Mongol Rally 2023... in a crippled 1970s MK1 Escort!? Ep. 1: The Rise of Garpez and Drebin

Undertaking the 10,000+ miles of the Mongol Rally seems challenging enough.
But what if you willfully (well, sort of) chose to use for the job an ill-fitted, crumbling-to-pieces 52-year-old car in total disrepair?
This is the story of how a crazy idea met some stubborn men, and together they merrily went against all odds to prepare a very unsuitable car for the journey of its (and their) lifetime. 🚗🌍
Subscribe and stay tuned for updates both on the repairs and the Mongol Rally 2023!
0:00 Intro
0:39 "Mongol Rally" what?
2:03 Cars, cars, cars...
4:10 The 1970 MK1 Ford Escort ❤️
7:41 Wait, what do you mean with "holes" and "rust"...? 💔
9:26 A second look: introducing Fede and Rico
12:51 Searching for (and finding) another car
15:44 The second MK1 Escort: first drive 💚
19:02 The Good, the Bad... and now?
20:04 [Side notes]
20:43 Upping the ante
21:27 The "Garpez" and the "Drebin"
21:46 Recap
LINKS:
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"Mongol Rally" by The Adventurists
www.theadventurists.com/mongo...
MUSIC:
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Lovely Swindler by Amarià / amariamusique
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On My Way by Ghostrifter Official
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Aerials by Olivaw / olivaw
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Copyrigthed material used under Fair Use policy.

[@tw2210]

Great video. Best wishes from the UK.

[@travellingnerds]

Thank you Tim! :)

[@stefanofoglietti8542]

Grandi ragazzi...anche noi parteciperemo il prossimo anno, con due team mooolto più moderni come mezzi...le mitiche Panda.

[@travellingnerds]

Anche noi ci avevamo pensato, ma ci piace ancor di più il "brivido"! ;) In bocca al lupo coi preparativi, ci vediamo alla linea di partenza!

[@ncjunkgoian]

The rust is so typical. My first car was a 78 Marina which looked similar without the coolness. Steering fine when you get used to it, windows leak, clutch cables always failing, alternator fails, leaks etc. the old cars are a laugh BUT so easy to fix. Also, I loved that they had no sensors as I'm so fed up with a modern engine shutting down because the oxygen sensor Isn't happy. Looking forward to seeing the rust bucket fixed!

[@travellingnerds]

Exactly! Don't worry, work on the Garpez is underway ;) Thanks Neil! :)

[@mrgiantanthem]

Great car, I can't wait to see the next episode.

[@travellingnerds]

Thank you David! :)

[@ostendadler1]

Eerily similar scenario on my end - Except I woke up the next day after said dinner with a credit card statement indicating I had signed up to the rally ! Also wanted to do it in a classic, also ended up buying a car without a clue of its mechanical state. I drove it home over the course of a week and several hundred kilometers on 19 year old tires which was absolutely terrifying. Started an engine fire and melted a fuel line on two separate occasions. When I finally made it home I decided to save the old geezer car as I shared an incredible stockholm style syndrome for it. Its taken me many months, money and help but I'm happy to say the old girl will be alongside your old car next year at the rally. I'll be in the sky blue 1979 citroen 2cv and my mate will be in an 1982 Renault 4L. Seems there's a lot of teams going for classics next year. I am both terrified and excited about this and since you seem to be still in the fixing up phase I wanted to give you a word of encouragement ! Its worth the work and bringing back to life a classic is definitely not a sound financial decision but it feels so damn good to bring them back to life. I captain of the team Khannonball 10.000 Salute you and are looking forward to meeting you next year.

[@travellingnerds]

Thank you very much! Yeah, repairs are taking a bit longer than we expected, but we're still on track and motivated :) Glad to have found a comrade for this crazy adventure! ;) See you at the starting line!

[@ostendadler1]

@@travellingnerds How's the progress going :-)? I have a few "design" flaws in my rebuild (the boot door is too short) but we on track. You guys started figuring the route yet?

