The V8Nam thread - Rolls Royce and Corvette content...
Discussion
Morale is high here on the V8Nam trip, as we've finally reached the tipping point where cheaper petrol prices have made our V8 steeds cheaper to run per mile than our Diesels back home. Yep, we're in Russia, gas is 60p a litre, the sun's out, and the endless landscapes and (relatively) good tarmac are just begging us to make dramatic progress as only a V8 can do.
We're now 4,000 miles and 11 countries in, and are about a third of the way to Vietnam. Road conditions haven't been too bad up to now, with by far the worst tarmac being found in Ukraine, which turned out to be way more potholed than I'd expected. In comparison, the 300 miles we've covered in Russia so far have been silky smooth, and the reception the cars have received has been amazing, as you can see from this little clip of how the locals welcomed us across the border:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detail...
The cars have been coping unbelievably well with the journey. Given its problems before the trip, the Rolls continues to surprise by just keeping on going, as does the Corvette, despite calling for caution on some of the rougher roads, as it's all too easy to ground out the low-slung front splitter, and the lack of suspension means it actually borders on being physically painful on the rougher roads. But so far, the cars seem more than a match for the task in hand, though of course that could all change depending on how welcoming the roads of Kazakhstan are feeling... and based on mine and other people’s past experiences of driving across Kazakhstan, a change in our fortunes is probably just what will happen. I'll be keeping the blog over at www.80breakdowns.com updated, but given the less reliable internet we'll probably find in Central Asia, the best way to follow our progress is probably by heading over to the live satellite tracking hosted by www.dewerstone.com
Finally, a quick question for those more worldly than me – will I be able to keep this thread updated in China? Or is pistonheads in a similar boat to Facebook?
Thanks folks, your positivity is greatly appreciated! The Africa book turned out too long for photos to be cost effective - in fact even selling the book is barely cost effective, but hey ho! Anyhows, I'll see what I can do next time. In the meantime, here's a not-remotely-posed one from earlier today:
Thanks folks, and my sincere, mature greetings from the town of 'Oral' in northwest Kazakhstan. 
In answer to the questions/comments - we're popping into cities if they're sufficiently interesting. So far we've spent 3 days in Fontainebleau -just south of Paris, 2 days in Vienna, 3 days in Kiev, 2 days in Donetsk, and overnighted & had a quick look round plenty of other cities. This is a little different to my previous big trips, as usually on a trip like this I aim to get out of Western Europe as quickly as possible, to maximise time in the 'interesting bits' further afield. However this time we've got people joining and leaving the trip as we go along, so we've crossed Europe slower than usual as there were folk who've been along for just that section and who naturally wanted to see as much as possible in their 2 weeks off work.
To settle the photo-discussion, I totally agree the book would benefit from photos, and I would have put them in if I could. However the publishing platform I'm using doesn't support adding a colour photo section, and if I'd used a publishing model which does support this, the paper copy of the book would have ended up with an unjustifiably high price-tag. Due to this, the only way I'm going to be able to release a version with photos is by convincing a proper publisher to take it on rather than publishing the book myself, and so far this course of action has hit the 'good book, well written, but we can't see a market for it' brick wall whenever I've tried to sell it. However, if there are any petrolhead publishers out there who'd be interested in taking on 'Survival of the Quickest' or the V8Nam book, I'd love to hear from you!
By the way, pics from the Africa trip are at www.bencoombs.net, so no need to miss out on them...
Right, back to the current trip. We've been in Kazakhstan for just over 2 days now, and have covered about 550 miles. The Corvette is now running on 92 unleaded at 50p a litre with the targa top off and loving it, while the Rolls has suffered its first breakage - a fracture in the exhaust manifold casting on one bank of the V8, which is currently being repaired with some cold weld, a gift from Team Corvette. We're getting pulled over on average every 50 miles, which is annoying, but the police generally just want to check out the cars - which absolutely everyone on our route seems to love. Interestingly however, different countries have different tastes - for most of Europe everyone loved the Rolls to the point that the Corvette felt almost anonymous - I might as well have been driving a beige Ford Escort once folk had seen the Rolls, for all the interest that was shown in it. However in Russia the cars started to get equal attention, and here in Kazakhstan folk seem to prefer the garish 'Vette. Bets are now on as to which of our completely different cars the Chinese will go for...
