The V8Nam thread - Rolls Royce and Corvette content...
Discussion
slippery said:
I must add, how about losing a box or two from the RR exhaust for that full on Cannonball Crazy Arab effect! 
I approve of the suggestion, however given Brummy's recently acquired propensity to begin sentences with 'when one owns a Rolls Royce...', said in the most olde English accent imaginable, I don't think he'll be up for such an uncouth modification. Luckily, the Corvette makes enough noise for 2 V8s anyway...carreauchompeur said:
The Rolls may as well have a trailer, it won't have much effect on weight and you know one of them's going to die!
Neither of them could possibly die - after all, the Rolls is about the most over-engineered, unstressed object on the planet, and the Corvette only has about 3 moving parts to go wrong in the first place. 
You might be able to sell the roller in Singapore if it's over 35 years as a "classic car" and put it on classic registration, this will cost you about £7k, but you should see a bit of profit there.
The vette I suspect is too new, and also LHD so a non starter here.
Not sure about the imported used car thing in Malaysia, but the vette may well have a good value for parts.
The vette I suspect is too new, and also LHD so a non starter here.
Not sure about the imported used car thing in Malaysia, but the vette may well have a good value for parts.
XJSJohn said:
You might be able to sell the roller in Singapore if it's over 35 years as a "classic car" and put it on classic registration, this will cost you about £7k, but you should see a bit of profit there.
The vette I suspect is too new, and also LHD so a non starter here.
Not sure about the imported used car thing in Malaysia, but the vette may well have a good value for parts.
Thanks John, I've just checked and the last LHD country on our rough route plan seems to be Cambodia, so I guess I'll have to look into whether I can sell the 'Vette there. Would be a shame to drive it halfway around the world, only for it to be broken for parts at the end of it all...The vette I suspect is too new, and also LHD so a non starter here.
Not sure about the imported used car thing in Malaysia, but the vette may well have a good value for parts.
fivetenben said:
Once upon a Friday night, in a pub called the Seymour Arms...
Slightly O/T, is the Seymour Arms you refer to the one in East Knoyle? I see you are in the South West, so put 2 and 2 together.And back on topic, I admire your madness, sorry, brilliant idea
and wish you the best of luck.Triumph Man said:
Slightly O/T, is the Seymour Arms you refer to the one in East Knoyle? I see you are in the South West, so put 2 and 2 together.
No, it's a little less rustic than that I'm afraid - it's the one in in the North Hill part of Plymouth. Used to go there quite a lot when I lived in the city...Asterix said:
Brilliant stuff - the wife and I are planning to visit Vietnam next year and it would either be in February or June. If we look at the June option, we could be there at the same time - it would be great to see the motors in the flesh after their adventure.
The best laid plans are to arrive in Hanoi at the end of May, then spend June bimbling around S.E.Asia, so it could well line up - we'll see!The sun came out today so I gave route-planning and suchlike a miss, and took the Corvette out without the roof on for the first time. Suffice to say, it doesn't make it any quieter...
I have to say, the 'Vette has grown on me since I got it about a month ago. Yes, it's big and brash and rather out of place in Devon, but now I've got a bit more used to the width and LHD-ness, its qualities are shining through more. It's comfortable. It sounds great (except at 2,500RPM when the exhaust note resonates like mad). It goes pretty well, especially above 4,000RPM, thanks to it being fitted with a 268 cam and big-valve heads. The ride is better than the Corvette's reputation would suggest, and the auto-box is only moderately annoying as I tend to end up driving it more like a GT than an out-and-out sports car. And once you ignore the size of the thing, it's very easy to drive. Also, touch wood, while the cabin may feel flimsy and low-rent, the car's mechanicals give the impression of being pretty solid and well put together, and everything on it works - even the climate control. And finally, I can't quite get over what good value for money it was.
I haven't driven the Rolls yet, but did deign to be chauffeured around in it yesterday afternoon, and frankly, it's so over the top it's awesome! Given all that's said about the comfort and quietness of a Rolls I had sky-high expectations for it's refinement which predictably, the 34-year-old girl failed to meet; however that doesn't detract from the fact that it's a very satisfyingly excessive way to travel.
Quick update folks - mostly regarding the route I'm afraid...
Now we've started researching the route properly, there have been a few changes in the route plan which generated some discussion on the 'what car' thread a few months ago; the current, updated plan is (roughly) this:
Note - If easily bored by geography, please skip the rest of this post!
From the UK, we're looking to take a leisurely bimble down through France to a place called Fontainebleau, then head east through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova to the Ukraine. After dodging the Ukrainian Police's attempts to exort money from us, we'll be ready to nip across Russia into pothole-filled Kazakhstan, where we'll veer south beneath what's left of the Aral Sea into Uzbekistan, about 4,500 miles - and as many gallons of unleaded - from the UK. A quick visit to the old Silk Road town of Khiva and we'll loop south through slightly-mad Turkmenistan, returning us to Uzbekistan near the beautiful cities of Bukhara and Samarkand. From there, everything depends on the security situation in 6 months time - we've three options; heading either through Tajikistan, the Fergana valley or Kazakhstan; all three options will bring us into Kyrgyzstan.
We intend to leave Kyrgyzstan by nipping over the Tein Sian mountains, taking the Turugart pass into the Xinjang region of China. From there we really, really hope to be able to take the high road across Tibet to Lhasa, then drop down into Sichuan, but at the moment the Tibetan Tourism Bureau isn't issuing any permits for UK citizens to enter Tibet, so we're just hoping that all changes in the next month or so. If it doesn't, we'll have to skirt around the top of Tibet and drop into SE Asia - and journey's end - that way.
