Volume 11 covers selected classic events throughout the Winter and Spring of 2023.
We start with a brace of first-hand accounts of the Dakar Enduro Rally which started in Jerez, climbed and twisted its way through Morocco before the desert of Mauritania and glorious finish in Daka, Senegal. An intrepid group of 17 motorbikes and classic cars took on the awa-inspiring challenge – and everyone made it to the end. Beautifully photographed by Rod Kirkpatrick who gives his view from the saddle of his bright blue and yellow Yamaha XT600, it evokes the atmosphere of the early days of the original Paris Dakar. Another view is from Bill Hailstone, owner of Woking Yamaha, who teamed up with Andy Fillingham, a retired Tornado Navigator and Dave Tilton a retired Tornado Pilot – well what else do you do after living the dream in fighter jets?
India’s glory days of the Raj are celebrated in style by the annual 21 Gun Salute International Concours d’Elegence, which incorporated a tour round the Gujarati city of Vadadora – formerly Baroda. Set in the grounds of the magnificent Lukshmi Vila Palace it is an event of elegance, nostalgia and incredible colour in the way only the Indians can do. Our intrepid reporter James Nichols joined the parade which started in the serenity of the palace grounds before plunging into the maelstrom of modern traffic and pedestrians that personifies modern India. Tuk-tuks, sacred cows, roaming dogs, weaving bicycles, hooting taxis and market sellers all competing for space and attention. The range of classic cars in India is extraordinary from, of course, Rolls-Royces to a 1922 Steyr, an Austin 7, Citroen DS, Bugatti and a host of grown up American cars.
Sometimes cars are more than just a machine. The open road, more than just a means of getting from A to B. The journey more than the sum of the hours. Federico Gottsche Bebert experienced just such a catharsis when he and his partner set off on a road trip in his Bugatti T35C just after his father’s funeral. It was a journey of contemplation, remembrance and celebration of his father’s memory. There was no plan, just to drive from Piedmont to London and take breakfast at the RAC Club in Woodcote Park. The journey was not without dramas but he and Virginia made it safely to London albeit with the brake cables fraying and the wheels about to fall apart. A Catharsis in Cars is the sort of road trip we all enjoy.
From a warm feeling to the ice cold. Sarah Bennett-Baggs tries her hand at Below Zero Ice Driving in her article Sub Cool. This was an event for air-cooled Porsche 911’s from the Tuthill Porsche stable. With the temperature at -5 and snow and ice everywhere you only have to keep your tail happy puppy on the track. Five cars, 10 people what could possibly go wrong. The track is laid out on a frozen lake in Are, Sweden one of the best skiing areas in the country so they know how to handle snow and ice and love to pass-on the skills.
When is it just plain crazy to take your open top car to Scotland for a three day rally? Early March of course but a dozen hardy optimists braved the worst forecast of the winter to enjoy a few days of surprisingly good weather – no Michael Fish was not responsible! The Highland Winter Warmer from Bespoke Rallies beat the odds to provide one of the surprising hits of the winter.
Mudlicious follows the dare-devil journeys of motor-cycle titan Austin Vince who now takes people on character building adventures into the back and beyond – and even further than that. He laughs in the face of adversity while having a gusto for life but don’t be fooled it’s a serious business.
So how did the Peking to Paris start? John Brigden delves into the murky past to dig out the facts and explain how the revival of the P2P was more than just a rocky path. There were many a false start and it was down to the tenacious Philip Young to bring the 1997 event to fruition. The story unfolds.
All these amazing stories and more are brought to life by some incredibly atmospheric images from a variety of talent photographers: Andrew Coles, Chris Tarling, Rod Kirkpatrick, Chippy wood and Emmie Sjodahl and many more.
Auto Addicts is a classic lifestyle magazine connecting a like minded community of creatives, writers and photographers with classic adventure thrill seekers through a series of interviews and first hand accounts all accompanied by some stunning photography from some of the best photographers around.
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