Austrian Alps Gross Glockner trip in T70

Hi All,

I wanted to share these pictures with you. Friends of ours got married this summer and they got married in Italy. We decided to make the 2500km (1600mls) trip with my recently finnished Gardner Douglas T70. T

This basicly meant 2 things:
1 roughly 1600km of German Autobahn to cover! :laugh:
2: being able to do the return trip via the italian and austrian alps, and drive the Plocken-Pass from Italy to Austria and as the grand finale drive 2556m altitude "Gross Glockner Hoch Alpen Strasse" :helmet:

So we hit 267km (169mls) an hour on the Autobahn legaly!
At which Point my girlfriend Vivian gave up an made the :thumbsdown: sign. that was however at 5800RPM (the LS1 will run 6250Rpm). must go back one day.

After a beautifull wedding weekend, we did the return trip over the mountains.
I must say this was my best driving experience up till now ever.
450hp+ in a 920KG car is brilliant on those roads.
The handling of the Gardner Douglas is the best I've ever had by all means. The road-holding is incredible in the tight hairpin corners, you can throw the car into corners at speeds I would't dare in anything else.
Something is completely right about this chassis!
Also driving it for hours on end at 180km (110mls) an hour was very easy not exhausting at all. (it has been set up for road use for this trip)

All in all if you ever have the chance of driving this road DO IT!

Stelvio Pass has been covered in snow almost all summer 2013, so that one we'll keep for next year..... anyone to come along?
 

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great pictures, the car must be reliable for such trip so it was a good test I guess.

also above 200 without a window sounds also a bit fast for me, don't know never drove a car without a window/windshield...some insects could be like stones than I guess :D
 

flatchat(Chris)

Supporter
Great story and pics Thomas, have to agree with your statement regarding driveability and handling. Nice touch with the helmuts-- intercom for communication?? -- and where did the baggage get stored ?:laugh:
In Australia, if you get caught doing those speeds its instant confiscation of vehicle and a jail term -- so, we read your story with envy:thumbsup:
 
Wow Thomas that really was a epic trip! I also wonder where you put the luggage, or did it hitch a ride in another car? If it was in your car seems the wedding couple then did not get a very big gift from you? And they must have been upset again when your car upstaged the wedding limo?

Or maybe you and Vivian travelled with only a credit card and a toothbrush and just bought new clothes as you went along?:laugh:

I'm interested in what ground clearance you are running, maybe easiest to measure at the point just behind the front wheel arch, from the bottom of the chassis/side pod to the ground. You seem to be running quite a lot of rake (rear of chassis higher than front)?

Cheers

Fred W B
 
Hi Fred,

We actually took a lot of stuff with us, I have my sidepods as lugage compartments. and you cram a lot of stuff in them. The present was a bottle of Joly Champange of Troissy with acompanying glasses, which survived the journey OK. I have my fueltank wedged inbetween the engine and firewall. so both sidepods are completely empty and accesible via hatches with locks.
see here about half way down the page, https://sites.google.com/site/gdt70spider/home/build-diary/chassis-alloy-plating

ground clearance (at center of each the wheel) is 130mm in the back and 125mm up front, so altough it seems to have quite a lot of rake it is actually not all that much. track set-up would be much lower and more rake to have the rear venturi work even better.

I'll try and dig up a piccie of the lugage compartments filled to the brim. dunno if i took any.

Grtz Thomas

but seriously anyone in for a weekend trip next year? we could do luxembourgh f.i.?
 

flatchat(Chris)

Supporter
"Champagne and flutes" love your style Thomas -- my kinda guy, being the ultimate gentleman. ahem, cough!
Me and the princess have done a similar trip in a GT40 -- round trip of 5000k and mostly 40°C with xtra baggage of xmas gifts and "Pro Hart" art collections
 
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Thomas,

Have you encountered the KLPD (Dutch traffic police) already on the motorway? How do they react to the position of the registration plate?

I might have the same problem on the GTD and I already know they will not allow a sticker on the front like they do in the UK.

John
 

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Hi John,

I Specificly made a picture at the RDW aproval station with the numberplate mounted like this, it never gave me a problem with police or such. If they do pull me over I have prof that it was aproval like this. If I get fined they'll have a challenge.

It's actualy so low to the ground that it's clearly visible like this btw.
 
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