What did I learn while out touring with the TVR group? There are a number of things, first off take your own teabags. I’ve no idea how continental Europe has largely missed the whole tea thing, especially with so many British people going over there, but good tea is hard to find. If you’re running low on English Breakfast tea and you stay in a hotel where they have it, cram as much as you possibly can into your pockets at breakfast, as the next stop may just have an arbitrary selection of drinks.

Hotel staff are also okay to give you a cup of hot water and find some milk. Some will charge you for it, but the majority of places we tried this tactic at didn’t, especially when you’re buying an expensive round of beers.

About half of the hotels we stayed at had a kettle and “tea making” facilities (actually coffee). I’d invest in a little kettle next time to make sure we didn’t fall into the trap of not being able to make tea. J was not happy with having no coffee when he fell out of bed in the morning.

I’d also consider taking some powdered milk with me to use in an emergency (I’d rather have the tea sans milk than try it with cream). Though this might not look good when you consider what will happen if customs pull you over and search your bag. Learn the term for powdered milk in multiple languages.

Quintessential British cup of tea aside, while the TVRs had their idiosyncrasies getting home and driving the Audi to the gym felt like going from Gino Ginelli ice cream with the fudge bits in, to plain old vanilla (if you’re over 40 you’ll know what that is). Okay, so there’s no ABS, traction control, well any safety features at all other seatbelts but it was alive. Those who’ve read any incredibly geeky sci-fi (like me) would call it the Adeptus Mechanicus machine spirit, and the TVRs have it in abundance.

It is a shame when they made them there wasn’t just a little more thought, as little as 10% extra in quality or considering the end user would have made these cars kings among men, rather than interesting and powerful relics of bygone British Motoring prowess.