The SJ 4000 in use on holiday

mollydog

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Putting my SJ4000 to use on my holiday’s

I’ve driven through Chaumont a few times now, took many photos of this viaduct, but a two dimensional images just doesn’t do it justice I think.

It’s a splendid bridge (if you’re in to architecture) was built around a 150 years ago and from day one when I got my SJ I was thinking of making use of it on this viaduct, could do with spending a whole day capturing this viaduct from all angles, I did it from two angles but needs more to do it justice

here are the photos of the set up I had in capturing the bridge at 2fps, I first tried 5fps but that was just too fast, maybe a 1fps would also be good




A tripod is OK but this stand is vey discrete, has rubber feet or I wouldn’t have put it there






I use this ball & socket head I got from Ebay for £5ish




then I went in to town and had a coke at a caffe. I did the same thing but as it didn’t look like a tripod, more like I was resting the camera on the table no one noticed the SJ was turning as it was moving slow, I’m sure if I placed a mini tripod on a table people would soon get the feeling I was up to something

the hotel internet is slow, once they have been uploaded to youtube I’ll link it here
 
Touring in an Elise? Where does the luggage go?

image.jpg
 
luggage :) no luggage, just 3/4 changes of underwear, T-shirts and socks, with a few toiletries and thats about it, Oh one more thing, a cool box for my coke cans, the sat nav on and just drive on the country roads, non of this motorways in France or Switzerland. In Italy I might have to go on the motorways or it’ll take me a day or two longer, haven’t made up my mind yet


tonight I’m in Pontarlier, about 20 minutes drive to Switzerland, while the clips were upload (felt like I was back on dial up not broadband), I went in the town and took some more clips and might get a chance to up load them later this week

here are the two clips I’m on about

the viaduct at Chaumont

and in one of the many out door caffe’s
 
Sounds like fun trip.
I need to do an all Europe trip sometimes, only been to London.
 
luggage :) no luggage, just 3/4 changes of underwear, T-shirts and socks, with a few toiletries and thats about it, Oh one more thing, a cool box for my coke cans, the sat nav on and just drive on the country roads, non of this motorways in France or Switzerland. In Italy I might have to go on the motorways or it’ll take me a day or two longer, haven’t made up my mind yet


tonight I’m in Pontarlier, about 20 minutes drive to Switzerland, while the clips were upload (felt like I was back on dial up not broadband), I went in the town and took some more clips and might get a chance to up load them later this week

here are the two clips I’m on about

the viaduct at Chaumont

and in one of the many out door caffe’s
Nice videos :) neat bridge
 
Sounds like fun trip.
I need to do an all Europe trip sometimes, only been to London.

I’m Italian, and been living here in the UK since I was about 14, so had very little English schooling (explains my bad spelling and grammar)
in the late 60’s and right up to 1979, my parents used to drive over to Italy, more to do with costs than a fun trip as there were four of us

I’ve been thinking of doing this road trip to Italy for years, but with children and a wife who doesn’t like to be in a car for long I never got a chance to do it

In 2010 with my son at Uni and my daughter getting a full time job the year before, allowed me to get the Else, a car I wished for since first setting eyes on but the children came first. But in 2010 everything was just right for me to get the Elise and the children were doing their own thing so I went and drove to Italy on my own.

after the first year I set on driving on the same route as my parents did over 35 years ago. I do but as like everywhere, more often than not I’m on a bypass or you can see the old road that was used 35 years ago and now this new one is much wider and less bends on it, but still a very enjoyable drive

I only drive through the daytime through France and Switzerland as I like to enjoy this part of the tip, its only in Italy I tend to take the motorways, very very boring but the best/quickest way to travel in Italy, this year I’m still not sure if I am going to take the motorways or the A and B roads in Italy, I’ll have to make up my mind by tomorrow night

If it wasn’t fr my relative I still have in Italy I could quite easily drive over the alps in to the tip of Italy and turn round and come back, as the most enjoyable part of the driving trip for me stops once I’m in Italy, I am Italian and I think they all drive like nutters, not trying to offend anyone but thats how I see it after driving there and back( these past 5 years (this year will be my 6th) and the many times went with my parents

I got myself Rosetta Stone to learn French, I know a few words, not many, but I try in French as much as I can
 
thought I’d show some more SJ400o movie captured on my holiday, I also did some time lapse and one time-lapse was with the drifter (egg timer thing)

hope you enjoy :)


time lapse with clouds, one image every 5 seconds


and this is with me driving over the Alps, before the suction cup with SJ4000 falls off the rear screen in to the floor of the car :)

 
I am Italian and I think they all drive like nutters, not trying to offend anyone but thats how I see it after driving there and back

Italian blood is not the same being immersed in their culture way of life language and mode of thinking that differs totally from that of the English.... your loss, and I doubt you noticed their manner of driving kept you so much more alert than the apathetic inattentive way people drive in the uk that so makes it far more dangerous to drive here.

you do look a bit nervous and not a tyre squeal or effort to enjoy the lotus that it was built for !!!

they do go around round a bouts at 70mph never mind lovely mountain road corners !!!
 