So, what's changed? - Well, the big change to the plan mooted a few months back on the other thread is how we plan on getting to Central Asia. A year ago we'd planned to go through Iran - that's now obviously, unfortunately out. We then changed to planning to get the ferry across the Caspian from Baku to Turkmenistan; however there are so many conflicting opinions about whether this is possible with a RHD car, and so many bad stories about the actual ferry, that we can't be bothered with the faff and uncertainty, and so we've decided to head through the Ukraine instead.
So that's the route - for planning purposes we've decided to break it into 4 bite-size chunks:
2 weeks UK to Russia (abt 2,500 miles)
3 weeks Russia to Kyrgyzstan (about 3,000 miles)
3 weeks across China (about 3,500 miles)
4 weeks Hanoi to Singapore (about 3,000 miles)
Making it about 12,000 miles in 3 months, and thus ironically my slowest 'big' road trip yet (in comparison, my last big Asia trip was 10,000 miles in 4 weeks, UK to Mongolia in a 998cc Mini)
So that's the current plan. Which will probably change.
As for the cars, there's very little to report really. Both have done about 300 miles in the past couple of weeks, and are generally running fine - the Rolls seems to have a few issues with blowing fuses, and the 'Vette leaks a bit, but other than that, all's good! We're currently undecided as to whether to raise their suspension and fit roofracks, or keep them pretty standard, and accept the resulting limitations when it comes to bad roads. We're currently erring towards 'standard-ish' - maybe just jacking them up slightly - however if we manage to wrangle Tibet, that'll have to change...
Right, that'll do for now, and I promise the next update will actually be about cars!
Ben.
Now we've started researching the route properly, there have been a few changes in the route plan which generated some discussion on the 'what car' thread a few months ago; the current, updated plan is (roughly) this:
Note - If easily bored by geography, please skip the rest of this post!
From the UK, we're looking to take a leisurely bimble down through France to a place called Fontainebleau, then head east through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova to the Ukraine. After dodging the Ukrainian Police's attempts to exort money from us, we'll be ready to nip across Russia into pothole-filled Kazakhstan, where we'll veer south beneath what's left of the Aral Sea into Uzbekistan, about 4,500 miles - and as many gallons of unleaded - from the UK. A quick visit to the old Silk Road town of Khiva and we'll loop south through slightly-mad Turkmenistan, returning us to Uzbekistan near the beautiful cities of Bukhara and Samarkand. From there, everything depends on the security situation in 6 months time - we've three options; heading either through Tajikistan, the Fergana valley or Kazakhstan; all three options will bring us into Kyrgyzstan.
We intend to leave Kyrgyzstan by nipping over the Tein Sian mountains, taking the Turugart pass into the Xinjang region of China. From there we really, really hope to be able to take the high road across Tibet to Lhasa, then drop down into Sichuan, but at the moment the Tibetan Tourism Bureau isn't issuing any permits for UK citizens to enter Tibet, so we're just hoping that all changes in the next month or so. If it doesn't, we'll have to skirt around the top of Tibet and drop into SE Asia - and journey's end - that way.
So, what's changed? - Well, the big change to the plan mooted a few months back on the other thread is how we plan on getting to Central Asia. A year ago we'd planned to go through Iran - that's now obviously, unfortunately out. We then changed to planning to get the ferry across the Caspian from Baku to Turkmenistan; however there are so many conflicting opinions about whether this is possible with a RHD car, and so many bad stories about the actual ferry, that we can't be bothered with the faff and uncertainty, and so we've decided to head through the Ukraine instead.
So that's the route - for planning purposes we've decided to break it into 4 bite-size chunks:
2 weeks UK to Russia (abt 2,500 miles)
3 weeks Russia to Kyrgyzstan (about 3,000 miles)
3 weeks across China (about 3,500 miles)
4 weeks Hanoi to Singapore (about 3,000 miles)
Making it about 12,000 miles in 3 months, and thus ironically my slowest 'big' road trip yet (in comparison, my last big Asia trip was 10,000 miles in 4 weeks, UK to Mongolia in a 998cc Mini)
So that's the current plan. Which will probably change.
As for the cars, there's very little to report really. Both have done about 300 miles in the past couple of weeks, and are generally running fine - the Rolls seems to have a few issues with blowing fuses, and the 'Vette leaks a bit, but other than that, all's good! We're currently undecided as to whether to raise their suspension and fit roofracks, or keep them pretty standard, and accept the resulting limitations when it comes to bad roads. We're currently erring towards 'standard-ish' - maybe just jacking them up slightly - however if we manage to wrangle Tibet, that'll have to change...
Right, that'll do for now, and I promise the next update will actually be about cars!
Ben.
Hugo a Gogo said:
excellent!
that map you've shown looks like Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia though
Indeed it does! I drew the map a few days ago effectively as a proposal, to make sure everyone going was happy with the route - however my co-driver really wanted to go further south through Moldova and the Ukraine so the route for the Europe leg got changed.that map you've shown looks like Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia though
10/10 for spotting the deliberate mistake!
Hugo a Gogo said:
mind leaving Moldova to Ukraine takes you through lawless Transdniestr, an unrecognised state
that should be fun, not many of them in the world these days
I drove from UK to Iran and back over 2 months.
Moldover is a joke of a country, I think you will understand when you get to the border.
Remember what I said, a joke of a country. I hope my post comes to your head at the border, if you're not stressting too much.
Also be prepared to be severely depressed and bordering suicidal. This isn't a joke, I came back very emotionally drained and just pure depressed..
Moldover is a joke of a country, I think you will understand when you get to the border.
Remember what I said, a joke of a country. I hope my post comes to your head at the border, if you're not stressting too much.
Also be prepared to be severely depressed and bordering suicidal. This isn't a joke, I came back very emotionally drained and just pure depressed..
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