I live in a little village called 'Flitwick' in Bedfordshire, a mile down the road is another little village called 'Millbrook', and as most of you probably know; Millbrook is the home of the famous
'Millbrook Proving Ground" (used by all major car manufacturers in the UK for testing)
My father works at the proving ground, and as such has privileged access to the ground's facilities (i.e. the 'bowl', the 4x4 track and the dips, curves & bends that are used to test a cars suspension, steering etc)
I had a days holiday yesterday and my dad rings me from work and asks me to meet him for lunch...
(a bit strange I think to myself - usually people that don't work there aren't allowed anywhere near the main facility where he works. However he assures me it's all been cleared with the security people, so off I go)
As I drive into the proving ground, I am stopped at the main gate by 3 security guards... They ask for my name and then verify it along with my car number-plate over the radio (very high security at the proving ground due to car manufactures testing all their concept cars / prototypes etc there)
After a minute or so I am given a security tag and am allowed to proceed... I drive to my father's office and park up outside...
As I head for his office he comes out with a big grin on his face...
"Come with me" he says; leading me round the corner...
There in front of me is a freshly-cleaned Lemans Blue '01 M5.
"I know how much you love these German things" My dad continues...
"Jeremy here is about to throw it around the bowl a few times - you wanna join him?" He says gesturing towards a young chap standing by the M5.
My jaw drops. (Thanks dad!)
I greet Jeremy (who is a test-driver at the facility - no, not Clarkson :p ) with an ear-to-ear grin.
"Hop in!" he says with a smile. (noticing my obvious enthusiasm)
I oblige willingly!
Within a few minutes we're going up through the gears around the banked curve of the 2-mile bowl; the low bassy hum of the quad exhaust rumbling in the background...
We hit the electronic limiter surprisingly quickly, and Jeremy voices his dissatisfaction with the restricted speed;
"These things can hit well over 170 and be quite stable as long as you've got the right tyres, it's a shame this one hasn't had the limiter removed"
I sit there quite happily watching the surrounding trees whip by at an alarming rate... 155mph seems like warp-factor 9 when looking out of the passenger window
but when you look ahead it seems like you could be sprinting down the motorway at a quite normal 70mph - so smooth is the ride that I can see how easy it must be to travel at speeds over 100mph in the M5 without noticing...
The only other tell-tale sign that we are travelling at such a high speed is the now quite load exhaust note - lovely.
Sadly our jaunt is over all too soon
and the trip back to the main building at a leisurely 40mph seems like slow-motion!
We pull-up outside my father's office and get out... Jeremy has to dash off to pick up another car ready for some 'thrashing around' (as he puts it)
I thank him for the ride (still grinning from ear-to-ear) and go into the building to meet my father. Jeremy jumps back into the beast and roars off leaving behind a cloud of dust... (lucky bas***d has
THE best job in the world!)
It's nice how a very average Thursday afternoon can turn into such an exhilarating experience! (just a shame I didn't know what I was gonna be doing, or I would have taken a bloody camera!
)
Obviously I now try to have lunch with my father as much as possible!
I can't wait till I can get my hands on my very own M5. You guys are very lucky people indeed.
Hope you enjoyed the story.
Adam.
M5 at the limit round Millbrook proving ground! (long)
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