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Euro Road Trip - 2014


Commander

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Planning has begun!

 

After last year's trip (http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/75633-2013-alpine-road-trip-pic-heavy/) we're keen for another :) It's largely the same crowd of people, although the Zed will be remapped and will have new K&N Panel Filters, HFCs, Tyres, Brakes, Brake Fluid and Brake lines fitted, the M3 won't have a passenger this time, the RX8 has been repaired, the Lotus remains unchanged, and an MX5 and an A3 have been added to the convoy.

 

Our current plan is here;

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=znkYi6G2lv-A.kc1srSh8ieSw

 

Estimated total cost (for absolutely everything!) is about £1500.

 

August can't come soon enough! :yahoo:

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Commander, having read up on your last road trip I will look forward to following this one as well,

Been trying to persuade my missus that a european road trip would be good but i'm having to build up slowly, so Wales this year and hopefully europe next year.

Good luck with your preparations.

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  • 2 months later...

Euro Roadtrip plans are now finalised, and I can't wait!! :yahoo:

 

I think we've managed to cram in quite a lot to our trip, and the mix of places we're staying (from tiny farmhouses in the middle of nowhere, to hotels in big cities) should keep things interesting away from the driving. We've committed ourselves to taking more photos this year too; although we got quite a few nice shots on our 2013 trip, the consensus is that a few more photo stops wouldn't be a bad thing. The list of cars coming has changed a bit too since my first post, and certainly since our 2013 trip. We now have;

 

350z (350z HR GT, This time with HFCs, UpRev, brand new MPSS and new brakes. Possibly also add a new exhaust too, but we'll see...)

Lotus Elise - Resprayed from Silver to Electric blue and with the original engine and transmission replaced with a Honda VTEC setup. I think it'll be doing something like 250BHP, in a car that weighs 800Kg... It'll have all new shocks and springs added too.

E46 M3 - No changes

RX8 - Now with a cat fitted that works, and with a new exhaust to go on.

Audi A3 - New.

MX5 - No longer coming

 

And here's the plan...

 

Saturday - 24Hr Ferry from Portsmouth to Santander

 

Sunday - Santander to Biescas via Pamplona - Lots of twisty roads and nice scenery

https://mapsengine.g...78.kkLSnHuMuQMk

 

Monday - Biescas to Fornells de la Muntanya via N260, and a quick detour to Andorra - Lots and lots of twisty roads and very nice scenary

https://mapsengine.g...78.kuJHzd0bTYZs

 

Tuesday - Fornells de la Muntanya to Nice - nice start to the day, then slog along m-way to Nice. Visit Monaco in the evening.

https://mapsengine.g...78.kG8fEsnCmEug

 

Wednesday - Nice to Saint Etienna de Cuines via Route Napoleon

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=znkYi6G2lv-A.kLG9ZrODYxqA

 

Thursday - Saint Etienna de Cuines to Fiesch via so many awesome mountain passes I'm not going to list them!

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zn-M1lT-xp78.k2ZuRFXjxirM

 

Friday - Fiesch to Strasbourg via even more mountain passes

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zn-M1lT-xp78.k0zk922uNfFk

 

Saturday - Strasbourg to the Nurburgring via a couple of German national parks

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=znkYi6G2lv-A.kEQVnhZzLC1Y

 

Sunday - Ring Taxi, Suzuki Swift Rental, EuroTunnel, Home, Sleeeeeep

 

 

 

Edited: Typo

Edited: Small update to route

Edited by Commander
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Looks ace, but one suggestion: Don't bother with Andorra! It's utterly rubbish, and having driven through it twice it's not even worth doing once. Just stay on the 260, the route on that map is perfect. :thumbs:

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You really need to try and convince him, if the traffic is bad at the border you can write off an hour and half and there's only one way in or out really. There is nothing there, and whilst I also wanted to tick the box it's the one huge regret I have from my trip last year, utter waste of time.

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  • 1 month later...

We go on Saturday! Can't wait... Wahooo!

 

A quick update on things...

 

My zorst has been causing problems so a new cat-back Milltek is now sitting in my garage - it arrived today and I plan on fitting it tonight.

 

The Lotus, which got sent in for a new engine (Swap Rover for Honda V-Tec), new Gearbox, new suspension, new tyres, new exhaust, re-map, full re-spray etc.. isn't actually finished yet. It 'should' be ready on Friday (2 weeks late), but if it isn't then we're not sure what his plan B is yet... If it does make it though, it'll be pretty rapid!

 

The M3 driver has just bought a supercharger kit which should see him at about 550BHP, but fortunately it won't be fitted until next year's trip so he'll have to make do with 360-ish BHP for now. (Phew!)

 

The RX8 is now running a free-flowing zorst, with de-cat... pops and Bangs galore! Still got all the torque of a tired elastic band though ;)

Edited by Commander
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The Elise is going hooning straight after a respray?! That's going to be mullered by the time you guys get back. :( Not sure I'd be doing a Euro hoon after an engine swap with no time to bed everything in either, but good luck to you all!

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Hah, Ekona, RickyZ, don't worry, both drivers are getting suitable amounts of pre-departure banter about their car decisions.

 

The lotus re-spray happened a few weeks ago so the paint should be fully hardened by now, but even so I think the paint will still get ruined and mechanically it's obviously a risk with the bedding in time being the drive from Essex to Reading just one day before departure!

 

Top Gear rules are likely to be enforced if anybody causes too many problems en-route! ;)

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could i suggest a small detour....... from La Mure to Modane you are going along the A43 / E70.... could i suggest that you do a slight detour along the D1091 through La Grave along to Briancon then up to Modane from there..... that pass through les deux alps is awesome!! ;)

 

also when you are in Germany if you do not drop off the route at willstatt near Oberkirch and go up the route 500 from its junction with the 28 and follow it up to Baden Baden you will be missing out BIG TIME!

 

:thumbs:

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Stelvio in the dry, how boring! ;)

 

We stayed in Trafoi (at the bottom) so we went down it at about 11pm at night - pitch black with the rain coming in sideways. We then went up again the following day at about 8am and it was covered in snow (in August!).

 

DSCF0080.jpg

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Update #1

 

The Lotus got collected at about 2am, from Essex and the driver lives in Reading. Looks a beauty but it has had zero running in time.

 

Alarm went off at 0440hrs after a night of having the sh**s. Not good. Got to Portsmouth ok, but the Ferry left an hour late. 3hrs in to the crossing and the ferry's engine has developed a 'technical problem'. Current ETA to fix is 9hrs, which puts our driving-day-1 plans in to dissaray as our 11am arrival in to port is now an 8pm arrival, followed by a 4-5hr drive...

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Update #2

A sleepless night of having the sh**s and we're now about 3hrs away from port and 8 hours behind schedule. Driving Day1's plans have been cut short and instead of 6-7hrs of b-roads, we're doing 4.5hrs of motorway instead, should get in to the hotel at around 2300hrs.

 

Feeling very rough and running late isn't the best start to the trip, but then if everything went to plan, it'd be boring!

 

Next update in a couple of days after we've taken in some of the Pyrenees.

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Missed several updates, now we're at the 'ring. Ate a steak on a rock at Sabine Schmidt's Piston Klause restaurant. We pick up some rental cars tomorrow AM and have Ring Taxis booked too. Too scared to take my Zed on the ring, especially as the Yellow Stuff pads I have on it are too easily cooked (much smellyness on the mountain passes) and will need upgrading to something better.

 

The autobahns are as good this year as they were last year, tho my clutch was struggling with heat soak on the faster (160ish) stretches so I'll need to look at that when I get back.

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