Dakar Classic 2024 Puch W460 (Mercedec GE280)

[fumopuc]

Gerrit, Per thank you very much.
The car is back since Friday evening and yesterday evening we have had dinner with the drivers and mechanics.
All of them confirmed, that it has been an exciting and absolutely extraordinary experience.
It is really hard, but worth to do it.
There is a plan to repeat it in 2026 and nobody has declined.
End of May is an Off Road exhibition in Germany, where the car will be on display.
https://www.abenteuer-allrad.de
We try to keep it warm and dry at the moment, so it should stay in the condition with all damage and dust as it is now.
We have got it managed to transport the car on an open trailer from Barcelona to Munich without any wet during the journey and now is in a local show room.

[Vixen]

.......snip...
We try to keep it warm and dry at the moment, so it should stay in the condition with all damage and dust as it is now.
We have got it managed to transport the car on an open trailer from Barcelona to Munich without any wet during the journey and now is in a local show room.

Sounds like an unmissable experience. Well done to everybody involved for getting to the end.

I love the idea of showing the car with all the damage and dust. It has become a sort of tradition to bring the Le Mans winning cars to the Festival of Speed at Goodwood still bearing the dirt, grime and rubber dust from the 24 hour race.

Well done.   

Mike

[fumopuc]

Thanks Mike.


I can remember very well in 1999, I have been employed at Toyota in Cologne and we have finished Le Mans in second place.
After the parce fermé has been finished and we wanted to get the cars out there, some never before seen Japanese people appeared and stopped us.
The have had a so far hidden and prepared container and loaded the car over there.
The car was sent to Japan and it toke me about several mails and discussions to get minimum the ECU back, because we have had 6 pieces only in rotation for the operation of 3 plus 1 cars.
Later I have seen a picture of the car in a show room in Japan, it was painted with a kind of varnish over the carbon and other dust, also some rubber pieces from the tires has been covered and sealed there.

[RReid]

That's a very funny story! Must have been a bit of a panic at the time though.

Many years ago at the Harrah's Auto Museum in Reno, NV, I saw the 1907 Thomas Flyer that won the 1908 New York-Paris race (they went the long way around). It was un-restored, and still carried all the mud and such from that event ~70 years prior. That way it's history, cleaned-up it's just an object.

[fumopuc]

How it looks like after the party....

[Vixen]

Hello Achim

That's a very "Muckey Merc". I doubt you will ever get all the sand out.

Not too many battle scars to show for 7,500 Km in the desert. Well done and well driven.

Cheers

Mike

[gerritv]

Well used, not abused. It's amazing how that dust gets literally everywhere.

gerrit

[fumopuc]

Hi Mike,
thanks for watching.


In the family museum we have a Suzuki LJ80 still.
This car attends the Dakar 1982, driven by the Senior at this time.
Two years ago, it was reanimated to go for a local Oldtimer Rally.
During the preparation we have found a lot of sand still and after the event much more.
Special attention to the driver suites at this time, please.

[fumopuc]

Well used, not abused. It's amazing how that dust gets literally everywhere.

gerrit

Hi Gerrit, thanks.
The car has no AC, so the only way to cool it down a bit is to drive with open windows.
So you are catching the dust all time.

[Roger B]

When I think back to my single day rallying that looks remarkably clean and straight after such an adventure