Camaro Z/28
The ‘wrong’ tyre size leads to the sickening graunch of stone on metal
THE GENEVA MOTOR show… I love it, and try to find a way to get in early, on one of the press days, whenever I can. This year I managed just that, and lo and behold there were real journalists there, including evo editor Nick Trott. We met at the Porsche stand and drooled over the 911 R. I unkindly hoped that the snow flurries would mean his flight home would get cancelled so he could join us for ice- driving that evening. Fortunately it didn’t, as the snow meant the circuit got closed!
On the subject of driving on slippery surfaces, I’ve come to realise that I screwed up slightly on my winter-tyre choice for the Z/28. I had happily taken narrower, 295-section rubber because I couldn’t locate any 305s, but that has led to a couple of unintended consequences. Firstly,
Tas the rims stick out proud of the narrower tyres, I now have a few scratches on the alloys, and the front-left has lost some paint during a toll-booth stop. Then there’s the tiny little hump at the entrance to my garage. Wearing 295s instead of 305s theoretically means the sidewalls are 3mm shallower. Add a couple of millimetres of tyre wear to that and the Z/28 scrapes on the hump.
Fortunately it’s nearly time to get the winter-spec Michelin Alpins off and the Yokohamas on – and then to start looking forward to the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo Rs! I’ve never had a car that made me focus so much on tyres: their pressure, grip, size, seasonality… every detail.
In other news, one day on the autoroute from Chamonix to Geneva recently, four motorbikes surrounded me, flashing blue lights. Not a nice experience! They took me to a waiting Renault Scenic, where it became clear they were customs officers who’d spotted my rear-only (handy for speed cameras) Montana registration plate. I explained that I’M NOT ENTIRELY SURE what’s happening to me. I’m pretty certain that if Jethro Bovingdon had asked me just six months ago if I wanted to take a Cayman GT4 over the weekend and deliver it to Snowdonia for Monday morning, instead of taking my own long-termer, I’d have jumped at the chance. Yet 20 minutes after recently being asked to do just that, I found myself in ‘my’ RS Q3, not doubting my decision one bit.
Perhaps it’s old age, fatherhood, or Bovingdon’s complaints that the GT4’S fixed-back seats are hideously uncomfortable (due to being set at such an upright angle). I put it down to the Audi’s heated seats and its ludicrous turn of pace on tap.
Unlike with past long-termers, over the last five months I haven’t tired of the RS Q3. Yes, there are some annoyances, but the 335bhp
Ithe car was a six-month temporary import and in the end they only made me put the front plate on the dash. (I was concerned it might guillotine my passengers if I floored the throttle with it positioned there, so I’ve since bought some suction cups to hold it in place.)
Luckily the police liked the Camaro. We chatted about how it was unfair that they got a Scenic whereas the gendarmes get Renaultsport Mégane 265 Cups. And the fire brigade used to get Clios in the exact same red as the Clio Trophy, which meant you could overtake cops in a Trophy faster than you could in a 911! They waved me off on my way – after insisting on a throttle blip, of course. turbocharged five-pot engine more than makes up for a slightly slow start/stop system and the fact that I can’t skip music tracks via one of the many steering-wheel buttons.
The only downside to said engine is frequent fuel stops. If you’re doing mainly motorway miles and driving sedately, a solid 30mpg can be achieved. However, heavy right foot plus five-cylinder warble equals smiles, which in return sees fuel economy drop to around 23mpg.
Thankfully, my finance manager is on maternity leave and hasn’t noticed the big dents in the account balance quite yet. Dateacquired Totalmileage Mileagethismonth Coststhismonth mpgthismonth October 2015 9850 2046 £0 23.8