The £7700 Corvette C6
Discussion
Mr Tidy said:
It looks like you had a fantastic trip!
I went to the Daytona 500 in 1992 and after the race got to walk onto the track - I was amazed how steep the top of the banking was.
The atmosphere must have been special, Nascar was huge in the '90s. I went to the Daytona 500 in 1992 and after the race got to walk onto the track - I was amazed how steep the top of the banking was.
One driver at this weekend ran from the pits, across the grass and up the banking, about 30 mins before the start of the 24 Hours. He was immediately in trouble with the officials!
Robdutton91 said:
Amazing thread, just read through all 23 pages over the last couple of days. Fantastic story and so happy to see you’re still enjoying the car in spite of the mileage that so many others would turn their noses up at.
I bought my current car with 145,000 miles on it sight unseen, wasn’t quite as far away as yours but the car was in Orkney and I’m in the North of England, so reading your thread brought back some familiar feelings, but mine was an 8 hour drive as opposed to a transatlantic flight!
I’m glad there are people out there like me who don’t just write performance cars off as potential purchases due to high miles. People who put cars like this on a pedestal and don’t use them for fear of diminishing their value are not my type of people.
My car is also LS engined, so your thread fills me with hope for many many miles of low fuss motoring to come! Especially given that you’re on track so often too and all the wear and tear that comes with that use/abuse. Fantastic stuff.
Thank you so much, I'm pleased you enjoyed the read. High mileage cars have served me well over the years, allowing me to own models I could never have afforded had they been low mileage minters. Your own journey sounds good, what do you own? Any rust, as the car came from Orkney?I bought my current car with 145,000 miles on it sight unseen, wasn’t quite as far away as yours but the car was in Orkney and I’m in the North of England, so reading your thread brought back some familiar feelings, but mine was an 8 hour drive as opposed to a transatlantic flight!
I’m glad there are people out there like me who don’t just write performance cars off as potential purchases due to high miles. People who put cars like this on a pedestal and don’t use them for fear of diminishing their value are not my type of people.
My car is also LS engined, so your thread fills me with hope for many many miles of low fuss motoring to come! Especially given that you’re on track so often too and all the wear and tear that comes with that use/abuse. Fantastic stuff.
Robdutton91 said:
I bought a Phantom Black 2008 VXR8 manual from there. It hadn’t spent much time on the island thankfully and wasn’t daily driven over there, it was garages and well protected underneath. Not as clean as your corvette but as far as 15 year old UK cars go it’s looking pretty solid. Far from perfect but that just makes me feel a lot more comfortable with dailying it, not worrying as much where I park or whether it sees rain etc.
I’d like to track it occasionally but I have a lot of prep to do before that time comes.
Very nice, I do like a VXR8, especially a manual, it was a car I looked at when initially selecting a V8. The 4 seats would certainly make more sense now (I didn't have a son at the time). What prep is needed, just normal maintenance items, or would you want to upgrade parts first? I’d like to track it occasionally but I have a lot of prep to do before that time comes.
The next big Corvette adventure begins on Friday, anyone have a guess where Clive is off to?
Final checks took place yesterday, with a new battery fitted and the fuel system evap. valve replaced.
The battery is a cheap, £40 AGM battery from Tayna for a Golf Cart/Mobility scooter! In theory it shouldn't be able to start such a large engine and yet it performs well. The only downside is that it needs charging/driving every couple of days, else the parasitic drain drops the voltage sub 12v. I've let that happen once too often this year and it was starting to get lazy at turning over. It's a huge weight saving over the standard battery, although not as light as a Lithium of course. The answer is going to be to fit a battery isolator at some stage.
Over the last couple of months I've had a random engine light for the fuel system evaporation valve. I picked one up last month in the States, along with the sub-loom that ensures the connector is right (pre-08 cars like mine have a different plug). Access isn't bad, tucked between chassis and gearbox, towards the rear of the car.
No engine light on the drive to work today, hoorah.
Later this week I'll load up some tools, fluids and spares, then off I go.
Final checks took place yesterday, with a new battery fitted and the fuel system evap. valve replaced.
The battery is a cheap, £40 AGM battery from Tayna for a Golf Cart/Mobility scooter! In theory it shouldn't be able to start such a large engine and yet it performs well. The only downside is that it needs charging/driving every couple of days, else the parasitic drain drops the voltage sub 12v. I've let that happen once too often this year and it was starting to get lazy at turning over. It's a huge weight saving over the standard battery, although not as light as a Lithium of course. The answer is going to be to fit a battery isolator at some stage.
Over the last couple of months I've had a random engine light for the fuel system evaporation valve. I picked one up last month in the States, along with the sub-loom that ensures the connector is right (pre-08 cars like mine have a different plug). Access isn't bad, tucked between chassis and gearbox, towards the rear of the car.
No engine light on the drive to work today, hoorah.
Later this week I'll load up some tools, fluids and spares, then off I go.
Nice guess, but no, not this time.Superb, thanks for posting, lovely colour C6 too. We did indeed visit the NCM as part of our road trip/collection, I think it's much further down page 1 of this thread? Good job for tackling the HB yourself, it's a pain having to shift the steering rack out the way. The Z51 suspension is a good compromise, still comfortable enough, but the car is far more controlled through the bends and under braking. Did you change the dampers too?
I know what you mean, it's hard to think of what to change the car for, unless paying a lot more.
I know what you mean, it's hard to think of what to change the car for, unless paying a lot more.
F1natic said:
Do we have to pay money to find out?
No money needed. 
