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Personal and Corporate donations are welcome,

We encorage you to consider displaying your company name on our car! The more generous the donation the more favourable the positioning of your logo!  And don't forget we have to drive to John O'Groats from Ashford, Kent before we start!

How ever much your contribution, it will support those less fortunate who have been affected by accident, disability or berevement in the construction industy and allied trades, our aim is to support this cause whilst challenging ourselves and a vehicle designed in the 1950's!

We are looking forward to the challenge of the weather, exitement of the route, experieince of the great British scenery and camaradarie of other participants and knowledge that our efforts will raise a welcome contribution to the Benevolent Fund.

The Spydermen will participate in the Lighthouse Club Run 2010 in a replica of a 1955 Porsche Spyder 550, there are no modern comforts or technical wizzardry, just driving skill and perseverance!  The brakes work more the harder you press, the steering is relative to the input from your arms!  And your bottom is just 5 inches away from the tarmac!

But it does make a lovely noise!

We do have a heater, its the hot engine oil circulating round some pipes and there is a roof, though unless it is snowing a blizzard we hope to leave it off!

Thank you for visiting we will update you with our preparation and progress!

Update 23 August 2010

Well the weather took a turn at the weekend and instead of Gideon getting his first drive of the Spyder I managed a few little jobs in the garage!

My friendly local MOT centre had identified a brake inbalance on the near side when we put the car on the scales last month. So just in case the front calipers were stripped, cleaned, greased and refitted, for good measure the brake system was bled to remove any air, a return trip to the rolling road this week should identify if the problem is solved!

As soon as the sun's out Gideon should get his taste of '50's motoring!

Update 27th August 2010

Had some "fun" draining the fuel tank to replace the fuel hose from the tank to the filter!  It had just started to crack a little from the paint overspray, better to be safe than sorry!

Because the car is so low, we have to drive onto some blocks to raise it enough to get the jack underneath!

Now you may ask, what happens when we get a puncture? Well, we don't have a spare wheel so don't need a jack!  We will rely on a couple of tins of tyre foam and hope it's only a small hole!

Update 16th September 2010

The brakes are fixed!  Now we need to see how much room we really have for luggage and spare fuel.. there are no petrol stations for the first 150 miles from JOG and the tank only holds 140 miles worth!?

Update 28th September 2010

Guess what?  I've stripped the brakes again!  Just thought I would make sure were going to stop and fitted a nice new set of Venhill braided hoses, the pedal is rock solid!  Also a new throttle cable with ball joints at the pedeal to make the action smoother!  The car will be "stickered-up" on Tuesday and new photos uploaded for you to see in all its glory!  Don't forget to send your donations to ensure you get a prime spot for your logo!

Update 7th October 2010

Oo err! just one day to go and the Spyder has been sign written at Harrier Offset, we hope all our sponsors are pleased with the result?

On the way back, filled up with fuel and parked in the drive to find petrol pouring out of the breather pipe and spraying around the engine bay! DON'T PANIC! 

Found a new blanking plug and replaced another fuel hose then, fitted the FIRE EXTINGUISHER!

We're topped up with fuel, oil and ready to go, departing at 05:00 from Ashford on Friday and heading North.

Update 8th October

Early start and got a free run through the Dartford Tunnel!  Stopped for the first fuel at Bishops Stortford, hugh backfire and 10ft flames out of the exhaust!  Didn't realise this had toasted one of the air filters!

Stopped for breakfast at OK Diner on the A1 at Newark, James from Aquarius passed us going South.

Headed up the A68 to Jedburgh in rain and fog but stayed dry with the roof on, had to take the side screens off as it got a little too warm and snug!

Made it to Perth for an over-night stop, right next to a Toby Carvery, Gideon was in his element!

Update 9th October

Everything packed away again after the "Full Scottish" heading for the Road to the Isles, the sun came out, the roof came off and the pedal went to the metal!  A spirited run over Aviemore and then past Inverness, breakdown number 2!  Found the toasted bits of air filter in the carburettor.  Woodbutcher and Leakey stopped to offer moral support in their plush Jaguar S Type, the Hummer cruised past and the Hilux with a model lighthouse complete with rocks!

After cooling down we set of at a more sedate pace and enjoyed the scenary and oil rigs, we wern't the last to arrive at John O'Groats!

Update 10th October

07:00am flagged away from the John O'Groats House Hotel car park and into darkness!  Two Roman's in Togas passed us quickly in a Peugeot 406!  We caught the Chairman and his riding mechanic in the 30 year old Silver Jubilee Mini, (only 3,000 miles on the clock!), the roads and scenery opened up before us as the sun came up and we realised where the best roads are in Britain!  The Spyder was definately the right choice of car!  Now, this was not a race but there was a little bit of competition!  The Fiat X19 and the Nissan GTR were both fair game and despatched promptly as the west coast road twists and turns became a joy.

