Morocco

[wuvvum]

I've just got back from a (short) week in Marrakesh. It's a funny old place - still haven't decided whether I like it or not. It's certainly more third-worldly than I was expecting (including the standard of driving). It was nice to see some sun though after the dismal few months we've had here.

 

I didn't manage to take as many photos as I would have liked as I had camera issues, and I didn't get to photograph some of the more picturesque examples of Moroccoshite as the neighbourhoods in which they were parked were of the type where if I stopped and got my camera out I'd immediately be descended upon my half a dozen Arabs trying to sell me hash or take me to their brother's shop or the "Berber market". I did get a few snaps though.

 

I hope that this little beauty will at least partly make up for the low number of pictures:

 

 

 

Check out the quality of those mouldings. I especially like the fact that the boot badge has already started to fall off.

 

Here's another, in a fetching shade of lime green:

 

 

I saw another in Canary yellow driving along Avenue Mohammed V, but I couldn't get the camera out quick enough to snap it.

 

The taxis in Marrakesh are all painted a fetching shade of ARB. W123s are the dominant grand taxi, although W124s get a reasonable look-in and I did see one W140, and the petit taxi of preference seems to be the diesel Uno, although 205s, Palios and Logans also feature heavily. This is a Dacia Solenza, which is not a model I was familiar with:

 

 

At some point the Moroccan Uno was given a wonderfully half-arsed facelift:

 

 

 

I only ever saw this version as taxis, never as private cars.

 

As in most African countries, most of the commercial vehicles are ageing Japanese stock:

 

 

I did see one Ford D-series grinding along belching out black smoke, but I didn't have my camera with me at the time. I also saw an old Berliet lorry, but it was in a yard in a rather rough-looking neighbourhood so I didn't stop. The smaller businesses seem to use these things:

 

 

I think they're quite a recent addition as they all seem to be Chinese made - I got the impression that until the Chinese manufacturing boom, most of the smaller businesses would have used donkey carts (as many still do). Most of the general populace buzz around on mopeds - Mobylettes and Peugeot 103s dominate, but there are a fair few of the C50/V50/Townmate type of Japanese bike, and a few modern Chinese scooters. Given the suicidal riding style and the lack of helmets, it's a minor miracle that anyone lives past 30, but amazingly I didn't see a single serious accident - I suppose they must be used to it. I have to say that by the end of the week I was starting to get the hang of the just-walk-out-and-hope-everyone-avoids-you method of crossing the road which seems to prevail.

 

A few other spots:

 

Applause with interesting rear end treatment - from the paint job I would guess it had been accident damaged and repaired with whatever came to hand, Cuban style:

 

 

Shite line-up - Logan, W123, R18 - spolied slightly by the Peugeot Fugly at the back.

 

 

Nice battered Mk2 Tranny. There seems to be quite a few of these still working over there - the dry climate probably helps their survival rate.

 

 

Four-door version of the bug-eye Corolla - never seen one of these before:

 

 

Fiat Altea - another name I'd not come across before:

 

 

I did also see a Renault Fluence, but I'd just popped out for something to eat so didn't have my camera with me.

 

This is what the Moroccan boy racers are rolling:

 

 

 

The new Dacia Duster. This actually looked surprisingly well put together from what I could see.

 

 

 

And that, I'm afraid, is that.

[ChinaTom]

are they R18 lights on that Applause? Thought it was a Chinese XiaLi at first, but that is definitely a Daihatsu 2+2 interior - nothing so fancy from XiaLi.

 

Great pics.

[Baz]

That duster is gorgeous....

[M'coli]

good spots, I find the Uno really awkward with the new-style badge on the front.

[ProgRocker]

I'm loving the rebodied Daewoo/Chevy Matiz...for some bizarre reason.

 

Also - I'm looking forward to the Dacia Duster coming to the UK.

[simmo]

Some sort of import / export thing going on, Tangiers last year

 

 

 

 

 

[Gompo]

Those last pics are ace, I can just imagine you/one of us zooming in as much as we can trying to figure what car is what, with everyone else around you wondering what the hell you're doing, with potentially an annoyed partner at their side.