Euro-glam-shite road trip

[Guest]

Yarooo: off tomorrow to Italy, via France, escaping the Shitelympics in a 22 year old jalope. Well, the last time that I did this sort of thing, the heap that I used was (then) 40 years old. This time the Dangermobile is practically modern.

 

Vroooooom!

 

[Shep Shepherd]

That's a smart looking Excel you have there. I love the alloys

[Guest]

It's just completed 100,000 miles and is spiffily clean and lovely, having been cherished by its previous owner since he bought it from the first owner in 1995. It goes like styonk.

 

Those engine bay stickers are originals.

 

 

 

 

 

[dollywobbler]

Great to see. Interior has a sort of cack-handed manner about it that I really like. Have fun!

[chaseracer]

Very, VERY nice...

 

Enjoy!

[Shep Shepherd]

Got to love the 'Blue Peter' look of Lotus interiors

[Guest]

Some are better than others:-

 

 

 

 

 

[Spiny Norman]

Nice cars these Excels, the one Lotus I'd bother with.

There was an old boy used to come into my work with one of those sometimes, when his new Merc was in getting something fixed or some of the rust sorting!

[HillmanImp]

Some are better than others:-

 

 

I would like to be sat in that. It looks lovely.

[RedSparrow]

My dads old Elan+2 had an almost identical interior. I guess they never got round to making a new one for their new car.

[Guest]

That one is a 1973 Europa Special, not an Elan. The third one in the group above is a 1974 Elan Plus 2 S 130.

[Pete-M]

Stobbit. You're giving me reason to search ebay for Lotii.

[garethj]

That's lovely. A mate of mine had an Eclat while in University, he wasn't posh because it was very knackered but when it was running that thing was a dream.

 

I've got a very soft spot for plastic wedges

[Guest]

Pete, search no more...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Europa-Twin-Cam-1972-Tax-Free-/120956142157?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1c298c424d#ht_500wt_1204

[hairnet]

wanty want want

[John F]

Nice Excel!

 

I used to have a "B" reg. one, which I also took on a European road trip

[fiatdaft]

Good luck,i'm on a euro road trip tommorow aswell!

[Guest]

We have made it as far as Burgundy and only the stereo is knackered so far. Mega heat yesterday, but the car ran well. Pn to the Alps today. Photies later.

 

Top shite spottage: 1978 Spitfire, with top up (outrageous!) on D road yesterday. VE Bay campers on autoroute.

[Guest]

Well, the heap has made it 1200 miles and we are now in Umbria, shacked up.

 

The stereo is on the blink, the aircon ditto, there is a small leak of power steering fluid, and a sligtly loose right-hand exhaust pipe, but otherwise the car is doing well. I have managed to enrage the Excel.net spoddists by disputing fanciful claims made by some for 33 mpg long range cruising. 25 mpg seems pretty good for a long, fast blast in one of these.

 

Casa Anna, aka casa nostra for 3 weeks:-

 

 

Crikey! Old Lotus with a working handbrake? First gear, you betcha.

 

 

Free illegal parking because car considered to be bella macchina by local plodi.

 

 

Here's something that isn't quite brand new, goes quite fast, and is a bit thirsty . Sorry for the old shed also in shot.

 

 

Don't lean on that door, bahootch!

 

 

 

NB: one of these signs is now legally mandated in France. Be warned!

 

 

[trigger]

That's fit!. ATCNBE.

[Rod/b]

Great car. Good luck on the rest o the trip.

 

Where's the place with the stainless front door in the first photo? I love that modern extension against the old brickwork.

[Guest]

It's OK as a style statement, but not when you have to clear the bats out.

 

As for other shite spottage en route, big up nuff respec' to the crazed Dutch loons driving a heavily laden Series III Landy on the autostrada near Milan. Hardcore shite-for-brains, clog wearing dudes!

[Largactil]

Excellent stuff!

 

I took part in a Euro Lotus road trip back in 2001 - Half the fun is the uncertainty of whether they'll break down or not...

 

We went via Andorra to Barcelona

 

 

On the way back, we decided to park here - No need for the handbrake whatsoever!

 

 

Very jealous - Drive safe, and enjoy!

[Guest]

A bit of T-Cut and that will be right as rain.....

 

Holy sheeesh! What happened?

[Ross_K]

edit: Never mind. Photos work at home. Work internet must have been on a go-slow...

[Spiny Norman]

Fuck that Elise took a wallop! Were they OK?

 

Photos working fine here, love the one on the hill.

[Jack_Harpers_Teeth]

Great, nice car, nice burdz. Lovin' it!

[Largactil]

A bit of T-Cut and that will be right as rain.....

 

Holy sheeesh! What happened?

 

Best summed up as a case of over exuberance, combined with a mid-engined car’s tendency toward lift off oversteer...

 

Been to Euroland with a few different Loti over the years, and didn't always crash while away - They always seem to get lots of positive attention, especially in Italy, where they must see them as a 'British Ferrari' still...?

 

Fuck that Elise took a wallop! Were they OK?

 

No proper injuries - I'm in the yellow t shirt, with the bandage around my head to keep the blood in.

 

[Guest]

Will those be the photos that don't work that are all repeated in the "photos don't work" post?

 

Driving off the hill was fun. I couldn't just roll backwards as someone came and parked up my wazzoo. Hey ho, I never did like that clutch much, anyway.

 

Several Italian blokes have scored medium fails by misidentifying the car as a Ferrari. Tut. Small children gather near it and point when it is parked. We seem to be allowed to park with impunity anywhere on the grounds of being Il pazzi Inglese, and having a daft car.

 

Poor Elise! At least it was only your head that got whacked, that being the least used part of any Lotus enthusiast. Phew!

[dieselnutjob]

I am already in Italy, surfing the web with my old Ericsson phone connected to the laptop with bluetooth and an Italian paygo SIM. 500Mb for 9 euros isn't so bad.

 

Anyway I need to start booking the return trip and so looking for advice.

 

The return Eurotunnel booking is the evening of Monday 20th. Thinking about it driving half the length of Italy on that Sunday might not be such a good idea as I think a lot of italians will be going home.

 

So I am thinking leave Saturday and go for the Formulo 1 in Mulhouse. Spend Sunday in the green bit of the map (national park?) between say Colmar and say Raon l'Etape. These are just random town names on the map, I don't know them. Stop maybe Nancy Sunday night. Easy trip back to Eurotunnel.

 

Thing is, I don't know that green bit around Colmar etc at all. I am looking for stunning scenary and maybe a little stroll and a quiet little restaurant but need somewhere secure to park. Not hiking or anything. I'm not particularly looking for twisty stuff as I'll be in an overloaded diesel 806. Just want pretty stuff to look at not vomit flooding out of the rear seats. Any advice welcome.

 

Also. If I want to bring a ton of beer, wine, olive oil, food etc from Italy, through Switzerland and back into France in a UK reg car am I going to have any issues with Swiss or French customs? Going south I hit the Swiss border late at night and had my motorway pass already in the windscreen. The border guard didn't seem to at all interested in me.