“Everything has been said…”

[Trackaholic]

Seems like most modern high HP cars run with relatively high oil temps. Heck, the red zone doesn't even start until 300.

My car is about 170-180 in normal driving, and I think 220 at the track (maybe 230).

-T

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[Caballus]

The Black Forrest (Schwarzwald) has lots of great history worth reading about—not the Hansel and Gretel dense woods some may expect. From a GT350 perspective, it’s a paradise (or DeRosa bicycle—but that’s another discussion). Rolling hills with twisty turny roads where the unrestricted speed is 100kph (62mph). Staying at the actual speed limit requires confidence, as the tendency is to slow to something less than 100 on curves that leave the restrictions to your own judgment. You also have to fight the urge to limit yourself to 50 kph where the limit is 70. With this car…push the limit!

Driving the Black Forrest in a GT350 is fairy tale. The landscape during May is remarkable. In this case, the car is black (ein schwrarzes Auto), but the Schwarzwald itself is green and yellow. The yellow is fuel…bio-fuel, or more precisely, biodiesel. Germany is covered with rapeseed in the spring, which our Canadian friends can probably appreciate. Yellow fuel flowers as far as the eye can see.

Rapeseed is not the only plant in full bloom. Flower fields are very common also. No one monitors. There is a stand with scissors and a price list. The rest is up to you. As a friend says, “it’s a ‘high trust society’.”

Unfortunately, by May, the best flowers have already been cut…but still, drive through the Black Forrest in a GT350, stop at a flower field…no need for a full bouquet…cut just one for her…Dooood, its win-win!

The other key to the Black Forrest is that it is in Southwest Germany, the Schwäbisch region. For whatever reason, Munich often comes to mind when talking about German cars. Logical, maybe, because BMW is made in München. Or maybe people confuse cars with beer (also a mistake—Stuttgart’s beer fest is actually better than Munich’s).

However, Mercedes and Porsche are produced in the state to the west of Bavaria, Baden Württemburg, where given a choice between wife or car…well, avoid that conversation.

A Mustang/American car event in Pforzheim makes the point. These folks don’t play. We may take these cars for granted, but consider where they are. Fortunately, when you drive what we all drive (GT350), you don’t have to ask permission or have a special pass. You can be quiet and unassuming, and they gladly make room for you. Hope it lasts LOL.

Of course there’s Bier (beer?)…just one…long before leaving… (Bier capital of the world has a .05 bac limit…makes sense when you consider there is no limit on speed)…

Pforzheim is only a few minutes from Stuttgart via the Autobahn, or 45 minutes via the back roads. Folks like Bossing know that Stuttgart (not Munich) is the German car Mecca. A popular hangout for enthusiasts is Motorworld (used to be called Meilenwerk, but that was too German LOL)

http://motorworld.de/index.php/standorte/stuttgart

Motorworld is a car enthusiasts heaven!! It’s a museum, exotic car rental, and exotic car sales joint all in one. Examples follow…then back to the GT350, which, believe it or not, is right at home here.

Whet your appetite with the entrance to Motorworld, which, by the way, is free…

Once past the interest, it’s serious business, but no sales people bugging you. Treat it as a museum or a shopping center. What’s your wallet say?…

Bond, James Bond…yeah, it’s for sale…

Name that car. What’s up with the airplane? 1. Don’t try applying American logic to a German situation. 2. Motorworld is located at what was a German airfield during WWII, although that’s not a WWII aircraft…return to #1…

Never met you in person, Bossing, but you're our Porsche guy…

Terrible photography through the window, but Motorworld is across the street from one of the Stuttgart (Sindelfingen) Mercedes plants. The Porsche factory and the Museum are about 30 minutes away…

The other side has classic cars, also for sale (or in some cases for rent)

And, of course, the locals…something to be said about a Porsche with a Stuttgart plate...

So, what the heck has this got to do with the GT350, other than the fact that it’s the car that brought the camera there? Well, it’s at home, and in good American company:

View attachment 76240

The true highlight was a young kid (about 12) who was walking through the parking lot taking pictures of cars. He got to the GT350 and just kept clicking away, as he told his father that this was his favorite of the day...really? I couldn't resist. I went back to the car, opened the door, and let the kid sit behind the wheel while I took a picture using his iPhone. That was one happy kid!

