Anyone interested in old cars (in this case 1930-1985) may be interested in the London to Lisbon Rally
It’s a tough 10 day regularity and speed tests event which has attracted competitors from around the world.
We arrived in France (St Malo) at the start of leg 2 early this morning and after a series of testing regularities and very tough flat out speed tests on two kart tracks the event is resting in La Rochelle
Saturday sees the London to Lisbon head to Bordeaux via a number of regularities
Sunday and it’s down through Les Landes towards the Dax area before and overnight on the French-Spanish border.
A big lumbering Volvo Amazon isn’t built for racing around kart tracks at speed - we were caught after two laps by an MGB on one track and on another track by an Aston Martin So I’ve to rely on good navigation by my wife - which is probably why we’re 20th
No excuses today - one regularity within 15kms of home and another within 4kms
We’re considering a slight detour to dump the dirty washing from the last 4 days
Not just dirty washing, dirty emissions too.
I find it difficult to understand why this is allowed to happen when so many ordinary people have restrictions put on their personal car use and we are all being encouraged to buy expensive evs.
I, a car nut through and through, never thought that I would ever err on the green side - but a little of me is with you here Jane!
Not because of the pollution issue but because the green lobby has managed to shut down the Pau Grand Prix a true enthusiast evente, exactly for your reasons above, and let this procession go unchallenged,
Well in principle of course you are right - but I think it would be a shame to ban enthusiast car events that involve a tiny minority of the vehicles on the road, and whose emissions must make up a miniscule amount in global terms.
Formula 1 generates a lot more pollution (not so much the racing cars, but all the trucks and planes).
And then there’s everybody who goes on holiday in Boeings and Airbuses…
Surely people are allowed some enjoyment in life, the emissions from this event are a tiny blip compared to all the famous and very rich who lecture us all about saving the planet and then hop into their private jets to attend Davos and the COP events.
I thought spectatators weren’t allowed on autoroutes, and, as you pointed out to me, you will be going so fast. However I wish you well and am pleased with your addiction to them, the nearest one to me is 80 kms away.
there’s fast… and there’s fast… it depends on one’s conception … and these glorious cars will be using all sorts of routes/roads… with lots of opportunities for people to wave and smile… as they watch them pass…
Seeing kids (and their parents), with looks of surprise/wonder even incredulity as these beauties wander along… is actually rather touching…
All classic cars are exempt from the emission rules - they are historic and at the same time the cost of making them plus recycling parts are all “green”
Compare that to modern cars, especially EVs , where many parts are not recyclable and, eg, batteries are produced at enormous cost financially and to the environment
That’s why the motor industry have always been reluctant about EVs. They maintain hydrogen is the way forward
Next year BMW start selling their first hydrogen engines cars
And on this event it’s a regularity rally - that’s all about keeping to ever changing average speeds (from 25-60 kmph in our case).
Villagers are out waving - turning up at halts to see the cars at close quarters - over 100 turned up at one control to clap all the cars in
One Frenchman said he went to see the cars but also hoping to meet a Scotsman. He’d taught French at Edinburgh’s famous Fettes College
And those who like speed turn up at the speed tests - usually on places like kart tracks.
I am puzzled, you first asked about autoroute tags as you needed the speed of A/routes for the extreme mileages you did, and got a bit snooty with me over it, now you tell us the above.
Perhaps @Stella you can see the reason for my comment above that you quoted.
10 days - lots of rain, snow drifts higher than the car, loosing time when I overshot a junction (“it’s gravel that can’t be it”) just 4km from our home on the La Rochelle-Bordeaux leg; driving the highest road in Portugal (3000m and snow and low cloud) plus the notorious Inferno route.
At the end of the day it was2 Healeys and a mini that made the first 3
The cream Healey in the pic won by just 3 seconds - a car with no seat belts or roll cage. The winner left Estoril this morning driving back to Monte Carlo; the second placed couple left this morning too, for the long drive back to England in a car they bought unseen (and as a literal basket case) on eBay and imported it from the States and restored it
The Volvo (ours) was as high as 14 but tricky navigation and the inability to keep up with MGBs and Alfa Romeos, Porsche etc dropped to 20th o/a and third in class
We head back tomorrow for a leisurely drive to Dept 17 - maybe via the Estoril circuit