Leg no.1 is now complete, after a 3 day journey we're down in south-west Spain (myself, Mrs Fishy and little Austin). I borrowed a trailer from a friend (thanks to WOSPerformance) and towed with the T5, so the three of us could travel together. I now have a couple of days working on the laptop, before saying bye to my family, whilst myself, Clive and another PHer continue the journey later in the week.....
A bit nippy when we left, I see from the news things got worse!
We've never known the Bay Of Biscay so calm, this was as rough as it got.
We got pulled over by Spanish customs, but after a delay they checked the Corvette V5 with my passport and was waived on.
Northern Spain was barely above freezing, with snow in the mountains around Madrid.
About 5 hours in to the drive it was time for another stop. That field entrance looks ideal for a brew, fairly flat, dry and no house/farm for miles. Only it wasn't dry, it had the stickiest clay known to man, the whole lot was stuck. An hour and a half later and with Clive unloaded, we were out, with darkness descending and everything covered in mud. Nightmare, but we were back on the road for a short while before camping in the T5.
The temperature really warmed up as we headed south the next day, the A/C was needed!
Despite my best preparation, the radiator sprung a leak which I only noticed whilst loading on the trailer, in the UK. This is the stain left on the trailer, I will have to hope it doesn't get worse. I've ordered a new rad and an uprated rad support to replace the one that has been cracked since I owned the car. No chance of it arriving for at least another week or two, so will have to hope for the best and carry plenty of water.
Beth and I are very lucky to have a little boy so willing to travel, he barely complained for three days. He's rather taken to the present his Nana and Grandad bought him.
The next instalment will follow in a couple of days, when the photos will reveal my destination, assuming the rad doesn't give up!
Clive is off on another adventure, this time with co-driver and fellow Corvette owner and PHer, Felix. Last night I headed to Malaga, where Felix flew into. This morning we arrived at Algeciras and crossed the Med, first to Ceuta, then into Morocco, North Africa.
Clive is heading south to the Sahara Desert in the next couple of days, in search of sunshine and Camels.
The poor car is slightly wounded, after a badly judged exit off the ferry ramp (my fault). The exhausts and clamps are now a bit wonky, the exhaust is blowing quite badly and the tracking is out too. Still, on the upside the leaking radiator hasn't got any worse.
There were probably ten passengers and vehicles on the high speed ferry, our first time looking across at Gibraltar, weather has been a bit iffy all day and nearly threatened the crossing happening at all.
We had to unload everything from the boot at customs, when we first arrived, oh and we got pulled over once at a police check point, but all done with smiles and no issues at all. We arranged local car insurance and now have recovery too.
Shell V Power is almost half the price here.
Still a good few Merc taxi's here.
Pot holes and speed humps are regular features, keeping us on our toes, as well as a few kamikaze pedestrians/dogs/drivers.
The Moroccan's seem to love the Corvette, we've had so many waves, smiles and hand signals that want us to rev the engine.
Today was mostly a transition day, it should get more interesting the next couple of days.
Clive is heading south to the Sahara Desert in the next couple of days, in search of sunshine and Camels.
The poor car is slightly wounded, after a badly judged exit off the ferry ramp (my fault). The exhausts and clamps are now a bit wonky, the exhaust is blowing quite badly and the tracking is out too. Still, on the upside the leaking radiator hasn't got any worse.
There were probably ten passengers and vehicles on the high speed ferry, our first time looking across at Gibraltar, weather has been a bit iffy all day and nearly threatened the crossing happening at all.
We had to unload everything from the boot at customs, when we first arrived, oh and we got pulled over once at a police check point, but all done with smiles and no issues at all. We arranged local car insurance and now have recovery too.
Shell V Power is almost half the price here.
Still a good few Merc taxi's here.
Pot holes and speed humps are regular features, keeping us on our toes, as well as a few kamikaze pedestrians/dogs/drivers.
The Moroccan's seem to love the Corvette, we've had so many waves, smiles and hand signals that want us to rev the engine.
Today was mostly a transition day, it should get more interesting the next couple of days.
Edited by Fishy Dave on Thursday 15th December 20:00
A very good day, aside from me reversing into a tree. Not even a small tree, although in my defense we have a fair bit piled in the boot, restricting visibilty. Some spider cracks in the paint.
Anyway, the day started by visiting the roman city ruins at Volubilis. It was a real privilege to be here, with only about 20 other tourists present, the sun even shone for a while.
Next, we headed to the Swiss style town of Ifran, it was clean and rather European in feel and the other cars that were here. Fanastic Pizza too. They ski here and the multiple snow gates and low temperatures were proof of the altitude we'd reached.
Some nice, smooth driving roads followed, with a variety of towns passed through, some tidy, others were struggling. We reached our overnight hotel in Midelt as darkness fell.
We have another 6 hours of driving south tomorrow (with stops) and we'll be on the edge of the Sahara.
The hotel is, traditional, with excellent service, but wifi so slow this post has taken me more than two hours. A security guard is looking after the car and it's on a big cctv screen too.
The people continue to be friendly and seem to love the car. The wild dogs slightly less so at times. ?? Felix hasn't been bitten yet though, when making a dash out the car for a photo. We've not seen any super unleaded all day, so it will be regular and an octane booster tomorrow.
Anyway, the day started by visiting the roman city ruins at Volubilis. It was a real privilege to be here, with only about 20 other tourists present, the sun even shone for a while.
Next, we headed to the Swiss style town of Ifran, it was clean and rather European in feel and the other cars that were here. Fanastic Pizza too. They ski here and the multiple snow gates and low temperatures were proof of the altitude we'd reached.
Some nice, smooth driving roads followed, with a variety of towns passed through, some tidy, others were struggling. We reached our overnight hotel in Midelt as darkness fell.
