Re: I'm glad we're all communicating again!
 

How many son/doughter do you have? ANd what car do they have?

My Demo Ride and Impression of the McLaren SLR
 

I took a McLaren SLR for a demo ride last Friday, St. Patty's Day. I had looked at it Thursday and was fairly interested in it but the main problem was that I would have had to get rid of one of my cars, most likely the Maranello because they're both considered to be GT Touring type cars. They wanted me to take it for a demo ride which I really didn't feel good about because my interest was questionable. But I caved in after several of them assured me it was OK to put 5-10 miles on her.

The following is my impression or opinion which me not being Jeremy Clarkson or equivalent, may not be worth two bits! Anyhow, while driving her the 5-10 miles, it seemed to have heavy steering (not as nimble as the Maranello) and IMO wanted to wander a little. In other words, if I took my hands off the wheel, I didn't think she would track a straight line for too long. I drove it like a Grandma would (only had her up to 75 or 80) out of respect for the dealer whose was kind enough to let me take it for a test ride. I just felt a little guilty because I didn't want to put any excess miles or stress on the car in case somebody else was going to buy it and my interest in it wasn't that hot and heavy.

It's a beautiful looking coupe and the Silver paint (metalflake or firemist - whichever you prefer) was unbelieveable in the sun. It was like a 2 bit whore at the White House! It really stood out!! The ride was real firm though, I guess because the body is mounted directly to the frame and not rubber mounted on the frame (that's what they told me) and every expansion strip on the highway was felt. But.... you could feel the power! Push the throttle down a little bit and she wants to rip it up... bad! It looks like a super technological achievement while looking over the car's interior and exterior. Trick stuff everywhere.

The doors were Gull Wing type (300 SL?) not like the Murcielago doors that go straight up but the SLRs open outward and then up making entry easier than the Murcie doors. The hood was like the vault at Fort Knox. All kinds of mechanical and suspended stuff. Once the initial latch was released, a secondary latch was pushed and then you merely pushed down on the nose and it tilted up and forward with ease. There was a word of caution not to be too aggressive at any point. The LED rear turn signal lights in the rear were neat as hell. Really bright and in a backward C pattern. And the rear air-brake spoiler, what can I say... damn, if I would have played with it anymore, I might have talked myself into buying the car!

I love gimmicks on cars. I once bought a 545i BMW over the others because it had the beeping back-up sensors! This particular car had two options. One was red painted brake calipers ($800 - just like my Maranello) and they really looked sharp against the silver paint. The second option was a special super soft leather interior (a $10,000 hit - can't remember it's name) and it was really pretty soft and luxurious. And there were these elaborate tire pressure sensors mounted on the inner fenders. I could just see it now.... One salesman is opening and closing the hood and showing me how easy and trick it is, another salesman is running his hands over the interior and saying it was a soft as a newborn baby's butt , another salesman is working the rear turn signals telling me they're brighter than a lighthouse and the other salesperson is working the rear spoiler up and down and up and down and my head is spinning and all I can say is take my money.... give me the keys and take my money.. please!! And then, thank God I wake up!! Phew.... what a dream!

Seriously, I think it is very hard to justify the SLR price in my opinion. I'd love to own her but I don't think I'd be able to talk myself in getting rid of the Maranello for it even if it was half the price. To be fair, I absolutely love the car, but comparing it to the Maranello, I think I got the better of the two! But ohhhhh that rear air-brake spoiler!!!

p.s. The pic of the engine compartment was not taken by me. Somehow, in all the excitement, I forgot to take a picture of the engine. The one here is one I BORROWED from an internet site. I hope you all will forgive me!

p.s.s. I pulled up to the dealership in the Lime Green Murcie. Got 2 or 3 looks (dozen that is!) What better car than the HULKSTR to be riding around in on St. Patty's Day! Heh... heh... heh... Pics will be added shortly.... right TT and Jabba? :lol:

:arrow: PICS:



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Re: I'm glad we're all communicating again!
 

and has the notion of adopting crossed ur mind lately? :wink:

Re: My Demo Ride and Impression of the McLaren SLR
 

i look forward to seeing the pictures; i've only seen 3 or 4 examples all in the common silver something-or-other color.

i have to admit, that gimick is extremely cool... i loved it on the F1; the Veyron, and the McMerc
LMAO sounds like quite the nightmare... or wet dream :P (especially if the salesmen are really perelli girls; or the like ) :lol:

how interesting... are you looking forward to seeing the new 599 GTB in the not so distant future?

8) be sure to keep those sun glasses on; because the sun never sets on those as cool as you ;) (i have no idea how somebody could think that lime green doesnt look FANTASTIC on a lambo)

thanks for the write up!

Thanks for the SLR review maghweel... 8)

Re: My Demo Ride and Impression of the McLaren SLR
 

how interesting... are you looking forward to seeing the new 599 GTB in the not so distant future?

thanks for the write up![/quote] nthfinity, I think I'd love to, but for right now, I'm done for at least 2 years (so he says.... hmmmm)! Plus, then I got to go through the so called waiting list and then the price extortion routine because there is that 2-3 year waiting list. If I get or have gotten lucky, maybe I can get a break from a dealer because I just bought 2 new Ferraris and somehow I'm considered an easy target. I'd like to see the car in person first, but I bought both the other two and only saw digital pics of them. The dang salesman didn't even have to shake my hand and I still had to listen to their sales pitch over the phone! Which quote do you think best fits me? PT Barnum's "There a sucker born every minute" or W.C. Fields' quote of: "Don't smarten up a chump and never give a sucker an even break!" :silly: Why is this the smilee I use so often?

some nice cars you got there. with all that money, i'd hire some very good property/business managers and be living in South Beach, FL or Newport, Ca.