[@travellingnerds]

@@ostendadler1 We are still on track, but fixing 2 cars concurrently takes a lot of time! However, it is fascinating to dig depper and deeper in understanding the way these old ladies work :) Regarding the route: every time we sit down to think about it we realize that there are too many (independent) variables, so we have an overall (and "ambitious") idea but will nail it only if some conditions are met when we get closer to the starting date. Keep up the good work! 💪

[@snsayy]

This is really cool :) can't wait for the rally, thanks for telling us about this rally

[@travellingnerds]

We too, probably it will be crazy! :D

[@andytheturtle87]

This is awesome, subbed and belled. I look forward to this adventure.

[@travellingnerds]

Thank you! :)

[@johntomasini3916]

This really takes me back to my first car, a Ford Escort MK1. My MK1 was a little different, there was a strike on here in Australia at the time, so it was built with the two door Twin Cam body, so it was about three inches longer than the standard MK1. Loved that car, it was great to drive, winding roads were fun, I felt like a rally driver. Looking forward to your future video's, have fun with your project, you have chosen the right car.

[@travellingnerds]

Thank you John! :) I agree, the Drebin is surely a breeze to drive (hopefully soon also the Garpez 🤞🏻), but the rally is no easy feat - lots of checks and fixes are underway, stay tuned! :)

[@johntomasini3916]

@@travellingnerds I'm all ears, er eyes. lol

[@simonmclean09]

Hey mate, Love the Cars and love how you have ended up with two identical Cars organically. We are also doing the 2023 Rally, but from my understanding because of the War it's not going to be the traditional route you mention. I believe we are doing the Points of inconvenience routes instead. Please advise if you know more than I do.

[@travellingnerds]

Hey Simon! Glad you are onboard this crazy adventure, too! :) We do not have updates, and our impression is that the organizers will strive to make a "regular" edition despite all the difficulties... but with so much unpredictability (especially, the global geopolitical situation), we believe that all of us will be sure only right before the start. Anyway, we are positive about it, so we keep going on with the repairs and finger crossed! :)

[@Pricklysauce]

My first car was a mk1 escort…I still miss it thirty years later…looking forward to seeing how you get on

[@travellingnerds]

Thanks! :)

[@tedcowart3647]

As this is something I have always wanted to do I am really looking forward to keeping up with your adventure. I think you made a good choice of cars. Simple to fix and strong. Best of luck! Ted in the US

[@travellingnerds]

Thank you Ted! :) Finger crossed! 🤞🏻

[@2tone2thebone.]

Love the colour ..I have a mk2 cortina the same (aqua jade green) Good luck with the trip 👍

[@travellingnerds]

We love it too, especially the Garpez! (the Drebin sports a sort of "olive" tint, but we like it anyway 😌) Thank you! :)

[@streetkaaccord344]

Really looking forward to seeing more! Those Escorts in the UK would cost mega bucks, even in rough condition. Prices are just crazy! Would love to do a rally such as this.

[@travellingnerds]

Thanks! :) Checks and fixes are underway on both cars, stay tuned!

[@simonv1279]

Se imparate a montare le macchine come montate i video andrete alla grandissima! 👏👏💪💪💪🔝

[@travellingnerds]

Per alcuni di noi è la prima esperienza sotto entrambi gli aspetti, ma grazie dell'incoraggiamento! 😄

[@FraRaspberry]

e si vola! 🎉🎉🎉

[@travellingnerds]

🚗🛫

[@baxdesign]

Awesome :)

[@travellingnerds]

Thanks Mark! :)

[@tim.iteland.9447]

Turn into a ford escort Mexico rally . Badass car , cost around $60,000 if you find one .

[@travellingnerds]

Maybe after we come back, who knows? ;)

[@francescozucchi9397]

Do yo guys have an onlyfans account. I really need to see you under another perspective. Nice job btw!

[@travellingnerds]

Thanks! :)