Roads in Kazakhstan haven't been too bad so far - except for the one we broke the Rolls on before retreating and going another way - and we've now looped up onto the route I took through the country which I followed in a Mini during the Mongol Rally 7 years ago, so I sort of know what's coming, though it still needs to be seen just how much deterioration (or rebuilding) has occurred in those 7 years - especially on the road to the Aral Sea, which was pretty ropey last time. I'll try to get a blog post written later, but in the meantime here's a few pics from the last few days:
In answer to the questions/comments - we're popping into cities if they're sufficiently interesting. So far we've spent 3 days in Fontainebleau -just south of Paris, 2 days in Vienna, 3 days in Kiev, 2 days in Donetsk, and overnighted & had a quick look round plenty of other cities. This is a little different to my previous big trips, as usually on a trip like this I aim to get out of Western Europe as quickly as possible, to maximise time in the 'interesting bits' further afield. However this time we've got people joining and leaving the trip as we go along, so we've crossed Europe slower than usual as there were folk who've been along for just that section and who naturally wanted to see as much as possible in their 2 weeks off work.
To settle the photo-discussion, I totally agree the book would benefit from photos, and I would have put them in if I could. However the publishing platform I'm using doesn't support adding a colour photo section, and if I'd used a publishing model which does support this, the paper copy of the book would have ended up with an unjustifiably high price-tag. Due to this, the only way I'm going to be able to release a version with photos is by convincing a proper publisher to take it on rather than publishing the book myself, and so far this course of action has hit the 'good book, well written, but we can't see a market for it' brick wall whenever I've tried to sell it. However, if there are any petrolhead publishers out there who'd be interested in taking on 'Survival of the Quickest' or the V8Nam book, I'd love to hear from you!
By the way, pics from the Africa trip are at www.bencoombs.net, so no need to miss out on them...
Right, back to the current trip. We've been in Kazakhstan for just over 2 days now, and have covered about 550 miles. The Corvette is now running on 92 unleaded at 50p a litre with the targa top off and loving it, while the Rolls has suffered its first breakage - a fracture in the exhaust manifold casting on one bank of the V8, which is currently being repaired with some cold weld, a gift from Team Corvette. We're getting pulled over on average every 50 miles, which is annoying, but the police generally just want to check out the cars - which absolutely everyone on our route seems to love. Interestingly however, different countries have different tastes - for most of Europe everyone loved the Rolls to the point that the Corvette felt almost anonymous - I might as well have been driving a beige Ford Escort once folk had seen the Rolls, for all the interest that was shown in it. However in Russia the cars started to get equal attention, and here in Kazakhstan folk seem to prefer the garish 'Vette. Bets are now on as to which of our completely different cars the Chinese will go for...
Roads in Kazakhstan haven't been too bad so far - except for the one we broke the Rolls on before retreating and going another way - and we've now looped up onto the route I took through the country which I followed in a Mini during the Mongol Rally 7 years ago, so I sort of know what's coming, though it still needs to be seen just how much deterioration (or rebuilding) has occurred in those 7 years - especially on the road to the Aral Sea, which was pretty ropey last time. I'll try to get a blog post written later, but in the meantime here's a few pics from the last few days:
g3org3y said:
Thanks for the update.
A couple of Qs:
- What do you take in terms of spares for the cars? Do you carry replacement fanbelts etc? I'd have though, water, oil etc is a given.
- In terms of navigation, do you have maps of these areas on a sat nav or is it good old fashioned paper maps?
Hi g3org3y,A couple of Qs:
- What do you take in terms of spares for the cars? Do you carry replacement fanbelts etc? I'd have though, water, oil etc is a given.
- In terms of navigation, do you have maps of these areas on a sat nav or is it good old fashioned paper maps?
We tend to take the bare minimum of spares, as you can't fit everything you might need in, and whatever breaks will probably be the bit you forgot anyway. For the Africa trip I took the usual oil/water/brake fluid, and stripped a scrap '944 for spares, which included such goodies as clutch master & slave cylinders, lots of engine electrics, a half-shaft, 2 spare wheels, auxiliary drivebelts, etc. And as you know, his did us very little good as pretty much everything that broke, we'd forgotten to bring along a spare of in the pre-departure rush.
This trip I've been blase in the extreme, and only taken a handful of spares; things like oil filters which can easily be damaged. However I do have a very comprehensive 'bodge kit' with me, packed with goodies like gaffa tape, cold weld, cable ties, various sealants, general electrical stuff, exhaust repair bits & pieces, etc - which I've built up over the years and is the sort of stuff which gets used most on these trips. I'm currently wishing I brought some spare brake pads along though - I reckoned they'd be fine for the trip when I left the UK, but they're really not!
