Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

Just seeing a bay-window VW camper go by, got me thinking about how old cars can be incorporated into a holiday.

Does anyone here use their old vehicle as their prime mode of transport, when going on holiday? Or take it, along with the modern car? Perhaps a classic car tour or organised run is your holiday, or have you hired a classic at the location you're spending holiday time at?

RJ
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[peter scott]

Yes, but usually only for a few days. The limiting factor being places with safe overnight parking are usually expensive country house hotels.

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[alanb]

No I haven't taken the oldie a 1937 Morris 8 two seater on holiday for 2 reasons mainly, 1 the seating is not that comfortable, about an hour is as much as the wife will tolerate, and 2 you can't get that far in an hour, about 30 miles tops providing no hold ups. There is also the added problem of weather, even with the hood up and side screens on the rain ☔️ still manages to get in.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[badhuis]

End of next week we will go on a 5 day trip through Yorkshire and the Lake District. Love it - hope for good weather (TR4 open top). We did a similar tour last year and enjoyed it, great roads off the motorway.
A few weeks later, beginning of September I am off with a group of friends (three classic cars in total) to go around the Alps, again 5 days only.
Hotels on the way, I always search for hotels with private car parking.

Last 30 years I have used classic car for holidays. Provided it is good nick, why not? It gives the holiday an extra dimension. When the children were small (15 - 20 years ago) we towed our classic caravan (1969 Constructam) behind the Triumph 2000 Mk1 or Citroën CX all the way to the South of France.
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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[badhuis]

Sometimes there can be problems though. A friend worked hard last year to get his classic camper in good condition. Yesterday, while on holiday in Germany, he sent me this picture


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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[emmerson]

Always. Either the 98 Disco and 79 caravan or our 87 Talbot campervan.
Both are used for European trips every year, alternating Spring and Summer.
I'm prepping the Talbot for September in France.

[lowdrag]

We tour less nowadays, but the E-type has been used since the 80s for our holidays and rallies lasting up to several weeks. In all those years we have only twice suffered a difficult problem both being a dynamo bush letting go and destroying the armature. Solved once at the local breaker's yard with a Mini dynamo and some maccled up bushes because it was shorter, and the other by overnighting a new dynamo. Apart from that, some niggles but for the most part nary a worry.

[roverdriver]

Always. We only own classic vehicles, and are not frightened to travel distances in them. Longest runs have been home to Perth round trip 5,500 miles in 1982 SD1, Home to Alice Springs and return with side trips to other places, using a 1959 Rover 90- about 3,500 miles. Home to Corewa and back via Mount Hotham and Sale, round trip about 1,250 miles in 1950 Rover 75.

There are stories about some of these excursions as well as other trips that we have made, that can be found over past years in this Forum.
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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[Riley Blue]

It depends on the length of time we're going to be away. If it's a just a weekend and/or we're short of time, the Riley stays at home though there have been exceptions to that, we took it to France for a long weekend to visit a friend and tour the WW1 battlefields.

Our holidays in the UK usually involve driving in the Riley; LeJoG for example or to The Goodwood Revival. Days out to Cadwell Park or similar are more our thing though, we can fit more of those in for the cost of a two-week holiday - I don't think we've been away for that long in the last 12 years.
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David

1963 Riley 1.5
1965 Riley 1.5

[Phil - Nottingham]

We only have oldies and for the last 23 years have taken either the 1961 Rover 100 P4 or the 1972 P5B on our annual tour of the Republic of Ireland and even the 1968 Mini Traveller once. Not sure what we will do next year with a no-deal BREXIT!

The Land Rovers would make it but more slowly, noisy and uncomfortable.

The 1938 P2 would also be happy on Irelands less crowded roads but its getting to and from the Holyhead ferryport over here that would be the problem
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Rover P2
Rover P4
Rover P5 & P5B
Land Rover S2 & S3
Morris Mini Traveller Mk2

[JonPHG]

For me it is one of the joys of owning classics is going on trips and holidays.

Leisurely country runs with the sat nav set to avoid motorways.
We’ve been all round the UK to France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland and Germany over the years in a mixture of TR6, MK2 Jaguar and ‘59 Buick.

Never had any damage done even when street parked.
Biggest breakdown has been a flat tyre in the Jaguar, well it overheated, lets just say a few times over Swiss passes.....but we had water and looked after it and we’re all okay all the way home on the flat.

As for the motorway jaunt to get there, true my cars can all keep up with motorway traffic,
A friend of mine has an old Ford that isn’t comfortable above 60.
So he just stays relaxed and sticks in the slow lane, keeping up with the trucks and goes all over the place.
True it would be pretty hard work and a bit scary if you can’t manage to do 60...
Better not bother with motorways if that’s the case.

Key is good preparation and maintenance.
Decent breakdown cover is of course a must.
Ignore the mainstream providers and get it with your classic car insurance from the likes of Adrian Flux.
Can’t go wrong.

[alastairq]

I've been away on camping trips with the Dellow....usually in the company of chums on motorcycles [the Dellow is now my 'bike']
It's comfortable enough at 50 -55...and I have never been afeared of plodding along on a motorway at 45-50....
But, I like to avoid motorways for the simple reason, I am sick of them!
I find them boring, tedious, and, like being trapped on an airplane....there's nowhere to go to escape the inevitable hold ups.......[in fact, I often find 50 mph is actually faster than the average speeds of the surrounding traffic....]

However, the Dellow is very lively to drive...like many competition-orientated cars...but is a remarkable cure for the aches and pains of old age...
On narrow twisty back roads, it would often stay ahead of the big bikes....as they could not 'corner' at anything like the speeds the Dellow would allow.
Not been away in Mustang...yet....although, being a basic model [6 cylinder auto] it is probably the most sensible large car to go off in?

Does holidaying in a 25 year old Daihatsu Fourtak count?
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

[ukdave2002]

I have tried, but the car exceeded the 30kg limit

More seriously I do want to do a European tour in the MGA.

Dave

[gillberry]

Yes but if towing the oldie caravan we only go locally as moden traffic are not very happy being held up but I use the excuse we tow at the speed limit of when the car and caravan were built. If a long journey hubby tows with the modern (now 10 years old) and I follow

But has anyone else noticed how bored the drivers of the VW camper vans look 😇
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1968 Volvo Amazon estate (Gracie)
1967 Cheltenham Nyala caravan