Next up...GT350 visits Porsche Museum

 

[Caballus]

Dedicated to Bossing

[MENTION=6571]Bossing[/MENTION]. I’ve never been a Porsche follower. Not anti-Porsche, just never really been into them. Odd considering that I am surrounded by them. My boss owns three, to include a 50th Anniversary 911, which still didn’t excite me much. Reading the posts by Bossing (not to be confused with work boss), on the other hand, has piqued my interest. So, the GT350 recently did a Porsche hunting expedition to Stuttgart in honor of Bossing.

Good place to start was the Porsche Museum.


Apologies up front! 1st time using this “newish” dash cam. Unsuccessful—video is not the best and audio stinks (didn’t edit the sound, so recommend turning it way down or off). Hopefully, it still captures some of the blended GT350 + Porsche passion that Bossing has so masterfully exposed some of us to--or at least me. Thanks Bossing; from now on, I'll stop and smell the roses...

[ame]

Cars outside the Museum for test driving. They aren’t in the video, because it was actually taken on a drive by an hour later, after they closed…

No pics from inside—can gets those on the Internet. But did look for a GT4 die cast model. The 911 50th models run 13€ compared to something that is much greater than that on EBay (according to the work boss). Unfortunately, the gift shop didn’t have any GT4s, or yes, I would have offered to buy and send at cost.

Closest they had. Shows how hard that car is to find even as a model!!

Took a lot of video of Porsches while driving around, but most are not worth uploading. This driverless version is so rare, however, that it’s worth suffering through the audio-video issues…

[ame]

Ok, not driverless. Just British—right hand drive. Also, turns out not so rare. A few minutes after the above video, this driverless Porsche and I pulled into a rest stop at the same time. Talked for a few minutes (to the driver, not the car), as he had a lot of questions about the GT350.

Finished up focused back on the GT350…a bit of open Autobahn driving. Hard to tell, but averaging above 180kph (110mph) and staying above 220 (136mph) for some sections. Couple notes for context:

- Starts in a construction zone, hence the move to the right lane. No need to speed when the speed limit is about to disappear...

- As my helo pilot buddy reminds me, we are raised to think in terms of “a mile a minute” (60mph). The exit is 5 miles away, so I’ll be there in 5 minutes. On the Autobahn, you commonly move at a mile every 30 seconds, and you can easily crank it up to a mile every 25 or even 20 seconds (he’s the dude who is trying to break 200mph…hit 199 so far). GT350 Brembo brakes are awesome, but when someone swings into the left lane unexpectedly on the highway, not the track…also, brake lights a half mile ahead matter...enough said. Thanks buddy for reminding me of that.

- Point = the video shows enough open road to the front to go faster. However, you’ll see I slow down when approaching two or more cars in the right lane, and especially when approaching cars that are following trucks, because those are the cars that swing out to pass. One does during the video. A few KM further outside of the city, the conditions totally different, as in wide open...

- It also sticks out that some drivers in the left lane move quickly when they see you approaching behind them, others do not. Generally speaking, Germans are extremely good drivers (despite the occasional knucklehead). The ones that don’t move quickly don’t realize the capability of the car behind them. Unlike the German sports cars that they are used to seeing and quickly move for, they think they can outrun you, so there is no need to move. Habitually, when a car wants to pass, rather than flashing or blinking, he will ride on your tail…close enough to have 12 gauge buckshot coming his way were it back home. Here, it simply means move. I don’t do tailgate…it’s unsafe. I prefer to hang a consistent distance long enough for them to realize that they cannot outrun whatever car I’m driving, then when they move, blow by them like they are sitting still. Unfortunately, there is no rear facing camera to show their shock when this unrecognizable car rockets past…

- Final point, it’s tempting to treat the Autobahn like a track. Bad idea. Just like it’s a bad idea to try treat HDPE as a race, or even worse. At least at HDPE, everyone is there for the same reason and has a similar mindset. Not so on the Autobahn any more than it is on I95 or Route 40.

- Why these seemingly obvious points? Because they (hopefully) add context to the video and hopefully make it more interesting for those who PM'ed and asked for more video of the GT350 on the Autobahn. Back to the camera drawing board...


