Pub2Pub's Winter Update
Well folks, we're now a month and a half into 2023, which means its high time for an update on how things are going here at Pub2Pub HQ. And the first thing which warrants an update is our 2023 trips.
We'll be running four tours in '23, and we're happy to report that bookings for these have been going very well. The first two trips to hit the road - May's Chateau TVR and June's French Revolution - are now fully booked, while July's Beer Italia and September's Eagle Rally are also both fast approaching capacity. Thanks to everyone who has signed up so far, and if you're considering joining us on a European road trip this summer, it's probably best to act quickly and snap up one of the remaining places before it's too late.
So, that's the main story in the story of Pub2Pub right now - the future is looking bright. But rest assured, it's also looking orange...
Yes, the other big news is that, after two years of restoration, our 1974 Classic Mini project car is now poised to return to the road.
It's difficult to overstate just how much work has gone into the rebuild, with a complete rebuild of the car's structure - which saw around 20% of its metalwork cut out and replaced - preceding a new coat of orange paint, and a full nut-and-bolt restoration. Every critical part of the car has been evaluated and, if required, either restored or replaced. This includes most of the suspension, all the fuel and hydraulic lines, a significant chunk of the interior and a lot of the electrics, too. The car now has a rebuilt 998cc engine in place of the seized original unit, a new big-valved cylinder head, a new exhaust system, new tyres, a new fuel tank, radiator, dampers and plenty more besides.
Including a supercharger:
We're expecting around 85-90hp from the final set-up, which should be quite enough for a car which tips the scales at around 650kg. But we'll find out for sure this spring, when it takes it's first tentative, supercharged steps onto the roads of Devon.
So, that covers the main developments here at Planet Pub2Pub - roll on the longer days and warmer temperatures which will, very soon, be ushering in the road tripping season...