The ride of my life...part 1 and a half! - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

VanCooper · 29th May 2003, 09:37

Once again, background story...me and my good buddy planned a bicycle ride tonight so we took our machines and headed out into downtown Vancouver for some pedalling fun. Pedalling over on marina side I spotted the one Ferrari that I loved the most in the lower mainland, yes you guessed it the one that stared in "the test drive of my life...part 1".

So me and my friend decided to wait until she came back to her car to say Hi and see what was happening with the sale of our house. She walked up with her husband, said Hi, presented to her my friend, another Ferrari diehard fanatic! By the time we had finished up chatting, she invited us to her house so that we could go for a ride in the Ferrari's...so we said ok but it would have to be quick! So me and my friend made the best attempt at an olympic record by speeding there on our bikes...I ride a heavy downhill bike so it wasn't an easy task! But I knew it would be worth it!

So we arrived, sweaty and all out of breath...we weren't handed over medals for our olympic impressions of a sprint race but we were rewarded with a cool glass of water and a walk down to the dream garage! I told you he had a ferrari as well! We were treated to a gorgeous grigio titanio 360 spider just out of storage and an SL55 AMG, his daily driver!

So after breathing down and having relaxed a bit, my friend hops in the 360 Modena with him and I get treated to a topless ride in his 360 spider! wow, that top folds down quite nicely and very silently! After the windows came back up, we were on our way

First thing I noticed on the spider is that you hear the exhaust note alot better on the spider but hear less of the engine whereas on the Modena, you only hear the engine since you are enclosed right in front of it! His car is a 6 speed manual as well so I could hear the click-clack of shifting very well as him and his wife played around with the cars. I was enjoying every minute of the spider ride and trying to notice any difference in feel between the two. His spider was a 2002 model with just over 1600 kms!

As we turned a corner onto an uphill, he mashed the pedal to the floor and I immediately was pushed back into my seat while looking towards the rev and speed indicators. I would also glanced in the side mirror from time to time to have a peek at another Ferrari closely following us! AWE is the feeling I would experience if I had been on the sidewalk seeing two Ferrari's driving together. We got cheers, glances, kids waving and even people pulling over to let us by!

I will make a statement about the M5 right now. From the day that I really started driving the M5 I always wondered what it was like to ride in an exotic car and see what difference there would be from a 400hp everyday super sedan to a 400hp lightweight exotic and on this day, I learned what it was. Accelerating hard in the Modena didn't give me the same kick in the pants as the M5 would and that's where you see that the superior torque of the M5 really comes into play...the M5 just pushes you in the back of your seat like nothing I have ever ridden in as of today, not even an airplane! That's a statement!

So as we pulled back in the driveway, I could not thank him enough for the ride of my life. I had experienced the test drive of my life and today, I got the ride of my life. I have to say that I'm much more of a coupe type of guy and I liked the coupe more. The profile of the Modena is simply the sexiest out there and quite simply the most beautiful car made right now!

As the door closed on the heaven's garage, I was invited for part 2 of the test drive in the near future and this time, I will have pics to prove my point! I didn't have my camera today as I wasn't expecting my bike ride to end in a Ferrari 360 spider ride!

Thanks once again to the lady and the gentleman for providing me with such fun. I will remember these times forever!

P.S. Here are two pics, the first one being of the 360 Modena when she came to our house to drop off some documentation for my parents and the second one is my trusty bicycle...you'll now understand why I was all sweaty when I got to her house!

Fast6 · 29th May 2003, 18:26

Great story. Nothing like being in the right place at the right time.
Nice bike, too!

atomic80 · 29th May 2003, 18:29

Great write-up, Guillaume. You never cease to amaze me with your numerous advanture stories!

Looking forward to part II.

Terk · 29th May 2003, 19:05

Great story Guillaume.

This could turn into a great mini series.

Regards,

T.

Artur Costa · 29th May 2003, 21:02

...
Nice bike....are those Hayes Brakes?

Very expencive here in portugal.....

KRM · 29th May 2003, 21:10

Thanks for sharing yet another wonderful F-car experience with us, Guillaume. Looking forward to Part II... III....IV.... and the ownership series!

Suretyagent · 29th May 2003, 21:24

Again, great write-up.

You know how to tell a story Vancooper. With a little guidance and some practice you could end up being a hell of a writer. Give it some thought, maybe a book of short stories about your car adventures to start. Some of us still read books.

Derek

VanCooper · 29th May 2003, 21:57

Thanks for all the kind remarks guys!

Artur Costa: yes those are hayes disk brakes. They are a few years old but they still work very well. I've got an 8 inch rotor at the front and 6 inch at the back. I like my brakes with a real hard grabbing setup! very scary for someone not used to it!

Derek: You know, I always plan on writing a paragraph or two but I end up writing alot more than I plan and after I proof read them, I can't believe I just wrote an article like that...I'll give it some thought about becoming a writer for a magazine...it may even show up in a dealership newsletter sometime

KRM5: ownership is quite far away for me but judging from the quality of this board, I'm sure it'll still be around when I'll be the owner of a Ferrari

Bmxbikergtss · 20th June 2003, 20:58

wow nice bike do you do any downhill riding?
i got a rockhopper
mavic 321 rims
marzocchi DJ2 QR20
marzocchi 20mm fornt hub
Xt rear hub
wtb speed v seat
some seatpost
EA50 handlebars
titec dh stem
hayes hydro discbreaks

all i can remember

but im looking for a new frame im looking at a planet-x splitback or a bighit or something like yours

how many inches of rear travel do you get?

Chuckc · 21st June 2003, 22:07

Lucky dog! You live where there is the best single track probably of anywhere. Nice bike. As you know, Turner makes great frames. So you have an M5, one of the best FS bikes made, live in the single track capital of the world and have friends with Ferraris.

chirofirst · 22nd June 2003, 01:44

Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how many things I have in common with you M5ers. I love mt. biking too. I have a hardtail, but it's the coolest ever (i think). it's a Specialized Epic Ultimate carbon fiber tubes w/ titanium lugs that's handmade in four different factories. The ride is simply awesome!

I guess everyone on this Board just likes really cool, really-well-made fast things! (Oh yeah, and watches!)
Todd

kees · 22nd June 2003, 09:55

Quote:

Originally posted by chirofirst
(Oh yeah, and watches!)

Have a look in the Off Topic forum...