The first check point outside Ullapool just gave us time for coffee and to check in with Iain and Harry from Region 2 of the Porsche Club who planned to meet up on route.  Asignations agreed we sped on to Loch Ness and almost arrived at the same time in Drumnadrochit!

A bit of tourist traffic slowed progress down Loch Ness via Fort Augustus where Iain and Harry headed back to Aberdeenshire, we continued without drama to Fort William past Ben Nevis and on to Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor then Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

The roads are less exciting now and the traffic increases, the Spyder has no problem keeping up as we head for the Border, Gretna Green and Penrith.  The route instructions were not so clear and the Junction number did not match the map!  We got back on track and headed for Windermere and our overnight stop at the Hydro hotel in Bowness.

Update11th October

Why is it always dark when we get up? Because its so early! Didn't see much of the lake as we headed for the M6 and Monday morning rush hour traffic, probably the most uneventful part of the trip.  Heading off on the A56 towards Chester the rolling hills made a welcome change as the road became more interesting the place names became harder to pronouce, we must be nearing Wales!  We caught up with most of the others at Llanbadarn Fynydd for more coffe, cakes and petrol!  Before we could get going the clutch need a seeing to, we had difficulty with reverse and now no forward gears either!  The adjuster on the cylinder had backed off and was having no effect!  A quick twiddle with the spanners restored normal operation.

We were getting around a two hour stint at the wheel before the tank need topping up and more coffee or energy drink!  The Wye Valley in glorious sunshine with very little traffic was most agreeable as our sense of achivement was growing!

Over the Severn Bridge, out of Wales in to England and on to Bath, traffic and trouble!  The Gas Board had dug up the main road into the town and progress was painfully slow it took over and hour and forty five minutes to get through and onto Glastonbury!  Stopping at the East Lyng checkpoint the Spyder was running rough and loosing power after getting a bit warm in Bath!  Though not a hot as Sean's Granada that took a direct hit from a stone in the radiator!

We limped on for the last leg to Land's End, at Tavistock the speed and power just ebbed away and we ground to a halt at the side of the road.  An immediate call to the RAC confirmed a patrol would be with us in an hour and forty minutes.  With the tool kit out we set about diagnosing the problem, if we solved we would call the RAC off and get on with the run!  No such luck!  It was dark by the time the car started and the RAC followed us for four miles to check we were OK, then on to Exeter.

Stopping at traffic lights in Exeter another hugh backfire, the engine died and flames and smoke poured from the exhaust!  Are we glad the fire extinguisher was to hand!

Letting the car cool for half an hour in the centre of Exeter gave us time to reflect on our efforts and what we still needed to do to justify the sponsorship and support.  We needed some garage facilities to sort out the engine if we were to make it with out driving it to destruction!  We got started and eased our way to Broad Clyst for overnight accommodation.

Update 12th October

Searching the Internet located a garage with experience of our type of engine in the same village!  Unfortunately the info was out of date and they had moved on, with new directions we went in search and found Gary Bastin at Phoenix Coachworks, he has two Latvian twins working for him who undertook the task of sorting a non-running spyder after Collumpton Recovery picked it up from Broad Clyst for £20!

Four hours later and after a massive bill of ZERO! the Spyder was running!  Janic and Lewic had stripped, fixed, fettled, tweaked and tuned the ignition, timing, tappets and carbs with nothing more than skill!

Update 13th October

We wanted a daylight run to Land's End with the photo opportunity so set off at seven again with 135miles to go.  Down the A30 and on to Bodmin Moor, the roof is still off and the fog is getting thicker, the windscreen mists again and the water droplets come over the top of the windscreen and onto the steering wheel!

Once off the moor the sun is out and warming up, Penzance is a picture as a train pulls out of the station and along the sea shore as we approach, there's not much traffic this early and our arrival at Land's End car park is met with a friendly wave as the attendant reads the Lighthouse Run stickers on the car and we avoid the £4 charge!

At ten o'clock we stop the Spyder right infront of the theme park and pose for photos, triumphant in our late arrival!  No one else is there to see how pleased we are or understand our jubilation!

We go in search of coffee and cake and the photo opportunity at the "Sign Post"  Walking back to the car we notice the sign directing "enders" to register at the hotel reception, we had nearly missed the most important bit!

Gideon does the honnors with our comments and signs underneath the other Lighthouse Run 2010 entries, we may have been last but we persevered and made it!  Now all we have to do is make it to Brands Hatch by seven o'clock tonight for the Porsche Club meeting!

Last Update!

In glorious sunshine I took the wheel for the first stint "home", everything running smoothly and the traffic wasn't too bad either!

We stopped at Fleet services on the M3 for fuel and food and were followed in by Don Travers in his Porsche 964 RS America, Don shipped the car from California for a six month tour of Europe and was on his final country, visiting friends, stately homes and historic sites.

We pressed on through the joys of the Greater London Car Park, (M25) and supprised ourselves and many others by arriving at Brands Hatch at 6.00pm!

Both of us would like to thank the outstanding support from the donations, encouragement and emergency assistance you have all provided!

Adrian & Gideon