I might be thinking a bit far out there, but I thought last night it would be some sort of excellent idea to get a few of us on some kind of journey to Dakar or India or something like that.

Obviously it would require a LOT of planning and we're probably talking summer 2010 at the earliest. My thinking behind it is:

1. It would be awesome
2. We have enough expertise on these cars between us to keep them running all the way to the destination
3. It would prove that 300s really are durable (like they really need that proof).
4. It would be awesome

Am I a big dreamer? We could get stickers made up. Think about it! Stickers!

Hmmm i do like stickers......

Seriously tho its a cool idea, but how much would it cost to do something like that?

Knoking a little about the road conditions out there, most of the lowered 300's would be a no go. Its a cool idea though. What about a V300 trip to Sweden to the volvo museum?
Adam

It's a fantastic idea, but really needs to be planned well. Border crossings and insurance technicalities once you get outside Europe are the biggest problem. The "official unofficial" Plymouth to Dakar Rally actually ends in Gambia for example, as the authorities in Senegal try and prevent foreigners bringing their cars in by entering the car you've brought in into your passport. When you leave the country, it's removed again. If you try and leave and don't have the car with you, they assume you sold it and charge 10 squillion per cent tax.

Do some searching for 5lab (Hugh) on this forum, he took part in the rally with a "convertible 300"

Have a look at your green card from your insurance company, there are some pretty cool far-away destinations you can go to without ever needing to change your plates or buy new insurance. Iran? Russia? (west of the Urals) Morocco? Eastern Turkey?

Take your pick ...

Tom

PS Chris_C could be an authority on this, IIRC something about a City Rover and India?

trabitom99 wrote:It's a fantastic idea, but really needs to be planned well. Border crossings and insurance technicalities once you get outside Europe are the biggest problem. The "official unofficial" Plymouth to Dakar Rally actually ends in Gambia for example, as the authorities in Senegal try and prevent foreigners bringing their cars in by entering the car you've brought in into your passport. When you leave the country, it's removed again. If you try and leave and don't have the car with you, they assume you sold it and charge 10 squillion per cent tax.

It's like that for quid a few countries, Iran, Pakistan and India certainly. You can get round it with a "carnet" document, but Nick certainly still had one of the countries put the thing in his passport.

trabitom99 wrote:Do some searching for 5lab (Hugh) on this forum, he took part in the rally with a "convertible 300"

Yes, certainly worth asking him if thats the direction you are thinking of heading

trabitom99 wrote:Have a look at your green card from your insurance company, there are some pretty cool far-away destinations you can go to without ever needing to change your plates or buy new insurance. Iran? Russia? (west of the Urals) Morocco? Eastern Turkey?

Once you get passed a set point, insurance is pointless anyway, the other party won't have it, it's knowing where it is compulsory thats the trick.

trabitom99 wrote:PS Chris_C could be an authority on this, IIRC something about a City Rover and India?

The way me and Nick did it wasn't cheap though but then we had to find hotels big enough for 100+ people each night which ment the big popular stuff. The Iran/Pakistan border is still shut (and I don't blame it tbh, it's only since I've looked back on it that I realised quite what was going on there). It took us 19days to reach India from memory, and that was driving a fair chunk harder and longer than I'd expect most would be keen on doing. Anyone who saw me at the V3M meet at Hughes the following weekend will probably have noticed I really wasn't with it.

Adam's right, most of the 300's on here would be a huge issue, though the only things we did to the City were seat swaps (for 300 seats) wheel changes (to 13' steels with huge sidewall, you don't want to fold one, and if you do fold it, you want to be able to hammer it out) and rollcage bar for a nudgebar, and underneath in strategic places to protect the exhaust.

Theres a very very good reason most of the scally rally type things don't go outside of the EU (Czech wrecks left the day before me and Nick, we over took them at Belgium....) and thats the car prep is non existent. I'd say Adam's idea of Sweden is pretty much spot on, but then I had an awesome time going to India, I'm just not convinced most of us have the time to organise it or the pennies to get involved. A month off work and spending x grand don't normally present themselves at the same time.

Yeah fair points Chris. At least there are a few people who have done it. Volvo museum seems like a more realistic option though, I'd still be well up for that. Especially if we could go via an unrestricted autobahn on the way

Speedy88 wrote:Yeah fair points Chris. At least there are a few people who have done it. Volvo museum seems like a more realistic option though, I'd still be well up for that. Especially if we could go via an unrestricted autobahn on the way

Hmm, I wouldn't go too far out of your way just to try that out (in a standard 300 at least). There's always someone in the way, and 50% of motorways are restricted by now - in theory. In practice it feels more like 90%.

Tom

I also think a Volvo Museum trip to Sweden would be great, but i'd have to rectify the lack of V300 situation

There's the DAF museum in Holland too, but even they only have one 300

Tom

Sveenden sounds cool.
As long as yous dont leave me trundling behind in a cloud of burning rubber.

Volvo museum is well worth going to see. We went to Vallakra a couple of years ago. I took my 360 and joined basically a group of tbrickers and we met up with a couple of people in Gothenburg before going to the show. I can't even remember how many of us went now. I think it ended up only being a two car convoy? Me in my 360 and Chesh in his 940 with Foggy and Nibbles sharing the ride/drive? Anyway it gave a great opportunity to max the car legally on an stretch of unrestricted autobahn. I think I saw a GPS verified 118mph on a long straight and level bit.

Am well up for a longer distance though....

Check out www.d-tour.co.uk not as far as some suggestions but already organised and lots of fun!!! and a trackday!

Also in the pipe line is a road trip to the Nurburgring in Germany and Gatebil in Norway!

340GLT wrote:Knoking a little about the road conditions out there, most of the lowered 300's would be a no go. Its a cool idea though. What about a V300 trip to Sweden to the volvo museum?
Adam

Sounds like a plan coming together

i like the sound of a trip to the volvo museum in sweden, i might be going to the swedish world scout jamboree so ill be over there in 2011having a bit of fun (and maybe finding some time for the musem)

soon to be returning to the fold

Ben

Hey pyro, are you in network or a leader or something?