Bentley to Mini A High – Low Car Weekend

In fashion going high-low is the new chic.  The poplar way to be mindful yet not ostentatious or feel like one has a conscious, I’m not sure which.   People do this with cars too.  Which is the best description for my previous weekend starting on a rainy Saturday which dampened my test drive of a Bentley Continental GT. Fortunately I’d already driven it in Twitter To a Test Drive, so I was well aware of the gusty performance capabilities, nimble handling and ease of getting used to.  But always a sucker for the right blue car, one must at the very least peruse. Almost any car looks better with a two tone interior with leather covered everything.  Comfy, yes.  Versatile for large or small drivers, yes.  Rear-view camera, yes.  Can one see out the back window, for the most part.  I appreciate the appropriately sized side mirrors, unlike the Mercedes AMG S550 which has side mirrors more relevant to a tricycle.  And there is a ski-tube, ah just like my old Volvo 240.  Nice roomy trunk with appropriate push-button open and close. Rear seats it may have, but four adults it will not fit.  Well, not if the two in the back seats have legs.  Um, no there is really not room for a average sized man to sit in the front and anyone to sit behind him.  But for two people, comfortable bliss.

However, yes with me there is usually a however… if one wants a two tone steering wheel – a heated steering wheel is not an option.  Whhaaaat!  The button is there?  Seriously this is where the militant management mindset of someone with too much time behind a desk screws up.

1. The button is already in place, just not hooked up.
2. There is nothing about having two colors on the steering wheel which renders heat an impossibility.

I love a Bentley but this mindset would send me elsewhere.  Sunday was much colder, though promises of sun and warmth go us out of bed early to take the Mini, hence the low version of my car weekend, to its first Autocross.
For those wondering what I’m talking about, an Autocross is where drivers navigate their vehicle through and and around a specific course.  There is often a slalom component, a straight, increasing or decreasing radius turns, very sharp in and out sections (aka: a garage) and possibly a skid pad (driving as fast as the car can smoothly inside of a circle without loosing control).  In our case there was one course linking all these sections together. While this may look large, it is actually quite small as it takes place inside two adjoining parking lots.  Speed is relative, the whole track can be done in second gear.  It is about precision & agility – NOT speed.  Autocross, is a great way to learn what your car is capable of so when faced with something on the road – you are better equipped to handle it.  It is also a lot of fun.  Gearing up for what was bone chilling cold.  Ever been outside most of the day in wind and rain when it is not even 50 degrees?  Freezing.The event is sponsored by the local PCA (Porsche Club of America) but we welcome all sorts of cars.  New, old, vintage, and track-rat-only cars come out to play together.  The vintage Volvo is two years older than me.  Yes, it really me! With matching driving shoes of course.  Admittedly these aren’t so relevant for Autocross as when I do real (race) track events, but they are better than a regular shoe. As for the rest of my high-low fashion, I did have on two cashmere sweaters under my down coat. 🙂