Has anyone taken a Cortina / Classic to france !

cortinacrazy

Heading to france in a few weeks and am thinking of taking the Cortina. Has anyone here done it , and if so any hints or tips would be great ....

AA seem fairly good , there holiday package seems very good and helpful , includes sending car home etc....

So far i apparently need , Headlamp deflectors , A triangle warning sign, high vis vest ,an IRL sticker on rear ,all documents relating to car , a second address to ship car to so as i can continue on with trip . The AA have said that they have covered Classics before and the biggest problem is parts ( so a boot full of parts is a must )

Just wondering if anyone has done it and any tips , or stories Good Or Bad....
:):)

FiftyNine

I think the law changes in France soon, you need an alcolyser in the car as well, and a Hi-Viz for each occupant.

macplaxton

Piece of cake.:D Just take loads of cards/cash.

First time (c. 2006) from High Wycombe, England to Moncheaux-lès-Frévent, France (near Arras) in an old Austin Maxi with a rumbly front wheel bearing. 400-500 miles. No dramas.

Second time (2011) I didn't take one from here, but went over to England to collect one I'd just bought, then continued the holiday and brought it back at the end of the trip covering Wales / England / France / Belgium / The Netherlands / Germany. (with wife and then 5 month old child)

14 days, 2,300 miles, 700 EUR-odd of petrol. (E10 rubbish in France). Speedo cable changed (with spare supplied with car) 2nd day in France. Tools bought in local Norauto. Oil/filter change later in France with a bit of waving and gesturing (had filter with me). Transmission belts re-tensioned in hotel car park in Nevers, France. Exhaust middle section change in The Netherlands (purchased there, fitted with friend). Carb swap in England (purchased NL, fitted with friend). No breakdown cover.*

Only unscheduled stop was running out of petrol near Briare (low fuel warning light not working). Eventually got re-started on the vapours and made it to the Intermarche. Shop closed for lunch (they love their long lunch breaks), but a lot of pumps are card payment - take a selection, in case one gets knocked back.

Route with car:
UK: Slough - Dover
FR: Calais - Paris - Pithviers - Paris - Nevers.
BE: Brussels
NL: Eindhoven
BE: Bouwel (outside Antwerp)
DE: Bonn
NL: Hook of Holland
GB: Harwich - Colchester - Hitchin - Abingdon - Holyhead

Slough, England.


Leaving Dover, England. (same day)


Châtillon, France (Paris suburbs, speedo cable changed here on the street)


Pithviers, France


Intermarche, Briare, France.


Atomium, Brussels, Belgium.


Car parts filling up, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.


B&B, Waalre, The Netherlands. (Roof bars, brought with me from Dublin)


Second-hand roof box bought from local car accessory shop, Waalre, The Netherlands.


Exhaust centre section changed with friend, Waalre, The Netherlands.


Veldhoven, The Netherlands.


Poppelsdorf Palace, Bonn, Germany.


South Mimms Services (M25/A1(M)), England.


Full trip pics on Flickr HERE

*read the small print on breakdown cover. Some don't like cars in excess of a certain age. Some will not let the recovery costs on foreign recovery exceed the value of the car. Hence why I self-insured.

ep71

piece of cake

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=75280353

Tzar Chasm

I once took a horse to France

TRNIALL

There is some new law reguarding Sat Navs and having the Speed Camera facility disabled or deleted altogether.

macplaxton

TRNIALL wrote: »

There is some new law reguarding Sat Navs and having the Speed Camera facility disabled or deleted altogether.

Yes, http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/index.html

I have to say, the French have come up with some crackpot ideas in recent times, be it taking down warning signs for SCAMeras or breathalysers (money making racket if ever I saw one)

I always thought driver education had it's merits and not beating them senseless with a big stick. :rolleyes:

bbsrs

No to thread hijack or anything but Does anyone know if classic car insurance covers you to drive in europe? Thinking of doing a trip to the ring this year and not sure whether to renew my classic insurance or put a full policy on the car . Its a 1989 E30 M3 .

El Kabong!

I drove across England, over to Dusseldorf onto an autotrain to Venice, and around Northern Italy (in my 1976 Alfa )

Just bring the basic tools, and I would bring some petrol in a can, and some engine oil as sometimes you can only find modern lightweight stuff.

Some jubilee clips for hoses perhaps.
Or perhaps points/spark plugs, the usual stuff that you might need.

There was an AA EU breakdown age limit of 12 years old so I had to upgrade to a full 5* EU breakdown package which was quite expensive, but it would have covered everything.

cortinacrazy

ep71 wrote: »

piece of cake

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=75280353

Excellent !!! well done lads.....

cortinacrazy

This what i will be traveling in hopefully , 1975 MK3 CORTINA 2000E.

macplaxton

Re: Insurance:
If in doubt, read the policy documents or consult the insurer / broker for clarification.

bijapos

Bring a hi-viz for all in the car, triangle, 1st aid kit, an extinguisher.
and a IRL sticker for the boot.

A couple of tools (cable ties fix so many things) and any basics such filters etc you might need which might be particluar to your model and which might be difficult to source. There are still loads of old French and some Italian and German cars in France but the Cortina/Taunus was pretty rare at the time and is rarer still today.

I don't see the point in bringing a lot of parts, if you bring one, another kind will be sure to fail. Just arrange to have someone at home that you can contact to DHL a part if necessary.

It can get seriously hot at times in France there so make sure your cooling system is working and if you think anything in it might be dodgy then bring a spare for that part.

There are a couple of Ford clubs in France, google them beforehand and maybe have a contact ready if you do have a breakdown. Some French classic car mags have a list of them as well.

Above all don't fret too much, if something goes wrong it will and it can be fixed/repaired, just enjoy the holiday!

El Kabong! wrote: »

Just bring the basic tools, and I would bring some petrol in a can, and some engine oil as sometimes you can only find modern lightweight stuff.

It's illegal to have petrol in the car on a motorway in some countries, not sure if it applies to France.

macplaxton

Another thing about petrol in a can is, if they find it, they don't let you take it on the boat.

BraveInca

cortinacrazy wrote: »

This what i will be traveling in hopefully , 1975 MK3 CORTINA 2000E.

That is one beautiful car.

cortinacrazy

Thanks to all , you have been a big help, keep the advice coming ,thanks:)

cortinacrazy

BraveInca wrote: »

That is one beautiful car.

Cheers , tis my pride and joy....:)

unkel

macplaxton wrote: »

Veldhoven

Dude, that's where I grew up! My best mate is from Waalre. Must chat sometime

WDB123

Went to Essen Classic show this year in 1979 classic W123 200d,great trip no problems
I was insured with Carole Nash so had free euro breakdown cover,
Be careful where you park I had a little to much interest as old mercs are popular to export abroad and look up youre road tax for certain EU countries (I only found out when i came home that i should of paid a tax)

enjoy take some pics