j_jza80 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 As some of you may know, I've just returned from an amazing 2 week trip through Europe in my Supra, and I thought I'd share some of my experiences and pictures. One of the reasons I bought my Supra was for this trip. My friends had arranged to get married near Barcelona, and as this was going to be my holiday for the year, I had planned to fly to Tolouse in France and hire a classic or sports car for the duration. I found a place that would rent me an E-type for 10 days for £2k, and my heart was pretty much set on that. But then with a liberal application of 'man maths', and a few other influences, I hatched the idea of using that £2k to put towards another Supra. It just so happened that a club member pointed out that Torque GT were selling a Tiptronic Supra for a bargain price, and the rest is history. (please see HERE for further details) I then figured that, as I was going to be taking my Supra across to the European mainland, it would be a good excuse to take another trip to the Nurburgring, as it has been 9 years since my last visit. It all came together pretty quickly after that. So two and a half weeks ago, I left for the ferry port. I was getting the ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge, and I was in convoy with a VW Camper which was taking the groom, the grooms brother and two other lads. I should take this opportunity to apologize for the quality of some of the pictures. Unfortunately my phone self destructed at the end of the first week, which means that the few remaining photos of that time I have left were ones I uploaded to Instagram. There were a few interesting cars on the Ferry, including this wrapped Ferrari. And this Vauxhall Omega. Complete with working water cannon! On the boat, what was supposed to be a few beers and an early night predictably turned into a 2am Jaeger bomb filled session When we landed, the lads in the camper set off for Barcelona, and I went to the Nurburgring, which is a 3 hour drive from Zeebrugge. I has booked a villa, and before I even got to it I bumped into this motley crew at the end of my street. They had brought over an FC RX7 running a single turbo 1JZ & R154, an S13, an R33 GTR, an EP3 Civic Type R, a BMW 1 series and a DC2 Integra. Their house looked like the one out of the Fast and the Furious with all the cars outside. Great bunch. This was my Villa. And this was the amusingly named street opposite... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) After I dropped my stuff off, I went straight to the petrol station to fill up for my first session at the 'ring. I noticed an army green E36 3 series a couple of cars ahead of me in the que, more on that later... As it was a German bank holiday, the place was busier than I have ever seen. The car park was overflowing, which was not helped by the fact that the track had been closed due to an accident. This happened a lot on the first day, and I reckon there must have been the best part of 20 crashes in my 2 days there. I was approached by a fellow Supra owner in the car park who owns a big single turbo auto. We chatted for a bit and I agreed to take him out in my car on the first lap. About a minute into my first lap, I found the cause of the track closure. The green E36 I had seen earlier had gone into the barriers, and totally smashed the front of the car up. Although I would encourage any petrol head to visit the Nurburgring, I would also advise that you do not get into racing other cars there or even timing your laps. Keep to the right and go at your own pace. There is no room for error, due to the constant camber changes and almost non existent run off, if you loose control you will crash and it will cost you a fortune. Anyways, I managed 7 laps over my 2 days there, and was denied my final lap due to yet another crash. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about my Supra. The paddleshift setup on my car was very well suited to the track, and I was extremely glad I had binned my j-spec brakes in favour of UKs! Unfortunately it developed a misfire on WOT towards the end of my time there, which I suspect is a coilpack/clip related issue, caused by me replacing the spark plugs a few days before my trip. As I said before, I would really encourage any car enthusiast to go the the 'ring. It is worth it just to see the assortment of cars there, as these pictures will prove. All these turned up together. It sounded like thunder. This Evo later met with the armco This 993 was amazing. It had a sequential shifter and dustbin lid sized Brembos all round. And I watched it utterly destroy an R35 on the final straight. Edited June 20, 2015 by j_jza80 (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) On my way back to the villa, I decided to bring a gift from Germany for the groom... 80 large bottles of Bitburger and a huge bottle of Jaegermeister. On my second night, there was a huge thunder storm over Germany. It was humid and I couldn't sleep, so at around 1am I decided to jump in the car and start the long drive to Barcelona. I was driving in the dark, in a lightning storm and over hills. I was the highest object around for quite a bit of it, which was pretty scary! Although the storm itself was stunning, on the downside I discovered that they don't use 'cats eyes' on the roads in Europe, which means that driving in the rain and the dark is much more difficult than at home. I hap a couple of hour naps in the car when I stopped for fuel, and drove down from Germany through Luxembourg, and then through into France. The weather in France was fantastic, and the drive from this point was brilliant, stunning scenery and great roads. As I got to Barcelona, I noticed a grinding sound coming from the front of my car as I went around corners. I foolishly assumed that it was an issue with the anti rattle clip on the brake caliper, as I had one come off a few days before. I decided to push on, as I wasn't too far from my destination. I got there at 6.30, having covered over 900 miles in that day! I was greeted by a much needed cold beer, and after a catch up with the others, I discovered that the grinding noise was actually one of the front wheels working loose! One of the wheel nuts had gone, and the others could all be undone by hand. We assume it was caused by the long drive and the track time at the 'ring, but from then on I checked the tightness of the wheel nuts before every journey. Thankfully it hasn't happened again since, but I would recommend that anyone using alloy wheel nuts to check them VERY regularly. I was in Barcelona for a week. The wedding was fantastic, good times with good people and a seemingly never ending flow of alcohol! The Supra continued to be a good workhorse, acting as a taxi and doing runs to the shops. I was also pulled over by the local constabulary, though only because they were intrigued by the car. Spotted this stunning 'cafe racer' classic BMW K100. I tempted to get one now After the weeks festivities, I parted ways with the others, and set off for Andorra. