1000 miles in a Morris Minor to France - will we make it?! (Minors on Tour 2023 road trip)

Check out channel sponsor Bidding Classics to buy yourself a classic, or perhaps sell the one in your garage at home to free up the space for something new: bit.ly/BiddingC...
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The Minors on Tour road trip is organised by the Morris Minor Owners Club and has been running for 30+ years! The trip is an epic test of your classic car (usually a Morris Minor 1000!) to see if it'll make the trip unscathed or you'll be tapping into your boot of spare parts to fix your broken classic car.
This video is very much the individual experiences of me and my friends - but everyone has a great time; so if you've watched this and want to come next year, make sure you head to the website to get signed up for 2024 (or later - if you're watching this in the far flung future!)

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

1:10 "..packed everything I own.." 🤣 The big blue ball of wool is just classic.

[@graemew7001]

Steph, you owe us nothing more than remaining happy and healthy. The videos when they come are a bonus that are welcomed and enjoyed so please don't worry, just have relaxation and fun. You're braver than me as I wouldn't dare contemplate that sort of epic journey in a Moggy.

[@sjg4967]

Stop apologising for fitting electronic ignition. I fitted the Sparkright SX2000 kit to my beetle in about 1985 because the distributor lobes were worn. It was the best thing I ever did, there is no joy in breaking down or struggling to start or changing points every few months... Have a lovely time, the car looks great.

[@hamishdavidson3368]

Great weather. Enjoying you videos. A good fix for fuel vaporisation is buy some kitchen foil and wrap around the fuel lines heading into the carburettor. Its a great fix on Holdens in the bush.

[@idriveaclassic]

Amazing advice thank you x

[@jaggass]

Can imagine people back in the day travelling from Britain to continental Europe in Minor's, Beetle's, Cortina's etc. A friend of mine drove from the NW England to Cortina D'Ampezzo,Italy in a MK3 Cortina. No breakdowns and the same town where some of For Your Eyes Only was filmed.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Makes me want to get another Morris. Best of luck on your trip.. I am envious. Watching from Southern Oregon USA.

[@cameronaberdeenuk1260]

Totally charmed by your car, the journey, your narration, your mates and Steph, you are a complete star. Hope the holiday goes well. Toot Toot.

[@PaulinesPastimes]

Your cars look wonderful and seem to be going beautifully. It's so refreshing to see young people driving classic cars. Doesn't happen so much here in Australia. When I bought my Austin A60 in Sydney, I had to drive it back to where I live in Melbourne. That is 900km (nearly 600 miles) of freeway driving. It was an ordeal and she broke down a few kilometres from home (the shame!) and had to be brought in by tow truck. Been good ever since and it has an electronic distributor, best thing ever. 22 deg did make me smile ✨. Fabulous scenery. 😊

[@michaelhalsall5684]

I love the guy's black t-shirt with the MM Low-Light on it!

[@kevinhirst4108]

Glad you made it get some rest ❤❤❤

[@idriveaclassic]

Haha will get you some wine xx

[@PaddyWV]

Nothing says "UK" like a Morris Minor. They ought to be exempt from labelling! 😄

[@auntbarbara5576]

Steph this was WONDERFUL!! What a beautiful adventure. I hope to see more road-trip videos. Thank you for this, and all you bring us. My absolute favourite auto channel. Aunt Barbara adores you!

[@idriveaclassic]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@micb3rd]

Looks like a fantastic trip, great to see the Morris Minors doing these long journeys. Good luck with the rest of the traveling!

[@johnjtm1097]

It's always a joy to see your videos Steph, whatever the subject. Enjoy your holiday everyone, Moggys and people!

[@VADOC02]

Last September did 403 miles on the Blue Ridge parkway in my '69 Traveller my butt is still sore!

[@idriveaclassic]

😂😂😂

[@michaelraymond952]

I can’t imagine going this far. I drove my ‘68 Morris Minor about 100 miles today and that felt like a lot! My tailbone was ready to be done more than anything else. To be fair, I essentially stayed within a state that is only 37 miles wide so I covered a lot of ground. I love seeing these cars showing what they can do but it’s even nicer to see your community of friends. You’re all awesome and I, for one, would happily take a road trip with handsome Joe. 😉😇 Have fun, kids!

[@Saskue78]

Awesome and sure you will make it. It is good weather for the trip which is good. 🙂🙂🌞🌞

[@mrsmith697]

22 gr Celsius. yes on the outside of the car.. probably much more in the car 😅

[@KenanTurkiye]

If a Morris is green with yellow tinted lights, roads are a joy.

