📓 Journals Hethel Yellow First Edition is mine now!

[TomAce]

First-class move. I'll never forget Fox Valley Motorcars outside of Chicago that always welcomed my friends and I (16-17 yrs old) to hang around the showroom, drooling and asking questions.

Once I asked a salesman, "are you sure we're not bothering you?"

- "Kid, you guys know more about these cars than most of the people buying them. Stay as long as you like"

If they were still in business and selling Lotus I would loved to have ordered from them! But he helped plant a seed, and that's what we should all be doing every day.

Always drive with a smile!

Thanks!

Cars have been around in my life as long as I can remember and my first word shall have been "Auto" according to my mother...

And it's true always drive with a smile! Last time a little Hyundai drove in front of me and the kid on the backseat took a photo with his smartphone while we were driving.

 

[TomAce]

Next weekend I‘m off again for six days going to South Tyrol with some friends.

Epic roads, panoramic views, great food and wine in the evenings and of course a lot of driving.

 

[TomAce]

Like every year in autumn, we are visiting Helmut and Flora in South Tyrol with a small but fine group of long-time friends.

One of the classics is the ascent to Penser Joch with a short stay on the pass, time for a few photos. However, it was quite fresh this year, with some snow still left over from the last few weeks of heavy rain/snow.

We went on beautiful tours the first three days which meant roughly 300km a day, including up the Passo Rolle or the Mendel Pass. Always fun to drive with the Emira, especially when you get a 1st gear hairpin curve right from braking with manual downshifts to the small powerslide out of the curve and then switching to 2nd gear. You then arrive at the top of the pass and feel great.

On the fourth day we ended the tour a bit, did less sporty driving and enjoyed it more and took breaks at various places.

More time for drone footage. Some recordings were made at the Fedaia reservoir and I think there will certainly be some footage on YouTube in the next few days.

The evenings were spent with like-minded people in the hotel with good food and deliciously selected wines. The hotel's two Irish Setters are always there, too:

And of course, we have already made plans for next year. Next time we want to try to go to Helmut with our own small group of like-minded people and will coordinate the routes with him individually. Driving fun guaranteed.

 

[TomAce]

up into the clouds:

 

[ToonFan]

up into the clouds:

Thanks for sharing what must have been an epic drive.

 

[TomAce]

On Satuday I went to a drift training with my Emira for the first time and it was very insightful.

As always, it was a lot of fun, but it was also tiring, the training lasted the whole day (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

You clearly notice the weight distribution of 39:61 and that really doesn't make it that easy. It was honestly a struggle, especially in the wet drift circle.

Later it was a little more fun when we were able to try out a watered 180 degree curve.

The dynamic load distribution benefited me when braking, as it meant more weight was put on the front and was then able to initiate the drift when turning and accelerating at the same time. Extreme drift angles are not possible when you run out of steering, you then don‘t have a real chance to correct anymore.

Here's a short take:



And at the end of the day I was completely exhausted, the car was totally messed up and I was happy.

 

[virtualmacho]

And at the end of the day I was completely exhausted, the car was totally messed up and I was happy.

Looks like fun! The pictures belong in the The Dirty Pictures Thread !

 

[KG21]

On Satuday I went to a drift training with my Emira for the first time and it was very insightful.

As always, it was a lot of fun, but it was also tiring, the training lasted the whole day (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

View attachment 53970

View attachment 53971

You clearly notice the weight distribution of 39:61 and that really doesn't make it that easy. It was honestly a struggle, especially in the wet drift circle.

Later it was a little more fun when we were able to try out a watered 180 degree curve.

The dynamic load distribution benefited me when braking, as it meant more weight was put on the front and was then able to initiate the drift when turning and accelerating at the same time. Extreme drift angles are not possible when you run out of steering, you then don‘t have a real chance to correct anymore.

Here's a short take:



And at the end of the day I was completely exhausted, the car was totally messed up and I was happy.

View attachment 53973
View attachment 53974

What great drifting!

Did you or any of the other Emira drivers encounter any issues with ‘ESC off’ mode?

 

[TomAce]

Thank you!

I can tell you it was quite some work to be honest. The weight distribution is your enemy, you need to get some dynamic weight distribution to the front by braking otherwise it will simply just understeer. That means the lesser the grip level it gets even worse.

It‘s doable, but BMWs are made for this kind of driving technique.

Regarding ESC off, it stays off when you push the button in the central display. And even when changing through the drive modes, it does not turn on itself again. Even when I choked the engine once, after restart ESC off was still turned on, which is a good thing for this kind of driving. It doesn‘t bother you at all.

You need to turn it off manually again and that‘s what you have to keep in mind.

 

[TomAce]

Just found this photo on a website of an italian photographer who regularly attends the most beautiful spots and sells these: