American Muscle: Chevrolet Camaro, the Supercharged Version

So I'm back at my old stompin' grounds of California for a long visit. I figured whilst I'm here, I should get my greedy little paws on an "American Muscle Car". Topping the list of muscle cars, is the coveted, Chevy Camaro. 

I had the opportunity to get a hold of  "Delta Project: Bold Spirit" which is a supercharged (in other words, "pimped up") 2011 Chevy Camaro. The following are the upgrades that have been added to create Delta's Bold Spirit: 

• 630 horsepower (compared to 400 hp standard) provided by Lysholm twin screw supercharger by Vortech
• 3D Carbon body kit
• Borla dual side exhaust
• TSW 22" alloy wheels
• Pirelli high performance tires
• Eibach springs
• BASF paint
• Katzkin leather seats
• Kenwood touch screen control audio/video system
• Rockford Fosgate sound system installed by Beach Auto Sound
• Delta HID fog lights
• Delta Wing™ DRL grill insert (patent pending)
• Delta 4-way camera system
• Delta LED Accent Lights
• Delta Sequential Arrows™ Mirror turn signals
• Delta Door Safety Lights
• Delta Xenon Back-Up lights

When you see the Camaro close up, you can immediately see that you're dealing with a car that's got a lot of muscle. It doesn't have the sleek curves that a Ferrari has, but it has an angular masculine shape similar to the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. The Delta Bold Spirit version with upgraded horsepower, new wheels & rims, and 3D body kit looks a lot meaner than the Camaro you see at the Chevy dealership. And believe me, it sounds the part to, from the point you switch on the ignition!

As for the interior, the dashboard felt a bit overwhelming with the amount of bells and whistles placed around the dashboard, but many of the switches controlled the add-ons such as the 4-way camera system and the additional lighting throughout the car. I was particularly impressed with the blue LED lighting on the floor and in the doorway (Delta Door Safety Lights). Not only did it give it a practical purpose when stepping out of your car in a poor lit area, but it was also a very slick, unique, and adds a bling bling touch.

I got a chance to properly test this car much like I do in the English countryside. This time, I went for spin to Mount Baldy in the San Bernardino Mountains, Southern California. I fired up the engine and startled a few passers by --now that tiger gives a loud growl! On my way to Mount Baldy, I hit a bit of traffic on the 60 freeway, so I didn't get much of a taste just yet. It wasn't until I reached the base of the mountain that I was lucky enough to have an empty twisty road that I can convert into my own race track. On top of that, I had some incredible picturesque mountain views as a backdrop! Bonus!

The Camaro handled itself incredibly well and steady upon uphill acceleration.The anti-roll mechanism was certainly doing it's job as I was turning at fast speeds, and it was a very smooth and stable ride. The wheel was also incredibly steady, no vibrations, complete smoothness and stability; it didn't feel like I was going a bit *ahem* over the speed limit. At some points of acceleration I could hear a crackling sound from the exhaust pipes, which is not quite back firing but it still gave the impression of being in a Formula 1 car.

All in all, I was quite impressed with the performance and appearance of the supercharged Chevrolet Camaro. It certainly has a lot of muscle for an automatic, and was equally as fun to drive as the European Supercars. I wouldn’t mind taking it for another spin on the other side of the pond! Camaros aren't distributed in Europe, so it definitely would turn some heads!

Car hire courtesy of Delta Tech Industries. For more information on supercharging or accessorising your vehicle, be it a muscle car, sports car, off-road, or restoration vehicle, please visit: http://deltatechindustries.com/ 

For more information on pimping up your Camaro like the "Delta Project: Bold Spirit", please visit: http://deltatechindustries.com/camaro_project.html

Me & Delta Bold Spirt (Supercharged Chevrolet Camaro)

The Mother Ship Has Landed: The Mercedes SLS AMG

The Mercedes SLS AMG is nothing short of a space ship on wheels. It's long aerodynamic body and gull wing doors, is pretty much how one would imagine flying cars from the 22nd century to look. Believe me, when you're driving one, then it's even more so.

My partner and I took the car for a spin in the quiet twisty country roads where there were no speed cameras, and we properly test out that 560 horsepower engine. We noticed the car handled extremely when excellerated and on sharp turns, unlike the Aston Martin DBS. It felt very much stable and in control much like the Ferrari F430 (my car crush). That's thanks to excellent electronics that kicks in to stabilise the car when need be, to make your drive safer without ruining the fun. I also liked that the engine made a "back firing" noise after it excellerated, resembling the sound of a formula 1 car. Driving this car you really feel like a proper race car drive on the track. Not bad for an automatic!

