smart142

a roadster vacation May 2018

84 posts in this topic

That's the plan!

Liz and I have made arrangements to rent a roadster for 2 weeks with an option to buy at the end.

 

We will pick up the roadster outside of Amsterdam.

But first we are tourists in London and currently in Edinburgh. We have 2 days here and then 4 nights in Dublin.

And we will check out Amsterdam for a few days. 

 

Today we saw our first roadster and it was a sweet all silver cabrio exclusive - it looks great in real life.

We are now really looking forward to getting a chance to drive this awesome looking car.

 

Our plan is to drive to Belgium, northern France, Germany, and Austria. Hoping to stay in smaller cities and villages.

 

So I will send updates when we have access to the internet. Unfortunately my camera died when we were in the Azores so pictures are on Lizs camera that has a very high resolution and will need to be adjusted.

 

Cheers all!!  have enjoyed the pubs in London and one last night :beerchug:

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Aren't those roasters great ...!   For the brief few seconds I saw them for I started thinking...lol.

 

How did you like all the reinforced barricades etc around the sites? Wierd eh....!   makes you realize the dangers......augh! Stay safe. Edinburgh was far safer feeling imho.  We did the castle which was good and walked the main drag. You can go underground where they built over the old city to make the main drag leading from the castle flat.  Mary's Lane or something tours.....they take you deep down into the older homes  and give you  a tour of what it was like....not bad, interesting and we had a very good dry humoured tour guide. Seriors get a special rate in the castle also, my first!...lol  60 plus, guess I'm looking older ...lol sept I turn 60...lol.

Enjoy.

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A roadster can be legally imported and registered as long as its 15 years old.

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17 hours ago, smart142 said:

A roadster can be legally imported and registered as long as its 15 years old.

 

Don't forget to bring back 1 for me. I think that you are allowed to bring back 2 as "Carry-On". :D

 

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Enjoy!!

 

They're really fun to drive.  I drove the 82 HP middle of the range version in France in 2005 and I imagine the BRABUS would be even better, with its extra 17 HP.  They had their fair share of quality control problems but on a nice day, no worries!

 

39492972052_b3ceff381c_b.jpg

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Hmmmmm......???
How can you NOT like this car.....damn!

 

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Sorry to hi-jack this thread but have you seen the photoshoped images someone has done for the smart making it have semi classic, muscle car and just plain cool car body stylings on youtube ..?  I'd buy one in a heartbeat also...lol

 

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I guess I'm an old fashioned kind of guy - I like my smarts unchopped haha!

 

Have not had a good internet connection in a while. We had 4 days in Ireland and are now waiting for our flight to Amsterdam.

Enjoyed touring Dublin for a few days and took in the Jameson distillery and the Guinness brewery :drink:

 

Yesterday we had a bus tour that went across Ireland to the cliffs of Moher - it was impressive!

 

Hoping to pick up the roadster on Friday!!!     Cheers all

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We nearly went to Ireland but the cost of the rental car ruined it for us.....they demanded too much and that left a bad taste in my mouth.  I have never been and am wondering how it compares to the English countryside? That cliffs area was one of our destinations if we had gone.

Those chopped Smarts are all photochopped versions of something someone had made up, fantastic imho, some of them that is, the E type Jag was my favorite...lol.

I nearly built  Cobra but it only has 2 seats and that 3rd seat was a sticky issue back when Justine was very young...lol.  I should have put my foot down and gone that route instead of the Willys...lol.

Any pics organized yet...? Waiting for the great photos...lol

Enjoy buddy.....Amsterdam is another destination that peaks my interest, one day.

 

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today Glenn and Liz were in Vlissingen (Holland) to pick up the Roadster!
Such nice people, I enjoyed the company very much!

Some pictures!

http://o5bbys.jpg

 

This is the Roadster on the boulevard in Vlissingen.

http://vhc38w.jpg

 

Happy faces :-)

vqmgi8.jpg

Lizz is happy !

2qn59va.jpg

Oeps.................where do we put our stuff???????????

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Theo, thanks for posting those pictures!!   And it was a pleasure meeting you too!

 

What a day!!!  Started off in the north of Holland and then to the south to meet Theo and pick up the sweet lil roadster.

Set off near 5pm, drove into Belgium - Bruges and then had a leisurely dinner. In that area the hotels and B&B's were all full and we ended up in France - 3 countries in one day - thats Europe!!!

 

The roadster is a FUN car to drive. It has a 6 speed transmission like the 450 so it was easy to transition. Of course it is more responsive than the diesel that I am used to.

The handling is superb!!

I'm impressed!!!  Now we get to test drive the car for 2 weeks - will keep you updated.

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A lot of similarities between the roadster and the 450 diesel. Steering wheels are the same. Engine in the back is covered by the same cover.

Intercooler and fan look similar. Turn signal and wiper arm - same. Heating controls and the warning triangle are the same.

Seats with air bags - same. Colours are also the same.

 

The instramentation is different and the turbo gas engine sounds and responds differently. Acceleration is brisk and I wasn't being aggressive as I will have a gradual break in period and orientation to the car.

 

Today its cool and cloudy - we plan to see the Vimy memorial and then drive east into France.

 

Cheers!   :beerchug:

ps. last night we had a chef prepared meal - excellent service and food. When in Belgium you have to try the frites!!!

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Had a great day!!!   Got to the Vimy memorial before noon with the sun shining. Got some good pics and then had a light rain shower.

Visited the Canadian cemetery and then had the free guided tour of the trenches and tunnels - what those poor guys had to go through!!!

