Favorit European Adventure

[wesacosa]

Hi All

Not sure if this is best place to post this so feel free to move if required.....

 

I have had a lot of help and advice on the forum as I prepared for a European tour in my 1994 Favorit so thought I would give a little round up of the event here in case anyone is interested. Apologies its a bit long.......

 

I was given for Christmas a ticket to compete in a "cars under £500" rally from London to Monte Carlo (and hopefully back). After flirting with the idea of an old Mercedes  or a Cinquecento , my prime choice soon became a Skoda Favorit for several reasons. I have always had a soft spot for cars from the communist era in Eastern Europe and the idea of competing in a pretty basic older generation car really appealed. There were non officially for sale at the time of looking but after stumbling across this forum by chance I found a post from a gentleman thinking of selling his 1994 Favorit. Contact was made and after a viewing and a few weeks of e mail tennis a deal was stuck for a 1994 Carribean Green Favorit  with 97k on the clock, which was now a non runner having failed to start in the days after my viewing.  Armed with a box of tools and spare parts I replaced the ignition system outside the vendors house and drove the car 2 hours North to my home in London.

 

The paint was pretty faded, the wheels didn't match and it had Felica mirrors. It dropped coolant and gearbox oil on my drive and had a major exhaust manifold to downpipe leak but was generally pretty tidy and straight, had been well maintained and seemed to run well despite only covering a few thousand "around town" miles in the last 12 years.   Over the next few months , as regular contributors to this forum will probably remember !, I fixed the various leaks, renewed the cooling system, added cooling fan override switch, set valve clearance, changed gearbox oil , fan belt, rubber fuel lines and clips, fuel filter, brake discs, exhaust rubbers, tyres, stereo, 12v outlet socket. Checking of the clutch, head gasket and suspension condition didn't  throw up any immediate concerns so these were left.  I restored the original wheels, and sourced a set of Favorit mirrors and wheel covers, T-cutted and waxed the faded paint, back-to-blacked the front bumper and we were ready to go !

 

 

 

Day 1 (London to Saint Quentin, France)

Mainly motorways and A-roads. Gentle introduction to the trip. Good chance to test car out. All seemed well. 

 

Day 2 (Saint Quentin to Dijon)

Met up with the other competitors. 48 other cars , but the Skoda was the most interesting (in my biased opinion !) We crossed the official start line with a mix of excitement and trepidation

 

 

 

Just under 300 miles , taking in the Champagne region of France, with a stop at the Reimes-Gueux disused Grand Prix circuit providing a great photo opportunity

 

 

 

 

 

after lunch in the beautiful village next to the old circuit we spent 2 hours driving around the fabulous Champagne tourist route around Reims before stopping for a glass of Champagne in Epernay. The car was performing very well around all the winding roads and hills despite temperatures getting in to the late 20s. After that a couple of hours down the main road and in to the stunning medieval city of Dijon for the overnight........

 

Part 2 of the story to follow

Edited 30 July, 2019 by wesacosa

[wesacosa]

Day 3 (Dijon to Turin)

The longest and most challenging drive of the trip.  Just over 300 miles with temperatures now in the low 30s

 We took the direct route out of France, but once into Switzerland we passed gradually climbed through winding mountain roads and down to Lake Geneva. After a stop in the stunning lakeside town of Montreaux (complete with Freddy Mercury statue!!) we set up towards the mighty St Bernard Pass. The third highest pass in the Swiss Alps , climbing up through ever winding and tightening roads to height of just under 2500m (8100ft)

 

By now I was getting more and more confident in the car, but knew that he pass would be a challenge.  The gearing of the car was not ideal for the climb, as we got close to the top progress got a little slow. 2nd gear was a tad to short, but 3rd as too long. We did the whole 30 minute climb without stopping and only for the last 2km as things got really high and steep did the temperature start to creep up a little bit. But the little car kept on plugging away and we made it to the top with only a thimble full of coolant blown out of the pressure cap (one of the Jag X-types on the rally blew 4.5 litres of coolant climbing up the pass !)

 

 

After a well earned beer at the top, and meeting the St Bernard dogs who live and work in the hospice at the top it was a 30 minute descent down the other side of the pass into Italy.  We took it nice and gently but there were no signs of any problems with brakes running out.  Once at the bottom it was a 3 hour cruise down the motorways into Turin, where stopping at red lights and being in the correct lane seem to be optional !  Some pasta and and a few beers than off to bed ready for the next day...........

 

 

 

Edited 30 July, 2019 by wesacosa

[wesacosa]

Day 4, Turin to Monaco

First really hot day of the trip.  We met at the fabulous Turin automobile museum. Despite the standard of driving, Turin was a very nice place and the museum was one of the best I have been to, even having a very early 128 like my dad used to have

 

We then took the 10 min walk (in stifling heat) to the old Fiat Lingotto factory, which is now a shopping centre and hotel complex, but round the back still managed to look like a disused car factory ,and the famous test track is still on the roof and open for visits

 

 

 

 

 

then back to the car in what was now quite unpleasant travelling temperatures to start the 170 mile trip down to the Italian Rivera and along the coast into Monaco

 

 

After several hours driving along some fabulous roads we arrived in Monte Carlo mid afternoon.  It was very busy with people in expensive cars, people taking photos of expensive cars and general people wandering around it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

not quite sure what the locals and the super car spotters made of my little green Skoda as we did 3 laps of the grand prix circuit , we certainly got a few funny looks as we passed through the crowds in Casino Square !!

