian yours is one I just have to tip my hat too. Out-bloody-standing and mind blowing to contemplate.

Jim Craik has got to have a tale to two given he's put over 40K on his SPF which again, IMHO is worth a tip of my hat. Anything Jim?
 
Did the Australian Motorkhanana Championship in mine about 3 years ago. These are ultra tight 1st and reverse gear only type events suited best to Mini's and similar. So you need a car with a narrow track (fail), effective handbrake (don't even have a non-effective one, fail again) and great vision front and rear (do I need to spell it out again?).

Think I finished 3rd from last!

But in more suited competition - car gets driven there and back, raced hard rain or shine. Car or myself will die long before I need to worry about rust...
 
Not necessarily odd but a goal of mine is to drive the GT once it's sorted out, for at least 24 hrs (no co-driver), only stopping for fuel along the way. I usually hit the bathroom and grab something to eat during the fuel stop since I hate stopping, period.

Just not sure yet what loop I'd take from the Denver area. Perhaps towards the desert SW, then loop back towards Texas, and back or WY/OR/NV where it's wide open road. This would, of course, be more fun with other GT's. Anyone still fit enough to do a Grand Touring 'Iron Butt' Rally?
 
I can't remember where I saw the article, but remember a pic of Hershel and his car with the matching trailer up on Pikes Peak. Also, another article of his adventures along Route 66 or what was left of it.
 

JimmyMac

Lifetime Supporter

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Pat Buckley

GT40s Supporter
Rick, very cool story......no pun intended! Although a major thread drift (maybe we should move it to its appropriate spot) I find stories like yours interesting and entertaining.

My question to this eclectic group would be: What are the oddest things owners have done with their 40's (if you've had sex in your 40 you win!) and knowing how bad the weather is in other parts of the world how many have driven their cars in anything but sunny dry weather? This last part is due to the fact I know our European kin folk are more apt to use their 40's in piss poor weather then most US users. If you'll allow me.......

I've done grocery shopping in my saggy bottomed CAV and was able to get quite a few plastic bags of food into the passenger foot-well. The look from other patrons was priceless. I overheard one gentlemen say to his wife as they passed "if I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it." I have driven my car in the rain, twice. She was a hand full but quite manageable. (Let me add though it was not one of Florida's infamous down pours which I confess if it had been I'd have been been seeking refuge and/or my snorkel and fins!). In this instance I had minimal water intrusion which I was quite pleased to find out about so kudo's to CAV for their efforts.


I guess I win. Unless Bill Clintons definition of sex is used.
 
I was traveling to an event at the other end of the state.
Around the half way mark the road was closed due to a major accident.
After around 6 hours sitting on the side of the road, miles of traffic lined up similarly, a temporary track was opened through paddocks.
It became obvious that although the track was passable, it was going to be impossible to get the GT40 across the first few feet of it.
This few feet is the unusual trip in this story - seeing that there was no way my car was going to make it, several very helpful truck drivers decided to take things into their own hands and gently lifted my car across and onto the track.
Obstacle negotiated I continued on my way.


Tim.
 

Brian Stewart
Supporter
Some good stories here. Tim, how did they pick yours up? Surely not by the bodywork.
 
I remember being quite worried but the car was undamaged by them.
I guess I made it sound like they carried it Caesar like at waist or shoulder height, this wasn't the case, it was kind of a shuffle. I remember asking them to try to take as much weight as possible at the spinners.
There was some slight damage under the nose but this was caused by the surface on the way out of the paddock.

Tim.
 
Pat,

My ears are burning, but I'm not going to ask the obvious question. And, you probably should try to answer it.
 

flatchat(Chris)

Supporter
A gob full after cruising through a tumble weed storm-- Central NSW Australia outback country highway
 

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