As for navigation, on this trip we had a tomtom guiding us through Europe, and are now on a combination of paper maps and cached areas of google maps on our phones, which when combined with the phone GPS is fantastic tool for getting through cities. Being able to download areas of Google maps makes these trips about 10 times easier navigation-wise than they used to be, and when you're tired and heading into an unfamiliar city, it's an absolute godsend.
Ben
Usget said:
Cheat. Your challenge, whether or not you choose to accept it, is to find your way out of the next major city using only a compass. Always good fun and it takes you through some "local" areas. This technique is the only reason I'm not still stuck in Belgrade, following the useless signs round in circles...
Yeah, it's most unsporting to using google maps, but I guess I'm getting old. Team Rolls are caching the next 500 miles as we speak, so I think they're fairly set on maintaining the ststus quo...PS- this reminds me of the last time I was in Central Asia, when we were pretty much navigating by compass & guesswork. When we came to drive through Tashkent I couldn't find the compass so attempted to follow the sun. It was nearly midday, and as I drove I randomly started to recognise things by the side of the road - turned out I'd done a full 360 degree lap of the ring road while thinking I was travelling south west - damn midday sun with it's confusing shadows! Felt a little stupid after that...
PPS- to those following the tracking, don't bother this evening - I'm taking it easy and relishing the almost-forgotten sensation of not being behind the wheel... normal service will resume tomorrow.
The latest from your man in Asia:
http://80breakdowns.com/2013/05/05/the-steppe/
Heading to the Chinese border today, hoping to be across by Tuesday - but right now that's all rather dependent on whether my bank transfers the customs deposit for the cars in time. Here's a few pics from Kazakhstan; the transformation in the country's infastructure since our last trip across the Central Asia in 2006 is rather astounding... as is that fact that if you hit them with a hammer & chisel enough times, Toyota Camry rear brake pads can be made to fit a Corvette.
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|http://thumbsnap.com/jQu3caRH[/url]
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http://80breakdowns.com/2013/05/05/the-steppe/
Heading to the Chinese border today, hoping to be across by Tuesday - but right now that's all rather dependent on whether my bank transfers the customs deposit for the cars in time. Here's a few pics from Kazakhstan; the transformation in the country's infastructure since our last trip across the Central Asia in 2006 is rather astounding... as is that fact that if you hit them with a hammer & chisel enough times, Toyota Camry rear brake pads can be made to fit a Corvette.
url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/jQu3caRH[/url][Usget said:
Please don't tell me you went through a place called Oral and failed to take an amusing photo next to the sign?
Also - big fan of Almaty when I went there. Nothing particularly special about the place, but it had a nice feel to it. They also sold kebabs with chips rolled up in them - food of the Gods.
No particularly amusing photos I'm afraid - our relative maturity wouldn't allow it as we'd rather overdone the whole amusing photos thing earlier in the trip at 'W@nk', in Germany. We did find a rather pleasant resturant in town though...Also - big fan of Almaty when I went there. Nothing particularly special about the place, but it had a nice feel to it. They also sold kebabs with chips rolled up in them - food of the Gods.
Thanks for the replies folks, we got through the border into China yesterday; however the Cars are still stuck there and customs are on holiday today, so we're currently sitting around hoping we can get them through tomorrow. Once the cars leave the border, we've got to head to a town 50 miles away to have them checked over and get Chinese numberplates & driving licences, then we'll be free to hit the road again - hopefully.
By law we have to have a Chinese guide with us for this leg of the journey, which is just as well as so far the border procedures have been pretty damn unfathomable!
7,000 miles down, about another 5,000 to go. We're getting there...
kwak said:
Just finished reading the book on your Africa trip. A very nice read, and I look forward to the one on this trip if you will write it.
btw, I'm holding you responsible for me starting to do these kinds of things, I seemed to be normal before reading your website, now I've done the rickshaw run, and want to do many more.
I apologise profusely for helping to coax you from your normal existence - though as everyone I've ever met whose done the Rickshaw Run rates it as such a cool experience, I guess no apology is necessary btw, I'm holding you responsible for me starting to do these kinds of things, I seemed to be normal before reading your website, now I've done the rickshaw run, and want to do many more.
