PSA Guy Martin going fast again

As a program I enjoyed it, as I have with most of his programs. As a technical exercise it’s fun to watch, and I know a few people who have gone to this level of effort with cars.

Im also aware of who the driver is who was preparing to do the overnight run of the new discs, he drives the Ring regularly.

As for the record, it doesn’t mean a lot. Guy turning up with that van to take a record that was set in a TDI with basic modification, and 1/3rd the power. Had he not managed it, technical or crash aside it would have been embarrassing.

dirkpitt74

It’s all a bit of fun…

You nailed it. A concept that may not be understood in some quarters. 🙂

He likes mucking around with mechanical stuff, likes a challenge, builds a FrankenVan, has the balls to run it flat out around the ‘Ring, and takes out the record with the back end of his van in flames.

Crikey, what more could you want?

Oh, that’s right, matching wheels. 🙂

I enjoyed it. 🙂

Good fun for a Sunday night. Yep, would have been better if it had gone into more depth, but it was fine as it was.

More….

back end of his van in flames.

To quote the co driver… ‘Not completely on fire’ 😂

Was it really faster than fords supervan 2 would have been?  I watched that go round brands hatch and it was v quick.  Just as much of a transit as Guys van?

Edit: agree about shed envy!!!

I don’t get it.  Since when was a transit mid engined?  That engineering had little in common with ford, the transit and I would argue if it even was a van anymore.  That entire back end was re engineered.

It is an entire Transit van, with a custom safety cage installed, with a Ford Ecoboost V6. So Guy re-engineered it into a mid-engined Transit, it’s still a steel Transit shell. Unlike the Cosworth-powered Supervan which had Ford logos plastered all over it and which was a fibreglass shell over a one-off space-frame chassis. Now, tell me, which of the two is fundamentally an original steel Transit with a Ford engine, and which is a plastic replica with only a nodding acquaintance to a Transit van, using a Ford-based racing engine. Try taking a look at factory rally cars, especially ones like the Metro 6R4, only the roof was an original steel part!

And how can it not be a van? It’s still a steel box with a wheel at each corner, only the engine is in the middle for better handling, it hasn’t had the back cut off to turn it into a pickup! It is, by any definition one cares to give it, a Transit van, only with a hole in the floor for the engine. You really don’t seem to understand how modifying vehicles for performance and or looks actually works, just how much a vehicle of any sort can be re-engineered without really altering its fundamental character. If Guy had employed a competition engineering company to build a racing van from the ground up, with a replica plastic shell, then you might have a point, but as it stands none of the criticisms you make are valid.

I’ve always thought of Guy as a modern Fred Dibnah: engaging personality with an immense amount of skill in certain specialised areas and an attention to detail to be proud of. Maybe not always the most professional way of going about doing something but gets the job done with an element of (his own) style!

I don’t think from the bit I’ve seen so far Guy wanted to have a massive engineering crew behind him doing all the work, he wanted to get his hands dirty and do the job himself. I do wonder if he would have still tried for the lap record without the camera’s and film crew, i’m sure there is an element of ‘paying the bills’ as well, so I’m sure there is a bit of scripting for cameras but so what? If i could get paid for that kind of work you wouldn’t need to ask twice!

I’ve not seen Van yet but last night I did watch Guy vs Robot car. I enjoyed as I enjoy most of his stuff. The only thing I hate is the recap after each commercial break. It’s like telly for Americans.

For what it’s worth, I liked it. Good mix of making the van, training and driving it, and the final calamity didn’t mean it was all a glorious failure again.

Only thing that I’d have liked to see was that lovely 80’s Scania being put to good use trucking all the gear out to Germany.

The only thing I hate is the recap after each commercial break. It’s like telly for Americans.

Agreed. I thought it was great fun and while it wasn’t a text book or “factory” way of doing it, it was a private effort like any of us (if we had the means and connections) could have done and for that it was a good watch. It’ll be really cool to watch it with my 7 y/o as he’ll learn a lot esp. from the fairly dumbed down infographic things which were great for those with little knowledge of such things.

The incessant recaps for the hard of thinking are incredibly irritating.  How long do they expect the adds to be that they need to remind you what you’re watching every 5 minutes?

Oh an definitely a van

Enjoyed that – much of his stuff is marred for me by heavy-handed “Guy risks death by pushing this hard over the limit” narration balls, this didn’t suffer from it and was improved thusly.

Let’s not forget supervan2 was a 7/10ths model of a transit.

onehundredthidiot
Member

Let’s not forget supervan2 was a 7/10ths model of a transit.

A bit like the Transit Custom 😉

That there Transporter vid of the BTCC chap, isn’t that a bridge to gantry time? Rather than Guys pit lane to pit lane time.

Not sure what the time difference would be in a van though.

Did anybody see the clip where Guy reckons that he can sit on a nut and bolt then do them up without using his hands?

Personally I think he was torqueing out of his arse………………..