Few roads are spoken of in more hushed tones than this one. Dangerous often describes it. We had to see for ourselves
There’s a rather irate policeman glaring at me through the driver’s window. He cannot fathom why I should have trouble moving over on a stony track with a few inches of leeway on either side of my tyres to give him way. All the while, my hands are getting clammy, terrified from trying to make a choice between a rather steep unguarded edge on one side and a jagged rock face on the other. I finally resort to a sort of half-standing position on my seat, to get a better view, while the photographer has his head stuck out of the other window to keep watch. As the glare intensifies, I manage to squeeze into a crevice in the rock face, away from the cliff and the local policeman drives away in disgust, mumbling a few words of choice as he does. Boy, am I glad to be in the XC40, anything bigger would’ve possibly seen a scratch or my heart jump out of my mouth from all the manoeuvring.
Breathe in; breathe out.
It’s only my second day in the mountains, and I am far from able to reverse onto a ledge like it was a football field, even with the XC40’s compact dimensions, to let oncoming traffic through. Day one was a treat with smooth surfaces and clearly marked lanes. Today, however, is a different story as we approach a certain Sach Pass at roughly 14,500 feet. This is a corner of Himachal that is seldom explored. There isn’t any tarmac, no. Instead, the road has been made from the rubble that has come off these jagged mountainsides. The locals sure weren’t messing about when they estimated the drive to our next stop – Killar (70km away) – would take in excess of five hours. Without any stoppages that is. Good thing we stopped for a fill of rajma chawal and a good night’s sleep before attempting the next leg. Did I happen to mention, they had spotted a loitering leopard as well?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2018-Ausgabe von BBC TopGear India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2018-Ausgabe von BBC TopGear India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR KARI FT. EUROGRIP
What happens when you do track days in the name of pushing the limits of a tyre
ROOKIE BLUES
Acosta Urged for Patience as KTM Chases Ducati
THE VALUE OF TIME
Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen
DJI Osmo Action 4
Being an automotive journalist, our job entails us to ride motorcycles of all kinds and not to forget, the life behind driving some exotic set of wheels as well.
WAR WORDS WORLDS
Indians might not have played a deciding role in the previous world wars but now, our participation is much more evident
XTREME MACHINE
Maserati's racing history is a patchwork of epic highs and long absences, so can the MCXtrema - a track only version of its latest supercar-bring back the glory days?
WET AND WILD
No doors, no roof, no boot, but at least there's a windscreen... Paul Horrell pulls on his waterproof trousers and takes the Nomad 2 for a spin
STREAM W0RKS
This is an MG. Yes, really. Turns out it's got form in streamliners too...just ask Stirling Moss
A map and a compass.
Dacia got a foothold in the UK with cheapness, now it wants toughness on its CV. Can the new Duster handle Morocco's heat and locate a Dakar team in the desert - no GPS allowed?
A RECKLESS DEVELOPMENT?
Farewell, V10, this is the new Lamborghini Temerario, a 907bhp V8 hybrid. A worthy Huracán successor, or a misstep from the Italian firm?