Back on V8Nam, it took 4 days and a fair bit of stress, but the cars - and their drivers - are now legally on the road in China. We're currently about 600 miles into this vast country, hotelling it up in a place called Turpan, in Xinjiang, and have just met our first fellow overlanders; a group of Swiss guys on a lap of Asia. Their choice of vehicles is a little different to ours, and if truth be told I'm rather jealous of their specc'd up Land Rover Defenders, even though it sounds like they've been much less reliable than our irreverent steeds, having already thrown up a variety of head gasket and turbo problems.
Speaking of reliability, both cars are soldiering on well. We've given up trying to fix the crack in the Rolls' exhaust manifold but it doesn't seem to mind one bit, while the Corvette has become a fan of loosing its speedo and running rough while displaying a check engine light for a while each morning, but still plods on. I've not properly investigated this yet but I'm guessing some dampness getting into the electrics in the distributor area is to blame, or maybe a loose connection - hopefully nothing too serious... we'll see!
Right, sleep time
There's more than one way to skin a cat. Here's a pic of the 'Vette parked next to the Swiss Landies we ran into yesterday - the roof of the Corvette didn't even come up to the bottom of the 4x4s windows.
I'll get another blog post written shortly... not sure where I'll post it though, as I don't seem able to get onto wordpress in China.
I'll get another blog post written shortly... not sure where I'll post it though, as I don't seem able to get onto wordpress in China.
Greetings from Laos! The story so far:
After about 3 weeks in country, we left China yesterday, and the 3,500 miles we drove in said country has been the clear highlight of the trip so far. As I wasn't able to get on my wordpress blog while behind the great firewall of China, the blog post describing our first ten days in country has gone up on the Dewerstone website here:
http://dewerstone.com/blogs/news/7969061-country-u...
I'll get a definitive blog update on our time in China done soon; in the meantime here's some holiday snaps, some car related details, and some questions:
The High poit for V8Nam - our obligitory Chinese guide poses by the 'Vette at a bit under 4,000m above sea level.
The Corvette near the source of the yellow river in the mountains of Gansu province...
A trainee buddhist monk gets his first taste of decadent V8s at the Labrang Tibetan monastery.
It just keeps soldiering on, looking like a boss...
Every time we stopped in China, we were the centre of attention, with a pretty hefty crowd appearing around the cars. There's something decidedly strange about rocking up to a tourist attraction and people showing more interest in your car than the attraction itself...
Electrical issues temporarily stop the 'Vette in Yunnan provence, southern China. The cars have been amazingly reliable so far, with the Rolls plodding across China with only one major issue - a stuck float in a carburetor resulting in fuel being pumped through an overflow pipe and onto the tarmac at a rate of knots which asn't very wallet friendly. This was solved by briefly running the engine with the oil pressure sensor earthed, which made the engine think there was no oil pressure, and resulted in the fuel pump shutting off. This drained the fuel levels in the Carburetors enough to allow the stuck float to drop (after a few blows with a hammer) and hence resume normal service. In comparison, the Corvette has been soldiering on okay, but its electrical system seems to be slowly dying, with various systems going AWOL over the last few weeks, including the trip computer, the HVAC system, and sometimes the speedo. Additionally, the cooling system (which has been bodged and hence isn't at full efficiency) isn't coping too well with crawling uphill at slow speeds in tropical heat, and so we've been having to stop fairly regularly on the slower, hillier bits of the route; however the iron heads and block seems very solid despite the heat, so it's not too much of a problem.
Right, now for the questions, all aimed at the expats of Pistonheads: Firstly, if you hypothetically found yourself in SE Asia with a couple of UK-registered prestige cars which you wanted to sell, what country would be the best bet, tax and ease wise? And what sort of money would a slightly tatty Rolls or 'Vette make in this part of the world?
Secondly, as a TVR owner I quite fancy popping into the factory in Malaysia where the Chimaera lived on for a while after UK production ended. Has anyone done this/does anyone know how viable this would be?
And finally, We're currently in Luang Predang, Laos, and over the next few weeks are planning to head to Bangkok via Cambodia and Saigon - if any PHers in the area would care to meet for a beer, let us know...
After about 3 weeks in country, we left China yesterday, and the 3,500 miles we drove in said country has been the clear highlight of the trip so far. As I wasn't able to get on my wordpress blog while behind the great firewall of China, the blog post describing our first ten days in country has gone up on the Dewerstone website here:
http://dewerstone.com/blogs/news/7969061-country-u...
