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We decided to do something a little different this year and went on a bit of a road trip with the ultimate aim being a few days in the Italian lakes.

Clearly I wasn't going to get away with taking the Mrs in the Lotus but I did manage to convince her that we could squeeze everything in the TT which we did quite easily in the end.

So set off with an overnight stop in Metz, France.

From there it was to Davos, where TG stayed as part of their search for the greatest driving road. Big ski resort, but a bit dull in the summer. I know they had a bobsleigh type thing that I wanted to do but that was closed because there was too much real snow !

Anyway set off from Davos towards Stelvio on the TG road. What an awesome road. We were up early and we barely saw anybody. Unfortunately numpty here had forgotten to check that the camera was fully charged so these are i-phone pics





We then took a slight wrong turn (following a road sign) and followed a Chevy Surburban (a yank tank about the same size as my Lincoln-so not small but he did a great job!) up the back pass (steady on!) towards the top of the Stelvio Pass.

Reaching the top to do the trip down







We then had a few relaxing days in Garda on Lake Garda

Having worked out that Maranello was only an hour or so away from Garda we popped down to see the Museum. Arrived nice and early and as we were parking up we got attacked/approached by a young lady asking if I wanted to drive a Ferrari. Seemed rude not to so having handed over the credit card for payment (and told that there was a £10k excess!) I chose my car. Had the choice of a F430 Coupe or Spider, new California or for a little more a 430Scud or the new 458.

Having driven a F430 I thought I'd try the new boy and put on my fire proof overalls !

10 min drive around the quiet roads around the factory and quick blap up a fast road. Was actually more like 20 mins. Had a good go and my Italian 'instructor' was very nice but barely spoke any English. The V8 sound.....................














Getting ready for the off




And away we go





And back again






The California went out when I was out too




And then in to the museum where we had a guided tour









































We then went to Como on Lake Como for a few days before popping over to Monaco for a couple more staying in David Coultherd's Hotel

The boats are out of this world still and I actually thought one was a cruise liner.










We then walked the GP circuit

Pit straight








The Lotus garage on the start/finish straight !



the cars outside the Casino










Anyway, awesome holiday

TT was brilliant and did the job very well. Fuel consumption dropped from 28 on the early days to about 22 on the way home !

Hope you like the pics

Very nice, so how much was that drive in the Ferrari in the end then?

Your Mrs is actually smiling in the pictures - you can't have been pushing the car enough then

I worked a month in Monaco a few years back, staying in those hotels is a bit different and I really like the place

[quote=""pvr""]Very nice, so how much was that drive in the Ferrari in the end then?

Your Mrs is actually smiling in the pictures - you can't have been pushing the car enough then

I worked a month in Monaco a few years back, staying in those hotels is a bit different and I really like the place [/quote]

I think it was about £100 for the 10 mins - cheap by your hourly rate

She is with me, of course she is smiling

Not bad indeed. I paid those sort of amounts to see some much less interesting things whilst on holiday.

[quote=""pvr""]Not bad indeed. I paid those sort of amounts to see some much less interesting things whilst on holiday.[/quote]
Agreed much better than those seedy strip joints you go to!

Isn't that where we met?

Okay chaps that's enough.................I thought you two weren't going to mention seeing the Ladyboys of Bangkok

Excellent mountain pics on the iphone & the twisty TG road looks a bit of blast .

I hope the Mrs enjoyed it as much as you did & that the 458 was up to your expectations.

Ironic to see mpg discussed on back of discussions of rich playgrounds

I always look forward to your pics, (not those ones).................Thanks for sharing

Great pics as per the norm 535dboy the Stelvio Pass is something else!! and I am sure you are well aware that Lotus did a load of testing there when developing their MMC discs for the first Elise. Glad the TT was up to the job and more importantly Mrs 535 was a happy passenger.

Ferrari pics look great too 430 Scud looks the dogs b s

Great pics and very jealous. NIce blue skies too.

Went to Norway this year as its something different. Amazing scenery......never have to drive far to find something great to look at shame the weather wasnt great

Had a hire Audi A3 sportback TDI which amazingly was averaging 58mpg. Then again speed limit is 56mph!

Oh and Norway is unbelievably expensive! £1.50 for a mars bar!

I just love these pictures, actually i am crazy for sports car.

I can't see the pictures as I am at work and they are blocked but I can imagine how good they are...

A friend of mine just recently managed to drag his missus to Maranello for their honeymoon, he's a romantic! Ha! He took out the 458 and said the instructer was great... letting him really push the car pretty hard. He also went to the Pigani factory while he was there, said it was amazing.

Would love to get my missus to agree to a trip like you have just had! One day maybe...


Turks.

I was at the museum year before last, some beautiful cars. I managed to ensure our route from Bavaria to Rome happened to pass nearby