General Twas the night (well day) before Christmas

[Goudrons]

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc’d in their heads,

And Mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap-

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below;

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an Abarth 595, and 165 rampant rein-deer!


Time was coming to the end of my PCP deal on my Panda 4x4 so while we had a spare day on Christmas eve, Mrs Goudrons and me went out to have a look around for a sensible replacement.

That lasted about 4 minutes!

Ended up striking a good deal on a new Abarth 595 Turismo in Podium Blue with a few tasteful extras.

£3000 deposit contribution through Privilege plus £1500 positive equity still in the 4x4, so it turns out it's quite a bargain.

Only trouble now is the wait!

 

[gar074]

Love the ode - worthy of Cyril Fletcher!

Great choice (and sounds like you got a great deal, too) - and they look fab in Podium Blue. How long's the wait?

 

[Goudrons]

It was either Abarth red with the black stripe/mirrors or the podium blue with black stripe/mirrors.

I toyed with the white stripe/mirrors, but it looked a bit to showy for me.

The blue seems to me to have a touch of purple about it close up and I wasn't too sure at first, but the dealer had a 145hp version on the forecourt and it looked good.

I'm a bit worried it'll show up every nic and chip as most cars are have a white base coat, but it'll be nice for a few days at least!

Not sure on the wait, will find out tomorrow as I have to go back and sort some paperwork out, it was Christmas eve and by the time I made my mind up, everyone had gone home, but 4 weeks was mentioned as there appears to be one at Portbury docks.

Now the question is, Dual Record Monza or Bombardone exhaust?

 

[varesecrazy]

Love the ode - worthy

Oh deer...

We are OLD

Cleaner than a TA exhaust too
(Unlike 'Doc. Cox)

 

[The Panda Nut]

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc’d in their heads,

And Mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap-

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below;

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an Abarth 595, and 165 rampant rein-deer!


Time was coming to the end of my PCP deal on my Panda 4x4 so while we had a spare day on Christmas eve, Mrs Goudrons and me went out to have a look around for a sensible replacement.

That lasted about 4 minutes!

Ended up striking a good deal on a new Abarth 595 Turismo in Podium Blue with a few tasteful extras.

£3000 deposit contribution through Privilege plus £1500 positive equity still in the 4x4, so it turns out it's quite a bargain.

Only trouble now is the wait!

ENVY.
Not a great emotion for Christmas..... I am soo tempted to exactly the same but may need to get daughter back to Manchester tomorrow so Panda has another reprieve. Chain saw will go in the back for motorway fences as we are not playing that game!

 

[gar074]

Chain saw will go in the back for motorway fences as we are not playing that game!

Eh?

 

[gar074]

Oh deer... We are OLD

We are indeed - and feeling it!

 

[gar074]

Now the question is, Dual Record Monza or Bombardone exhaust?

Not heard the Bombardone, but the Monza is awesome in the Competizione. Not so good if you have neighbours that you get along with, however, as its fruity rasp and crackle will undoubtedly disturb their slumbers if you're up and about early in the morning.

 

[varesecrazy]

Eh?

Avoiding 'unnecessary hold-ups'

7 hours on a stationary motorway..

 

[Goudrons]

Not heard the Bombardone, but the Monza is awesome in the Competizione. Not so good if you have neighbours that you get along with, however, as its fruity rasp and crackle will undoubtedly disturb their slumbers if you're up and about early in the morning.

The Monza is a dual exhaust so has a flap that sends the gases through the rear silencer and out of two of the four tail pipes under 3000 rpm, above this the flap opens and bypasses the silencer and out of the other two tail pipes.
Trouble with it is that four pipes come out of two round holes in the diffuser, so looks a bit odd in the holes.

The Bombardone is just two massive pipes and no silencer (and not exactly street legal) and sounds like demented thunder.

Both are made by Magneti Marelli.

They also make something between the two that might be better, the Magneti Marelli SS500RR "Track Day".

Again it has a flap, but the bypass part is similar to the Bombardone and the silencered part a lot more mellow.
There's only two exits as both routes come together just before the tail pipe tips, so fill the holes in the diffuser better and looks a lot more stock.

I leave for work at 6am, but I hate the neighbours, they used to moan when I used to commute on by Triumph Daytona 955i with a race can on it, wait to tell they hear this!

Signed all the paperwork and delivery is in two to three weeks.
Booked my chiropractor in four weeks!

 

[gar074]

I leave for work at 6am, but I hate the neighbours, they used to moan when I used to commute on by Triumph Daytona 955i with a race can on it, wait to tell they hear this!

Job done, then!

Signed all the paperwork and delivery is in two to three weeks. Booked my chiropractor in four weeks!

Lol. I was agreeably surprised by the Competizione's ride. Just watch out for sleeping policemen (or, indeed, any policemen - these little beasts are deceptively quick).

 

[Goudrons]

Job done, then!
Lol. I was agreeably surprised by the Competizione's ride. Just watch out for sleeping policemen (or, indeed, any policemen - these little beasts are deceptively quick).

I drove the base 145hp on 16" wheels first, it wasn't overtly stiff, just a little thumpy over bumps and pot holes.
In sport mode it was quick and really fun (for me, not the salesman in the passenger seat) to hang on to the gears while the engine went mental.