We have another 6 hours of driving south tomorrow (with stops) and we'll be on the edge of the Sahara.
The hotel is, traditional, with excellent service, but wifi so slow this post has taken me more than two hours. A security guard is looking after the car and it's on a big cctv screen too.
The people continue to be friendly and seem to love the car. The wild dogs slightly less so at times. ?? Felix hasn't been bitten yet though, when making a dash out the car for a photo. We've not seen any super unleaded all day, so it will be regular and an octane booster tomorrow.
Wifi in the Sahara isn't the best, it's amazing there is any, so I'll add the rest of the photos tomorrow.
Day three and its been another eventful and forever memorable experience. Let's get my daily mistake out the way first, I got stuck in the sand. Felix suggested a drive by video, I drove out of sight, half attempted a spin round in the narrow road, but was too gentle on the throttle. 3/4 of the way round found my front wheels stuck and rears just on the edge. The gentlest of throttle just saw me slide further in, due to the slope.
Felix jogged back up the road, laughed and we flagged down a passing Spanish family in a VW T4. We have a tow strap with us, but the angle I was pulled out damaged the lower rear bumper. Oh and my nice fleece I used under my rear tyre looks like a cats been at it. I was so cross with myself, I've carried out countless 180 half spins over the years and know better than this.
I partly blame the can of 'Mr Basil', that contained 10 E numbers, is made in Vietnam, has a warning 'May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children' and seemed to contain Frogspawn.
Anyway, that's three mess ups so far this trip. Lets look at todays positives.
After a tasty breakfast, the day started proper by glancing at the hotel cctv screen. Either the radiator had sprung a major leak or someone had cleaned the car. It was the latter, the kind security guard had taken a liking to the car, sadly it was a bit of a rush job, with a rag and maybe half a bucket of water? I'd intended to leave the car dirty, oh well. It was a nice gesture, so I couldn't be cross, but the car looked even worse than before! A small top up and the expansion tank was at the right level again, the rad leak is slight and not getting worse.
After filling the car with fuel and avoiding buying anything from the slightly pushy fossil salesman, we once again headed south. We stopped for photos along the way, then found an unfinished fuel station, with a working jet wash. Jet was about right, it was crazy the force of water from this thing, Felix managed to half remove a sticker from the car at fairly long range!
Clean car, happier David, we drove through fantastic views, past oasis and the Gorge du Ziz. We could see the sand dunes for many miles before reaching Merzouga. The weather got warmer, windows down, enjoying the exhaust and low to mid 20C.
We'd made good time, when I got stuck in the sand. Despite this, once dragged out we were still early for our Sahara experience, phew. Souther Morocco is not actually 'that' far and many drivers have achieved more, but I'm chuffed to have made it to the edge of the Sahara, in such an unlikely car. We are regularly waving, flashing(oo-er), allowing photos, or chatting to passers by who love the Corvette, it doesn't get tiring.
It was just Felix and I for the desert experience, plus four Chinese girls, who studied in London and were good fun. We piled into a Mitsubishi 4x4, then flew (literally) over the dunes, both us hurting our necks when we hit our heads on the roof, due to being wedged in the cramped, rearmost seats. This was just the 4x4 to take us a kilometre to the camels!
A Camel seemed like the more relaxing mode of transport after this! I called shotgun on the lead blonde Camel, Felix took the dark Camel behind me. Much laugher as they stood up and we were off, for the next hour and a half, up and down the soft sand. I loved every moment of it, I felt totally relaxed on Clive The Camel, the sand dunes were otherworldly and it was almost totally silent.
We looked across at the border with Algeria, dismounted an hour in and watched the sun go down. With other groups joining us briefly. It was almost dark when we arrived at camp. One of the girls had walked the last 20 mins due to saddle soreness, I think Felix was considering it too. 😆 🐪
Mint tea on arrival, fancy tents, not bad food, but best of all was the blackness and completely clear, starry night. I've never seen more stars, Felix will post some superb long-exposure piccies when we get home.
Despite the self-inflicted mishaps and damage to the car, it's been a brilliant three days so far and I'm very lucky to have the chance to see the Sahara in this way. Thanks to Felix for being a great co-driver and a good laugh. More Camels tomorrow, after a sunrise wake up.
Day three and its been another eventful and forever memorable experience. Let's get my daily mistake out the way first, I got stuck in the sand. Felix suggested a drive by video, I drove out of sight, half attempted a spin round in the narrow road, but was too gentle on the throttle. 3/4 of the way round found my front wheels stuck and rears just on the edge. The gentlest of throttle just saw me slide further in, due to the slope.
Felix jogged back up the road, laughed and we flagged down a passing Spanish family in a VW T4. We have a tow strap with us, but the angle I was pulled out damaged the lower rear bumper. Oh and my nice fleece I used under my rear tyre looks like a cats been at it. I was so cross with myself, I've carried out countless 180 half spins over the years and know better than this.
I partly blame the can of 'Mr Basil', that contained 10 E numbers, is made in Vietnam, has a warning 'May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children' and seemed to contain Frogspawn.
Anyway, that's three mess ups so far this trip. Lets look at todays positives.
After a tasty breakfast, the day started proper by glancing at the hotel cctv screen. Either the radiator had sprung a major leak or someone had cleaned the car. It was the latter, the kind security guard had taken a liking to the car, sadly it was a bit of a rush job, with a rag and maybe half a bucket of water? I'd intended to leave the car dirty, oh well. It was a nice gesture, so I couldn't be cross, but the car looked even worse than before! A small top up and the expansion tank was at the right level again, the rad leak is slight and not getting worse.
