Just attending a Petrolhead Tour in any vehicle is special enough, but when your car is broken and your friend lends you his Caterham 420R - well that's just a dream come true. One that i had to try and capture some footage of and despite two cameras breaking during the week i managed to get enough together for this film. There were many, many memorable drives I wasn't able to film but this at least provides a glimpse of some of the journey around Spain on this tour.
For those wishing i'd said a little more about the car, i'll take the opportunity now to make some observations of this incredible vehicle:
i) Wet Weather Performance - i was stunned how capable the vehicle was in the wet and the level of grip it was able to generate. On first glance at the tyres i assumed they weren't designed with wet weather driving in mind but i couldn't have been more wrong. Day two of the tour brought rain of varying intensities from light drizzle to full downpour yet the car continued to keep very good pace throughout. I needn't have been worried - i later found out the Avon ZZS tyres were specifically commissioned to be a wet weather tyre for the racing caterhams, which explains a lot! On this topic, it's wise to take a foldable rain coat but keeping speeds above 40mph the cabin stays remarkably dry which negates the need to put the roof up. If you can avoid being stationery or driving slowly through town, then continuing to drive without stopping to put the roof on is definitely viable.
ii) Fuel Tank - yes the fuel tank is small at 36 litres (only 32 litres usable), so taking two five litre jerry cans in the boot doesn't eat up too much luggage space but is a very good idea to avoid being stranded. I only had to use one of the jerry cans once, but was very grateful a number of times that i didn't have to stress when the fuel got low knowing i had some in reserve.
iii) Luggage - I can't imagine anyone would embark on this sort of trip with a passenger so making full use of the passenger footwell to place a large gym bag was very useful. Then having a rucksack containing everything you may need to reach whilst driving (phone chargers, water, sunscreen, radios, baseball cap, passport, high-vis) and having that on the passenger seat is ideal.
iv) Sunglasses - one of the few dramas i had was driving through the interior of Spain on a really hot day i managed to burn my eyes from the bright sun. My sunglasses were just not up to the task - so i'd definitely recommend taking a very good, dark pair of sunglasses.
v) On the topic of the heat, the car demands regular fuel stops and at the same time stocking up on cold drinks from petrol stations is a very good way to keep heat stroke at bay.
vi) Windscreen - take a jumbo sized kitchen roll and decent glass cleaner. At every stop, cleaning the windscreen will be required such is the volume of bugs that are accumulated. Petrol stations often have large rolls of paper towel also and using that is advisable too.
vii) Car control - I was a little apprehensive about the risk of loose surfaces in something so light. In the end i needn't have worried. For one thing your ability to scan and identify issues on the surface of the road ahead is enhanced by your view out of the car. For another you can start to hear gravel hitting the bottom of the car just as soon as you do go over gravel or similar. If you should run into trouble the order in which you can use the controls to get out of trouble is nearly always throttle first (come gently off throttle, apply a trailing throttle, or apply full throttle), steering (open up the steering or apply full lock), gearbox to drop down a gear or dip the clutch - and only when those options have been exhausted or nothing but an emergency stop will do then use the brakes. To be fair that applies to all cars, but in most vehicles the temptation to just mash the brakes to get out of trouble may not be the best answer but you can often get away with it. In the caterham it's most likely to turn a bad situation into a really bad one.
viii) Physical demands - I did prepare in the month leading up to the tour with some mobility exercises and during the tour i was doing regular stretches in the morning, at lunch stops and in the evening. Certainly i would recommend doing the same. At no point did i suffer any serious aches or pains and climbing in the car each day was just another feeling of excitement for the day ahead. And of course don't forget the narrow shoes for the pedals! On a cruise the left hand foot can rest happily underneath the clutch pedal. At any time you find yourself stationary just a wiggle of the ankle helps keep those from seizing up.
ix) Lastly would i recommend it? Definitely a bucket list activity that i would recommend to anyone considering it. I hadn't driven a caterham for over ten years but they are so instinctive to drive and give so much reward back - i wouldn't have wanted to have been in anything else for this tour!