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places in the world, and some of the best roads I've ever driven. Edited June 20, 2015 by j_jza80 (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) I stayed there for one night, and set off for Paris. This was another long days drive, and at the end of it I had to find a hotel. Unfortunately the area I ended up in was a total ****hole. The following morning I went to the Paris Airshow at Le Bourget. I found this amusing. Edited June 20, 2015 by j_jza80 (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) Rather than spend another night in Paris, I set off for Bruges in the afternoon, and made it just in time to enjoy a beer in the setting sun. A few pics of the local area I spent a couple of days in Bruges, stuffing my face with waffles and chocolate, and indulging in the local beer. It is a great place, very much like York in a lot of respects. And only a 20 minute drive to Zeebrugge, which was handy as it was time to head home. Not before a bit of shopping though... The grooms brother had also made it to the ferry port, but this time with his family. Unfortunately they had experienced several breakdowns in the camper, but nothing too serious. Thankfully the return journey on the ferry was tamer than on the way out, as I was totally knackered after all that driving! I got home on Thursday morning, desperately in need of a holiday to get over my holiday. I was very impressed with the Supra. They are a fantastic GT, able to cover huge distances quickly and in comfort. They are also more practical than you would expect, especially with the rear bench folded flat. The only creature comfort I really missed at all was cruise control, which I'm hoping I can gain when I go single/Syvecs. Edited June 20, 2015 by j_jza80 (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc92 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Great pictures and writeup. I'd love to do something similar one day and have a big road trip all around Europe. Nurburgring looks good too it's interesting to see the variety of cars you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignum Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Thought the forum had been quite he he, looks like a great trip you had jay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Nice write up Jay and some nice views. Oh and that vette We love road trips and kick off our annual trip in a few weeks, but not in the Supra sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formatzero Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Very interesting trip and great photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclarenross Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Great story, looks like a great trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham1984 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 The wrap on that Ferrari is just plain awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trebor69 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Oh how I wish I had the time and money to do this, Greece would be the destination for me. Looks like you had a fantastic journey dude, I'm well jealous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suprano Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 That looks awesome mate would love to do something similar , great pics and write up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPG Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Looked like a great trip Jay, nice write up also. That 993 is so nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulj1 Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Nice trip by look off it I can spot my work lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 The ferry port? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Looked like a great trip Jay, nice write up also. That 993 is so nice. Cheers mate. The 993 is one of my favourite cars, and that is the best example I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westcoaster Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Looks like a brilliant trip, I'd love to take my Supra across Europe and that's a very nice Supra you have there. Incidentally, I was in Clervaux in Luxembourg week before last, there was an electrical storm of biblical proportions on the evening Friday 5th June, wonder if it was the same storm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Thanks And yes, it was about 1am on the 6th I left Germany so it would have been the same. It covered northern Germany, Luxembourg and much of Northern France. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny g Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Fantastic write up if you go DBW on the throttle, Syvecs will give you CC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Syvecs - the gift that keeps giving. Cheers mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abz Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Really enjoyed reading that Jay, sounds like you had a good time. I have done tonnes of driving holidays, much cheaper & nicer than holidaying in the UK. We are spoiled, espically down South to be pass through a few countries in just a matter of a few hours. Supra looked stunning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Cheers pal Yeah the reason I went via Hull is it's only a 40 min drive from here late in the afternoon, then its an over night ferry to Belgium which lands at 8AM. Beats a 6 hour drive down to Dover! As for cost, well I don't really want to think about that Covering all the fuel costs, accommodation, tolls etc on my own etc certainly added up, and that's not including the price of the laps at the ring etc But it was worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abz Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Cheers pal Yeah the reason I went via Hull is it's only a 40 min drive from here late in the afternoon, then its an over night ferry to Belgium which lands at 8AM. Beats a 6 hour drive down to Dover! As for cost, well I don't really want to think about that Covering all the fuel costs, accommodation, tolls etc on my own etc certainly added up, and that's not including the price of the laps at the ring etc But it was worth it Much better way to do it, think of the fuel you saved if you did the 6 hour trip down! Not to mention traffic Haha no doubt it wasn't cheap but it feels great eh?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supra2jze Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Supras should be renamed Supreme, not many sports cars would last that journey. Btw Andorra looks nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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