After filling the car with fuel and avoiding buying anything from the slightly pushy fossil salesman, we once again headed south. We stopped for photos along the way, then found an unfinished fuel station, with a working jet wash. Jet was about right, it was crazy the force of water from this thing, Felix managed to half remove a sticker from the car at fairly long range!
Clean car, happier David, we drove through fantastic views, past oasis and the Gorge du Ziz. We could see the sand dunes for many miles before reaching Merzouga. The weather got warmer, windows down, enjoying the exhaust and low to mid 20C.
We'd made good time, when I got stuck in the sand. Despite this, once dragged out we were still early for our Sahara experience, phew. Souther Morocco is not actually 'that' far and many drivers have achieved more, but I'm chuffed to have made it to the edge of the Sahara, in such an unlikely car. We are regularly waving, flashing(oo-er), allowing photos, or chatting to passers by who love the Corvette, it doesn't get tiring.
It was just Felix and I for the desert experience, plus four Chinese girls, who studied in London and were good fun. We piled into a Mitsubishi 4x4, then flew (literally) over the dunes, both us hurting our necks when we hit our heads on the roof, due to being wedged in the cramped, rearmost seats. This was just the 4x4 to take us a kilometre to the camels!
A Camel seemed like the more relaxing mode of transport after this! I called shotgun on the lead blonde Camel, Felix took the dark Camel behind me. Much laugher as they stood up and we were off, for the next hour and a half, up and down the soft sand. I loved every moment of it, I felt totally relaxed on Clive The Camel, the sand dunes were otherworldly and it was almost totally silent.
We looked across at the border with Algeria, dismounted an hour in and watched the sun go down. With other groups joining us briefly. It was almost dark when we arrived at camp. One of the girls had walked the last 20 mins due to saddle soreness, I think Felix was considering it too. 😆 🐪
Mint tea on arrival, fancy tents, not bad food, but best of all was the blackness and completely clear, starry night. I've never seen more stars, Felix will post some superb long-exposure piccies when we get home.
Despite the self-inflicted mishaps and damage to the car, it's been a brilliant three days so far and I'm very lucky to have the chance to see the Sahara in this way. Thanks to Felix for being a great co-driver and a good laugh. More Camels tomorrow, after a sunrise wake up.
No wifi in the desert and the forum won't let me edit or delete the post yesterday, so sorry this is a repeat, with added photos.
Day three and its been another eventful and forever memorable experience. Let's get my daily mistake out the way first, I got stuck in the sand. Felix suggested a drive by video, I drove out of sight, half attempted a spin round in the narrow road, but was too gentle on the throttle. 3/4 of the way round found my front wheels stuck and rears just on the edge. The gentlest of throttle just saw me slide further in, due to the slope.
Felix jogged back up the road, laughed and we flagged down a passing Spanish family in a VW T4. We have a tow strap with us, but the angle I was pulled out damaged the lower rear bumper. Oh and my nice fleece I used under my rear tyre looks like a cats been at it. I was so cross with myself, I've carried out countless 180 half spins over the years and know better than this.
I partly blame the can of 'Mr Basil', that contained 10 E numbers, is made in Vietnam, has a warning 'May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children' and seemed to contain Frogspawn.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/aZKTXumJ.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/sjibSYwD" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/sjibSYwD.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/vHNgys7a" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/vHNgys7a.jpg)
Anyway, that's three mess ups so far this trip. Lets look at todays positives.
After a tasty breakfast, the day started proper by glancing at the hotel cctv screen. Either the radiator had sprung a major leak or someone had cleaned the car.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/B5no3rjY.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/mY6nrEia" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/mY6nrEia.jpg)
It was the latter, the kind security guard had taken a liking to the car, sadly it was a bit of a rush job, with a rag and maybe half a bucket of water? I'd intended to leave the car dirty, oh well. It was a nice gesture, so I couldn't be cross, but the car looked even worse than before! A small top up and the expansion tank was at the right level again, the rad leak is slight and not getting worse.
After filling the car with fuel and avoiding buying anything from the slightly pushy fossil salesman, we once again headed south.
We stopped for photos along the way, then found an unfinished fuel station, with a working jet wash. Jet was about right, it was crazy the force of water from this thing, Felix managed to half remove a sticker from the car at fairly long range!
Clean car, happier David, we drove through fantastic views, past oasis and the Gorge du Ziz.
We could see the sand dunes for many miles before reaching Merzouga. The weather got warmer, windows down, enjoying the exhaust and low to mid 20C.
We'd made good time, until I got stuck in the sand. Despite this, once dragged out we were still early for our Sahara experience, phew. Souther Morocco is not actually 'that' far and many drivers have achieved more, but I'm chuffed to have made it to the edge of the Sahara, in such an unlikely car. We are regularly waving, flashing(oo-er), allowing photos, or chatting to passers by who love the Corvette, it doesn't get tiring.
It was just Felix and I for the desert experience, plus four Chinese girls, who studied in London and were good fun. We piled into a Mitsubishi 4x4, then flew (literally) over the dunes, both us hurting our necks when we hit our heads on the roof, due to being wedged in the cramped, rearmost seats. This was just the 4x4 to take us a kilometre to the camels!
A Camel seemed like the more relaxing mode of transport after this! I called shotgun on the lead blonde Camel, Felix took the dark Camel behind me. Much laugher as they stood up and we were off, for the next hour and a half, up and down the soft sand. I loved every moment of it, I felt totally relaxed on Clive The Camel, the sand dunes were otherworldly and it was almost totally silent.
Glamping, desert style.
We looked across at the border with Algeria, dismounted an hour in and watched the sun go down. With other groups joining us briefly. It was almost dark when we arrived at camp. One of the girls had walked the last 20 mins due to saddle soreness, I think Felix was considering it too.
