Now that we have met the other teams it was time to get going. The day would see us travel from Calgary into the prairies, foothills and then the mountains through Banff and Jasper national parks before ending up in small town central Alberta. Time to see if our decorations hold at highway speed and a good test for the Tercel as this would be the first time we had really driven it out of town since buying it.
Here is the map for the first day with the distance covered projected to be about 500 kms (310 miles).
As in other years the day started with a driver’s meeting where the guidelines were explained and maps handed out. I took advantage of this non-driving time to wear my pig mask. I also wore my special Lada t-shirt which I am encouraged not to wear unless it is a special occasion like this and my wife is not present.
Unfortunately the pig mask was extremely hard to see out of as you have to view the world through the nostrils, so not suitable for driving in. Luckily my mother made us a team set of basic pig noses the night before.
A luck would have it I heard later that there were several teams who had issues right at the start line but our Hamborghini fired right up and we were off.
The first task was to get out of Calgary which meant driving through some congestion and construction (not in the above photo obviously) before hitting Highway 1A to Cochrane. As you would expect, a car with a pig nose and an oversized wooden wing gets a few looks. In fact I would suggest if you crave attention on the road skip the exotic cars and customize a beater. We got mostly thumbs up, laughs, looks of astonishment and the occasional scowl. Once in a while a passenger would take a photo likely making our Tercel the most photographed example in the country. There was a small population that seemed to have no reaction at all and I cannot fathom what one’s life story would have be to get that jaded but I feel sorry for them.
Our out of town first stop was in Cochrane at a local bar which meant my boys could not come in. So I had time for a quick stop to say hi to the owners and we were on our way. While they were not of drinking age two of my boys were of driving age which meant I could relax, spot scavenger hunt items and take more photos myself this time around.
The oldest of the Volvos was troubleshooting a transmission issue already. Something about not getting first gear which is something I suspect I would have just lived with on a mostly highway rally.
Interestingly I found out that the owner of this Mazda B2200 mini truck lives around the block from me and has a daughter in the same school as one of my boys. Small world.
I received a few comments that our Tercel was blowing a bit of smoke and smell under load. I was not sure if the EGR valve was getting clogged again or if we were or burning a bit of oil. Where does one take a sick Hamborghini? Sadly the animal clinic was closed and I did not relish the idea of taking the EGR valve off at the side of the road so I vowed to keep a somewhat close eye on the oil level and continue on. As clearly demonstrated by the rear suspension droop our poor little Tercel had a bit of weight problem with the four of us, tools, snacks and camping supplies.
Soon we headed west along the slower but more scenic Highway 1A towards the Rocky Mountains. The drag created by the nose was quite noticeable and significantly more so than just the wing alone. The sunroof handle had been broken previously by someone who wishes to remain anonymous and with the addition of the decoration securing rope it was rather noisy inside at highway speeds.
Along for the ride we had a couple pig related games to play in case anyone got bored. This one you roll the pigs like dice and get points depending on what positions they land in. The other one involved pressing a plastic pig’s stomach and it will sing a song while you pass it around. Once the singing stops it farted and the player holding it gained a point. Or something like that. Predictably the kids preferred their electronic devices.
One of the more enjoyable aspects of the Great Beater Challenge is meeting the other teams at the sights along the route. While space was tight in our car it had to be much worse for the Austin A40 team with four adults in that car.
Once we hit Canmore and the start of the mountains we decided to stop for gas as it gets harder to find and more expensive the further you go in. The Tercel was getting amazing mileage especially considering the additional weight and aerodynamic drag of the decorations. I checked the oil and it had used very little which was comforting.
We headed toward and past Banff before then heading north towards Jasper.
Unfortunately we heard that the Austin A40 put a rod through the side of the block and the 1975 Toyota Corolla blew up its rear differential.
As we headed north the road got smaller and the mountains bigger.
The road between Jasper and Banff offers some of the best scenery in the Rockies.
Hopefully this station wagon in a sea of SUVs is just doing an oil check.
It started to rain and our sunroof leaked a bit with the decorations mounted through it.
A few nice lakes along the route.
Now at Saskatchewan Crossing, Alberta we came across Peter, the challenge organizer, who is the owner of this Toyota Previa which was intended as a challenge vehicle but over budget as a competitor. It is now lowered and with moon discs unlike most minivans.
We saw a bear!
A bunch of competitors piled up for some last minute checks before heading down the David Thompson Highway which is the focus of part two. To be continued…
Full The Great Beater Challenge 2019 segments:
Vehicle Preparation and Theme – Creation of the Hamborghini
Maintenance would have kept the 44 year old Toyota from breaking down. Those people were lazy and stupid.
That is a bit unfair I think. It was a car that pulled from a field and put back into active service by swapping in a more powerful twin cam engine. Things happen.
Lazy people don’t generally have the inclination, willingness, and knowledge to be able to get a car that hasn’t run in ages working, to the start of a road rally on time, and then actually be able to follow directions on said rally. Bad luck can befall anyone and nobody is going to rebuild an old car from scratch for an event like this, never mind the budgetary constraints. Most 44-year old cars wouldn’t even have been able to line up for the start. The vast majority of owners of ANY car never change the rear differential fluid, calling them stupid is just plain rude, please refrain from doing so in the future.
