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TEAM HOWLES ON THE INCA TRAIL
Or How to take a 1967 Reliant Scimitar on a 15,000 mile round trip of South America in 8 weeks
Preparations are now well under way for this epic journey. We plan to ship our trusty Scimitar Coupé to the other side of the world, drive it across hot deserts, along gravel tracks, over mountain ranges, through snow, mud and ice and hopefully have time to learn something about the South American countries we will be visiting. That well used cliché "you don’t have to be mad to work here, but it helps" comes to mind. We think we are just about mad enough to tackle this endurance rally in a Reliant. What a great advert for Scimitars! What a true reflection on their owners! Two years ago it all seemed a long way off when HERO announced The Inca Trail. A unique rally to Machu Picchu visiting Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. The route now looks ominously long on the map of South America. The rally starts in Rio de Janeiro on 6 October this year and there is much to be done to get both car and crew in shape. The Coupe went into Scimitar Services in December 2000 for Chris Lloyd to do the main preparation work. After an initial inspection it became apparent that the chassis needed major attention. Nothing less than a "body-off" job was required so that the chassis could be strengthened all round. In particular at the back where the boot, which will be carrying a heavy load of spares, is cantilevered out behind the rear axle, and at the suspension mounting points. Other work so far includes a longer sump guard, reinforced casing to rear axle, new water pump, new timing gears, new oil pump drive and new brake and fuel lines. Also, when Chris got the body off it was clear that the damage we had done to the front in previous rallies now needed proper repair. The front had taken quite a bashing when we left the road on two notable occasions. First on the South Hams Night Rally in 1997 when we skidded on wet leaves and hit a bank causing one of the headlights to pop out and roll on down the road! After patching up the car we then tried the tarmac stage rally at Caerwent. This is a tough venue where mistakes are costly. We went into a hairpin too fast on our second run and hit one of the many high kerbs before collecting a fence post and some greenery. Chris has fitted a new valance and strengthened the inner body shell with fibreglass. The car should be back in Salisbury by the end of March 2001 for Adrian Butt to supply a new wiring loom. While these works to the car are proceeding the crew has also been getting into better shape. We both considered "body off" jobs but the ones we’ve got will have to do. Walking, cycling, golf and swimming are all being pushed into our busy schedules. We need to be fit enough to drive between 300-400 miles, much of it on competitive timing, almost every day for 8 weeks. We're planning to carry as many spares as possible including larger jets for the carb to cope with altitudes of 13,000 ft. Our luggage will be minimal but will include swimming trunks for a dip in Lake Titicaca. We've been promised Inca cities; a flight over the Nasca Desert lines; dinosaur footprints; glaciers melting into the sea; the spectacle of 4000 penguins; a ferry to the southern most tip of South America at Tierra del Fuego; Fangio's home town museum and race circuit; and of course Sugar Loaf mountain and Copacabana Beach. Will the Coupé make it? Will the crew make it? You will be able to follow the rally on HERO's own web site Until then watch out for more updates on our rally preparations.
Ted & Judy Howles Salisbury, England. March 2001 |
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