After a few hours we headed 15 or so miles down to Nice, and the official end of the rally

 

 

We now had 3 "unplanned" days to head back from South of France to London. Car was still running perfect at this point. Had not missed a beat, nor used a drop of oil or coolant (other than on the pass). The lack of air con had been a bit of a problem on this leg but that was about to get more of an issue !!

 

 

 

 

Edited 30 July, 2019 by wesacosa

[wesacosa]

Day 5 (Nice to Dijon)

The loose plan was to have an easy driving day today, possibly stopping a few hours down the Cote D'Azur and spending the day there. We set of mid morning in 35 degree heat. However an hour into the journey we checked the temperature for the next 2 days, both of which were going to get past 40deg !!  The heat in the car was starting to make life unpleasant so we took the decision to abandon the plan and get as far north as we could today to minimise the driving in the more severe heat of the next two days.  So a 415 mile epic drive up the toll roads back to Dijon.  This really wasnt a nice day. The roads were boring and the heat oppressive but we made it back to Dijon. The car coped much better than we did ! During normal running the temperature gauge say just below normal, today was just above but there was never any worry about overheating (although I did occasionally set the heater to blast a bit on hot to add some extra cooling, the heat was not much more than that coming through the open windows! ).  However we had broken the back of the journey and bought ourselves a day to enjoy the sites of Dijon

 

Day 6 (Dijon to Reims)

The temperature was now 40deg so we stayed and had some food and beers, and didnt leave until 7pm when the temperature cooled. We drove 3.5 hours down the motorway to the outskirts of Reims for an overnight rest

 

 

Day 7 (Reims to London)

More heat forecast today so an early start and motorway blast to Calais , by now we were too hot and tired to do any sight seeing. 

 

 

 

but another 250 trouble free miles under the Favorit's belt . Finally made it home to celebrate with a nice glass of French champagne in some 1989 Skoda Favorit branded finest Czechoslovakian lead crystal wine glasses (amazing what you can find on ebay !!)

 

 

and that was that,  7 days, 1900 miles, 5 countries, 2500 meters, 35 degs C and the car did not miss a beat. It started every morning, climbed hills, sat for hours on the motorway, got stuck in traffic jams in 35deg heat and not a once was I worried we wouldn't make it. I am sure everyone on this forum doesn't need me to tell them but these really are amazingly tough little cars. I reckon I could have pointed it anywhere in Europe and just kept going.  It sipped fuel, didn't use a drop of oil and was more than happy sat at 75 on the motorway with 2 passengers, luggage and a large box of tools, spare parts and a trolley jack (non of which I needed!).. It wasn't too happy on the hills but we will forgive that.

 

If you made it this far down the post, thanks ! Hope I didn't bore you too much.  I want to say a huge thanks to everyone on this forum who helped me with the many questions I posted during the 5 months between buying the car and setting off,  helping me with all my questions , however small or silly they were. I wouldn't have been able to get the car prepped without you. Too many people to name individually but thanks to all of you.  One person I should probably call out though with special thanks is  @RicardoM, who I am pretty sure replied to every single question I posted, and also had replied to other peoples posts I ended up using too.

 

Now what to plan for the next adventure ......??!!

 

Děkuji

 

Wes

 

 

 

 

 

[RicardoM]

Very interesting and quite informative journal. I loved the Monaco part because there are so many insanely expensive cars in there that your car must have been a head-turner 😎

Once again the classic Skodas showed they're tough little cars. If well maintained they will repay the owners with joy. You did a good job on your car so the little green frog leaped happily up into the mountains.

[wesacosa]

4 minutes ago, RicardoM said:

Very interesting and quite informative journal. I loved the Monaco part because there are so many insanely expensive cars in there that your car must have been a head-turner 😎

Once again the classic Skodas showed they're tough little cars. If well maintained they will repay the owners with joy. You did a good job on your car so the little green frog leaped happily up into the mountains.

I think we were definitely the most rare and exclusive car in Monaco

[HeavyMetalRich]

Glad you made it and without any fuss on the part of the Favorit, Wes. Great write up too. Makes me want to get my Felicia going again and reminds me of the number of times I drove down and back up the country with it similarly without issue.

 

Nice glasses too!

[Papez]

Nice trip and journal is enjoyable to read

 

Did you know, that Turin was one of many birthplaces of Favorit? It was designed and first prototypes were build by Carrozzeria Bertone. One of Favorit prototypes, from Bertone's collection, can be found in Volandia museum. Have you wanted idea for another adventure? 

