France
Hello everyone,
I’d like to introduce myself, as tradition dictates. First of all, a big thank you to ChatGPT, which will duly translate this message into English that is not my own: not bad, but not native-level either.
To tell you a bit more about myself: I am 41 years old… well, that’s what my ID says, although I’ve been mentally stuck in my early twenties for the past 20 years.
My automotive journey has mainly been shaped by a strong taste for “low-flyers” and artisan car manufacturers, but unfortunately limited by the French bureaucracy, which is as complex as a wine list in a five-star hotel. And since I am neither an oenologist nor a wine enthusiast… you can imagine the level of frustration.
My car history began with an Opel Speedster, known in the UK as the Vauxhall VX220, followed by a Caterham Rover 1600K SS. It was my dream car, but after two years of driving across France, I felt the urge to explore something different.
So I bought a Porsche 996 3.6 on a whim. A huge and wonderful discovery, which only lasted a year because I needed to allocate funds to other projects. I then took a detour into a Nissan 350Z, fully track-prepared. Not a car I bought with emotion, but a great deal at the time and a very good “placebo effect” car.
Then I went back to the “lightweight” philosophy with a Donkervoort D8-210, which took me 18 months to register in this country… pardon my language… in this rather car-hostile country. But after 8 years with a car that offers absolutely no comfort whatsoever, and perhaps also due to a bit of aging, I decided it was time to return to something more conventional.
A Lotus Evora 410 would have been a dream, but unlike governments, I don’t print money. So I went for another car I had long been tempted by: a BMW Z4M E85.
And here I am!
Thank you for your welcome, and I look forward to reading you all.
I’d like to introduce myself, as tradition dictates. First of all, a big thank you to ChatGPT, which will duly translate this message into English that is not my own: not bad, but not native-level either.
To tell you a bit more about myself: I am 41 years old… well, that’s what my ID says, although I’ve been mentally stuck in my early twenties for the past 20 years.
My automotive journey has mainly been shaped by a strong taste for “low-flyers” and artisan car manufacturers, but unfortunately limited by the French bureaucracy, which is as complex as a wine list in a five-star hotel. And since I am neither an oenologist nor a wine enthusiast… you can imagine the level of frustration.
My car history began with an Opel Speedster, known in the UK as the Vauxhall VX220, followed by a Caterham Rover 1600K SS. It was my dream car, but after two years of driving across France, I felt the urge to explore something different.
So I bought a Porsche 996 3.6 on a whim. A huge and wonderful discovery, which only lasted a year because I needed to allocate funds to other projects. I then took a detour into a Nissan 350Z, fully track-prepared. Not a car I bought with emotion, but a great deal at the time and a very good “placebo effect” car.
Then I went back to the “lightweight” philosophy with a Donkervoort D8-210, which took me 18 months to register in this country… pardon my language… in this rather car-hostile country. But after 8 years with a car that offers absolutely no comfort whatsoever, and perhaps also due to a bit of aging, I decided it was time to return to something more conventional.
A Lotus Evora 410 would have been a dream, but unlike governments, I don’t print money. So I went for another car I had long been tempted by: a BMW Z4M E85.
And here I am!
Thank you for your welcome, and I look forward to reading you all.
North West Surrey