I'll get a definitive blog update on our time in China done soon; in the meantime here's some holiday snaps, some car related details, and some questions:
The High poit for V8Nam - our obligitory Chinese guide poses by the 'Vette at a bit under 4,000m above sea level.
The Corvette near the source of the yellow river in the mountains of Gansu province...
A trainee buddhist monk gets his first taste of decadent V8s at the Labrang Tibetan monastery.
It just keeps soldiering on, looking like a boss...
Every time we stopped in China, we were the centre of attention, with a pretty hefty crowd appearing around the cars. There's something decidedly strange about rocking up to a tourist attraction and people showing more interest in your car than the attraction itself...
Electrical issues temporarily stop the 'Vette in Yunnan provence, southern China. The cars have been amazingly reliable so far, with the Rolls plodding across China with only one major issue - a stuck float in a carburetor resulting in fuel being pumped through an overflow pipe and onto the tarmac at a rate of knots which asn't very wallet friendly. This was solved by briefly running the engine with the oil pressure sensor earthed, which made the engine think there was no oil pressure, and resulted in the fuel pump shutting off. This drained the fuel levels in the Carburetors enough to allow the stuck float to drop (after a few blows with a hammer) and hence resume normal service. In comparison, the Corvette has been soldiering on okay, but its electrical system seems to be slowly dying, with various systems going AWOL over the last few weeks, including the trip computer, the HVAC system, and sometimes the speedo. Additionally, the cooling system (which has been bodged and hence isn't at full efficiency) isn't coping too well with crawling uphill at slow speeds in tropical heat, and so we've been having to stop fairly regularly on the slower, hillier bits of the route; however the iron heads and block seems very solid despite the heat, so it's not too much of a problem.
Right, now for the questions, all aimed at the expats of Pistonheads: Firstly, if you hypothetically found yourself in SE Asia with a couple of UK-registered prestige cars which you wanted to sell, what country would be the best bet, tax and ease wise? And what sort of money would a slightly tatty Rolls or 'Vette make in this part of the world?
Secondly, as a TVR owner I quite fancy popping into the factory in Malaysia where the Chimaera lived on for a while after UK production ended. Has anyone done this/does anyone know how viable this would be?
And finally, We're currently in Luang Predang, Laos, and over the next few weeks are planning to head to Bangkok via Cambodia and Saigon - if any PHers in the area would care to meet for a beer, let us know...
Edited by fivetenben on Sunday 26th May 17:34
franv8 said:
Super thread and thanks for putting it up and the updates!
Anorak mode on - from late '86 on the L98 Corvettes all had aluminium heads. Anorak mode off!
If the electrical fault lighting the check engine light needs a bit more diagnosis - you can get the trouble codes out with just a paperclip - it'll flash the codes back at you using the check engine light Sorry - i does it through the dash display http://tech.corvettecentral.com/2011/01/c4-diagnos... .
Sounds like you're still moving though so good luck for the remainder of the trip!
PS - Clearly I lied about the bit of turning anorak mode off. Did I also tell you you've got later LT1 back boxes on your car...
Cheers folks. Bare in mind that in about 15 years, that cute whippersnapper monk will look something like this:Anorak mode on - from late '86 on the L98 Corvettes all had aluminium heads. Anorak mode off!
If the electrical fault lighting the check engine light needs a bit more diagnosis - you can get the trouble codes out with just a paperclip -
Sounds like you're still moving though so good luck for the remainder of the trip!
PS - Clearly I lied about the bit of turning anorak mode off. Did I also tell you you've got later LT1 back boxes on your car...
Not that his coolness is reduced at all by this fact!
Okay, anorak mode engaged - according to receipts, the 'Vette's engine was rebuilt by Real Steel a few years ago, and the rebuild included a sporty cam, performance manifolds, new valves... and performance iron heads. So if the 'Vette was standard it would have ali heads, but fortunately given the temperatures it's burbling through in SE Asia, the heads are made of a less warpable material. I think. Right, best disengage anorak mode, as my limited 'Vette knowledge isn't able to sustain it any further...
In answer to the other questions, we'll be leaving Nuang Pradang in a couple of days time to head south to Valeitine; don't think we'll be tubing as the vague plan is to get the awesomely twisty drive to the capital done in one day. And it is indeed a shame that Neilski is able to pedal so efficiently, as we won't be hitting Malaysia for another month or so, and I'm guessing he'll be long gone by then - a shame as I'm still in awe of the fact he's cycled to where we've driven 11,000 miles to - the guy deserves a medal for that alone.