My Father left me a house in West Palm Beach, Florida but since I don't travel, just my kids use it and I let other relatives in Dad's immediate family use it if they want. He would have been happy that I'm doing that!

hey magwheel, welcome to JW and congrats on the fantastic collection. My assumption is that you replace your cars quite often (2-4 years) so I assume you have always had a few exotics in the stable.... what are some of the highlights?
I hope you like my sig and avatar... i noticed you like the ladies, so you and I will get along famously! You have me quite jelous over here with your wonderous collection! I hope you are looking into getting a 07 Range Sport to replace what you currently ride... I wish I could vouch for the other cars in ur lineup, but the Range is all I have gotten my paws on and I give it 2 thumbs up!!! only truck better IMO is the cayenne Turbo.... fuck the looks cause that baby fliiies! :mrgreen:

amazing collection. You dont like black cars? The Murcielago looks great in black should have gotten that one black.

You guys are absolutely killing me with the babes. How the hell can I reply to any posts if I'm looking at avatars and sigs for over an hour each. My eyes are sore from gawking so much! My girlfriend and I both have 05 Range Rovers HSEs. I have a black Westminster and she has the Gverny Green. Black is the cats meow clean but black is a pain to keep it that way. We'll be getting 07s in the fall. Ironically, I started getting interested in the new Cayenne Turbo. Supposedly has more power than the old? How's the interior and the instrument layout? Not being a smart ass, but damn they're a lot of money compared to the Range Rover. Do I really need all that speed in a SUV? Nevermind..... don't answer that! :snipersmile:

My review of my 2005 Gallardo
 

Her's my review or impression of my 2005 6-speed Gallardo. I got the car in the Fall of 2005 and traded a 2004 Dodge SRT 10 (Viper engine-500 hp) 1/2 ton pickup truck on it. I need a pickup truck because I buy bird seed and shelled corn in large quantities to feed all the birds and deer that come and visit us every day. So after I got rid of the SRT10, I had to go buy a F150 to replace it! Brilliant!

Anyhow, the day Nelson Auto Group (Lamborghini Ohio-excellent transaction by the way with Harvey Ford) delivered it around 9 p.m. on a weekday night in a large car hauler with a beautiful Murcielago painted on the side, tons of people were stopping to see what was to come out of the truck. After unloading her, a group of 3 young girls from our local High School, were talking to the delivery driver and then they shouted over to me... "Hey mister, you got the finest car of all anywhere around!" Somehow, I was already in love with the car and I hadn't even driven it yet!

Driving it home was a real thrill. The next night we took it to our favorite restaurant, had dinner and were trying to leave but had one slight problem. I couldn't get her to go into reverse! I tried everything, rocking the car, turning it on and off and of course my girlfriend has to chime in when she could have fried eggs on my forehead! She says, "Maybe you have to push down or something"..... yeah right! What the hell does she know..... she's a blonde. I don't know why but I tried it and damn, it went into reverse. Well after straightening up from being bent over after she kicked me in the ass, we drove home but it was pretty quiet except for her laughter under her breathe!

OK, enough of the funny stuff. Obviously, being my first Lamborghini, I was freaking out. The Pearl Orange color is absolutely awesome and people see it coming for miles. I was going down one of our main drags and this young kid coming the other way had his head hanging out his car window looking at me and he still had it out as I passed him and beyond. Laughed my ass off! It's very comfortable and the seats give me plenty of butt room. The heating and air conditioning system function excellent and are laid out real well probably because I've been told it is essentially Audi's system. Ditto on the radio.... Audi too so I've been told. Controls and digits are easily read even if you're like me and not wearing your reading glasses. The two-tone interior, black and beige leather is sweet. Great combo!

The six speed is the cat's ass! When I first got it, when shifting (the finger gate is really easy and smooth shifting) from 2nd to 3rd, it would make a noise like I was loading a 30.06 round into a bolt action rifle. Really turned me on. Kinda felt like Rambo ready for a fight! The trunk has a decent amount of room for small packages or clothes. Open the engine compartment and it automatically produces a huge smile on your face. I also have the glass bonnet for outside lookers.

I love the lines of the car. The sharp angles and flat areas really stand out after having cars that are curves all over the place. Driving the car.... what can I say? Again, I'm not Mario Andretti, so when I get on it even a little, the engine has this LOUD deep drone sound! Awesome! Sounds like a bull in battle! I love going back and forth on our freeways because I can pretend to play a little 'Gumball' and not get into too much trouble.

At this point, the only thing I'd like to see improved or changed is the brake pads. Why? Both the Gallardo and the Murcie and even the Maranello (the Lambos more so) squeal a little when you come to a stop sign! It's a little embarrassing to be in such a fine car and then have your arrival at a stop sign be announced by the shrill of brakes. Minor, but it would be nice if they used a different compound.

I'm sure I'll really enjoy this fantastic car for a few years and then guaranteed I'll be getting a new one! If I left anything out, just ask me. Michael :D Hi-Res pics to follow!

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Excellent Review Magwheel!!!! 8)

Is 1st gear really as long as they say it is? Like 100kmh/60pmh?

damn, thanx for the info. Maybe you answered this question, but have you driven the McLaren F1?

pretty nice review magwheel!!! :clap:

thank you very much for taking your time, to write for us, droolers :drool: :mrgreen:

nice story you had there, so you have to push the gear stick down and then shift reverse, right? bloody bastards, they always want to make some surprice for you... like opel > pull the ring up on the gear stick and then shift reverse :roll: :lol:

just can't wait for the pickies :D :good:

edit: damn you my friend! I was supossed to be asleep now (3:40 in the morning). 'cos I have to catch the train in 7:00am... but instead I'm reading these nice reviews and :drool: ... :lol: