Decent car YouTubes

[IanF]

Been a bit addicted to M539 and have watched all his E60 M5 and most (on number 15!) Alpina B7 videos over the Xmas period.. really loving the B7 - the interior looks better than anything BMW make currently, and the perfectionism of Sreten is awe inspiring! Any similar recommendations would be appreciated.

[Beany]

BMWs from the early 2000s have a single, ignition barrel recharged battery in the key which typically lasts 20+ years.

Why a key type device that asks you to leave it in a specific place isn’t recharged in that place is bonkers.

It's spot welded to the battery tab in the key too, so that if someone does get into the key (not easy based on what I've looked at) they can't replace it with a non-rechargable lithium cell and set fire to their leg at 80mph on the M62

I assume E8x is similar given it has a slot for the key, F2x has a user replaceable battery for me as it's just a wireless key; I don't have comfort access, mind.

Apparently these modern fancy pants keys just gobbling through batteries is Just A Thing They All Do - fuck knows who thought a 2032 cell was a good idea for that - the F2x at least has an 2045 (I think, I didn't take a note - but it's a lot deeper) cell so that would at least last a bit longer but given most people are used to their keyfob batteries lasting years, not months, it seems like a strange choice to make as a power source.

Some of those people on the Lotus facebook page he linked were talking about their battery lasting weeks and the answer being to put it in a faraday pouch when not driving so it stops trying to talk to the car when it's parked outside the house

[Mito Man]

Is the key an afterthought like on Teslas? Normal owner would just use their phone as the key, maybe the Lotus is the same?

[Zonda_]

I see Mat Armstrong appears to have landed a bargain Cullinan, the Urban kit is not to my taste the same as the rest of the Cullinan to be fair but it seems a bargain!

[mik]

It may sound awful, but.... it goes well.

[Matty]

Gopping car - however interesting that CH says it's "too big for the road" which would put him off owning one, yet praises his old M5 CS which is basically the same dimensions.

[nuttinnew]

It should have come out a couple of weeks ago - #ChrisMHarris. Missed oppo
Will watch it now

[Ascender]

Its always weird reading car dimensions expressed in mm and wondering how you could ever notice such small increases in practice.

The 911 feels much narrower than the M3 and is way easier to place on the twisties, but I suspect that's because the front end is narrower than the rear, so I'm not really worrying about the back end. A friend who has a Murcielago reckons it's the same for him and on the open road it's never really an issue.

I thought the M3 was as big as I'd want to get unless I was just doing motorway and wide A road miles. It was at the limit of what I'd want to drive down anything fun.

Because I'm avoiding work emails...

E46 M3 - 178cm
M3 Touring - 190cm

E60 M5 - 184cm
M5 Touring - 197cm

Dakar - 186cm

So I guess over time the M3 has become the size of the M5 and the M5 has gone up again, I'm assuming weight has gone the same way.

[Beany]

The F20 1-series has the same basic footprint as the E46, too - so everythings going 'a class up' over the last fifteen years or so.

2BMWs-Redux-33-24.jpg (30.74 KiB) Viewed 1651 times

[MikeHunt]

Gopping car - however interesting that CH says it's "too big for the road" which would put him off owning one, yet praises his old M5 CS which is basically the same dimensions.

My 5 series feels a lot smaller than the 7 (G30 & G11) despite them being virtually the same chassis and same size, only a few cm in the width and length, and the same weight.


Not allowing a track review seems worse that a bad one, assuming its really bad on track

[Ascender]

I'm sure BMW had press doing track laps with final prototype M5s just before the official launch, but I think it was one of those group events where they were following instructors round?

I still think it was telling that the guys working on the car said that the speed was absolutely ballistic, but you just couldn't hide the weight of the car when it came to the bends or the size of it on narrower roads. Both said they'd take the M2/M3 over it every time.

[integrale_evo]

It’s only a little bit at a time but the roads aren’t getting any bigger so must be a point things start to feel a bit too big.

It’s not always about the extremities, just overall bulk, seating position, visibility etc can make something feel a lot bigger than the figures alone show. My friendly little shopping car Mito is harder to park, position and get in and out of than my e36 compact despite being very similar sizes.

I’ve followed a couple of current M3s and they really do look very big on the road.

[nuttinnew]

^ Ja, that; it doesn't have to be big to feel cumbersome (matron).

[Mito Man]

I think I’ll disagree with Chris - If the rides a bit too firm, even in comfort, and it feels too big by not shrinking around the driver, and it isn’t as nice in the corners as the previous car then the engineers haven’t done a particularly good job of making an ‘M’ car.
In this day and age anyone can make a heavy car go fast in a straight line and make it feel nimble and light in day to day driving by chucking a stupidly quick light steering rack and 4 wheel steer.

History will be kind to it though, god knows what the next all electric bloated M5 turd will be.

[nuttinnew]

That list of widths has reminded me - because German car - that when there are roadworks on the autobahn that have narrowed lanes, those lanes have a (iIrc) 2.1m width limit, measured across the mirrors. How many cars now fall foul of that? I'm now wondering about width restrictions, which I may or may not get round to looking up.

I'm sure there's more legislation than springs to mind that has influenced the bloat, it'd be good to see one of the chaps do a bit on it. It won't materially change anything but it'd be nice to know how we've got here.

[MikeHunt]

History will be kind to it though, god knows what the next all electric bloated M5 turd will be.

Sadly true

[V8Granite]

BMWs from the early 2000s have a single, ignition barrel recharged battery in the key which typically lasts 20+ years.

Why a key type device that asks you to leave it in a specific place isn’t recharged in that place is bonkers.

Some of those people on the Lotus facebook page he linked were talking about their battery lasting weeks and the answer being to put it in a faraday pouch when not driving so it stops trying to talk to the car when it's parked outside the house

A lot of Lexus cars you need to do that, my FIL has to do it with his 2010 IS250.

Dave!

[V8Granite]

It’s only a little bit at a time but the roads aren’t getting any bigger so must be a point things start to feel a bit too big.

It’s not always about the extremities, just overall bulk, seating position, visibility etc can make something feel a lot bigger than the figures alone show. My friendly little shopping car Mito is harder to park, position and get in and out of than my e36 compact despite being very similar sizes.

I’ve followed a couple of current M3s and they really do look very big on the road.

You’ve got more oppertunity to move the car about and keep in your lane. You can do different lines through corners and generally not feel so hemmed in.

As you say, 30mm here and there really do add up so when someone says oh it’s only 50mm etc it’s a silly statement in many ways as that could be the difference between h img to hold your door closed as you get out or leaving it on the stop. It all adds up to everyday tasks being annoying or awkward.

Dave!

[Ascender]

I think I’ll disagree with Chris - If the rides a bit too firm, even in comfort, and it feels too big by not shrinking around the driver, and it isn’t as nice in the corners as the previous car then the engineers haven’t done a particularly good job of making an ‘M’ car.
In this day and age anyone can make a heavy car go fast in a straight line and make it feel nimble and light in day to day driving by chucking a stupidly quick light steering rack and 4 wheel steer.

History will be kind to it though, god knows what the next all electric bloated M5 turd will be.

Heavier cars on big wheels and tyres with less and less sidewall aren't helping with the ride quality either though.

[mik]

I’ve just realised this is the collection of David Moulsdale - founder of Optical Express. He’s from Glasgow Suburb Bishopbriggs - where this warehouse is. I suspect therefore that some of the other cars may be at his house?

And yeah - cool collection, but they aren’t driven, many (like their RS500) appear to have been bought cos they are stoopid low mileage, and won’t be driven. Which is car crime for me. But….. I’d still like to see them….

Turns out the Scottish branch of the Lotus forum have organised a private viewing early next year... so I'll go along and wrestle my interest in the content, and frustration at their permanent inactivity.

So the Lotus club had agreed (in writing) an exclusive viewing for £20 a head if they could get 50 participants. Current list is around 75 people.

They’ve had a few open days now, and they are clearly seeing some potential - they have just come back and said “actually it’s going to be £40 a head instead of £20” because they’ve now realised the running costs for the building are higher.

So - I’m no longer going.