Mint tea on arrival, fancy tents, not bad food, but best of all was the blackness and completely clear, starry night. I've never seen more stars, Felix will post some superb long-exposure piccies when we get home.
Despite the self-inflicted mishaps and damage to the car, it's been a brilliant three days so far and I'm very lucky to have the chance to see the Sahara in this way. Thanks to Felix for being a great co-driver and a good laugh. More Camels tomorrow, after a sunrise wake up.
Day three and its been another eventful and forever memorable experience. Let's get my daily mistake out the way first, I got stuck in the sand. Felix suggested a drive by video, I drove out of sight, half attempted a spin round in the narrow road, but was too gentle on the throttle. 3/4 of the way round found my front wheels stuck and rears just on the edge. The gentlest of throttle just saw me slide further in, due to the slope.
Felix jogged back up the road, laughed and we flagged down a passing Spanish family in a VW T4. We have a tow strap with us, but the angle I was pulled out damaged the lower rear bumper. Oh and my nice fleece I used under my rear tyre looks like a cats been at it. I was so cross with myself, I've carried out countless 180 half spins over the years and know better than this.
I partly blame the can of 'Mr Basil', that contained 10 E numbers, is made in Vietnam, has a warning 'May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children' and seemed to contain Frogspawn.
Anyway, that's three mess ups so far this trip. Lets look at todays positives.
After a tasty breakfast, the day started proper by glancing at the hotel cctv screen. Either the radiator had sprung a major leak or someone had cleaned the car.
It was the latter, the kind security guard had taken a liking to the car, sadly it was a bit of a rush job, with a rag and maybe half a bucket of water? I'd intended to leave the car dirty, oh well. It was a nice gesture, so I couldn't be cross, but the car looked even worse than before! A small top up and the expansion tank was at the right level again, the rad leak is slight and not getting worse.
After filling the car with fuel and avoiding buying anything from the slightly pushy fossil salesman, we once again headed south.
We stopped for photos along the way, then found an unfinished fuel station, with a working jet wash. Jet was about right, it was crazy the force of water from this thing, Felix managed to half remove a sticker from the car at fairly long range!
Clean car, happier David, we drove through fantastic views, past oasis and the Gorge du Ziz.
We could see the sand dunes for many miles before reaching Merzouga. The weather got warmer, windows down, enjoying the exhaust and low to mid 20C.
We'd made good time, until I got stuck in the sand. Despite this, once dragged out we were still early for our Sahara experience, phew. Souther Morocco is not actually 'that' far and many drivers have achieved more, but I'm chuffed to have made it to the edge of the Sahara, in such an unlikely car. We are regularly waving, flashing(oo-er), allowing photos, or chatting to passers by who love the Corvette, it doesn't get tiring.
It was just Felix and I for the desert experience, plus four Chinese girls, who studied in London and were good fun. We piled into a Mitsubishi 4x4, then flew (literally) over the dunes, both us hurting our necks when we hit our heads on the roof, due to being wedged in the cramped, rearmost seats. This was just the 4x4 to take us a kilometre to the camels!
A Camel seemed like the more relaxing mode of transport after this! I called shotgun on the lead blonde Camel, Felix took the dark Camel behind me. Much laugher as they stood up and we were off, for the next hour and a half, up and down the soft sand. I loved every moment of it, I felt totally relaxed on Clive The Camel, the sand dunes were otherworldly and it was almost totally silent.
Glamping, desert style.
We looked across at the border with Algeria, dismounted an hour in and watched the sun go down. With other groups joining us briefly. It was almost dark when we arrived at camp. One of the girls had walked the last 20 mins due to saddle soreness, I think Felix was considering it too.
Mint tea on arrival, fancy tents, not bad food, but best of all was the blackness and completely clear, starry night. I've never seen more stars, Felix will post some superb long-exposure piccies when we get home.
Despite the self-inflicted mishaps and damage to the car, it's been a brilliant three days so far and I'm very lucky to have the chance to see the Sahara in this way. Thanks to Felix for being a great co-driver and a good laugh. More Camels tomorrow, after a sunrise wake up.
A cold night in the desert, no hot water, but we got up early for the sunrise, followed by a peaceful Camel ride back. We did some dune bashing in a 4x4 briefly, as passengers, this time with no injury.
Enough Camels, back to the horsepower.
We then went on a mission to get photos of Clive, closer to the big dunes. This is not easy as in most parts the dunes closest to the paved roads or the town are small and build gradually.
Oh ok, more Camels then!
It got the hump, being tied to my car.
We decided to drive for miles on gravel 'roads', with a washboard surface in places, slowing to a crawl for rocks and ruts. We got close to a camel herd, stopped for photos and the herds owner came over on his motorbike. With a little french, english, plus sign language, we asked for a photo of one of his Camels next to Clive.
Next, he took us many more miles on unmade roads, with the dunes getting nearer, he showed patience, as we could only drive slowly. The result was worth it, nice photos.
The rest of the day was just covering the miles, waving at locals, until we arrived at the hotel, in Todra Gorge.
This is the view from my hotel room window.
Mechanical update: Another small top up of water this morning for the leaking rad, we had to cut and remove the AC belt, as the AC compressor pulley/bearings are loose, it passed 224,000 miles and I didn't do anything stupid today.
A final photo to leave you with, taken by Felix.
Enough Camels, back to the horsepower.
We then went on a mission to get photos of Clive, closer to the big dunes. This is not easy as in most parts the dunes closest to the paved roads or the town are small and build gradually.
Oh ok, more Camels then!
