Monte Carlo and back to Chester proved to be no problem for one duo.
In a car bought for under £300, Dave Greenhaugh, 72, from Chester and Mike Levens, 68, from Wrexham, drove 2,226 miles and raised £2,264 for charity.
Their 1992 Mercedes Classic made it to the Cote d’Azur unscathed as they joined 75 others taking part in the Monte Carlo or Bust banger rally.
Setting off from Chester on July 14, the pair had no idea the car would make it in such style.
Mike said: “We took it easy down to Maidenhead as we did not know how it would manage.”
The Classic was painted in the style of Starsky and Hutch’s famous Ford Gran Torino, the cosmetic work costing more than the car itself.
With Dave in the driver’s seat, it was on to Calais before heading to San Quentin for the official start of the rally on July 16.
Mike said: “At the meeting point before the rally had started we were told our alarm was going off.
“It was something to do with the automatic locking so every time we had to manually lock and leave the boot open.”
On day one towards Dijon they toured the minor roads through the Champagne region.
Mike said: “We had a really obstinate sat-nav, any time we came off the route it kept telling us to turn back so we threw it away and used maps from then on.”
Brief visits in Switzerland and Italy were the highlights on the way to Turin for the second night.
Mike, a fluent French speaker, had to explain to a Swiss border guard why so many strange cars had been passing through that day.
The duo hoped to have a snowball fight at the top of the Grand St Bernard Pass, but they were scuppered by a lack of snow at the drive’s highest point.
The final leg of the tour saw the rally pass back into southern France in blazing sunshine.
Mike said: “It was 36 degrees and the air conditioning was throwing out even hotter air. We had to just roll down the windows to try to keep cool.”
Monte Carlo marked the official end of the rally, but there was time to take on the famous Formula 1 circuit through the streets. From there the convoy continued on to Nice for the final night presentations.
Mike and Dave were recognised as the second highest fundraisers in the rally, and finished 21st of the 65 who made it all the way.
The Classic took a steadier route back to Chester and has now been sold to the company who did the paint job.
Mike said: “We grew very fond of the car, and at least I will always know where it is.”