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... the apathetic inattentive way people drive in the uk that so makes it far more dangerous to drive here ...

Rubbish. Accident statistics show that UK roads are among the safest in the World, & well ahead of Italy. The grass always looks greener on the other side, but it ain't so...
 
obviously population comes into it but we have this big focus on the road toll every year in Australia (chance to raise the prices of fines I guess) and how bad it is, the daily road toll in China exceeds our yearly road toll, such a nanny state here these days with outrageous fines in place it's a wonder anyone does anything wrong anymore
 
and this is with me driving over the Alps, before the suction cup with SJ4000 falls off the rear screen in to the floor of the car :)

Yes, that is the view I would have driving an Elise, view ahead completely blocked by the windscreen frame :D
 
where is this UK ?

the welsh have their own parliament, the scotts do and something as simple as crossing the border to Scotland can result in driving illegally as alcohol test levels differ and England is now swamped by foreign speaking people who struggle with English language, many prone to dressing like the grim reaper in black with just eyeballs showing !

There is no UK anymore and should the union jack be flown i might/will be accused of offending some one and i am surprised to see it used on the forum to identify country of origin !!!!!!!!!!!!!


I got to spend 3 years with an mr2 mk1 on those roads, very underated car I would compare to a standard 120hp elise for fun... elise only becomes more fun with the power upgrades and I wish I had had the opportunity to run my elise out there...
 
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I agree with some of what you say,

don’t know why, but wherever I park the Elise (in Europe) sooner or later people pop over to take a closer look









then out come the old cameras





the cars next to mine were Ferrari’s







even the guy with the tow truck in Italy, last year.



the novelty has warn off now so don’t bother photographing people photographing a plastic car anymore

in passing not sure if I’ve posted our collection of two seater cars, we were filling them up at the time



I find all 3 very enjoyable to drive, surprisingly my favourite daily drive is the MG TF

all three cars far surpass my driving abilities, I’m sure a better driver than me would be able to get more out of all three cars than I ever could

a speeded up clip from 2 or 3 years back, going over the alps


and a normal one through Switzerland

 
Yes, that is the view I would have driving an Elise, view ahead completely blocked by the windscreen frame :D

I was a bit afraid to put the SJ4000 on a pole above the car, but on my way back I’ll do that, so the view is above the screen and a clear view of the road ahead
 
everyone loves the elise and cant get over how small they are...

mine was an r reg with bell and covil 160 hp conversion in gunmetal gray with ceramic brakes.. paid £12500 for itless than 2 years old with 12k on the clock ( was an incredible bargain )

there were very few around back then ...

I loved it best when it rained and the steam rose from the front when stopped at lights and you could actually get it to lose grip at times... R769JPF if I remember rightly.
 
I fell in love with the Elise the first time I set eyes on one a guy up the road from me got one, around 1996/7 but children and house moving stopped me getting one, of the three it's the lest practical one but I love the shape/design of it the most,

with the soft top or hard top, it still lets in more water than the other two put together, mine was serviced at B&C (a box full of its history) till I got it in 2010

I hear some good reports of the B&C conversion on the "seloc" forum, some say more liveable with than the Elise 160 that Lotus came out with, mins just the standard 118bhp, nippy but not fast and I would say at the lights there's not many hot hatches that won't leave it standing
 
I found after the 20 minutes getting the top off... it lost loads of acceleration at the top end and was seen off by an old style 20o3 civic hot hatch...

but I could out brake it by miles and carry nearly twice its speed through corners leaving it a dot in the mirrors....

the elise reminded me of the old james dean porche ;)

And being single at the time .. it was always a pleasure to let a woman get out the passenger side in a skirt ....

ps.. when your rear boot come loose I still have a tool I made to tighten the bolts that stops the rear clamshell removal to get to it... rather than the costly at £300 to tighten a bolt !
 
I googled my reg a minute ago...

http://carnapper.co.uk/car/R769JPF


I sold it with 45k on the clock in 2006, ceramic brake pads were ready for a change but lotus had run out of a final batch and they were not available anywhere...

it had a new front and rear clamshell due to several consecutive 360 degree spins that taught me to be aware of suicidal pheasants and put me off maxing 3rd gear with them around



....sold it for £7500
 
Awesome photos! Thanks for posting.
 
while on holiday I have been going to classic car rallies, and as most there haven’t seen an Elise before they let me enter too

I have a few clips that I filmed using the SJ 4000 wi fi (was very pleased with the SJ4000 in every way) I’ll post up and here’s one to start off, I know the music isn’t up to much but youtube stops 99.9% of aded music, so added this one in the hope they don’t

 
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