 

Next we drove to Reims and then the champagne region. Had another excellent chef prepared meal at a restaurant - the French certaintly love to cook and prepare delicious meals!!!

 

The roadster performed flawlessly!!  At 115 km/h it revs about 3500 rpm (red line 6000)

Fuel cap is the same as the 450 and is on the passenger side. Drove 300kms and put in 18l, so getting roughly 6.0l/100kms

Turn signal and wiper stalks are the same.

 

Liz drove the first leg today, thought the roadster was more comfortable than her 451 - seats better, suspension, and the mirrors better positioned.

Shifting was smooth in automatic.

 

Luggage is limited but.... Liz got her carry on bag in the back compartment - that included lap top, + shoes, and enough clothes for 2 weeks and a couple of bottles of wine. I got the front storage under the hood and was able to get my carry on bag in + books, toiletries, and a few bottles.

We've got everything we need!!!

 

Pics_xoxoxo.zip

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Does it have cruise control?  Paddle shifters?  Heated seats?  A/C?

I’ve got to know, if you’re going to import over a thousand and hope to sell me a couple (just kidding, only one). :)

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The roadsters go from plain jane to the ultimate Brabus collectors edition.

 

The one we are driving has heated leather seats and AC. 

No cruise control or paddle shifters - but I know someone who could add those in no time :smirk:

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5 hours ago, smart142 said:

The roadsters go from plain jane to the ultimate Brabus collectors edition.

 

The one we are driving has heated leather seats and AC. 

No cruise control or paddle shifters - but I know someone who could add those in no time :smirk:

 

Haha, I think I know how you mean :-)

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Of course I am crazy about the Roadster
I love the little BabyBenz:D

I am so crazy about the Little one that I organized the biggest Roadster event in Europe.
and if it is the largest meeting in Europe, it is also the biggest in the world! :blink:

It's a 2 days event ,and we are having 150 Roadsters here in Vlissingen!
With live Music, BBQ, tuning onsite, and lots more!

Check out this site!

http://452fun.nl/

I hope Glenn and Liz will be here in September :D

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We would love to attend but unfortunately reality sets in. We have now been away from home for over 4 weeks with another 1 1/2 weeks of travel.

Its been a wonderful experience but we are missing family, friends, and our normal routines.

 

Up till getting the roadster the travelling was different. Visiting the big cities - London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Amsterdam was  AWESOME, but now we are trying to take the back roads more and see a different side of a country.

As an example yesterday we drove the back roads of the Champagne district and then through a small piece of Belgium, Luxembourg, and into southern Germany. We are staying in a small village near Saarbruken, a hotel over a restaurant. This morning we awoke to the sounds of church bells - that brought memories of my youth when I spent 3 years here. Even the skies are grey the way I remember :D

 

Today I think the plan is to drive to Munich to see the city and meet up with a friend of Liz.

It is nice to have a car and the freedom to go as we please.

 

We especially enjoyed the drive the last few days on the twisty back roads of France and the narrow cobble stone roads of the small villages and towns. The roads have been excellent and the 4 lane ones superb (mind you these take tolls). We found that it was difficult in the morning to find coffee and open restaurants. One morning we found a MacDonalds but it didn't open till 1130. And the French dine later in the evening.

 

The roadster fits like a glove and handles like a dream - this is the way to see Europe!!! :race:

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Good to hear that you and Lizz are having a good time with the Roadster.
And YES the Roadster is made for twisty back Roads, this is where she is made for :D

For the lugage maybey the Red Coupe was better............
http://4dc0n.jpg

But we went for the nice black Notch.

Some like the Notch....other the Coupe.....
I like the notch :D

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Munich is/was the jumping off point for the 3 week European motorcycle tour that my wife and I enjoyed in 1983 (Beach's Motorcycle Adventures https://www.bmca.com), They have connections with BMW GmbH which can supply motorcycles and cars for tour participants (and with other companies for other vehicles). We rode a rental 1976 BMW R90S. The Beach organization owned it and had imported it back to Germany from the USA. Since it carried a NY license plate, people would have assumed that we were Americans. I can believe how tired you both must be at this point, but this is the trip of a lifetime, so enjoy it to its fullest! I'm looking forward to seeing your roadster here in Canada. 

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Yes, the roadster drives more like a motorcycle - you would love it!!!

 

Well we ended up taking the autobahn to Munich, which the roadster handled well - she was pulling 4000rpm at 140km/hr.

Even then she was passed like she was sitting still by the Audis,Bmws, and Mercs!!! Probably some going 250 - 300!!!!

 

Good thing we took the fast route because we got to Munich at 3:30 pm and everything was booked - some sort of festival going on.

We ended up finding a hotel with restaurant 4hrs later. It was a valiant effort. So we booked 2 nights in Vienna!!

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Reached Vienna in the late afternoon - the roadster cruised through the rain with no issues and no leaks.

Staying at a gastof on the outskirts. More reasonable after France and Germany - 55 euros/night - very clean and they have a bar and restaurant.

Something I haven't seen in a while is they allow smoking in the bar. Also a lot of people roll their own cigarettes in Europe.

 

The plan is to explore Vienna tomorrow, another night here and then on to Poland.

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So nice to hear That Glenn and Liz are having a good time with the Roadster :D

And I understand this .......The Roadster is very different compared with a 450 diesel.
Next week I will let Glenn and Liz drive mine Roadster, just to get a feelling of a tuned Roadster.
Will be fun :-)

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