With the expedition vehicle on Corsica

Andrea and Hardy's travel report

If you are planning a lovely adventure tour through Europe with your expedition vehicle, Andrea and Hardy's travel report in their converted Renault 85.150 4×4 fire engine might be just the right inspiration. It started in Germany through France and Italy to Corsica and back again. A route totaling 2,723 kilometers, with a lot to experience and discover.

Outward route 1127 km:

It started at home in Oberkirchen on September 9th, 2022. After a few hours we arrived in Kintzheim (Alsace), where we spent the night relaxing on the edge of a field.
The next day we continued towards Italy. Here we spent the night at the motocross site in Dorno, south of Milan.
On September 11th We then arrived at the truck parking lot in Savona at midday.

The next day we continued towards our destination with the 0600h ferry to Bastia (Corsica), where after a few hours we reached our favorite naturist campsite “Riva Bella”.
On Corsica itself we used our Talbot Samba convertible, which we conveniently had with us on the trailer.

Route home 1596 km:

Our adventurous return journey started on October 4th, 2022 with the midday ferry from Bastia to Livorno. Then continue along the coast towards Pisa to the motorhome parking space in Marina di Pisa.
The next day the destination was Turin, but at Alessandria we discovered that a strut on the trailer hitch was broken. So it was a “holiday on the farm” in Cascina Merlanetta, where a nice farmer lent us a welding machine to repair.

The next day at the border from Italy to France we discovered that the Tunnel de Fréjus was closed to vehicles under Euro 4. So we continued to Briancon and onto the infamous D1091, which many people will know from the Tour de France. In the direction of Grenoble we went up over the Col du Lautaret (2057 m) in La Grave.
At an altitude of 1500 m at the foot of the mountain la Meije (3983 m high) we had to take a break because our trailer's overheating brake had completely overheated. So we spent the night there on the market square.

The next day we arrived in Grenoble and from there traveled to the Bourg-en-Bresse fire station. A real surprise for the workshop boss there, because our expedition vehicle had been on duty here as a truck for 30 years before the conversion. There was great joy on both sides.
After an interesting visit to the fire brigade museum, we continued along the French country roads to Rioz, where we spent the night at a beautiful lake.
The last stage was reached on October 8th, 2022. Unfortunately, during the departure inspection we discovered that the welded strut of the trailer hitch had broken again. So we unloaded the Talbot Samba convertible and went in a convoy (truck + empty trailer and convertible on its own behind) along country roads back home to Oberkirchen.

Our conclusion:

Corsica is still beautiful even in September and early October with temperatures of up to 30°C and thanks to the excellent insulation of the cabin, it stays pleasantly cool inside even without air conditioning.
Piedmont is a very pretty area that we definitely have to take a closer look at.
You have to be pretty crazy to drive through the Maritime Alps with a 6.8 ton truck and a 4.20 m trailer with a car on it - but it works and you're not an obstacle to traffic!
Some of the roads are extremely narrow and there are endless switchbacks.
Technically speaking, the tour is demanding and strenuous, but the landscape is simply amazing.
Our expedition vehicle managed the ascent to the Col de Lautaret without any problems in 4th gear at 55 - 60 km/h; going downhill, 3rd gear with engine brake was sometimes necessary. Mechanically and thermally, our expedition vehicle held up effortlessly; unfortunately, the problems with the trailer hitch were “homemade”.

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