As for the warning lights, no speedo + limp mode + check engine is a familiar symptom from the past month or so, albeit one which seems to have resolved itself recently, and hence I'm tying to ignore. I'm hoping the fact the trip computer and HVAC died at the same time is a dodgy earth, and am planning to look into this soon - though being lazy I like to keep my workload to a minimum on these trips, and provided the car keeps moving forward I tend to be rather lacking in pro-activity when it comes to sorting things. Speaking of which, here's a photo of the 'Vette's rear tyres. I've no idea how they got worn so quickly (honest officer ;-) ), but I probably should sort this out soon...
neilski said:
My Thai visa is good for about another 5 weeks and as I plan to visit some of the islands it's not inconceivable that we could meet in southern Thailand or Malaysia. I'll keep track of you on here and if you want to see where I am then my blog is www.facebook.com/IWereRightAboutThatSaddleThough
Message me if you get within meeting up distance.
Cool, I should be down that way in a month or so as once we've ticked 'V8Nam' by popping into Saigon, we'll be carrying on to Singapore, so I'll give you a shout nearer the time.Message me if you get within meeting up distance.
matt3001 said:
Ben how does this rate with Africa in terms of 'I can't believe we have done that'?
I'm a bit trepidacious about replying to this as we're still about 800 miles from Saigon, but assuming it all goes smoothly, the achievement of completing V8Nam isn't even in the same ballpark as that of completing the African Porsche trip, as in terms of the road conditions, car issues and personal issues, it's been about 20 times easier - if you've read the book & followed the updates you'll know exactly where I'm coming from with that statement! Having said that, it's still been a fantastic experience - and much more of a holiday than Africa - and we're all very happy we bit the bullet and went through with the trip. That satisfaction owes a lot to our experiences in crossing China - the definite highlight of the trip - which I've finally put together a full blog post on here: http://80breakdowns.com/2013/06/01/china/There have been quite a few developments on the trip since we left China. Firstly - she's back!:
If you're read Survival of the Quickest you'll know Laura. In the 4 years since the African Porsche Expedition she's became a fully fledged doctor in the South West, but has escaped work to fly out and join V8Nam for a few weeks, and is co-driving the 'Vette as if the Africa trip never ended.
The other big trip development happened in Laos a few days ago; the jist of it is, we're now down to one vehicle.
For the whole trip, Brummy's intention had been to sell the Rolls Royce in South East Asia, and during our time in China he'd already decided to stick a for sale sign in it the moment we crossed the Laos border. However, he never expected this action would generate quite so much interest while we were in Luang Prabang - so much interest in fact, that having driven the Rolls to SE Asia, he's now sold it to a hotelier for use as an airport taxi, and is carrying on towards Vietnam as a backpacker. Farewell, Rolls Royce:
So we're now down to one vehicle, which is a bit of a change, but still cool - especially when we hit the road south from L.P. towards Veng Viang, as it turned out to be the best driving road of the trip so far; and that's not just because we weren't stuck behind a Rolls for once! The pic below says it all:
Over 100 miles of twistiness, without a straight of more than a few hundred meters to allow us to relax, helped to make Laos the highlight of the trip so far from a driving point of view. Slow moving buses and locals were dispatched with relish, while locals on motorbikes were flown past with something approaching disdain. In fact I hate to admit it, but I had so much fun hooning the Corvette along this amazing stretch of tarmac, that I ruptured a tyre: :-s
We're now in Thailand, and Saigon is about 800 miles away. The Corvette has new tyres and new oil, Brummy has his backpacker transport arranged, and Cambodia beckons. Without wanting to tempt fate, getting a V8 to Vietnam in about a week's time feels rather in the bag, and we're crossing our fingers that such feelings aren't premature...
Edited by fivetenben on Saturday 1st June 18:57
Usget said:
Nice sign, who needs the good food anyway?
Would you have swapped either of the cars with the Porsche?
Edit: I know that would introduce a fatal flaw to the "V8" part of V8Nam, just asking hypothetically.
I would have loved to do V8Nam in a Porsche 928 - a car very much on my 'to own' list - but it would have made the trip too similar in character to the Africa trip, so it was definitely time for a different marque; variety being the spice of life and all that. Saying that, I would have quite happily swapped the sluggish Rolls for a Porsche, as it would have meant we'd be in Vietnam by now, and I wouldn't have felt like I'd been stuck behind a slow-moving truck for much of the last 10,000 miles. I'm not sure Brummy would have felt the same way though Would you have swapped either of the cars with the Porsche?