This makes good fodder for those that like to point out that even a Toyota can encounter trouble. After 44 years.
I really don’t understand how some people can be so infatuated with a brand that they would resort to name calling when that brand makes a product that fails for whatever reason. I’ve owned plenty of Toyotas in my time and I hate to break it to you, some were lemons. It happens. The car is 44 years old. You can expect issues with any 44 year old car regardless of the brand name.
I love you stories and this challenge.
I have longed to do something similar here in michigan. Keep up the great stories.
I can see their dinnertime conversation that evening: “I met a classmate of yours today… he and his family were wearing pig noses and riding in a beat-up car with a snout and a giant wing… seems like a nice family.”
As usual, great story and scenery here. And while I’m always impressed at your mechanical ability, I think that somehow getting that snout to remain on the car may be your most impressive feat yet. I was expecting it to do airborne within a few miles of the start.
Haha. Luckily the minitruck driver was a fellow challenge competitor.
I was seriously impressed with how well the nose held especially since I rigged up the mounting in the dark the night before and did not even do a test drive around the block. I tied the rope to under hood braces. I wouldn’t attribute of any of that to talent however.
Wonderful scenery. Hope the Hamborghini performs flawlessly so you can really enjoy the Rockies.
David, you look a bit TOO interested in that pig mask, good thing you can’t wear it while driving.
Great photos once again, too bad about the A40 throwing a rod but can’t say I’m surprised with it being a 70 year old British sedan on the highway. They would have struggled with that in 1949.
Maybe they can swap in the twin cam from the Toyota at the campground…
Everyone loves a team up, but that’s a lot of folks to cram into either car they decide to keep, but I like your thinking.
There’s probably bonus points for something like that, instead of a DNF.
Indeed the Austin A40 was not really meant for high speed travel even when new. When I saw them they mentioned they were driving it flat out all the time and getting 90km/h. I briefly owned an A40 Devon as well but it broke in half and had to be parted out. The Toyota twin cam would likely grenade the A40 rear end in short order.
They should have got another Hillman!
I was going to note the same thing – an Austin that can’t stand up to North American highway conditions. Imagine that.
The funny failure is the Toyota – the two vehicles from the best and worst reputations in these conditions going out on the same day. Time is indeed the great equalizer.
Great reporting and scenery, as usual, David!
Glad to see that your sons are also into the GBC, otherwise we wouldn’t get to see you hamming it up as much. 😉
And the old Y block Ford keeps humming along, apparently.
I have to say that the pig mask gives you kind of a home-invading serial-killer vibe. I’ll bet the people in the gas station and other stops were happy there was a group around you. 🙂
My original plan was to wear the mask with a full suit – better or worse?
Maybe some kind of tuxedo jacket or sport coat? 😉
With a porkpie hat!
Hey, if Les Claypool can wear that pig mask under the hot lights and pressure of making a video for Primus, then David can wear his pig mask while driving
https://youtu.be/TOdo7dhvSwg
Really appreciate how thoroughly you documented the event David. Like all your posts, lots of info and pics to enjoy. Thanks!
I’m quite impressed at the way the event has grown, and the quality of the competition. And the genuine fun (and work) everyone enjoys.
I’m actually somewhat surprised I don’t see any media vehicles in some of these shots. The local CBC and CTV stations should be all over this event. LOL Nationally, I think many Canadians would get a big kick out this adventure. This would be a great offbeat interview topic for CBC Radio’s ‘As it Happens’.
About 90% of the competition cars, you just don’t see in Ontario anymore whatsoever. Including your Tercel. Perhaps in some retiree condo parking garages in Toronto. 🙂 I really like the Previa. It still looks very futuristic almost 30 years later.
I am also somewhat surprised no mainstream media outlet has not covered this. I guess no one has called them as the main reason. It would be a great fit for As It Happens.
The Tercel is even somewhat rare here although there are a few around town including another red two door (no pig theme though). I did see a few in BC as well this summer. The Previa is vehicle with a lot of neat and unique touches to it.
I just dropped a line to ‘CBC’s ‘As it Happens’ with links to your Curbside Classic articles, the Challenge’s web page, and the Facebook page. It would be nice if Peter hears from them. I could see people making vacation plans to follow the event.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/contact-1.4344358
Really enjoying this! I remember Paul posting a pic with one of his articles, of a VW prototype from the early 70s, and the lineage to the early 80s VW Scirocco is very apparent.
David thank you for your posts I enjoy the selection and preparation parts the best.
With all due respect, what was it about Tercels that got them the nickname “turdcels”?
I am looking for a little Japanese hatchback with a DOHC 4 16v, 5 speed manual to replace my crashed ’94 Suzuki Swift GT. Your description of the Tercel sounded like maybe it would be a great candidate
It is a cheerful thing but not particularly sporty in handling or engine mostly due to long gearing.
The Lada shirt is great. Sorry to hear about the Austin, it should have made it farther than that but buying a beater gets one a big pile of unknowns.