[ame]

 

[Caballus]

Freebie for Peter Schropp

Good dude...

And my own version...

 

[DrumReaper]

Wow man, with all the fluctuations of the dash cam causing the clouds and the horizon to look like warp speed was about to occur, I was waiting for Scotty to say, "I'm giving her all she's got, Cap'n!"

Cool vids man!!! Thanks.

 

[Caballus]

Wow man, with all the fluctuations of the dash cam causing the clouds and the horizon to look like warp speed was about to occur, I was waiting for Scotty to say, "I'm giving her all she's got, Cap'n!"

Cool vids man!!! Thanks.

Thanks. That's funny! And after relooking at it, true. Used a Rollei that I used a few times on my bike (as in bicycle). Dash cams are touchy in Europe because of privacy laws. That and only a couple trips to the track a year keep me from going all out on one...Guess I'll go back to the 'ol iPhone lol...

Looks like the pictures failed...or the mods killed them cause I've posted so many...trying again

 

[Rogue]

Incredible experience. There's really not much I rather do than drive the new Shelby GT350 all through Europe. Nicely done.

 

[montreal ponies]

Awesome write up , thanks for sharing . BTW, how fast were you going in that last vid ?

 

[stanglife]

Great write up. We were there last year for a week and hit almost all the same places. Motorworld was great. We did all of the Museums - even BMW early in the day before heading to Oktoberfest..

 

[DrumReaper]

Thanks. That's funny! And after relooking at it, true. Used a Rollei that I used a few times on my bike (as in bicycle). Dash cams are touchy in Europe because of privacy laws. That and only a couple trips to the track a year keep me from going all out on one...Guess I'll go back to the 'ol iPhone lol...

Looks like the pictures failed...or the mods killed them cause I've posted so many...trying again

Lol... Thanks for the experience. I kept waiting for the flux capacitor to kick in as the horizon wobbled. Cool effect.

 

[Bossing]

[MENTION=21162]Caballus[/MENTION]

Wow... my bucket list is to do a Germany trip someday and visit the major auto museums particularly Porsche, MB/AMG, and BMW. And then get to drive on the 'Ring and Autobahn even in a rental car of course.

I was always a Porsche fanatic since I grew up with my dad buying/driving new P-cars... 944 Turbo, 911s and 928s. So the Zuffenhausen and Stuttgart machines were always in my heart.

Great posts! And pics too! Awesome experience! :cheers:

 

[Caballus]

Awesome write up , thanks for sharing . BTW, how fast were you going in that last vid ?

Sorry for taking so long to answer. Life has been getting in the way of GT350 time lol. Was staying around 180kph most of the time. A bit above on a few instances.

 

[Caballus]

Great write up. We were there last year for a week and hit almost all the same places. Motorworld was great. We did all of the Museums - even BMW early in the day before heading to Oktoberfest..

Awesome. Sounds like you did great a sweep across Bavaria and Baden-Württemburg. If you get a chance at the same time of year again (late Sep/early Oct) it's worth substituting Stuttgart's Volksfest for Oktoberfest. Guarantee you won't be disappointed...

 

[Caballus]

[MENTION=21162]Caballus[/MENTION]

Wow... my bucket list is to do a Germany trip someday and visit the major auto museums particularly Porsche, MB/AMG, and BMW. And then get to drive on the 'Ring and Autobahn even in a rental car of course.

I was always a Porsche fanatic since I grew up with my dad buying/driving new P-cars... 944 Turbo, 911s and 928s. So the Zuffenhausen and Stuttgart machines were always in my heart.

Great posts! And pics too! Awesome experience! :cheers:

If you ever have a chance to follow-up on your bucket list, drop me a note. If I have a useful tidbit (or contact) that can help, would be more than happy to share.

 

[Caballus]

Back Under the Car and Behind the Wheel

Been too busy to drive and/or post lately...and too busy to change oil. Wanted to change it at precisely 1k miles, so at 1600 miles I finally got the parts and free time needed to do it. Lucky enough to have access to a do-it-yourself auto shop, complete with lifts and all the tools and equipment anyone could ever imagine.

The various posts here about oil changes helped greatly! Some posts that may seem redundant really aren’t. They actually provide different views and different details that I found extremely useful. Thanks!!