It got the hump, being tied to my car.
We decided to drive for miles on gravel 'roads', with a washboard surface in places, slowing to a crawl for rocks and ruts. We got close to a camel herd, stopped for photos and the herds owner came over on his motorbike. With a little french, english, plus sign language, we asked for a photo of one of his Camels next to Clive.
Next, he took us many more miles on unmade roads, with the dunes getting nearer, he showed patience, as we could only drive slowly. The result was worth it, nice photos.
The rest of the day was just covering the miles, waving at locals, until we arrived at the hotel, in Todra Gorge.
This is the view from my hotel room window.
Mechanical update: Another small top up of water this morning for the leaking rad, we had to cut and remove the AC belt, as the AC compressor pulley/bearings are loose, it passed 224,000 miles and I didn't do anything stupid today.
A final photo to leave you with, taken by Felix.
Thanks all for your comments, I'll reply more when I get back home.
Today started by taking the friendly hotel owner in to town (he wanted cash). He was a nice guy and didn't drive a car, so I gave him the full experience through the hairpin bends. We were pulled over by the police (I wasn't speeding), they weren't interested in me or the car, but gave him a grilling for ten minutes, asking why he was in the car! The hotel owner loved Clive though, you could tell from the universal sign for 'a dabo of oppo' to his colleagues when we returned back to the hotel. Not one person yet has ever heard of a Corvette.
After that, Felix and I headed up Todra Gorge. Imagine Cheddar Gorge, but 5 times as high and 50 times longer, with no traffic. We ran out of smooth road and had to turn back eventually. On the upside the exhaust is much quieter than on day 1 (no drone), presumably it's been whacked back in to place.
The rad continues to leak a bit (of course, it's not going to fix itself).
Next was Dades Gorge. In isolation it would have been exceptional, but, it wasn't as good as Todre. Very different geology though.
A few hours driving followed, once again Morocco surprised, with a different feel, through isolated towns and plateau's.
A pleasant, windows down, low 20C's. Still no Super Unleaded. We arrived at our overnight, Ait Ben Haddou, an ancient town, free of cars, opposite our hotel. We spent a pleasant hour walking around as the sun went down.
Nicest dinner to date, this very old, traditional hotel was a real find.
Today started by taking the friendly hotel owner in to town (he wanted cash). He was a nice guy and didn't drive a car, so I gave him the full experience through the hairpin bends. We were pulled over by the police (I wasn't speeding), they weren't interested in me or the car, but gave him a grilling for ten minutes, asking why he was in the car! The hotel owner loved Clive though, you could tell from the universal sign for 'a dabo of oppo' to his colleagues when we returned back to the hotel. Not one person yet has ever heard of a Corvette.
After that, Felix and I headed up Todra Gorge. Imagine Cheddar Gorge, but 5 times as high and 50 times longer, with no traffic. We ran out of smooth road and had to turn back eventually. On the upside the exhaust is much quieter than on day 1 (no drone), presumably it's been whacked back in to place.
The rad continues to leak a bit (of course, it's not going to fix itself).
Next was Dades Gorge. In isolation it would have been exceptional, but, it wasn't as good as Todre. Very different geology though.
A few hours driving followed, once again Morocco surprised, with a different feel, through isolated towns and plateau's.
A pleasant, windows down, low 20C's. Still no Super Unleaded. We arrived at our overnight, Ait Ben Haddou, an ancient town, free of cars, opposite our hotel. We spent a pleasant hour walking around as the sun went down.
Nicest dinner to date, this very old, traditional hotel was a real find.
Edited by Fishy Dave on Monday 19th December 20:49
The day begun with a Moroccan man showing me his Snake. 
I had to pay him too. We found the Snake charming double act so funny, they were harmless Garter Snakes btw.
The Tizi Pass, heading to Marrakesh was the best to drive so far. Although parts of it are being resurfaced (and were therefore no more than rutted tracks), for many miles it was smooth, grippy tarmac, with virtually no traffic. Far fewer hairpins than an Alpine pass, but plenty of long 3rd and 4th gear stretches. The regular fuel, high altitude and weight blunted Clive's performance a bit, but it was still brilliant fun.
A dog befriended Felix at one of the stops, pretty sure he'd have jumped in the car if we'd let him. We stopped again, seeing a small flock of goats on a hill above us. We got out and took photos, next thing they were pouring down the hillside and across the road towards us, there were loads of 'em. Felix jumped back in the car.
Both of us took turns in the driving seat, for at least three hours in the high Atlas range, before the road started descending to the outskirts of Marrakesh.
Temps reached 26C, but with that came our first stretch of motorway since the start of the trip. Windows down, no a/c now of course. Quick reactions from Felix stopped us being side-swiped by a small Renault van during an overtake. The driving standards have actually been good in general so far.
Maps took us via one of the worst stretches of road so far. The last half hour saw horrible, chassis scraping speedhumps and hundreds of deep potholes. We'd both had enough by the end.
We are staying in an apartment on the coast, south west of Casablanca, that is nice enough, with a private beach, but has no wifi, so video's will have to wait.
We arrived earlier than the apartment was ready, so did a bit of rockpooling and then ate at a seaside eatery with good views but questionable ambiance (TV at full blast). As I looked out the restaurant window I said to Felix "look, that man has caught an Octopus". Next moment he'd clubbed it to bits with a rock, presumably to eat!
That's about £1.17 a litre for V Power, on the motorway, that'll do.
Big boot, easily good for two blokes stuff for a week, plus a full size wheel and spares.
The car is filthy and yet still looks shiny in the photo. How often have we found that out when buying a car!
Good to see the Atlantic again.
