Route Advice: RTW with a Ferrari 458 Spider
 

I have finished a 24k in all scandinavia last year and already itching for more... why not do a RTW... one go...nonstop...just me.

Looking for roads that are suitable for low clearance car, gravel is ok,

1. I am not sure I can do the path between the -stan's to Thailand on via the south of Himalayas... have you been there? do you think its passable?

2. The way from La Paz to Salar to Argentina, anyone who has been on these roads lately?

any advice will be incredible, seasons security roads poi...

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I love the idea!

What’s the security risk thing you are looking at there? Public data?

To each their own...
 

This is exact opposite of all overland travel advice I have ever heard. Don't wear jewlery, try to blend in, "non dare papaya" as they say in Colombia. RTW in a Ferrari 458 to me screams "Rob and/or kidnap me". Good luck.

or are you just trolling? If so, you got me.

https://2022.risk-outlook.com/p/1

Scroll down a bit until you see the map....they have Covid filters and Security... pretty nifty.

I am afraid im not trolling, my vehicle of choice, if you have any specific places in my route that you would avoid please share...im here to learn as much as i can before i go... after that if my fate has other plans for me so be it.

Just looking at your map quickly - So, you are planning to drive through Ukraine and/or Russia or China. Really?

Google is your friend.

:)

If you notice there is a turkey option since Ukraine/ Russia is not feasible in the near future.

China and others on my route are closed or require isolation via land due to Covid, I will not go this year until Covid is resolved.

I see you were researching this area, do you have any idea about road conditions you wish to share?

I think that one of your biggest problems will be technical support for the vehicle.

On a trip of that length, through all sorts of different environments, you will encounter problems with the vehicle. Doesn't matter what kind of vehicle you have. In your case, you have a very uncommon vehicle and in many countries you will not be able to find anyone capable of servicing it. Parts availability will be zero. Consider, for example, how you would be able to obtain a simple suspension part if it became damaged due to a road hazard.

I think you could probably get from Scandinavia to the eastern edge of Turkey without problems*, but beyond that, you would need to be prepared to either abandon the vehicle or pay huge costs to have it shipped home in the event of a major breakdown.

Michael

*subject to routing restrictions arising from the current conflict in Ukraine.

Good point.

Ferrari offers an insurance to the power unit which includes a tow to the nearest dealer :) I am pretty sure they meant it for their normal customer which might need a tow from the theater to the dealer couple blocks away but it does state global :) .... need to make sure it covers west china\the south ridge of the Himalayas... but it mitigates the costs if the car breaks down.

Cross Himalayas are the tricky points...there isn't too much coverage there but Baku - New Delhi - Bangkok are not that far points of service; baku to bangkok is about 9000km with New Delhi almost in the middle so my farthest point from service will be about 2500km...

hopefully i can find roads in my research here that are not too destructive...

Only half tongue in cheek you might consider reaching out to / getting in touch with the TopGear people. They seem to have a lot of experience with taking 'unusual' vehicles to far off parts. None of them seem to survive terribly well but I'm sure that's just something for the cameras.

Hopefully you find a way to strengthen the chassis and suspension...

Hopefully you tune and map your engine for low gear gravel/mountain trips

Hopefully you stock some tyres along your prefered route and you find a place to carry a set onboard



:rolleyes3:

Hahaha … I think I would pass on that format :) great show nonetheless.

Sharif:

Check that policy very carefully for exclusions.

I doubt that you will encounter a "run of the mill" problem that disables the car, for example a failed lambda sensor or a problem with the engine control computer.

Your biggest risk is damage to the suspension and driveline caused by road hazards (objects on the road, holes in the road, stuff like that). Your vehicle has very little ground clearance and the primary design objective of the suspension & driveline was light weight and high performance, not robustness and ability to tolerate impacts.

In such a case a warranty provider might be inclined to say "There was no fault, no defect with the vehicle, the problem was caused by the operator."

Maybe your policy will cover you - but in light of the $ value of the risk involved, I suggest you get a lawyer with experience in that area of practice to look the terms of the policy over very carefully before you set out.

An alternative: Trade in your 458 Spyder on a Purosangue, call Ferrari, and get them to sponsor your trip. Your idea is just silly enough that they might be interested in the publicity.

Michael

As it stands now Turkmenistan and China are closed for overland travel as far as I know. So any route north of Iran / Pakistan will likely be a no-go unless you bypass China to the north.

I would ignore the security advice for Iran and Pakistan (and pretty much everywhere else), but you will need a carnet de passages with a bond / guarantee for several times the value of the vehicle, which I guess could sting...

Otherwise I would start going the other way round and hope by the time you approach Asia from the east, that it is more amenable to overland travel.

EO

I love the idea and no doubt it is doable! But it will be a very painful trip because of the vehicle. I would consider hiring security (and paying them well so they don't steal your car) & a support vehicle for certain parts of the trip.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!