Ultimate motoring tour of Europe.

XRtowcar · 05-11-2010, 05:41 PM

Just wondering where people would visit if you could plan a tour around visiting some of Europe and the UK's best motoring themed places.
I was thinking of starting in the UK at Brooklands for the museum and whats left of the track.
Then Donington for F1 car heaven.
Balieu for the rare stuff.
Over to Germany for a lap around the Nurburgring.
Stuttgart for the Porsche museum.
Then Milan.
Maybe the F1 race at Monza.
And a day at Maranello for the Ferrari factory and museum.
Might even stop back in Abu Dhabi for Ferrari world.
Any other suggestions?

**Jastel** · 05-11-2010, 07:37 PM

A few I have done or want to....

Monaco - do a lap of the GP track, albeit very slowly

German Autobahns

Swiss tunnels and mountain roads

Milau Viaduct

Arc de Triomphe roundabout in Paris if you dare

Swindon's magic roundabout

Middlesborough transporter bridge

And for where not to drive a car, central London (or any large town really)

Archilino · 05-11-2010, 08:26 PM

Dont forget the road in romania the top-gear crew did a special on!

sgt_doofey · 05-11-2010, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jastel

Arc de Triomphe roundabout in Paris if you dare

If you rent a car, the insurance won't cover you for driving around it. Check your agreement!

Quote:

And for where not to drive a car, central London (or any large town really)

Paris and Rome are another 2 to avoid. Florence is one to definitely not drive in too.

XRtowcar · 06-11-2010, 10:23 AM

Went through the Arc de Triomphe at 5pm in a bus.
Eleven lanes of cars all trying to get through at once.
Leave that one to the Parisians i think.
IS there some sort of Bugatti museum in France?

**Jastel** · 07-11-2010, 01:17 AM

Not sure on museum but if you want to see a Veyron go to Berlin, well it was a couple of years ago now though.
VW dealership on Unter de Linden, main street down from Brandenburg gate.
Has all VW cars on display from Veyron, Bentley etc to Skoda and Golf.

In most large European cities you can see fancy cars on the streets and in dealerships.

Prangs are 50-50 on arc de triomphe roundabout, an accident every 7 minutes, but it is fun getting onto the roundabout and watching everybody (hopefully) stop and let you on, getting off is harder but...

XRtowcar · 07-11-2010, 05:59 PM

Priced up doing an F1 car drive day.
1600 Euro's.
Think i might leave that one on the back burner.
Get to drive one of the Prosts or Bennettons.

EDManual · 09-11-2010, 10:19 AM

I will be in Geneva next july (well staying in France just over the border) (go every year or 2), and this time am planning on a drive up to the nurburgring!
Will get into germany asap so as not to pay french tolls, and get onto the autobahns. its about 600km to the ring.

I am thinking about doing a lap with the ring taxi, or what do you reckon if its a nice day and i offer free laps to anyone with cool cars willing to take me for laps?!! hehe thats my plan :-)! (22 euros a lap, I could hand over 20~ euro bills to whoever wants them..)

Ring taxi cost 195 euros for a car, but if theres 3 seats, so may be able to hop in with other people..

My brother went there and took a hire Mondeo 1.6 turbo petrol round a few times and hard a great time, no probs. But they say that of course you have no insurance and hire car companies can fine a penalty if they find out you have been driving there! Anyone heard of this?

XRtowcar · 09-11-2010, 12:17 PM

You can hire someone to take you for laps.
Didn't know that.
Have heard of a bus tour.

Psi-Pop · 09-11-2010, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDManual

I will be in Geneva next july (well staying in France just over the border) (go every year or 2), and this time am planning on a drive up to the nurburgring!
Will get into germany asap so as not to pay french tolls, and get onto the autobahns. its about 600km to the ring.

If you have a Satnav, tell it to avoid tolls, It will most likely tell you to exit, drive a B road for a few mins and get back on at first exit after the toll booth. We did this on my 6 month Europe Van Tour and it works very well for most of France.

For a good drive hit up the Gross Glockner in the Austrian Alps, great road, is a toll road, well a tourist road but 10 mountains over 3000m and a altitude of 2571m at highest point is awesome view. Just don't take a '99 Transit van as they don't like making more than 4hp at altitude.

Driving up to Tasch in Switzerland is amazing, its the last stop before the Matterhorn, well highest you can take a car anyway. While these aren't car themed you do see of nice cars doing the routes and is somewhere Id visit again, purely for the drive and scenery.

outback_ute · 09-11-2010, 11:03 PM

A couple more for you, the Haynes Museum near Sparkford, Somerset (roughly dead south from Bristol just north of Yeovil) is worth a visit. The Bugatti museum mentioned is at Mulhouse in south-east France not far from Basel/Swiss border, probably more Bugattis than the rest of the world combined including 3 Royales.

If you go at the right time of year, look at the Goodwood Revival (early Sep) or Festival of Speed (late Jul), Silverstone Classic (late Aug), plus more good shows & race meetings in Europe.

Pedro · 10-11-2010, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

If you rent a car, the insurance won't cover you for driving around it. Check your agreement!

Paris and Rome are another 2 to avoid. Florence is one to definitely not drive in too.

Done all of those, bit of fun really. But the best fun was driving in Morocco where experience in Gemini racing stood me in good stead for the mayhem there. Practically no one has a valid licence so it's a case of the boldest wins. Every round-about becomes gridlocked and lane markers have no meaning. Tourists are continually run over in marked pedestrian crossings because they think drivers are going to stop.... WRONG!

Sorry to highjack thread.