dutch injun

Well, we wanted to go last year, but that wasn't to be because the day before departure the fan clutch decided to take a dump and could not find a replacement in a day. This year however, the car has been running smoothly every day all year, and we decided to take the Olds. Round trip was about 3000 km (1875 mi). With 2 avid surfers in the family we packed the tent and surfboards and headed for the summer waves of SW France!
We decided to drive about 400 km per day. I had put in fresh 2.69 posi ratio gears, so we could cruise at about 2400/2700 rpms doing 60/65 mph on the freeways. This all on LPG gas, available all over western europe.
Here is a topic of improvements that I made to make it a better driver:https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-starfire.html

Schermafbeelding%202016-08-04%20om%2021.04.48_zpsifr0csan.png

Here are some iphone pics of the trip. We packed the roof rack and the trunk, put the kids on the back seat and off we went.

2f457d09-2505-42b7-b493-a6563be3e4fb_zpsmasp2edf.jpg

After about 350 km we crossed Holland and Belgium (no pics because we are from Holland) and ended up in Northern france, site of battles during WW1. Weather was very hot, but the car kept its cool.

IMG_4299_zpspuoseome.jpg

No, I didn't ran the family over in the scourching heat,we had a picknick in the countryside:
IMG_4301_zpsdnrm4grc.jpg

IMG_4302_zpsddxutozh.jpg

Dinner in the town of Albert, in Picardie region of France. As you can see French flag is half pole because of terror muslim attack in the city of Nice.


Next day we drove about 450 km and crossed Rouen and Le Mans. Arrived at the hotel in Richelieu in the south of Centre region. Just after parking the car in front of the hotel, I noticed the front tire was starting to go flat. The valve stem had been sliced by the enlarged hubcap hole, that I had not enlarged enough to fit on the 15" wheels (disk brakes). I thought I had cleared it enough not to touch the valve stem, but forgot to re-check it after 2 years of use. Lesson learned.
IMG_7811_zps2vgut00v.jpg
IMG_4312_zpstck8be9u.jpg


Luckily, right next to the hotel was a garage that replaced the valve stem the next day, and off we went.
IMG_7850_zpsjjmtxhym.jpg
We were entering the southern region of Aquitaine, and had to cross the Gironde river by ferry to arrive at our destination of the Medoc. Famous for it's fine wines and great surf.
IMG_4316_zpseudipzmq.jpg
IMG_4317_zps6ktlggq9.jpg

Victory! Arrival at the beach town of Montalivet, waxing up the boards and head for the surf in style! We surfed for 10 days straight, visiting beach towns of Lacanau, Carcans, Hourtin, Le Pin Sec, and Montalivet. Everywhere we went, we got thumbs up and smiles from the French. They were loving this American historic vehicle. Nothing but compliments and photos were taken everywhere we went.
IMG_4336_zpskolocdss.jpg
IMG_4335_zpsegdmxamb.jpg
IMG_9893_zpsdgb43osv.jpg
IMG_4322_zpsdriorte9.jpg

After our beach camping days, it was time to head back. Taking 3 days with again 400km drives, we went through the Cognac region and enjoyed some luxury in a fine hotel, consuming great food and wine, followed by a glass of Cognac. French life at it's best.

One of the 3 hubcap bolts had broke off and I felt it was safer to take the cap off, not risking it flying off during freeway travel. I will fix this when home.
IMG_4341_zpsrwsnr64k.jpg
Luxury hotel in town of Cognac
Last stop was in the Paris region, but weather had turned and we decided to skip the "Olds with Eiffel Tower" photo, and head home.
IMG_4358_zps4dyherxz.jpg
Last fillup in Belgium, where LPG is really cheap. I have seen prices of €0.28 per liter! We made it back home safely!
The Olds had not missed a beat all vacation and brought us home safely, enjoying the car on family vacation by far the best way! I would recommend it!

BlackGold

What a great trip -- thanks for sharing!

oldcutlass

X2, great pictures.

tru-blue 442

+3, Looks like ya'll had a blast.

davebw31

Man I wan to go to Europe and travel all over those great countries I have read about. I am saving my pennies and hope to go there in the next two years before I get to old (now going on 72) so I can safely walk. Would like to spend 3 or 4 months there. With the Euro rail and bus pass traveling there is easy. I met a mother and son from a small town in Switzerland at the recent OCA Nats in Kingsport, TN. and they invited me to come and visit for a few days. I am so jealous of your "holiday travel".

76olds

You have an awesome Olds and family. Thanks for taking us along for the ride on your trip. Great pictures !!
Looks like you all had a blast in the Olds.
Cheers
Eric

71rocket

Thanks!

70-442-W30

I enjoyed reading through this and seeing those great pictures. Driving the car like it should be driven. Nice to see that.

citcapp

Thanks for taking me on the trip with you. Great fun

B964

Nice! Epic road trip.

Don R.

Thanks for sharing, what a wonderful trip! It's great to see a 60s car being used like it was originally intended. A technical question - how does the engine perform on LPG compared to gasoline?

TripDeuces

Badass!

don71

That is great story. Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of the american vacations of my youth.

dutch injun

Don, the engine runs just fine on LPG, however there is a slight loss of energy compared to normal gas, about 10%, I feel. It does seem to run a little smoother on low rpm's though. In Netherlands almost all american cars run on LPG. You can get it to run as good as gas by eliminating the carb, running an IMPCO 425 gas mixer and some timing changes (because octane is higher). But you cannot run normal fuel anymore, which I didn't want to do. Not every station carries LPG, and there is no option to run out of it, so switching back to fuel on those times is a piece of mind for me.