The interior was really nice and well finished, no fiberglass like in the Aston Martin DBS, but solid German steel. Obviously, the engineers didn't have weight and aerodynamic properties as a high priority when designing this car. The car definitely feels very slick and classy, when you're sitting inside you feel you should be in a tux or a ball gown.

So far my review has been all positive, now down to the negatives. I found the Mercedes SLS AMG to be very unpractical size wise for Europe; it is massive and very difficult to fit into any parking spot. Obviously, it's not a car for everyday. But even as a car for the weekend, it's difficult manoeuvring it around the narrow archaic English streets. I think this car would better suit the large German or North American roads.

My second complaint is that the Mercedes SLS AMG is too much of an attention grabber! It's such a rare car and looks so alien from the usual Ferraris and Lamborghinis one sees in the big city, so you're bound to get people staring, taking photos, asking if they can touch your car...etc. I suppose that's flattering in the beginning, but after a while it does get annoying, and it does put you under the traffic police's spotlight. So I say that is a massive draw back.

Personally, if I had £160,000 to spend on a car, I would not choose a Mercedes SLS AMG. There are other super cars which perform and handle just as well, but draw a lot less attention, and are a bit easier to maintain. All in all it is a very impressive and unique car.

The Adventures of Driving a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder in London

Ahh, the much desired, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. She's the Megan Fox of all super cars, everyone wants her! You can only imagine how excited we were when we were able to book the beauty for a day. 

My partner picked up the car and then picked me up from my office. I was waiting outside on busy Great Marlborough Street in central London. I didn't have to even look down the road, I could hear the tiger purr a mile away. As he drove up, I could feel my jaw  drop to the ground with my tounge hanging out much like a Tom & Jerry cartoon or how men react when they see Megan Fox up close ;-)

I was as gitty as a teenage girl the entire time I was in and around the Lambo Spyder; it really was that impressive. The outside appearance speaks for itself; it's a land shark with sexy sharp angles in the front, yet a sleek aerodynamic curvature in the back and a mean looking grille to boot. Rawr!

The interior looks just as impressive. The dashboard is layed out very well with all practicalities in mind. The sports car orange and black leather combined with metal accents matches the tough sporty external appearance, whilst adding a touch of class. I have to say, I love the steel ball shaped gear shift, it's exactly the kind of detail a ballsy sports car should have. I have no complaints on how the dashboard is arranged, it's all very user friendly to sort out the sat nav, music, temperature, etc.

After plenty of gawking at the car, we finally took this baby for a "proper" spin. And that's when we realised this car isn't all its cracked up to be. Firstly, it's a VERY difficult car to drive. It has a manual gear box which requires quite a bit of elbow grease to change the gears. I'm not sure why so much physical force is necessary, but that was the issue. I suppose that takes getting used to. Also if you're not familiar with the car, it doesn't feel stable on acceleration and on fast turns. To me, it seemed like the automatic over-drive wasn't correcting our untimely gear changes at accelerated speeds as it should have. But perhaps, this was all due to both of us being new to driving these cars (it was our 2nd supercar we test drove).

To put us even more at ease, we were followed by the police, who eventually pulled us over! Lambos aren't too popular in London, so the Spyder was a bit of an attention grabber. This time, it was in the wrong way. We got pulled over in the Docklands area, 3 policemen stepped out of the car. Really? 3 policemen to give us a traffic violation? Doubtful. They were all oogling the car of course. I'm sure it came to surprise for them to see that the driver didn't quite fit the appearance profile of a Lambo owner. So they asked my boyfriend to step out and the interrogation began. After 10 minutes of nerves and time wasted we realised there essentially wasn't a reason we got pulled over. The truth is the cops were bored, they saw a rare car with a suspiciously young driver driving it, so they stopped us to nose around. Hmmm, if this is just a small taste of what it's like to own a Lambo in London, then I think I'll pass.

I think after this experience, I wouldn't call the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder my fav, but it's certainly an impressive car. I would like to give it another go at some point now that we know where to take it (outside the city!) and we know what to expect. But the next time, we should opt for a black one; one that's a bit more incognito... if that's at all possible with a Lamborghini!

