New Everyday Car

[Guest elwe]

Last weekend I picked up my new everyday boring car:

 

 

It weighs in at around 695kg and has a 1.8 litre K series VVC engine that has had the VVC replaced with some serious cams. It has direct to head throttle bodies and DTA engine management. That spec is good for just over 200bhp, though I have no idea how much it is chucking out. It doesn't have much below 4,000rpm due to the cams. Then it screams to 7,000 rpm so quickly the shift light comes on at 5,250 rpm to give you a chance to shift up before the rev limiter!

 

I drove it to work every day this week and arrived with a heart rate of about 120bpm. Not bad for an everyday boring car!

[Guest tom2b]

respect, im so jealous!

[Guest elwe]

My heart certainly got a good workout on the way to work this morning. I don't think I will be taking this Libra to Le Mans next year...

 

 

Well I had a little spin. The backend stepped out and I over corrected spinning the other way. I ended up facing the wrong way on a section of cross hatching next to the central reservation on the A3290.

 

I realised that I wasn't going to be able to turn round safely so I called the police to come and stop the traffic. I was also on a bridge so I had to wait in the car. After 5-10 minutes I heard sirens so I looked up, just in time to see a 4x4 coming right for me, sideways!

 

I braced for impact, having time to think "this is going to hurt". The 4x4 hit and went straight up the bonnet, over the roof and ended up on its side behind me. It had spun at the same point I did and while it hit me nose in to the central reservation it spun another 180 as it went over my roof and landed facing the other way.

 

30 seconds after it hit the police turned up. Just in time to call the fire brigade to free the driver of the 4x4 from her vehicle and an ambulance to deal with the injurys.

 

I took this photo from the fire engine:

 

 

The paramedics took a look at me and decided I should go to hospital for an X-ray. 4 hours and 14 Xrays later the only part of me that isn't glowing is my left leg. All the X-rays were clear, except my right wrist which the doctors couldn't tell if it is broken or not. So I have it in a split for 10 days and then more X-rays.

 

The car looks like a write off to me. The underside of the 4x4 gouged two cuts in the top of the monocoque which don't look repairable.

[Guest a8dyc]

SSSHHHH+++TTTT ,you might not feel lucky looking at your car,but man you lucky!!

 

Hope you don't ache in the morning.

 

Andy

[Longboarder]

Thanks must go to GTM for making such a solid little car to resist the impact so well. I imagine they could rebuild for the cost of a body and a couple of thou!

 

Nigel

[Guest Quarks7]

JESUS!!!

 

I'd say you had a very lucky escape mate. I'm sure your gutted but when the insurance cheque arrives at least you'll be able to WALK to the bank to pay it in! You could have been wheeling yourself there in a chair!

[Mat-Moo]

Thank God your safe and sound. I assume that the 4x4 driver is 100% to blame?

[Graham B]

Sorry to hear that Tim.

 

It looked and sounded nice , the one time I saw it.

 

Something else for Le Mans? -V8 RH 2B/4 ???

 

Glad you are all right,

See you soon

 

Graham

[Guest craig030774]

blimey liked the look of those gtm's glad you are ok good job you were not in the hood

 

see a west field thing get hit and the chassis just buckled one reason why i went for the 2b

[Guest peter2b2002]

Glad your OK Tim, good job it was a 4x4 anything lower would have taken your head off.

pete2b

[Guest john]

Hi Tim.

How are you feeling today ? Sore ?

 

So glad to hear you are ok, thats the main thing.

 

I echo the others in saying you were sooooo lucky to escape major injury.

 

By coincidence I nagged all my heirs to take extra care yesterday.........it is notoriously a bad time for RTA's. I once wrote one off on Dec 5th too.

 

See you soon

[Joel]

Holy Schmoly!

 

Gutter about the car but glad you're ok. Did you find out why the 4x4 driver span?

[steve in stockport]

definitley a lucky escape there

 

the main thing is you are okay, all the rest can be sorted out by the insurance companies.

 

Steve

[Guest TCR]

anyone remember this guy's gtm good job they strong wouldnt fancy it in a hoodsmashed up gtm

[Guest erichetherington]

Tim,

Glad you're OK. I had a look at your car after our chat at Taunton and it really looked nice, I once (long time ago before children etc.) reshelled a Midas that had been rolled and only later found out that some-one got holed of the old shell and rebuilt it! So it may be possible if you want or need all the aggro involved.

Glad you are OK. See you in Le Mans

Eric