Last year a good mate asked me if I fancied doing a driving trip to Wales in May.
That sounded like a great idea so I instantly said "Yes" but then restrictions got imposed and it went to the back of my mind, until last month when it seemed like things were going to change.
My mate lives in a village near Heathrow that has a car club who were organising the trip, so hotels got booked!
I said we could take my MC but realised my mate hadn't even sat in it, so a week before we were due to set off I took my car over to his place and we went for a blat and then he drove it. Given we were expecting to spend 5/6 hours a day driving I didn't want him to find it a miserable experience but he really liked it. He has history with straight 6 RWD cars having owned a Healey 3000 and several Triumph TRs.
So we discussed essentials and agreed on a hammer, cable ties and gaffa tape. But then got to considering potential show-stoppers and a wrecked tyre/wheel was well up the list. So the day before we were due to leave I took a spare Style 32 front wheel I had to get a new Kumho Ecsta the same as my refurbed 224s had and slung that in (most of) the boot together with an E46 jack, breaker bar and torque wrench.
But it doesn't leave too much boot space, although turned over we could fill it up with other stuff.
![Wheel in Boot1.jpg](./download/file.php?id=105312&sid=083fb6728f2b4452daf3ec27a1a5beb7)
- Wheel in Boot1.jpg (122.92 KiB) Viewed 1766 times
So last Thursday morning we all met up in the village hall car park and headed off to Wales with no set route, but most of us used more A roads than Motorways.
Other cars were a Series 2 E-Type Roadster, nearly new M2 Competition, 911 Cabriolet (996 I think), Audi S3, Mini Cooper SD Convertible, Saab Turbo Cabriolet (as the Dolomite Sprint was playing up) so a real mixed bag!
Thursday night we stayed in the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel - the scenery was amazing!
![Z4 Front on Dam.JPG](./download/file.php?id=105313&sid=083fb6728f2b4452daf3ec27a1a5beb7)
- Z4 Front on Dam.JPG (172.61 KiB) Viewed 1766 times
Friday and Saturday routes were planned, and just fantastic! Especially the A4212 from Blaenau towards Bala. And thankfully our route suggested turning round and doing it again!
So I managed to put 660 miles on it in 4 days and loved them all - even if my mate didn't get a look in!