Pub2Pub's Spring Update
Well, hello there! The sun is shining, the daffodils are out and the classic cars are being woken from their SORN-induced slumber. Sounds like a perfect opportunity for an update on what's been going on in our road trip world, brought to you by Pub2Pub's own creator of automotive daftness - Ben Coombs.
It’s now almost a year since I completed the Pub2Pub Expedition, and seven months since I launched Pub2Pub Adventures – in other words, it’s high time for an update.
Firstly, a quick sitrep on the expedition itself. While our TVR's trip has appeared in over 100 articles and features so far and has reached over ten million people, the flow of articles doesn’t look set to abate any time soon, with several more publications lined up to run the story in the next few months. But the really big deal here is the expedition book. I finished writing the full account of Kermit’s trip in January, and the manuscript has been with the publishers for a few months now. Last week after much re-reading, I signed off the alterations to the final proof of the book, and publication is currently scheduled for July. Once we have an exact date, I’m planning a lecture tour to promote the book, so if you’d like to hear the story from the horse’s mouth – as it were – then watch this space.
Kermit – the real star of the Pub2Pub Expedition – has been having a well earned rest over the winter, but should be making its first appearance of the year this weekend at a cars and coffee event in Saltash, Cornwall, with a trip to France planned in a few weeks and a major role penciled in for the Adventure Overland Show near Stratford-upon-Avon at the end of April – where, coincidently, I’ll be giving several lectures on both Porsche and TVR-based overlanding, as well as showing my face in the event’s Travel Author Zone. More on the event here: https://adventure-overland-show.com/
With Kermit in a SORN-induced hibernation, it’s been down to the trusty Volvo 240 to fly the Pub2Pub flag and keep me mobile. However, the drudgery of day-to-day motoring through the winter has been punctuated with a few highs, such as last weekend, when I took it up to Bruntingthorpe for the Volvo600 event, which smashed the record for the longest convoy of Volvos ever put together. The full story of this event will be appearing on our friends over at Classicline Insurance’s blog shortly.
When not setting records, the Volvo has been put into action as Pub2Pub’s van substitute, as I’ve been busy making the ‘Pub2Pub Technology Centre’ – the workshop from where future expedition vehicle ideas will become a reality. And there’s a pressing need for this, as the follow-up expedition to Kermit’s big adventure is due to hit the road this December. I’ve been hard at work on the plan for several months now, the trip car build has commenced, the initial publicity and sponsorship is in place and we’ll be going public with what we’re up to this weekend, so watch this space, and trust us – this is gonna be a real big’un.
But what of Pub2Pub Adventures? Well, following the success of the inaugural Eagle Rally last October, we’ve got a troika of three different customer road trips coming up this year – The Eagle Rally, The Space Race and The Camembert Run. Despite all being recognizably ‘Pub2Pub’ undertakings due to their quirky itineraries and unique objectives, each of these has a subtly different ‘feel’, and it’s been heartening to see bookings for all three events rolling in – to those who’ve signed up already, many thanks. And if you’re currently sitting on the fence, all I can say is, go on, come and join us on the road because after all, no-one ever regretted adding a bit of road trip adventure to their lives.
So, what of the future?
Well, it’s been a long road (no pun intended) with a lot of hard work behind the scenes, but I finally feel like the idea behind the Pub2Pub brand which I dreamed up many years ago is finally coming to fruition. The goal behind what I’m doing is to inspire people to add some adventure into their automotive lives, and to bring like-minded folk together in doing so through the organized trips. In these respects, the different aspects of the Pub2Pub project – the media presence, the customer road trips, the lecturing and show appearances, and the big flagship expeditions – all work together to facilitate one another. The big trips create a brand identity which builds awareness of the customer trips. The shows and media coverage act to inspire people to think more adventurously. The customer trips generate revenue which is re-invested in making the big trips happen and the books and lecturing make people feel directly connected with the brand. Basically, it's all one big happy web of adventurous motoring goodness.
So, I’d like to say thanks to everyone who’s supported the project so far, be it through booking onto a trip, buying a book or simply spreading the word down the pub on a Friday night. And as the project continues, I’d like to reassure you that by signing onto one of our adventures, you’re not only booking yourself a great driving holiday; you’re also supporting our flagship trips which show the world just what these cars of ours are capable of - together, we're making the motoring world more interesting...
As well as our customers, Pub2Pub is supported by Classicline Insurance, the TVR Car Club, Dartmoor Brewery, TVR Parts, ACT Performance Products and GAZ Shocks – thanks guys, here's to the future!