Edit: I know that would introduce a fatal flaw to the "V8" part of V8Nam, just asking hypothetically.
We're all in Seim Reap, Cambodia now, and Saigon is about 300 miles away. We've had a bit of a Top Gear race to get here, with Brummy on public transport (2 planes, 2 buses & a squadron of tuk tuks) and Laura and I in the Corvette. And the result after our 700 mile mission from Laos? Public transport wins by half an hour, while the Corvette and its loser occupants come in last, despite really getting the hammer down across Cambodia, trying to make up time lost in a breakdown at the Thai/Cambodia border.
So anyway, hats off to Clarkson. I've now got a new-found respect for the way he's managed to win every 'car vs other' race they've done by a hairs breadth, when such races are actually much tougher to win than it appears on TV...
Right, back on V8Nam, the current situation is we're about 12,000 miles down, with less than 300 to go to the Vietnamese border. All going well, the plan is to head to Saigon on Thursday, and finally get 'V8Nam' ticked about 7 years after the idea was first mooted in the pub - and then have am almighty party. Hopefully there won't be a sting in the tale like there was in Africa, but either way, we'll know soon enough.
PS- I've just checked Amazon for the first time since I started the trip, and I see that Survival of the Quickest has gained a few positive reviews from folks who I have reason to believe may also post on here - thanks guys, much appreciated!
Hi folks, time for another update me thinks - this time from Vietnam!
Firstly, in answer to the questions above, there's no hardcover copy of Survival of the Quickest available, it's only in softback and kindle I'm afraid. And once again I apologise profusely for the lac of pictures
As for the Rolls' final buyer, I don't actually know the guy's name as I was offy doing touristy things on the day it got sold, but it was an English guy who owns a hotel in Luang Prabang, and hopefully it'll be on the airport run shortly.
Right, so we're currently in Vietnam, but the Corvette isn't - yet. The jist of our trip across SE Asia to Saigon is here: http://80breakdowns.com/2013/06/17/the-road-to-sai...
And here's some prtty pics of the fine American beast exploring the temples of Angkor:
...and if you think the fact we're finally in Vietnam means the automotive adventures have come to an end, think again. In a slightly drunken transaction in Hanoi a few days ago, Brummy and I became the owners of a couple of 'motorbikes' - namely a 100cc Honda Win and a 110cc Honda Wave. We're currently pottering back to Saigon on these fine steeds, and despite the fact that a few days ago neither of us had ever ridden a motorbike, we've made it 400 miles down the road and are currently in the town of Hue, just south of the DMZ.
...and yes, I'm so missing my V8 right now!
Firstly, in answer to the questions above, there's no hardcover copy of Survival of the Quickest available, it's only in softback and kindle I'm afraid. And once again I apologise profusely for the lac of pictures
As for the Rolls' final buyer, I don't actually know the guy's name as I was offy doing touristy things on the day it got sold, but it was an English guy who owns a hotel in Luang Prabang, and hopefully it'll be on the airport run shortly.
Right, so we're currently in Vietnam, but the Corvette isn't - yet. The jist of our trip across SE Asia to Saigon is here: http://80breakdowns.com/2013/06/17/the-road-to-sai...
And here's some prtty pics of the fine American beast exploring the temples of Angkor:
...and if you think the fact we're finally in Vietnam means the automotive adventures have come to an end, think again. In a slightly drunken transaction in Hanoi a few days ago, Brummy and I became the owners of a couple of 'motorbikes' - namely a 100cc Honda Win and a 110cc Honda Wave. We're currently pottering back to Saigon on these fine steeds, and despite the fact that a few days ago neither of us had ever ridden a motorbike, we've made it 400 miles down the road and are currently in the town of Hue, just south of the DMZ.
...and yes, I'm so missing my V8 right now!
Cheers folks!
Quick update which may be of interest to some on here - After driving to Vietnam in a couple of over-engined beasts, Brummy and I decided to go from the sublime to the ridiculous by buying a couple of motorbikes and riding from Hanoi to Saigon, in our very own 'Vietnam Special'. So for the past 2 weeks and 1,200 miles, I've been puttering across 'Nam on a 100cc Honda Win, and breaking down every 100 miles or so. Ive just updated the trip blog to reflect this: http://80breakdowns.com/2013/06/28/the-vietnam-spe...
