Liege -Targa-Liege 
KitCar/Specialist Car Endurance Challenge
1999 
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The Liege-Targa-Liege Endurance challenge was a two week endurance challenge for kit and homebuilt cars retracing some of the old road race routes across Europe. The challenge was held at the end of the summer of 1999 and took the competitors from Spa, near Liege, in Belgium, through Luxembourg, Germany, France and Italy to the old Targa Florio Road Race circuit on Sicily. Having driven the Targa Florio, the route then took the cars back up through Italy, Switzerland, France and Belgium to Spa. Of the 58 cars that started the adventure, only 38 finished. An old friend of mine, Adrian, from the Westfield club invited me along on account of the fact, that in his words  "You've stacked and broken your Westfield so many times, nobody knows how to put them back together better than you". Compliment or not, I went along with it, and a brilliant time it was !
Click on pictures for larger pictures
 Camera used:  
Pentax ESPIO Compact.  
(See also the Black and White pictures page for more pics of the trip) 
The night before. We have just transferred the adjustable seats from my Westfield to Adrians'.
Myself & Adrians' 1700 Ford "Kent"Crossflow (135BHP) powered Westfield SEi. 
Adrian digging out some last minute spares.
Arriving at the channel tunnel behind the "Extrusion".
 
Lovely Hawke 289 Cobra replica at the chunnel. I have a soft spot for these cars.
 
 
Line up of other cars at the chunnel.		  
Adrian faffing at the chunnel.		  
The first of many petrol stops on the trip.		  
Lineup for scrutineering in the centre of Spa. D-type replica in foreground. 
 		  
Another view at the scrutineering. Notice how clean and shiny the cars are at this point.		  
The Extrusion again. This car is a veteran of the previous trip from Liege to Agadir in Morroco. It still bore the dents from stone throwing locals.
 
Another general view of the line up in Spa for scrutineering.		  
Adrian fiddling again.		  
Rear view of ours. The numberplate sticks out on a baggage frame I made up. Unfortuately you could only carry light luggage or a spare can of fuel on this or the handing became "funny". 		  
The Pheonix just before we all headed off back to the Hotel in Spa.		  
Marlin Sportster at scrutineering.		  
First coffee stop, first day out from Spa.
The Other Westield on the trip.
 
Four wheeled version of the 1970s Bond Bug. In addition to the extra wheel, the cabin is extended.
THE RTP Special. This is what it was all about. Allegedly designed using old photos of Morgans and incorporating a spare Wok for a nose cone. 
The Works Marlin Sportster. This was forced to retire with gearbox troubles.
4.6 Litre Hawke GCS. 
Masses of torque.
Wynn's Westfield with a Liege in the background. The Liege was later to retire with brake failure.
 
 
Our Westfield, Car 43, and Caterham, Car 42 at the top the Col D'Iseran. It was as dark and bleak as it looks.		  
Another shot of the TOPGEAR Caterham.		  
Stylus at the top of the Col D'Iseran in the clouds.		  
Stylus again.		  
Fury on the way up.		  
Fury at the top. It was a bit chilly. Widdened Pilgrim Bulldog in the background.
Fury crew take a break at the top of the Col D'Iseran. The guy in the flying helmet is smiling because he has just done what the rest of us had done behind the sign after 4+ hours in our cars.
Me up a mountain with a Westfield. It got extremely foggy shortly after this. Visibility was down to a couple of feet, which is quite exciting when you're driving a couple of feet from the edge of a 200ft drop.
 
Westfield at the top of the Col. All our gear, including 2 helmets is strapped on the back. The "boot" is filled with extended range tank, 260 miles instead of standard 150.
Twisties on the way down from the Col. These are the sort of roads we did the trip for.
Chasing the Wynn and Matt in the other Westfield down from the Col. This car was another veteran from the Agadir trip. White box with red button in lower right corner is trip meter reset button.
Morning after the first night stop in Montebeliard.
Teal in the morning rain at Montbeliard at the start of the second day.
Adrian checks the drain holes in the floor of our Westfield, we have no roof.
Marlin Sportster waiting for their slot. The cars were handicaped in ascending order of Power to Weight ratio.
Following the Jaguar SS100 replica on the way down to Monte Carlo.
Stopped for lunch. '43 is not looking so clean now. The pale patches on the nose are where another car reversed into it just prior to the trip.
A line up of some of the cars in the village we stoped in for lunch.
 
 
Another view of '43 in the Vosges part of France.		  
View down the bonnet as we approach a French village.		  
Chasing the Europa.		  
Still chasing.		  
View of the hotel courtyard on the third morning. 
 		  
Stop to check the car after I clipped a rock lying in the road. Ginetta goes past in the background.
 
Wet again. heading down throgh the edge of the alpes to Monte Carlo.		  
A slightly soggy me.		  
Caterham chasing.		  
Another village to disturb.		  
Nice views. Unfortunately a tunnel we are ment to take has been shut by a rock fall so we end up on a mystery tour.		  
SS100 chasing.
 
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