[@alansimpson835]

What a brilliant looking trip. Nancy looks like she's in her element. I've still never driven on the wrong side of the road but one day I'll take the plunge. Speaking of plunges, hopefully you have access to a pool to cool down

[@andywalker]

Enjoy France, the D roads are a must do. The road tolls (Peages) are a pain to deal with.

[@peterriggall8409]

I don’t think I have ever seen a video of a car going into the Chunnel before. What a great adventure. Enjoy Steph. and good idea to switch the cameras off and have a good break.

[@petermatthews6819]

Happy motoring ❤

[@peterowen4456]

Epic! Love a road trip. Can't wait for the next video.

[@stephensalt6787]

Air con is one of the best things ever for continental travel or a convertible. You will still love it, the empty roads and laid back vibes make France superb and the food isn’t bad 😂.

[@nigelh4617]

Car loaded up to the gunwales, proper road trip 😊.

[@martinclapton2724]

What a great adventure! Enjoyed driving in Europe in the late 1990s and particularly in year 2000 on family holidays

[@TheClockwise770]

Great video Steph. Brought back a lot of memories I've actually driven that same route to San Remy , Provence in my Rover P6 3500s. It took me 12 hours with 3 stops. Hope you have a wonderful stay there

[@simonc858]

Fabulous video, enjoy your holiday x

[@davidperrott5743]

Two takeaways: I associate classic cars with people old enough to remember them from their childhood but most of the Minor tourists seem to postdate their cars, and Steph's Minor does about 42mpg on the open road. I'm just back from a trip to France in a mild hybrid Civic and it did 5.9 l/100 km or about 48mpg. Doesn't seem a lot of progress in about 40 years.

[@bulkheadlamp600]

One day I'll get a passport, pluck up the courage, join he club, get a UK badge😁 learn basic French and join you guys on the trip😊

[@LivingWithAClassic]

Looks like an amazing trip!

[@19892CV]

What an epic journey. Have fun!

[@Topshaman-pk2rx]

Great road trip. Enjoy France.

[@allanmollison6971]

Thanks for sharing Steph, really enjoyed it. 😊👍

[@johnmckenna8989]

What's funny....I travelled B.C. Ferries regularly, and I always washed my car first then took the opportunity to wax it during the crossing....Out in the fresh cool air, I would sometimes look up to find an audience on the upper deck platform if I was parked at the bow's open deck.....Many commented that it was a great way to pass the time, wishing they too had thought of it....John (west coast, Can.).....OH, the cars were 1979 International Scout II and a 1959 TR3A ....I still own the Triumph, 53 years now.....

[@Vince_uk]

Hi Steph and Joe, A great video and exciting subject matter. BTW Where is the kitchen sink? That is all you seen mot to have packed.

[@idriveaclassic]

It’s the boot 😉

[@charliegrinnall2172]

Your car is doing you proud Steph. I have just come back from Wings And Wheels at Bidford on Avon Flying Club and saw a few nice Morris Minor's there aswell as a nice early Morris Marina van.

[@idriveaclassic]

She’s just the best x

[@frederickherring2284]

I purchased A Morris Minor in 1970 for $70.00. It had holes in the floor, and tape held up the windows. But you couldn't kill it. It always went when you needed it. Even when I had a stubby screwdriver in the keyhole after i lost the keys through a hole in the floor. Really a great car. It was my first car, and you always remember the first one. Loved it to bits

[@lesklower7281]

Well in Australia we can't easily travel to another country in our cars you can do it cost a lot of money and 22 degrees lovely day also what l saw of your Morris 1000 very nice and 40mpg not bad fuel economy especially from a classic british car

[@cme2cau]

I'm spoilt now, with air conditioning, cruise control and a turbo diesel, but did several trips back in the day in a land crab, and a 3.6l Valiant. Australian distances are different!

[@kavijon]

Fabo fabo !!! Great trip guys. Looking forward to following 😎

[@michaelkeen5010]

Having owned 2 Minors in the 90’s I know that they are eminently capable of regular 60mph cruises on motorways, very reliable cars. Good luck on your adventure.

[@taks8439]

This is something that is on my bucket list to do in the future!

[@simonchristie4117]

Ball of knitting wool reminded me of my mum! Orangina! Brings back memories ❤ great vlog ❤

[@idriveaclassic]

Thank you!

[@Mark1405Leeds]

Retro fit air con? Having had air con I couldn't live without it!

[@gord307]

Great to see your Minor adventure! Well done with getting your Morris to such a high standard, and fab to see you running in convoy with another! Yes, the E5 fuel is a monumental ripoff and is a massive tax on many people who can't, or perhaps don't want, a modern car. You sound shattered at the end of the video - hope you recuperate and have a lovely break.

