Meanwhile, on and around the Nürburgring

"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
09/24/2018 at 01:08 • Filed to: oppomeet 2018, Europpomeet, Nurburgring, Oppomeet

... there’s the oppomeet! Due to the race that had just ended (rubber braking trails) and the ongoing rain it was incredibly slippery. There was a lot of wheelspin, brakes locking up and even a 360. Tomorrow: Oktoberfest in Munich.

Our initial plan was: Saturday watch the race, Sunday drive the Ring ourselves. A few times. However, after an insanely dry summer Saturday September 22nd was wet. Very wet. But not nearly as wet as Sunday would become, wetter forecast told us. So we drove the Ring on Saturday, during the 1 hour it was opened for tourists. After we were done, we all seemed to need to change our underwear. It was slippery. VERY slippery. For example, I’ve had wheel spin at 3rd gear at maybe 3500 rpm countless of times (new Michelin Pilot Sport tires). What was much more scary was the utter lack of grip at the corners, due to oil and rubber remnants of the race just hours before.

Our group were among the last on the Ring that day. I, personally, driving my 1987 Peugeot 205 cti convertible, got to overtake a newish Jaguar, the BMW in the picture above and some kind of Opel Corsa with Nürburgring decals. I was only overtaken once; on the final straight by a Porsche 911 ring taxi, while I had over 190 kmh on the insanely accurate speedometer (no, the drive train is not stock).

When we had all finished our lap we all shared the same opinion; the slippery-ness was just too dangerous for us. If the wetter would not significantly improve the next day, we would not go back on the track.

And that’s exactly what happened. The wetter was even worse, so we decided not to do it again. Pure self-preservation. As an alternative we did a few cultural activities. Which were fun too. We visited ancient city centers, medieval churches, millennia old Roman mines and a huge statue (1897) about the unification of Germany. I’m sure more pictures will be uploaded soon.

Pictured cars:

Audi A3 (FSI)

Lincoln mkVIII (one of very few in Europe) (scheafft)

Mazda mx-5 RF, red (rental) (gmporschenut)

Mazda mx-5, white. Joined on Sunday. (Out, but with a W - has found the answer)

Peugeot 205 CTI (duurtlang)

Renault Twingo (BvdV the Dutch engineer)

Subaru BRZ

Suzuki Cappuccino (BlurpleToyotaDishwasher)

Tomorrow: via Rothenburg ob der Tauber and/or Nördlingen to Munich, where we’ll visit Oktoberfest. Tuesday BMW museum Munich and then multiple days of Austrian/Italian/Swiss Alpine roads. And the Mercedes and Porsche museums in Stuttgart at the end.

DISCUSSION (19)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > duurtlang
09/23/2018 at 19:24

Wait.....I just had a moment. Didn’t realize that Lincoln was the same one HubNut had on his channel awhile back ! Also just saw it in the AutoAddiction Nurburgring video I just watched 5 minutes ago - it WAS very wet that day! :D

Also, YAY for 205 and Cappucino! And Twingo! :D

On a side note, MAN the brakelights are dim on the Lincoln compared to most other cars....maybe time for LED bulb upgrades...?

vondon302 > duurtlang
09/23/2018 at 19:38

MkIII life! Too cool

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > duurtlang
09/23/2018 at 20:47

I love how out of place the Lincoln is

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > duurtlang
09/23/2018 at 21:28

Awesome variety of cars! Looks like a fun time! I’ve driven many hours at Nurburgring (in gran turismo). Is it fun to drive in person?

MM54 > duurtlang
09/23/2018 at 22:14

I have a strong desire to see that mk.8 going around the ring. I’m not sure if it would be very comfortable or make you seasick. Maybe both.

Looks like a good time! Shame the weather didn’t work out a bit better (I appreciated the possibly unintended play with das wetter /the weather being wet ) but sounds like fun nonetheless.

Stef Schrader > duurtlang
09/23/2018 at 23:10

Ugh, I’m so jealous. These are all of the good things. Even my favorite kind of beer! Gaaaaah.

duurtlang > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/24/2018 at 00:49

Yes, same car/owner . I don’t think he’s all that active on Oppo any more. He’s got a collection of big barges from (mostly) the 90s. E39, Renault Safrane, Opel Senator (which broke down on top of the Alps during our meet last year), the JDM version of the Lexus LS400, I believe an Audi S8 and probably a few more I forgot.

duurtlang > MM54
09/24/2018 at 00:52

Rallydarkside above posted one of the videos that are on YouTube already. Gmporschenut, who wasn’t allowed to take is normal rental on the Ring and had unfortunately booked his Ring rental for the next day, was in the passenger seat of the Lincoln. Filming from the inside. I'm sure that will be uploaded sometime soon as well.

duurtlang > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
09/24/2018 at 00:56

It’s very fun! But you do need a bit of luck with the conditions though. When we went on there were very few other cars (good!) but the incredibly wet/slippery track returned some quite scary moments for all of us . I was driving a 31 year old car that was just mechanically restored and restomodded for a lot of money. And no airbags or real crumple zone. Or ABS. I didn’t want to crash...

duurtlang > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/24/2018 at 01:01

There should be a few pictures around comparing the Lincoln to the Suzuki Cappuccino. The contrast is huge. You can almost mount the Suzuki engine in the empty space in front of the radiator of the Lincoln. The front overhang almost looks like the wheelbase on the Suzuki (but isn’t)

I've seen a few videos random people filmed of people going round the Nürburgring. The Lincoln was featured multiple time, none of the other cars was. Most Europeans will have never seen a mkVIII IRL.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/24/2018 at 01:35

I was driving behind the Lincoln yesterday, and told him about how dim they are. Apparently those are not supposed to be the brake lights, the whole bar should light up. B ut they became brakelights due to the Euro light conversion.

Svend > duurtlang
09/24/2018 at 02:20

I like the contrast and how easy it is to pick out British from Belgian, Dutch or German cars.

Does the licence plate have black letters?

Yes! Not Belgian (red letters).

Does it have a white licence plate on the front?

Yes! Not Dutch (orange front and rear).

Does it have a white licence plate on the rear?

Yes? Not British (white front, orange rear), It’s German.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > duurtlang
09/24/2018 at 07:06

Cool, pity he’s not as active as he one was on here...I imagine he has some stories with a fleet like that! :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
09/24/2018 at 07:06

I wonder if he could look into getting brighter bulbs for them or something? LED bulbs might help....higher brightness with less voltage, etc required...?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > duurtlang
09/24/2018 at 09:33

I endorse Schaefft’s poor choices.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > duurtlang
09/24/2018 at 23:07

Yeah I feel you. It seems as if it is a lot like driving backroads . Low margin for error.

BlurpleToyotaDishwasher > duurtlang
09/25/2018 at 10:19

I... I’ve got too fat for that coat, haven’t I? Shit. :(

duurtlang > BlurpleToyotaDishwasher
09/26/2018 at 01:35

Might just be the angle. How was the drive home?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > duurtlang
12/04/2018 at 14:42

Hey, the Lincoln made it on one of those “wierd cars of the Nurburgring” supercuts!