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As you approach the village of Tighedouine in The High Atlas the tarmac stops and the dust or mud begins, depending upon the time of year.
Square houses and shops the colour of the mountain soil, tumble their way either side of the track as it climbs ever higher up the mountain. From the shop fronts a rainbow of colours bombard your eyes and the heady smell of spices and wood smoke mingle in your nose. So many men walk and talk, some sitting on rickety chairs at the cafe fronts others sorting out a deal on a sheep or some agricultural necessities.
Here in the mountains the vehicle of choice is the Land Rover 110. Brahim, a good friend of mine from the desert village of Fezzou, tells me that this is because the Land Rover 110 is strong, simple and easily repaired. All of the cars here in these villages are ex-tourist cars because in Morocco the tourist companies, by law, have to donate cars over two years old to the mountain and desert villages.
This picture was taken in Tighedouine and shows the “Quarter de la Mécaniques” where the Land Rover’s that come in from the mountain villages, loaded way beyond their design requirements have a maintenance check and service while their crews enjoy the souk, catching up socially as they sell their wares before heading back into the heights of The High Atlas. The Land Rover to the right is having a new clutch fitted and you can see the engine swinging from a makeshift a-frame.
Fun on th Isle of Man with BMW a r1200gs adventure a r1200gs and a Cagiva Navigator.... A fine mix of trails, tarmac and and titting about...
Lovely place.
The Calf of Man
French "Motoforms" enduro motorcycle (the original cross prototype presented at the Paris motorcycle show later transformed into enduro). Engine (based on a Yamaha XT600 engine, but tuned and with carbs from Honda XR) suspended in a perimeter square steel tube frame topped with a kevlar "tank + seat + rear frame + rear mud gard" and hand made light stainless steel exhaust. Only a handfull of Motoforms where made by Philippe and registred as such with the transport authorities, each one being different and therefore "original". A few kits were sold, either for Yamaha XT, Honda Dominator (there has been a Super Motard version tested in Moto 2 magazine in the mid eighties).
Many years ago all cars were very simple: an engine drove a gearbox which in turn moved a few gears in a differential or two, which resulted in the wheels that were in contact with the ground pulling the car forwards or backwards depending upon the whim of the driver. This was before the modern era of ABS, ABD, ETC and many other electronic “assistances” that help to seemingly make us all splendid drivers, especially off road.
I teach many drivers the skills needed to enjoy off road driving, both in Great Britain and abroad and I am often asked which of the many off road cars “is the best”: there is no answer really. This is because at the end of the day the most important “nut” is the one behind the steering wheel, even if the car is bristling with the most up to date electronics, locking differentials and a couple of thousand horses running about under the bonnet.
My answer often surprises many and a few raise their eyebrows at the thought of it. The old cars that were built simply and often sit on leaf springs (Land Rovers, Jeeps and Toyotas) require great skill to drive across challenging landscapes and in my mind this makes them the “best to drive”. In the right hands these underpowered machines, without many gears and definitely not a locking differential in sight, will go where a modern car with its assisted systems will do. If you can drive off road then old cars like these will confirm that you can or kick you in the teeth if you are found wanting.
This picture of my Old Faithful Land Rover Series 2a, which my brother Manley and I won two Warn Challenges in and enjoyed an adventure to Morocco, is one of my favourites. I remember getting my feet wet as the ford got deeper and the water poured in, but that was all part of the fun with these old cars.