[@mrcheese3981]

It should be interesting to see the French reaction to your Morris Minors, as no one over here seems to have heard of them! I'm in the south west of France and looking to buy a left hand drive traveller, but no one I speak to knows what I'm talking about :) They all know VW Beetles and Minis, but that's it. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[@marshmarshall4619]

When I was at boarding school (1961-1965 - that dates ME !!!) our French teacher, Bill Melton, came to France every year with his wife in his Morris Minor all the way down to the south of France - This was the era, before autoroutes and motorways had even been dreamt of !!! - So you can imagine how long that took him on what were known, then, as "les routes nationales" - Fortunately we had long summer holidays of 8 weeks, so he had plenty of time to do his round trip - And his trusty Morris Minor NEVER let him down even once !! - A fabulous car, still, and such a shame that BL never had the foresight to develop it like VW did with the Beetle, replacing it instead with a pile of crap called the Morris Marina, which has the dubious "honour" of being the most scrapped car ever built - So it's great to see you, Steph and your friends, making the same journey in your trusty Morris Minors as my French Teacher did all those many years ago - Good luck and "bonne route" !!

[@alexandrecouture2462]

Wonderful landscape and cool video! So finally, me going in vacation with my Jaguar XJ40 isn't using a very old car! :)

[@michaelstaunton1632]

A really enjoyable video well done now & best of luck with everything 👍👍

[@Rinty145]

Great video Steph, I'm green with envy.

[@choryferguson2196]

Hope you've had an amazing time! Thanks for sharing the journey!

[@markgollan]

What a fun trip

[@FourthDrawerDown]

Road trip! Woo 🙌

[@stephenricketts7764]

I would expect a Morris Minor to be fine on such a trip as long as you check it is happy once in a while. I did wonder why you had all that wool so glad you cleared that one up. Not much room for the kitchen sink though, maybe next time Steph!☺ I hope you have a great break and thanks for the road movie. 🚄🗼🐌👍👍

[@idriveaclassic]

Thank you for watching x

[@grahamdraper665]

Very enjoyable film,I normally drive a 73 2 cv or 68 Ami 6 to the south of France hope to see the Pont du arch on your trip fab camp sites along the river.

[@jimo4449]

This Aussie had to laugh at your 22 degrees being hot, that is cool

[@Ivorbiggin]

Looks like Fantastic fun Steph …..😊

[@anthonytallarida4192]

Such an awsome video Steph, so cool that you do these road trips.

[@RoyCousins]

It looks like great trip. 😎

[@ricado372]

Hey Steph, try looking for supermarkets near to the peage, the fuel will be closer to 1.81 for 95 and 1.86for 98. Profitez bien de la vacance.

[@grayfool]

We love France too. The last time I drove in Frnace was in a MkII Transit mini bus with a trailer and egiht pretty big nlokes on board. We went to the pyrenes not far from Perpignon. Can't get much more south and still be in France. It took forever but was a real hoot. Been back several times sonce but not in a car.

[@Mark_T]

Really interesting content - particularly as I've yet to drive abroad. More please :-)

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

Thank you for your entertaining effort. You are 100% correct about the temperature comparisons in Pommyland and Australia! I had a Morris Minor series 1, with 850cc of raw power. In Australia. The previous owner used it to widen his driveway, it seemed by the dents down both sides. It had Kettering points ignition, because it is so fixable in the remote outback here, where civilization might be 300 miles away. I once fixed the ignition with fencing wire, and a bit of plastic that I cut from a straw with my pocket-knife. Try doing that with electronics! The main problem that I experienced was with vapour-lock in the fuel-line, when it was so hot that the fuel boiled before it reached the fuel bowl. It gets to over 50 degrees C (122F) in the shade here. Probably equal to 100C (212F) in the sun under a metal bonnet. One gets acclimatized to it. Possibly the same in South Africa.

[@billpeters4019]

Tremendous effort - seriously thinking of MoT next year :¬)

[@CarlJones14]

I was in France recently. I had one providers best breakdown policy. My gearbox gave up, and it took 40 days to repatriate my campervan. I am very relucrant to travel to the EU again. The lies, unbelievable.

[@lukefleming0607]

Great video. Was funny at the start seeing the looks on the passengers in the other vehicles going past you

[@jimcrichton8028]

Only three things ever stop a roadworthy Minor. Firstly the electric fuel pump which usually gives intermitent troubles when not used regularly. Second the swivel joints at the bottom of trunions can pop off if not greased, usually going in reverse at 3 mph! And finally eventually hidden rust in the chassis cross bar can result in the torsion bar pushing up under the seat, often as you brake for a junction... steering lock is much reduced after this happens. Otherwise they just keep going forever. 😊

[@admiralcraddock464]

I found adapting to driving on the right was quite easy; so easy in fact, thatI had to concentrate driving on the left when I drove off the ferry at dover. A little tip: if your`e driving a righthand drive car keep the steering wheel next to the curb and you won`t go far wrong

[@darrenwilson8042]

funny enough I saw an MGF and 2 x MGB's on Dutch plates driving through Middlesbrough yesterday - 'tis the season?