Tomorrow is the long drive north, up the coast, to the border at Ceuta, ready to cross the Med on Thursday.
I had to pay him too. We found the Snake charming double act so funny, they were harmless Garter Snakes btw. The Tizi Pass, heading to Marrakesh was the best to drive so far. Although parts of it are being resurfaced (and were therefore no more than rutted tracks), for many miles it was smooth, grippy tarmac, with virtually no traffic. Far fewer hairpins than an Alpine pass, but plenty of long 3rd and 4th gear stretches. The regular fuel, high altitude and weight blunted Clive's performance a bit, but it was still brilliant fun.
A dog befriended Felix at one of the stops, pretty sure he'd have jumped in the car if we'd let him. We stopped again, seeing a small flock of goats on a hill above us. We got out and took photos, next thing they were pouring down the hillside and across the road towards us, there were loads of 'em. Felix jumped back in the car.
Both of us took turns in the driving seat, for at least three hours in the high Atlas range, before the road started descending to the outskirts of Marrakesh.
Temps reached 26C, but with that came our first stretch of motorway since the start of the trip. Windows down, no a/c now of course. Quick reactions from Felix stopped us being side-swiped by a small Renault van during an overtake. The driving standards have actually been good in general so far.
Maps took us via one of the worst stretches of road so far. The last half hour saw horrible, chassis scraping speedhumps and hundreds of deep potholes. We'd both had enough by the end.
We are staying in an apartment on the coast, south west of Casablanca, that is nice enough, with a private beach, but has no wifi, so video's will have to wait.
We arrived earlier than the apartment was ready, so did a bit of rockpooling and then ate at a seaside eatery with good views but questionable ambiance (TV at full blast). As I looked out the restaurant window I said to Felix "look, that man has caught an Octopus". Next moment he'd clubbed it to bits with a rock, presumably to eat!
That's about £1.17 a litre for V Power, on the motorway, that'll do.
Big boot, easily good for two blokes stuff for a week, plus a full size wheel and spares.
The car is filthy and yet still looks shiny in the photo. How often have we found that out when buying a car!
Good to see the Atlantic again.
Tomorrow is the long drive north, up the coast, to the border at Ceuta, ready to cross the Med on Thursday.
Our last day in Morocco. Coffee and biscuits on the beach first thing, then on the toll road north.
Whilst the motorway was calmer than some of the roads we'd been used to over the last week, it's still crazy having children and dogs crossing in places.
After a short rest stop we heard and felt a vibration from the front left. A quick inspection showed it was a slightly cracked brake disc. I should know better than to buy EBC drilled discs, these lasted one track event and about 3000 road miles only, never again.
At the peage we were pulled over, the policeman told us we were speeding, 129kph (120 limit). This was strange as we'd both been so careful, using cruise control too, Felix concluded he'd maybe just accelerated to help clear the way for a car to pull out from behind a slower vehicle. Felix asked for and got the photo evidence he'd wanted, so we were expecting a fine. The policeman was nice, asked us where we'd been, were going, was it our first time to Morocco etc. He let us off, result. ??
At the next stop we encountered a Vermont registered Landcruiser. We found and chatted to the family of 5 (parents and three younger children), fascinating people. They've been driving around Europe since August, home schooling the kids as they went. They had been in Morocco for three weeks, he confessed to also getting stuck in the sand. They don't intend to head back to the States until April, what an adventure.
We'd calculated (ok, it was luck) our last Dirham to perfection, actually at the final motorway toll the person let us off the 1 Dirham we were short.
Our last mountain pass, past Tangier and on to the border crossing.
It was slow getting to passport control, but no worse than Eurotunnel tbh. The Moroccan border staff were great, with the officer who gave the car a brief once over making it clear he wanted to hear the engine when we left. So I gave him max revs, the noise in the covered area between the booths was biblical, the overun sounding like gunfire. The guys at the next passport control heard this and wanted more of the same. I was happy to oblige when leaving, as I looked back in the mirror I could see they'd left their hut to give us enthusiastic thumbs up. A fitting way to officially leave Africa, just wished we could have filmed it. One of the men in that last hut asked if it was a Corvette, the first person in a week who knew what Clive was, many we'd spoken to had never heard of Chevrolet, let alone Corvette.
This small piece of paper was very important and waas checked by police a number of times over the past week.
We're now back in Ceuta, an independent part of Spain, but on mainland Africa still. After another day in the mid 20's it felt good to change into shorts/t shirts for the first time in a week.
Ceuta was buzzing, warm and very European feeling, with parts of it feeling like Monaco. Fabulous Tapas. Our last night is in a cheap hostel, each room has bars on the windows, completing the run of completely different accomodation we've enjoyed/endured.
Tomorrow we'll head back across the Med. to mainland Spain.
This is US mpg, so actually about 25 imperial mpg.
These are the figures so far, almost done.
Whilst the motorway was calmer than some of the roads we'd been used to over the last week, it's still crazy having children and dogs crossing in places.
After a short rest stop we heard and felt a vibration from the front left. A quick inspection showed it was a slightly cracked brake disc. I should know better than to buy EBC drilled discs, these lasted one track event and about 3000 road miles only, never again.
At the peage we were pulled over, the policeman told us we were speeding, 129kph (120 limit). This was strange as we'd both been so careful, using cruise control too, Felix concluded he'd maybe just accelerated to help clear the way for a car to pull out from behind a slower vehicle. Felix asked for and got the photo evidence he'd wanted, so we were expecting a fine. The policeman was nice, asked us where we'd been, were going, was it our first time to Morocco etc. He let us off, result. ??
