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...

Attachment 26040

Attachment 26041

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!

Will do, thank you for this!


the Puro is not available haven't even launched yet... for me v8 midengine is the purest driving experience...if i was to choose a 4x4 for this i would probably pick a light Japanese reliable warrior like a Jimmy...

then again since when RTW is about being reasonable :)

Can't do Iran :( I am US\ISR nationality... #1 #2 combo for govs that don't get along...

Had that border crossing roulette last year crossing into norway... I would sit a year until they reopen.

Do you know of any other countries in this route that have this excess bond? i might have to skip some if this is the case, thank you for bringing this up.

Do you recommend any route between Baku, cross Himalayas, into Thailand that is ok for a low clearance car?

Research CARNETS! You will need one for lots of countries.

See the Carnet Information Page and check it out carefully.

Depending on where the vehicle is registered, it could be crazy expensive - or just expensive.

Just in case you're tempted to keep planning your trip without following Grant's advice above: DON'T. If you can't afford the cost of a carnet, you might not get very far.

Of course, anyone planning to take a ~US$250k, 12mpg, low ground clearance vehicle on a long journey may not be as price-conscious as I'd be. But still...

OK, that's a shame you can't go through Iran...

China is closed with nothing like a fixed date for opening (and it always involved a full, personal tour to cross the country by private vehicle).

Russia appears still to be closed for overland entry - not because of the invasion of Ukraine but due to old covid rules. If you have family in Russia, that might help.

So potentially there is no way east for you.

Regards a carnet de passages, you need it for Pakistan, India and Malaysia (if you ship in / out, not if you cross by land).

Right now the best chance is probably to hope that Russia opens its borders soon, then drive right across the country (in summer) to Vladivostok or Nakhodka and ship from there to SE Asia / Australia.

Roads are about the least of your worries - Asia is full of paved roads and apart from the odd pothole you should be fine. You don't need to go offroad to cross the place.

As a favour, I am prepared to volunteer to drive the car through Iran for you. Just not at the moment as I have managed to crack my collar bone so I can't drive / ride for 6 weeks.

First thank you for this board, its an amazing resource!

Thank you for this, car is registered in Germany, it seems like no matter which route I take I will need a carnet, Japan seems extra difficult to get into even with... seems like I will need to leave a massive bond at ADAC and visit a bunch of embassies before this will happen.

I wouldn't dare + insurance (if someone will be stupid enough to insure this)

12mpg is if you barely touch the gas... when you go its about half that...waited all my life to get this car...actually my first car owned at age 46, well worth the wait, its not about affording its about things you must do...

Vladivostok ferry to japan\korea is not moving people just vehicles .... looks like we will have to wait until covid will pass....I am more excited about the himalayas souther path anyhow.

China, I have read that if you have their drivers license you can drive though without escort, do you know if that's true?

Roads, can you recommend a path via Turk,Uzbek, Taj, [china], Paki, India, Nepal Bhutan,[Burma\China] to Thailand? this is the part that seems most challenging for me....


lol there is an israeli flag on the car, very visible, I am not sure it will be a good idea :)

I had the same...broken glenoid and collar... complete shitshow...never rode since....., take it easy and when its time for phisio be a good lad and do as they say...

Sounds a bit weird to me but

why don`t ask you potential new friends of the Ferrari Owners' Club of China?

https://www.ferrari.com/de-DE/auto/owners-club-china

Maybe they know or they can help you to realize your plan...

I like your style!

Driving across Russia would be fun, though you would be missing out a lot compared to doing the southern route. But you could ship to SE Asia (e.g. Thailand) and bypass a lot of problems. Let me know if you come to Borneo.

I believe it is, but to bring a non-Chinese registered vehicle into China requires some support from the right people in the right places, and if you don't have access to these kind of people, you need to pay for a tour from a travel agent. It's not a vast sum in the scale of things, but it's not cheap either. Thailand technically now has a similar rule, and the rule seems to be enforced if you arrive overland from Burma.

I would drive through Russia (all major roads are good) into Kazakhstan (Oral - Aktobe - Aral - Kyzylorda - Taraz and then either detour through Kyrgyzstan or head straight to China (which is currently closed). I assume all major roads in China are fine. There is only one route then to the Indian border (stay on the KKH). Highways in India are meant to be OK. Not sure about Burma but you can ask your travel agent as this is yet another country which requires you take a guide / tour to self drive (up until covid and the coup last year, since which time the country has remained closed).

The idea of taking a Ferrari into India is pretty terrifying, you will be swarmed and any remotely detachable part of the car will be in people's hands before you see what's happening.

EO

Suggest you watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRjG...zPJkPy&index=3

Harry Metcalf started EVO magazine in the UK years ago, he's a farmer and a biker too and he's quite fond of rough, character building journeys but in this video he takes his Ferrari to Morocco. The roads and country are pretty easy going compared to some of the countries you've mentioned and his tyres are taller, being an 80s Testarossa. This is probably easy compared to what you will face, hence why people recommend a basic Landcruiser.

If you do go, please post back here regularly, it'll be an interesting journey for sure :thumbup1:

Interesting, at least. Keep us updated.

How would I like to enjoy such a car RTW? Mostly paved and twisted roads, off street parked at night, in reach of service/parts/experienced mechanics.

The Harry´s Garage videos already mentioned above are really good inspirations, how and where to travel in such cars.

Continue touring Europe, that´s what a Ferrari was made for.

Depending where you´re located (Israel?), ship over to Greece, tour the Balkan, Karpatian Mnts, (or alternativeliy Italy from the heel up to Modena;-), then Alps from east to west including all the classic passes, avoid the french Med (where Ferraris are common like VW Golf elsewhere and are more likely to disappear), turn north: Route Napoleon>Vogeses > Nürburgring> Paris> Normandy, Bretgane, then turn left: Bordeaux, Bilbao, Galizia, down through Portugal to Andaluzia, (hop over for Morocco>Dakar) return crossing Spain via sierra Nevada, Madrid, loop the Pyrenees(again avoid the Med).

Time for an oil service, new tires, spark plugs. Best chance for a reliable independent Ferrari experienced workshop would be in the triangle Paris>Cologne>Amsterdam.

Decide, where to ship next...
- Americas: Antwerpen>Halifax> extended Gumball NYC>LA, (I´d avoid Latin America in that car)
- southern Africa, return to Israel via east coast

I´d believe a break down in some remote corner of a former soviet state might be the most difficult and costly situation to deal with, followed by South East Asia. If you trust your car and your own abilities to handle every break down yourself you´d be good to go everywhere, in a modern 458 you should carry the right software to override limp mode/erase failure codes etc.

Enjoy your trip and show us pictures from your Ferrari under northern lights (or it didn´t happen).

Sorry, just curious about this... 1) How did you get in trouble crossing into Norway anyway, unless you were driving a van full of Swedish-taxed booze? :D and 2) why would Norway be upset by US/ISR nationality?