Posts of the Week

I finally ordered my V6 SE manual after 3 years of waiting for the right time! Should be here around spring (next year ), cant wait!

Washed the car, and decided to drive out to the bay for an ice cream. Parked at the shop and went in for ice cream. When I came out I saw a man burst out of the restaurant next door to look at the car. Mid-50s, blue collar guy, a little on the heavy side, but excited like a kid. He then asked if it was mine, and whether he could take pictures (sure).

He said he'd waited for 30 years to see one, and he thought it might be another 30 before he saw another. Knew exactly what it was, and all about the racing history. While he was taking pictures his partner came out and told him his fries were getting cold. He thanked me and went back in, saying it was the closest he'd ever come to having one.

Snapped a picture. Amazing what this car does to people.

Today was the first of two days with a lot of driving, going across the country and north from Oslo to Trondheim. Now in Trondheim we are about as far north as Iceland.

There is a motorway from Oslo to Trondheim but we went the scenic route, I think it is less distance but takes longer. This also takes us through the old town of Røros now a World Heritage Site.

The weather setting off was awful; rainy and foggy, this cleared up later in the day though it was still raining on and off for the entire day. The forecast for the next several days whilst we are up North is for more rain and cloud - unless something improves there’s little chance we’ll get to see the Northern Lights. But that just gives us an excuse to do this again some day.

We get off the motorway fairly soon outside of Oslo and head out on the scenic route - and the roads are fantastic. The weather is the only negative but there’s no standing water so it’s not too bad, Norwegian roads seem to be well made. On some of the higher roads we see a little snow beside the road from overnight but the roads are salted so there’s no issue - the only problem is keeping my eyes on the road rather than the beautiful scenery.

The roads are empty for the most part, we were often driving 30 minutes without seeing another car on our side of the road. I could post hours of great driving roads from the dash cam but don’t want to bore you, so here’s a small sample - also I expect the next few days will be even better (apologies the sound is muted as we had the music on loud).



About 4 hours later



7 hours driving in total, we arrived in Trondheim tired but it was a great day.

A traditional church we found on the way, we saw many like this.



We’re now seeing snow on the high ground but roads are still clear and fine.



Some of Røros.




Arrived in Trondheim and the Emira has never been so filthy.

New Emira Product: Black Forest Industries Shift knob

Link to BFI Knobs




Hey guys, wanted to share pictures and a quick review of shift knobs that are now available for our cars. These knobs are produced locally to me (North Carolina) and BFI has a good reputation in the area, though historically they mostly market for the VW and Audi crowd.

The best part about this knob is how customizable it is. They offer different bases in aluminum or black, perforated leather or nappa leather or alcantara in a large variety of colors, different “coin” options on top of the shifter, and different weights. There’s a possibility in the future that they may also offer bead blasting for the base which would match the factory shifter very well. Perforated black leather almost perfectly matches the OEM leather steering wheel, and I assume black alcantara would also be a close match.

Installation was easy, as the knob just screws on. The shift knob feels high quality in hand and is a larger diameter than the Lotus knob, which I know some people will prefer. The heavier weight knob that I got has made a noticeable improvement in smoothing out shifter action too.

While I’m really happy with the perforated leather knob that I got (in “nougat” which contrasts the tan leather well), I may also see if one of my friends who has a woodworking shop can turn me some burlwood to see how it looks.

Disclaimer: I am not commercially or personally affiliated with BFI.

A busy day today, we tried to find a coffee shop in Aalborg for breakfast but found out that the town is mostly closed on Mondays so we drove on to Hirtshals for the ferry. In Hirtshals we find a fantastic pastry shop and have breakfast there - good coffee too. I resist the urge to order what looks like a 2 foot long chocolate eclair.



We visit the lighthouse in Hirtshals, 142 steps to the top, and admire the view over the Danish Straight.



After that we visit the Bunker Museum also in Hirtshals, remains of German fortifications from the Second World War.

Then it is on to the ferry across to Norway and Kristiansand on the Super Speed 1 (that’s the name of the ship not my driving style).





Finally the drive up to Oslo. Again it’s mostly motorway but there’s some amazing views before it gets dark as we near Oslo.

Driving in Oslo is a one-way street nightmare and not car-friendly at all - by design. But tomorrow we finally get off the motorways and onto the good driving roads.

The Emira still gets a lot of attention and it’s always positive. I’ve chatted to several Danish and Norwegians now about the trip - they always check what tyres I have and nod approvingly when they see I have “proper” tyres. I had long chat with one of the ferry loadmasters today who said he was from Narvik, he thinks I will be fine - he thinks even if it snows we’ll be OK unless it gets too deep but that’s very unlikely this time of year.

Finished up the floating console mod, including the shift boot delete from GRP and modifying an automatic console tray. Instead of measuring and cutting the rubber mat, I installed the shifter support block and applied white lithium grease to the top, then placed the mat over that to leave a perfect print on the bottom. Then it's as simple as cutting around the print with a scalpel. Came out great.

Also love the new shift knob which is fully customizable with different base colors, leather colors, or alcantara. Once it's officially available I'll make a post about it (not affiliated with the seller, but they used my car to test fit).

Animalistic Instinct

That quiet moment at the gas station when the world’s asleep.

Emira and Taycan on the Airbase in front of a Globemaster.

Hey Vendors! We need someone to customize the graphics on the gauge screen. I want round dials back. Preferably a tach front and center like it's supposed to be.