[@daviemaclean61]

If you can see fish in the tunnel something's gone horribly wrong! Red Bull car polish! Interesting

[@a11csc]

super

[@autoknight747]

Really enjoy your content and the sheer variety of vehicles you cover in your reviews. It’s a proper blast from the past and some of the vehicles remind me of my childhood. Clearly not all - I’m not that old!

[@chrisrumble2665]

What softies...with your OHV engines. Try touring in an MM!

[@simonbirt6121]

I don’t think I own that much stuff! Maybe you should get a traveller?

[@idriveaclassic]

I had one and hated it. My saloon forever ❤️

[@billwrascal8147]

Looks like fun, despite the travelling time. Final minutes driving along the valley I had the theme to "Allo Allo" running through my head. 😊

[@matthewvwuk]

Hi Steph. Wow what a journey you & your friends undertook to go on holiday in France in Morris Minors! A great video, thank you for posting. Just to tell you the differences between a dynamo & an alternator me being an auto-electrician is that the dynamo is sometimes termed as a DC generator & only charges the battery when the engine is above idling speed as its drive pulley is exactly the same size as the engine crankshaft pulley. It needs a control box to regulate the charging voltage & current & prevents the battery from discharging through dynamo. An alternator produces AC current & needs a rectifier to convert this into DC to charge the battery. Its drive pulley is smaller than the engine crankshaft pulley & so it can produce more current than a dynamo & therefore charge the battery when the engine is idling. Hence this is why the alternator is more reliable than a dynamo as it has a wound stator & slip-rings & the brushes rarely need changing whereas the dynamo has an armature & a copper commutator with brushes which will eventually wear down & need replacing. Hope this has helped & apologies for being too technical!

[@dhall4363]

Watching this from Australia. We have different perspective to distance. Not a second thought for me to drive a series land rover from Sydney to Melbourne. I had just brought it and this was my first drive. Looks like the weather is being good for you. One of my first cars was briefly a Morris minor and there was a mini as well. No road trip in older cars is complete with out some minor issues ( oh is that a minor joke ? ) I`ll see my self out.

[@tedheath9018]

Cool lucky huas, never had a Moriarty thou but had 1948 Austin 10 and 1959 Series 111 Ox box.

[@hunterhomeservicesracing6453]

Good to see these cars still on the road We just did the morry nationals in Adelaide Australia.we had 136 ish cars

[@GatesheadElvis]

Great video! What's the deal with they yellow lights? Are they still required for "classics" in France?

[@Extreme_Rice]

Saw a 4-door Minor in London today. Similar colour to Nancy but not quite as sparkly.

[@Scuba72Chris]

Nice! I would have loved to join in myself but it's waaaaay too far to go in my Series 2. :D

[@markwoodley712]

How do you clear Customs with 'everything I own' loaded that way. What a great adventure, next time I'm in Europe, I hope to make an effort to drive from the continent into the UK, not sure if you can with a rental vehicle, but what fun you had. We only get to venture from Canada into the U.S. no chunnel experience.

[@idriveaclassic]

We got waved through 😂

[@peterbuckley5204]

I've bought a 1968 Morris minor that has been stood 34years to restore 1098 trafalgar blue the last owner used to drive to Ares sw France every year and the sunstrip on the windscreen still says vacance de Ares on it lve also bought another 1967 and they are like twins

[@kathykirby5837]

Please remember that water is so important, loads of fizzy drinks arent great for helping in the heat x

[@UniversityOfTurmoil]

Yellow headlights make any car look 10x cooler.

[@lukebarnes8097]

Rather you than me 😂. Is the car still on the standard four speed box and differential? Wouldn't wanna do a long time on the motorway if it is!

[@idriveaclassic]

It is all standard. Both are!

[@JP-su8bp]

Ah, a vintage car road trip and the joy of discomfort.

[@rosshannemann7772]

Out in france in 3 weeks,hope you have no breakdowns.

[@alexandrecouture2462]

19:05 Haha, I hope people following you didn't think that it was a LHD car, because it would mean no hands on the steering. :)

[@mr-wx3lv]

That is just awesome. Crashing down the French motorways in a 1098cc Minor. How British is that. They are great little cars. Why didn't they reintroduce them, like they did the Mini, the VW beetle and the fiat 500, they would have sold like hot cakes. ...

[@crashbox7130]

These posh modern Morris Minors, eh? I have to get around in my 1932 Morris Minor two-seater at 40-45mph, so motorways are very much a no no. Or non non in France.