Let’s just say that I haven’t blogged for nearly a week because of severe jetlag, and leave it at that.

In a totally unrelated thread, three people I know have bought cars within a day of each other, remarkable because it’s not very often you hear of one person buying a car, let alone three.

The first is Piers, who got his on Monday. Will talk about his car in a bit.

Then there’s the Goonfather, who got his on Tuesday. Will talk about his car after tomorrow because I’m meeting him then.

Finally, Edwin Yeo, a very good friend, who got his on Tuesday also. Won’t talk about his car because I don’t meet him very often.

 

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The day after I got back from Singapore, Piers excitedly told me that he’d finally found one of his dream cars for sale at a very good second-hand price, in great condition, bearing a popular colour (Reflex Charcoal), and owned by a car enthusiast in Bournemouth.

He’d prepared the cash, gone and looked at it, and bought it straight away, the mad bugger.

He’d apparently been searching for years for a unit that fulfilled most or all his conditions but never found it until now because it’s quite a rare car.

It’s a TVR Tuscan Speed 6, which stopped production in 2006.

This is the one he bought (I’m using the photos from the ad):

 

 

(There’s a current upgraded version of this model but he doesn’t like it very much because the butt is ugly.)

((I imagine some of you are will now conclude that Piers is a butt man. He denies it, though.))

TVR is a British manufacturer of specialised sports car, founded in 1947. Just giving some background because I’ve never heard of TVR before now.

TVRs are pure race cars. The Tuscan’s 0-100 speed is 3.68 seconds and the top speed is 314 kmh.

When I first saw the Tuscan in photos, I thought it was quite ugly because of the funny grooves on the bonnet but Piers explained that it’s just not a photogenic car and looks a lot better in real life.

Well, I hope so.

 

 

I suppose it must be true because, apparently, the Brits really love that car. In the last few days since Piers got it, all his friends and family members have gone apeshit and made him take them out for a spin. I think two of his colleagues are thinking of buying one now.

I reckon about 10 people have taken a ride in it now, which makes me very jealous because I haven’t even gotten to see it!

Piers is totally in love with it. He says the drive is so awesome that, after just a few days of it, driving his Fiat Coupe now is like driving a bus.

(He didn’t sell his Fiat because he needs it for rainy days when it’s dangerous to drive the Tuscan.)

Actual quote from him (on speaker phone in his Fiat): “OMG, I don’t want this car to hear this, but I feel like I’m driving a bus now! It’s so awful!”

 

 

His life has been really exciting since he got the car. Apart from having to give all his friends free thrill rides, he’s also gotten stares from every single person he drives past. And when the car is parked, people would walk up to it and examine it for ages.

And there was this time, he got chased by a woman in an Audi A4 for about 20 minutes. He couldn’t shake her off because he was travelling in slow roads (on his way home) with speed limits ranging from 30 mph to 80 mph. Every time he accelerated away, she would eventually catch up with him when he had to slow down for traffic lights or speed limits.

A few times, she almost crashed into him, so intent was she in her pursuit. And all the while, whenever she was really close, he could see from his rear-view mirror that she was holding up her mobile phone towards him, as if filming him, with a crazy look in her eyes.

Piers was really freaked out. He managed to escape 20 minutes later by getting another car between them, then going into a one-lane road where she got stuck behind this other car, then manoeuvring his way into a roundabout, finally exiting out onto a fast road and speeding off.

I think he thinks he’s James Bond.

By the way, the Tuscan has no door handles, both inside and outside! Oh, I think all or most TVRs have no door handles! I didn’t even notice in the photos until he told me how some of his friends couldn’t figure how to get out of the car after taking a ride in it. Haha.

 

 

You have to push hidden buttons to open the doors. Like petrol lids, I suppose.

I had taken Makkuro (the Goonfather’s Mazda RX-8) to the petrol station once and wasn’t able to figure out how to open the petrol lid for the pump attendant. It was quite embarrassing.

Speaking of which, I am planning to name Piers’ car once I see it person so I don’t have to keep calling it “the car” or “the Tuscan”. He thinks I’m mad.

But I think men are just no good at naming things.

“What shall we call it?” I had asked.

“Tuscan,” he had replied.

No good at all!

 

 

I then suggested “Pumpkin” and he went crazy.

The reason I had suggested that was because, some time back, I had decided to call Piers Pumpkin as a term of endearment, but he had violently rejected the idea.

Every time I called him that, he would go, “PUMPKIN????!?!?!??!??!!!!!!”

When I suggested Sugarplum as an alternative, it was no better received.

“You shall not call me anything that goes into a cake!” he had spluttered.

So, I had said, “What shall I call you, then?”

“Piers,” was his reply.

NO GOOD AT ALL.

Tsk.

 

 

Anyway, I have to wait another three weeks to see the Tuscan. Can’t wait!

Oh, hang on. (For Piers’ benefit) I can’t wait to see Piers, my Pumpkin!

=P