Next I test drove the 165hp Turismo on 17".
First thing you notice after starting is the engine, it feels a lot more tingly and buzzy through the car, the engine note a bit gruffer with the Garret instead of INI turbo of the base.

The ride is quite shocking at first, but after a few minutes it felt familiar, sort of old model, tricked up Mini on big alloys familiar.

The ride nearly put me off all together, but there's more to it than a stiff ride, like the way it goes!

In normal mode it's quite relaxed but quite torquey, in sport it's almost insane and I had trouble with timing the shifts a bit when the power comes in, I couldn't quite think fast enough!
I need bit of practice and perhaps a quick shift mod might help as the throw seemed long, it's not, but it feels like it when you're going for it.

Also, the steering in sport weights up a bit more in the 165hp, it's not as noticeable in the 145hp, but the 165hp needs a good tug of the wheel to wrestle it around tighter bends at faster speeds, almost like it's no longer power assisted, it did feel a bit false though, I'm sure it'll feel better the more I drive it.

I took a 180hp Comp around the block quickly, but it was very clear it was to focused for me. The bucket seats aren't designed for my fat arse, the bolster too much for me to keep climbing over and there's little stuffing in the seat base, also there's no height adjustment on the seat.

The suspension was similar to the Turismo and in the short trip the extra 15hp was hard to notice, though the Record Monza exhaust wasn't, what a sound!

Thinking back, perhaps speccing up a 145hp with some tasteful mods and a factory 160hp map might have been a better choice or perhaps even the Trofeo model, but what's done is done and I'm sure it'll be bags of fun.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Eh?

Well we can drive up the embankment but the mostly rotten timber fences at the top stop us exiting cross country. Hence the need for a saw....

 

[The Panda Nut]

I drove the base 145hp on 16" wheels first, it wasn't overtly stiff, just a little thumpy over bumps and pot holes.
In sport mode it was quick and really fun (for me, not the salesman in the passenger seat) to hang on to the gears while the engine went mental.

Next I test drove the 165hp Turismo on 17".
First thing you notice after starting is the engine, it feels a lot more tingly and buzzy through the car, the engine note a bit gruffer with the Garret instead of INI turbo of the base.

The ride is quite shocking at first, but after a few minutes it felt familiar, sort of old model, tricked up Mini on big alloys familiar.

The ride nearly put me off all together, but there's more to it than a stiff ride, like the way it goes!

In normal mode it's quite relaxed but quite torquey, in sport it's almost insane and I had trouble with timing the shifts a bit when the power comes in, I couldn't quite think fast enough!
I need bit of practice and perhaps a quick shift mod might help as the throw seemed long, it's not, but it feels like it when you're going for it.

Also, the steering in sport weights up a bit more in the 165hp, it's not as noticeable in the 145hp, but the 165hp needs a good tug of the wheel to wrestle it around tighter bends at faster speeds, almost like it's no longer power assisted, it did feel a bit false though, I'm sure it'll feel better the more I drive it.

I took a 180hp Comp around the block quickly, but it was very clear it was to focused for me. The bucket seats aren't designed for my fat arse, the bolster too much for me to keep climbing over and there's little stuffing in the seat base, also there's no height adjustment on the seat.

The suspension was similar to the Turismo and in the short trip the extra 15hp was hard to notice, though the Record Monza exhaust wasn't, what a sound!

Thinking back, perhaps speccing up a 145hp with some tasteful mods and a factory 160hp map might have been a better choice or perhaps even the Trofeo model, but what's done is done and I'm sure it'll be bags of fun.

Yes I tried one of these 160's too and they are really addictive. On 17th Jan I finally have a clean license again, so much as I admire them I will probably stick with Panda. I may have to rename him slurp though to match the way he drinks. Really fast! I am certain the new car will be a joy. Good luck with it.

 

[Goudrons]

We'll still have one Panda, we ain't lost it all together!

Out of three we had last August, we'll be down to just the 1.2 Pop, which was my favourite all along, probably due to the fact it just become a beast of burden and a no frills way of getting about.

It also has a bit of a rack rattle, the pinion has a little slack in it so it rattles over rough road surfaces, our dealer said he's sort it for us, but no one been too bothered by it enough to take it down there! It makes it more endearing, like a sick puppy.

The Mrs, our lad and me just tend to jump in and use it like a pool car, neither of us seem to take responsibility for it and no one's owned up to all the dents, scrapes or parking tickets, I can't for the life of me ever remember it being washed since we'd had it.

I might treat it to wash soon as it looks like someone abandoned it on the street!

 

[Goudrons]

Abarth will be ready to collect next week, but due to some unfortunate family business, I'm away.
So I'll not get my greasy mitts on it until the following weekend.

Got one or two Twinair bits to shift.
New genuine Fiat air filter.
New NGK ILKR9G8 Iridium Spark Plugs x2
Used but perfect engine cover with the red and white lettering

so you can turn this


Into this

Anyone interested, PM me.

 

[Goudrons]

Getting close now.

It's awaiting prep.

 

[Mercky]

Getting close now.

It's awaiting prep.

Nice, I like the white racing stripe

 

[Goudrons]

Without the white racing stripes!
(Don't worry about the state of the car in the back ground, I don't park mine anywhere near here)

 

[Goudrons]