About the oil change: I am from the school of “change the oil plug gasket with every oil change." I was back in the States recently, so the search was on. Learned that Ford doesn’t sell the O-ring/gasket separately; you have to get the entire drain plug. No problem. Called a few dealers and none had the drain plug in stock. Unfortunately, I waited until the night before I left, so I had to do without. Notably, one guy from a Ford parts department in a major city was very polite and professional, and seemed quite experienced at the dealership, but not well trained. When I asked for a drain plug for a “2016 Mustang Shelby GT-350” he asked, “do you know what size engine it has?” I responded, it’s a GT350, they only come with one size engine. His response: “Is that a 3.7, 5.0, or 5.2?” No, there was no misunderstanding on either end and I am not convinced that it had anything to do with the car’s rarity. Ran into some more weirdness that I won’t elaborate on. Bottom line, parts department personnel at a car dealership should be better trained, period-dot.

Anyway, I returned without an o-ring or a plug, and have since concluded that there is absolutely no need to replace either with every oil change.

Below is what I am used to.

This is what they have become…

The great thing about this shop is that when you finish whatever work you were doing, you can also do a good hand wash using the pressure washer or a normal water hose. $4.00/30 mins...

If that’s not enough, you can wash your dog too…

A clean car with fresh oil should never sit idle. It's Autobahn time

—still fighting dash cam battles, but getting better. At least DrumReaper should be safe from being involuntarily beamed up by Scotty--I hope. Although I will admit that I forgot to remove the plastic protective film from the lens on one of the cameras...hope I paid better attention when changing the oil!! LOL.

Got hit with a few questions and comments about Autobahn driving, to include crossing borders. Any country that met the criteria for and signed the Schengen agreement essentially agreed to drop it’s border checkpoints. Below is Belgium (BE) to Luxembourg (LU). At :14 the old border checkpoint can be seen just after the flags of BE and LU. At :24 you can see the LU speed limit sign like the ones at every national border—speed limits are national in Europe, so you know exactly which FPC Voodoo spells to conjure up after crossing a border. Better resolution would show that LU allows 50kph in cities; 100 on backroads; 130 on the Autobahn (110 if raining).

[ame]

Once out of LU, the Autobahn speed limit immediately opens to the German "130kph recommended"--meaning no speed limit unless otherwise posted. This is midmorning on a weekday. Notice toward the end that when going from 200kph to 130kph Brembos earn their keep…

[ame]

The GT350 is not all about speed, and neither is driving in Germany. Below is a weekend cruise through the Schwarzwald with some friends “Down South”—they are driving a 50th Anniversary 911 and a Mini respectively. Anyone can say what they want about a Mini, but on winding Black Forest roads it makes the Italian Job seem more realistic (and fun) than ever. The first segment shows how foggy it gets at the top. Was disappointed that the GT350 does not have fog lights—a requirement on a European spec vehicle. The 911 turned on his rear fog lights (extra bright tail light on the left side). Helped immensely!! Was a bit nervous that I couldn’t do the same for someone who may approach from the rear. Also, the Panamera pulling out as we pull into what is normally a great vantage point (fog ruined it) is a Porsche test car. Saw four during the drive. Porsche's use for testing serves as a pretty endorsement for the road we were driving.

[ame]

Village in the Black Forest prior to hitting slightly wider winding roads than we had started on (no sound on this one--YouTube decided music I bought and paid for violated copyright... )

[ame]

Decided to close out with some video back on the Autobahn. Had a friend's daughter in the car. She is a bonafide car enthusiast and rode with each of us during the day's trip. Prior to the first leg, which she did in the 911, she stated declaratively that she was "not into Mustangs." By the end of our jaunt, she had decided that she would dedicate her life's savings to buying a GT350! Shhh...I told her I wouldn't say anything...lol.

Despite there being a bit of traffic, it's flowing at a relatively fast rate--common for this section of Autobahn. Unfortunately, once the RS3 driver admitted to himself that he wasn't going to outpace a GT350 and moved aside, it started to rain so I slowed accordingly. No big deal. 1. Hard to whine about decreasing speed from 125mph to 83mph, particularly when it's a personal safety call and not a requirement. 2. A day cruising the Schwarzwald and Autobahn in a GT350 is a day that don't suck...

[ame]

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