The Wrong Side Of The Road

Adventures on the road for The Italian Job 2019

- Tanya and Jason Field

Wednesday 16th October saw us leave Oxford and head to Folkestone for our 3rd Italian Job. This was an extra long anniversary Italian Job, but before you get to Italy, there is plenty of adventure to be had en route. We decided to take the Service Van route - meaning that from the second we left the UK and until our return, we would have the reassurance of knowing that if we had a problem, big or small, the Service Van and its crew would not be very far away to come to our rescue. Of course, you do need your own European breakdown cover should the very worst happen, but for most classic Mini problems, the Service Crew will fix you and get you back on the road again.

During the 17 day trip, we only needed to call on their services once when our oil cooler let go. Whilst we probably could have fixed the Mini ourselves, we couldn’t have fixed it where we were... on the hard shoulder of the Autostrada. The Service Van crew quickly came to our assistance and towed us to the next services, where they fixed us up and had us back on the road in 10 minutes. However, they can also fix most problems including head gaskets and replacement clutches.

On our way to Italy we stopped at the Dorint Hotel, Nurburgring, and even managed to replicate a photo that we had taken 5 years ago with a different Mini. In order to get the best photo, you need to reverse up a cycle path and position yourself on the grass. We managed to arrive at the Nurburgring just before dusk to get our photo which was fortunate, as when others went to access this spot to take their photo the next morning, security had got wise and were stood there blocking the way!

TRACK TIME