Me in the Lamborghini Gallardo



Don't Fly American Airlines

My usual London -> Palm Springs journey to see the fam is a long enough journey with either a transfer in LAX or in Dallas depending who I'm flying with. I typically go with British Airways so that I can fly out of T5, enjoy the actually tastey "low fat/low cholesterol" meals, make the most of the vast selection of on-demand in-flight entertainment, and collect my BA mileage. This time I thought I was flying BA to Dallas, then switching to American Airlines for the Palm Springs leg. At least, that's what my itenarary stated. Sadly, I was wrong, and it was American Airlines the whole way through. Now, it's been some years since I was last I last flew with them, and I nearly forgot how bad it is. In fact, I don't remember it being this bad.

Firstly, the food was comparable to what you get in US shopping mall food courts; it made the hot food on Easyjet flights seem luxurious! Dinner was a choice of spinach lasagne which had several layers of processed cheese caked on top, or chicken paella which resembled more of what it was suppposed to be. So that's what I went for. When I bit into the pieces of chicken, I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually chicken. I don't think I really want to come up with what it could've possibly been, especially after reading about the Taco Bell using beef substitute fiasco! With that I got a side salad with a tub of Thousand Island. For those of you who aren't familiar, its a popular American salad dressing which consists of ketchup and mayo. Plus, a number of bits and pieces you wouldn't place inside your child's school lunchbox. Oh and breakfast was a true winner, Domino's style thick cheese pizza (a mini version) and 5 grapes in a sealed box. AA certainly deserve the award for best in-flight junk food! I'm sure it's a fav amongst teens and families!

Secondly, the in-flight entertainment was far below standard. They didn't even have on-demand system, which has now become a standard on long-haul carriers. So I actually had to watch a film half way through or wait 30 minutes to catch the next showing. Not to mention the selection was meager. There were a few recent blockbusters such as "Tron: Legacy", "Little Fockers", and "The Tourist". The rest were films I haven't heard of and TV series that flopped years ago. Obviously, AA don't set aside a budget for in-flight content acquisitions and the same go for their systems!

Next thing I noticed is that the staff are so lax about health & safety, a bit too lax. Is this observation coming from me being used to the British obsession with "health & safety"? Or are the crew really that complacent that not everyone had their seat belts on during intense turbulence? Also one of the crew members was quite persistent on getting me drunk on the complimentary wine. I asked for ONE bottle of wine when my dinner was served, and that was enough for me, I didn't want another. Nevertheless, the guy was keen to ask "more wine, ma'am?" every single time he passed through with the drinks trolley the entire journey. Funny enough, he failed to notice the number of times I didn't have my seat belt on when I was asleep during the patches of turbulence....and here I always thought that Americans were big on health & safety rules.

Anyway that leads my to my final rant on AA. When I arrived in Dallas on time (albeit a very bumpy roller coaster like descent), I casually made my way to the next gate where I'd board my flight to Palm Springs and soon be at my Mum's. No, not quite. There was a whee bit of rain outside, nothing unusual to the rain we get in London, and American Airlines claimed it to be adverse weather conditions. As a result, they canceled at least 20 or so flights that afternoon. Their excuse was that Dallas is on "tornado watch" and a little spot of rain requires Dallas Fort Worth Airport to cancel flights. Great. I was placed on the next available flight, which was the following day at 9am. Before I could even react with a shock or anger, I was handed a list of phone numbers to 3 different chain hotels where AA can provide a "distressed passenger" discount. Hang on a minute, AA decided to cancel my flight, and they won't even cover my hotel? Let alone book the hotel for me? I was not a happy camper and neither were the rest of the stranded passengers queuing behind me. It's moments like this that it pays off to have travel insurance.

SLEEP

I ended up staying at the Hawthorne Suites just a 5 min courtesy shuttle bus away from the airport. Thankfully, the hotel was clean, no dodgy people about, and the bed was uber comfy. I got a full night of solid sleep, and a complimentary full breakfast buffet. For $89, it was excellent value for money and exactly what I needed after such a tiring journey. The staff was very friendly and helpful too. They answered all my questions, arranged for a wake up call, scheduled the courtesy van right when I needed it, and they reminded me about the van half an hour in advance -very efficient. So if you find yourself stranded at Dallas Fort Worth Airport and you want a clean, safe, comfortable, and good value for money mid-range hotel, choose Hawthorne Suites on Plaza Drive.

In the end, I managed to get to Palm Springs on the rescheduled flight. It only took me 38 hours to leave my flat in London and get to my Mum's doorstep in sunny Palm Springs!

VERDICT:

American Airlines: :-(

Hawthorne Suites (Dallas Fort Worth): :-)