I re-discovered Evo magazine’s raison d’être last weekend – the thrill of driving.
I bought my Trophy (#23/500) in early December. Its one previous owner had serviced it regularly but in most other respects it needed a dose of TLC including: refurbished front dampers; new exhaust; rear brakes freeing and new pads; a good scrub inside; full service and new fluids; some Waxoyl to tidy up the underside and arrest the rot; and new or refurbished steering wheel. BG Motorsport sorted the suspension, Tony Banks in Leeds fitted a new, custom stainless steel exhaust with lovely bassy noise and tailpipes that completely fill the cut-outs in the rear valance, Pellon Tyres in Halifax fitted 2 new Hankook Ventus S1 Evo tyres on the front; and I did the rest. I cleaned the K&N filter, built a box to go round it to stop it sucking in hot air from the radiator, gave it a full service, fitted a seal kit (thanks to BiggRed – go on their website if you are thinking of a brake overhaul) and new pads on the rear brakes, replaced all the brake fluid, bled the system to restore a solid pedal, drained and replaced the coolant and generally gave it a good “fettle”. All that remains is to sort out the steering wheel. I think I’ll fit a 197/200 wheel. I am told it fits, it means you keep your buttons and airbag and it is slightly dished so it should go some way to addressing the Italian ape (long arms, short legs) driving position.
I spent a couple of days in North Wales trying to keep up with my eldest son’s hard-driven, 171,000 mile BMW 520i in February before I had done any work on the car and it bounced around at the front end like Tigger on E then suffered almost terminal brake fade on a long, fast descent between the A5 and the Bala – Trawsfynydd road. Somewhat disconcerting when the pedal that is supposed to slow you down no longer does so and feels like a block of finest teak is jammed underneath it. The rear brakes were doing next-to-nothing and the front brakes wilted under the strain generating so much heat in the process that the front offside outboard CV gaiter blew off and sprayed grease liberally around the inside of the wheel and various bits of the suspension, thankfully missing the brake disc.
Last Saturday I drove to and from a village on the eastern fringe of the Lakes near Penrith for a bit of fell walking and decided that I would shun the quick route from Halifax via the A65 and M6 and wander instead through the Yorkshire Dales. I went via Ribblehead, Hawes, Sedbergh, Tebay and Shap on the way there and down the A6 to Kendal and then back to good old Sedbergh and from there to Kirby Lonsdale before heading back to West Yorkshire.
It was one of the best drives I’ve had for a very long time. I owned a TVR Griffith 500 for 4 years and absolutely loved it, but it would have been slower over the Dales roads and a lot more of a handful. Its waywardness and surfeit of power over grip was an essential part of its charm but it sometimes got in the way of a good drive. The Clio, on the other hand, rorted and fizzed and darted and jinked but always felt at one with the road, flattering my inputs and masking my misjudgements making me feel like Walter Rohrl’s apprentice and prompting me to laugh out loud several times. It is the greatest possible compliment to say that it reminded me strongly of the two Peugeot 205GTIs I owned and loved so much in the 80s.
I had quite a good time and rather enjoyed the Clio. What a fabulous little car. My hitherto insatiable lust for a Mk1 996GT3 waned ever so slightly last Saturday: I still want one badly, but I’ll survive without one for a few more years!
I bought my Trophy (#23/500) in early December. Its one previous owner had serviced it regularly but in most other respects it needed a dose of TLC including: refurbished front dampers; new exhaust; rear brakes freeing and new pads; a good scrub inside; full service and new fluids; some Waxoyl to tidy up the underside and arrest the rot; and new or refurbished steering wheel. BG Motorsport sorted the suspension, Tony Banks in Leeds fitted a new, custom stainless steel exhaust with lovely bassy noise and tailpipes that completely fill the cut-outs in the rear valance, Pellon Tyres in Halifax fitted 2 new Hankook Ventus S1 Evo tyres on the front; and I did the rest. I cleaned the K&N filter, built a box to go round it to stop it sucking in hot air from the radiator, gave it a full service, fitted a seal kit (thanks to BiggRed – go on their website if you are thinking of a brake overhaul) and new pads on the rear brakes, replaced all the brake fluid, bled the system to restore a solid pedal, drained and replaced the coolant and generally gave it a good “fettle”. All that remains is to sort out the steering wheel. I think I’ll fit a 197/200 wheel. I am told it fits, it means you keep your buttons and airbag and it is slightly dished so it should go some way to addressing the Italian ape (long arms, short legs) driving position.
I spent a couple of days in North Wales trying to keep up with my eldest son’s hard-driven, 171,000 mile BMW 520i in February before I had done any work on the car and it bounced around at the front end like Tigger on E then suffered almost terminal brake fade on a long, fast descent between the A5 and the Bala – Trawsfynydd road. Somewhat disconcerting when the pedal that is supposed to slow you down no longer does so and feels like a block of finest teak is jammed underneath it. The rear brakes were doing next-to-nothing and the front brakes wilted under the strain generating so much heat in the process that the front offside outboard CV gaiter blew off and sprayed grease liberally around the inside of the wheel and various bits of the suspension, thankfully missing the brake disc.
Last Saturday I drove to and from a village on the eastern fringe of the Lakes near Penrith for a bit of fell walking and decided that I would shun the quick route from Halifax via the A65 and M6 and wander instead through the Yorkshire Dales. I went via Ribblehead, Hawes, Sedbergh, Tebay and Shap on the way there and down the A6 to Kendal and then back to good old Sedbergh and from there to Kirby Lonsdale before heading back to West Yorkshire.
It was one of the best drives I’ve had for a very long time. I owned a TVR Griffith 500 for 4 years and absolutely loved it, but it would have been slower over the Dales roads and a lot more of a handful. Its waywardness and surfeit of power over grip was an essential part of its charm but it sometimes got in the way of a good drive. The Clio, on the other hand, rorted and fizzed and darted and jinked but always felt at one with the road, flattering my inputs and masking my misjudgements making me feel like Walter Rohrl’s apprentice and prompting me to laugh out loud several times. It is the greatest possible compliment to say that it reminded me strongly of the two Peugeot 205GTIs I owned and loved so much in the 80s.
I had quite a good time and rather enjoyed the Clio. What a fabulous little car. My hitherto insatiable lust for a Mk1 996GT3 waned ever so slightly last Saturday: I still want one badly, but I’ll survive without one for a few more years!