[wesacosa]

47 minutes ago, Papez said:

Nice trip and journal is enjoyable to read

 

Did you know, that Turin was one of many birthplaces of Favorit? It was designed and first prototypes were build by Carrozzeria Bertone. One of Favorit prototypes, from Bertone's collection, can be found in Volandia museum. Have you wanted idea for another adventure? 

 

I knew about Bertone but I didn't know there was the prototype in the museum 🤔

[Papez]

Favorit was part of Bertone's collection, which was for sale a few years ago, after company bankrupted.

Recently, I found that collection was sold to Italian autoclub, which exhibits whole collection in Volandia. More info is in this article, photo of Favorit can be found halfway through article:

https://www.roadster-life.com/post/the-bertone-collection

 

I don't know what was purpose of this  prototype, it looks like minor facelift from 90's and I know I've seen photo of its presentation in the past. But I cannot find it now...

 

Edit: found it on Czech forum

https://skoda-virt.cz/cz/forum/skodovky/75617-bertoneho-showcar/?gotopost=1278040

However, no more info on topic, only that photo comes somewhere from 1990-1991.

Edited 31 July, 2019 by Papez

[KenONeill]

Day 4- "You're only supposed to blow the b100dy doors off!"

 

And you don't quote dates, but on 26th and 27th July, the Tour de France cycle race shortened its stages due to severe weather (hail storm, and rain heavy enough to cause mud slides over the route).

[wesacosa]

2 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Day 4- "You're only supposed to blow the b100dy doors off!"

 

And you don't quote dates, but on 26th and 27th July, the Tour de France cycle race shortened its stages due to severe weather (hail storm, and rain heavy enough to cause mud slides over the route).

 

 

We were about a week before the TDF hit the bad weather. There had been a huge snow covering up the St Bernard pass 3 days before we were there but all was fine luckily for us and the pass was open as normal with not too much evidence of any snow at the level we were 

[Yoss]

This is fantastic. Glad (but not surprised) you made it. Out of my three cars, Favorit, Felicia and a Triumph 1300TC the Favorit is the one I wouldn't hesitate to jump in and do something like this tomorrow.  I give it a service at MOT time in February and never have to top up the oil for the whole year (which is more than can be said of the VW engined Felicia). Further more, the oil hasn't even turned black yet six months after the oil change. 

 

A friend I'd not seen in a while came down last week. He has a mk2 Golf GTD the same year as my Fav and mk1 Focus as an everyday car. He took the Favorit for a spin and couldn't believe how well it drives. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat and even laughing out loud (in a good way) at times particularly at the super slick gear change. He said it drove better than both his cars. 

 

Love the pics in Monaco, I want to take mine there now. But here's a more down to earth one. 

This is where it used to live, about a mile from where I'm sitting now in Southampton. It was there for years. As you say, it was a bit patchy. Looks great now. Well done. 

Edited 6 August, 2019 by Yoss

[wesacosa]

33 minutes ago, Yoss said:

This is fantastic. Glad (but not surprised) you made it. Out of my three cars, Favorit, Felicia and a Triumph 1300TC the Favorit is the one I wouldn't hesitate to jump in and do something like this tomorrow.  I give it a service at MOT time in February and never have to top up the oil for the whole year (which is more than can be said of the VW engined Felicia). Further more, the oil hasn't even turned black yet six months after the oil change. 

 

A friend I'd not seen in a while came down last week. He has a mk2 Golf GTD the same year as my Fav and mk1 Focus as an everyday car. He took the Favorit for a spin and couldn't believe how well it drives. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat and even laughing out loud (in a good way) at times particularly at the super slick gear change. He said it drove better than both his cars. 

 

Love the pics in Monaco, I want to take mine there now. But here's a more down to earth one. 

This is where it used to live, about a mile from where I'm sitting now in Southampton. It was there for years. As you say, it was a bit patchy. Looks great now. Well done. 

 

Thanks, was very good fun lapping the GP track in Monaco past some very confused looking supercar drivers and spotters !!

 

Still needs the arches sorting, and some damage to the back door which was blown over, and combination of the T-cutting and the sun has made a lot worse..  Will see what Mr MOT man says in October before committing to any more bodywork !!

 

 

 

 

[Yoss]

Oh and those wine glasses are epic. If you do sell the car on and decide you don't want the glasses any more let me know. 

[wesacosa]

51 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Oh and those wine glasses are epic. If you do sell the car on and decide you don't want the glasses any more let me know. 

yeah they are super cool. Someone posted the link on the Favorit FB page and I couldn't resist!!

Edited 6 August, 2019 by wesacosa

[RicardoM]

Could you estimate (in hours) the longest non-stop climb leg?

[wesacosa]

12 minutes ago, RicardoM said:

Could you estimate (in hours) the longest non-stop climb leg?

The leg from Lake Geneva to the alpine pass was gradually climbing, whole route was about 1.5 hours at leisurely pace but the main climb through the Gt St Bernard pass was around 40 minutes starting gently but last 5km were extremely steep, narrow and twisty (and slow!!)