Back in V8-world, I'm currently stuck in Saigon trying to sell my bike; once this is sorted I'll be heading back to the Corvette in Cambodia, then probably trying to sell it too... after that, who knows?!
Quick update which may be of interest to some on here - After driving to Vietnam in a couple of over-engined beasts, Brummy and I decided to go from the sublime to the ridiculous by buying a couple of motorbikes and riding from Hanoi to Saigon, in our very own 'Vietnam Special'. So for the past 2 weeks and 1,200 miles, I've been puttering across 'Nam on a 100cc Honda Win, and breaking down every 100 miles or so. Ive just updated the trip blog to reflect this: http://80breakdowns.com/2013/06/28/the-vietnam-spe...
Back in V8-world, I'm currently stuck in Saigon trying to sell my bike; once this is sorted I'll be heading back to the Corvette in Cambodia, then probably trying to sell it too... after that, who knows?!
Mark_Karting said:
Stumbled across this while planning my first proper road trip and seeing the story on the front page. Read whole thread and bought the Kindle copy of the Africa book.
V8Nam looks insane, kind of makes our Home (Near Glasgow) to Prague in 24h seem small. It will be more of a sprint, brought about by a drunken bet with a mate who's going to fly there. Although Vietnam in an 85bhp hatchback, running pretty low and with no experience of driving outside the UK could be tricky. Will be following your blog and reading the book.
However for now planning, the first port of call was best place for a pint in Prague. Suggestions, closer to Prague 1 the better
Hi Mark,V8Nam looks insane, kind of makes our Home (Near Glasgow) to Prague in 24h seem small. It will be more of a sprint, brought about by a drunken bet with a mate who's going to fly there. Although Vietnam in an 85bhp hatchback, running pretty low and with no experience of driving outside the UK could be tricky. Will be following your blog and reading the book.
However for now planning, the first port of call was best place for a pint in Prague. Suggestions, closer to Prague 1 the better
Sprint to Prague sounds like fun, I'm sure you'll have a great time! As for driving to Vietnam, I agree as a first trip abroad it's possibly not the best plan (due to the committing expense and faff of crossing China), but there is another option - Mongolia. You've probably heard of the Mongol Rally, a yearly event where folk drive cars similar to yours from UK-Mongolia in about 4 weeks? It's an amazing experience, all for charity, and if the idea of something like V8Nam appeals then I'd say give it a go. I did it in '06 and it was certainly my first proper experience of driving long distances abroad, and kinda inspired the other trips I've done, so take a look if you fancy something big in a year or two. (My experience of the rally is described in the preface of the Africa book, by the way, so you may already know all about it...)
kamilb1998 said:
Crosswise said:
Been there done that!
I actually stopped on that corner to allow my engine to cool before pushing on to the top! I found it quite amusing the number of people in hostels in SE Asia with injuries from riding bikes in Vietnam, it was worth the risk though.
How did you manage to get your car into Ankor? They won't let foreigners in on anything other than a bicycle.
What a great picture! I have an 11 week holiday next year at the end of school and Vietnam is on my possible list of places to go - still in the planning stages though.
I actually stopped on that corner to allow my engine to cool before pushing on to the top! I found it quite amusing the number of people in hostels in SE Asia with injuries from riding bikes in Vietnam, it was worth the risk though.
How did you manage to get your car into Ankor? They won't let foreigners in on anything other than a bicycle.
Crosswise - you won't be surprised to hear that the guy I bought my bike off had a big burn on his leg from the exhaust - one of the standard 'western biker scars' which seem to occur in Vietnam! We also met a few other walking wounded too, but fortunately my friend and I got away without injury on our trip, and have now safely retired from biking.
I got the car into the temples at Angkor by sneaking in before sunrise, at about 5am. The photos were taken at about 7am, and once the car was in, nobody was willing to tell me off and send me back to Siem Reap, as everyone assumed I had permission to be there, even despite the fact that there were 3 of us wedged in the 'Vette. Cheeky, but it worked...
Impressed you found a Minsk by the way; our search for one failed, hence I ended up with a default Honda Win, while my friend had a Honda Wave. I would upload a pretty pic of the bikes, but I'm currently in Burma, where bandwidth says no; there's a few pics on the blog link above though^^^
Oh, and G3org3y - yep, predictably Survival of the Quickest does have a sequel in the pipeline; however it's going to be about as different a piece of writing as you could imagine... and as for whether it'll have a picture section, well, watch this space!
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