My Weekend Full Of Cars, I.

Well, it was a long weekend in many ways, with two rides south for the SVT and a Saturday so full of exotica that it's amazing there's something that stands above and beyond the rest.

The trips south were in fact just miles of motorway plowed under tire. It's not really the kind of driving enjoyment I'm into at the moment given the price of Gasoline. I'd rather spend my petro-dollars running up and down mountain passes and over twisting coastal roads. Still, there is a certain satisfaction to be had from spinning away distance that would take days to cover without a car. The SVT is a great tool for the task as well, transforming into a normal Focus when the need arises. It was good to get out of the city for a while, and I'm grateful to the little Ford for getting us there without fatigue.

It was on Saturday though that the weekend hit its Zenith. The local bookstore in which I work plays host to a great deal of interesting and attractive automoblies on the average Saturday. Last week a woman dropped by in a beautifully restored Bugatti type-46 (if I remember correctly), but we have one customer in particular who always brings something cool, and this week he went above and beyond.

I've been trying to explain to friends who don't know much about cars why I'm so excited to have ridden in a Mclaren F1. It's not a car that many people outside our interest recognise in the way they would a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or an Aston Martin. That's insane as far as I'm concerned because even in that kind of company the Mclaren is simply, a car apart.

After a short, but incredible ride I can offer these insights. One: It's not very big. In fact it's small, and the space inside is packaged so well that nothing is wasted. The seats are too small for my overweight American backside, so I'm dieting, just in case I ever get another chance. Two: It's direct, the steering, brakes, and especially the engine aren't in any way isolated from the driver. I didn't need to touch the controls to know that everything was very mechanical and that the control inputs were acting directly on their mechanisms. The steering for example looks to be very heavy, slightly slow, but very direct and accurate. I never saw the owner have to adjust his inputs for over or under reaction all of which must make the car feel more stable at high speeds. Three: It's very, very fast. I only got one clear run up a street, but when that happened, the car simply leapt down the road for about 300 yards before my brain could catch up. And the BMW V12 didn't seem to go through any acceleration of its own, simply jumping into the meat of the power band and on to the read line. The brakes are about the same, only more brutal. It was a drive I'll never forget, and a very special chance to sample, in even a little way, a car that so few people ever get to see. I'm grateful for the memory.

Later the same day, another regular brought over a car in which he'd been promising a ride for several months. I'm a fan of the Lotus Europa in general, but for me, the purest of the cars have always been the original, Renault engined versions have always had the most appeal. this customer has what, with the exception of the ultra-rare type-$&, must be the holy grail of Europa ownership. It's an early series one car with the three-pod aluminum skinned dash. It's been lowered slightly, and it's painted in an approximation of Lotus type-49, Gold Leaf colors. The ride was longer this time, and really served to put into perspective Lotus' reputation for handling. This car just doesn't need to slow down for anything! Through 90 degree rights and lefts the owner would just keep accelerating, and when the back let go all that was required was a flick of opposite-lock on the very quick steering to being the car back in line. The sense of lightness overwhelmed even the Mclaren's lack of mass; here is a car without the pause brought on by excess. It also doesn't feature an excess of passenger space, or door width so again, I need to get my own width into line if I want to own one. Still, Ive never felt any car handle like this, and now I'm scheming ways to get into one.

At the end of the day I was tired and elated and all I wanted to do was go home ans sleep. But waiting out back was one more treat. My boss is a Citroen fanatic, and though I've driven a 2CV based Mahari, my experience with hydraulic Citroen's is was limited to looking at them. That was about to change, because with one friendly inquiry I was about to drive my Boss' wonderful Citroen SM. This is a real treat for me because though I do get to ride in nice cars with some regularity, I rarely get to drive anything this neat, and the SM brought together two matters that are of interest to me. One is Citroen hydraulics, and the other is Maserati motors. What can I say? It was a hoot, and I don't think I've ever been at the wheel of anything so sophisticated, either mechanically or in temperament. This is a car that does everything a little differently. The shift was smooth and long of throw, the engine was powerful once revved, the steering was so quick-acting as to be a little off-putting, and the suspension is the most supple I've ever experienced. It was a great drive, and I look forward to another chance to explore Citroen's wonderful GT. It's a car in which two people could drive from LA to New York non-stop, switching off, and arrive without too much fatigue; it really is that comfortable.

So, an amazing weekend then, and one I hope to repeat in the future. If I do, I'll tell you all about it here.