At the next stop we encountered a Vermont registered Landcruiser. We found and chatted to the family of 5 (parents and three younger children), fascinating people. They've been driving around Europe since August, home schooling the kids as they went. They had been in Morocco for three weeks, he confessed to also getting stuck in the sand. They don't intend to head back to the States until April, what an adventure.
We'd calculated (ok, it was luck) our last Dirham to perfection, actually at the final motorway toll the person let us off the 1 Dirham we were short.
Our last mountain pass, past Tangier and on to the border crossing.
It was slow getting to passport control, but no worse than Eurotunnel tbh. The Moroccan border staff were great, with the officer who gave the car a brief once over making it clear he wanted to hear the engine when we left. So I gave him max revs, the noise in the covered area between the booths was biblical, the overun sounding like gunfire. The guys at the next passport control heard this and wanted more of the same. I was happy to oblige when leaving, as I looked back in the mirror I could see they'd left their hut to give us enthusiastic thumbs up. A fitting way to officially leave Africa, just wished we could have filmed it. One of the men in that last hut asked if it was a Corvette, the first person in a week who knew what Clive was, many we'd spoken to had never heard of Chevrolet, let alone Corvette.
This small piece of paper was very important and waas checked by police a number of times over the past week.
We're now back in Ceuta, an independent part of Spain, but on mainland Africa still. After another day in the mid 20's it felt good to change into shorts/t shirts for the first time in a week.
Ceuta was buzzing, warm and very European feeling, with parts of it feeling like Monaco. Fabulous Tapas. Our last night is in a cheap hostel, each room has bars on the windows, completing the run of completely different accomodation we've enjoyed/endured.
Tomorrow we'll head back across the Med. to mainland Spain.
This is US mpg, so actually about 25 imperial mpg.
These are the figures so far, almost done.
Edited by Fishy Dave on Wednesday 21st December 23:36
Our final day of the African adventure. Woke up in Ceuta, with a tasty breakfast in the centre of the city. We were on a mission to see the little Apes in the park (same species they have on Gibraltar), but google messed the location up, therefore we settled on some fantastic views instead.
A very smooth ferry crossing back to mainland drive, a contrast in weather to one week ago. Due to likely border delays into and out of Gibraltar we sadly gave it a miss. Instead, we visited a Corvette Club owner in Estepona, who had four Vette's at his house, he has another four elsewhere!
Another top up of coolant needed.
Sscccrraaaapppe. Exhast got knocked again so is blowing once again.
After that, it was a warm goodbye to Felix at Marbella airport and a few more hours drive back to my wife and son who are staying at my inlaws house, in south east Spain. Along the way Clive passed 225,000 miles.
It's time to relax for a few days now, enjoy being with my family and try to get my head into it being Christmas and warm.
Thank you all for your kind comments, I'll do a proper reflection of the trip in a week, when we get back to England and we'll upload a few photos from Felix and my cameras too. All the piccies I've shared so far have been from our phones.
Happy Christmas everyone.
A very smooth ferry crossing back to mainland drive, a contrast in weather to one week ago. Due to likely border delays into and out of Gibraltar we sadly gave it a miss. Instead, we visited a Corvette Club owner in Estepona, who had four Vette's at his house, he has another four elsewhere!
Another top up of coolant needed.
Sscccrraaaapppe. Exhast got knocked again so is blowing once again.
After that, it was a warm goodbye to Felix at Marbella airport and a few more hours drive back to my wife and son who are staying at my inlaws house, in south east Spain. Along the way Clive passed 225,000 miles.
It's time to relax for a few days now, enjoy being with my family and try to get my head into it being Christmas and warm.
Thank you all for your kind comments, I'll do a proper reflection of the trip in a week, when we get back to England and we'll upload a few photos from Felix and my cameras too. All the piccies I've shared so far have been from our phones.
Happy Christmas everyone.
Edited by Fishy Dave on Thursday 22 December 21:40
seiben said:
Very, very cool. I drove a rented Dacia Duster from Marrakesh up through the Atlas mountains a few years ago. The roads were, on the whole, better than I was expecting once you get out of the cities. Lots of fun to be had in the mountains!
A word of advice: be very careful about what you eat from the roadside service stations
We very likely drove on that same mountain road out of Marrakesh, on our penultimate day. We were overtaken by many a Dacia on our trip! A word of advice: be very careful about what you eat from the roadside service stations
Whilst we did sample the occasional cake from a service station, most things consumed were packaged, Pringles being a trip favourite, for their ability to stay on ones leg whilst driving.
I normally catch most bugs going, but remarkably I was fine the whole trip, thanks for the warning about the food though. Felix did have a delicate tummy for a while however
SturdyHSV said:
Look forward to this, I actually saw a picture Felix had put on FB and have just realised I assumed it was you because Clive is so recognisable, forgetting Felix has the blue C6
Talk about an inconvenient time for the radiator to play up just before going to the Sahara!
Have a great trip and look forward to seeing how you get on!
Thanks, yes, for a time Felix was going to bring his C6 too, but it certainly saved us some money by sharing. We were very lucky that the rad leak never got much worse, just requiring a small top up most days. Talk about an inconvenient time for the radiator to play up just before going to the Sahara!
Have a great trip and look forward to seeing how you get on!
F1natic said:
That is the biggest one I have ever seen, crikey! Not the scariest that I can remember but got to be up there...
Loving the photography, it is a stunning landscape. Enjoying this adventure enormously, even if only vicariously.
Loving the photography, it is a stunning landscape. Enjoying this adventure enormously, even if only vicariously.
Felix is an accomplished photographer and am looking forward to seeing his piccies. All mine on the trip so far are just from my Samsung A52 phone. Pleased you enjoyed the updates
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