[AltoLXI]

Just one word - Amazing !!!

Excellent and crisp write up and mind blowing photography ! These two snaps I found really awesome. The man, The machine and The skills required to navigate the treacherous bends.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by GTO

Technical wizardry - these cars have incredibly talented electronics. IIRC, the gearbox also has a short 1st gear that is *only* used for tough driving conditions. One of the reasons it gets a ZF 9-speeder and not the ubiquitous ZF 8-speed.

That is very true. I drove the Discovery Sport for quite sometime during a Land Rover camp in Kolkata. What I realised is that one has to drive these cars differently than our regular old school 4x4s. In my Bolero or Thar, the moment I realise that a wheel is spinning without traction I have to go easy on the throttle and let the wheel to get traction either by going slow or reversing a bit. In case of the Discovery I had to keep in mind not to let go the throttle and allow the car to decide to engage all the electronic wizardry to take it forward. I am not sure if I am able to explain it properly.

[AltoLXI]

Having seen only the snaps and watching videos of vehicles being driven in such extremely narrow roads, curious to know:

1. Are these roads, officially or unofficially, marked as one way? If they are, are there alternate routes for the return trip.

2. If the vehicles are allowed in both directions, how will they pass each other in curves like in the snap below? Is there a sort of reconnaissance done with someone walking up / down the trail and finding a wider stretch of road to allow vehicles to pass?

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

2. If the vehicles are allowed in both directions, how will they pass each other in curves like in the snap below? Is there a sort of reconnaissance done with someone walking up / down the trail and finding a wider stretch of road to allow vehicles to pass?

AFAIK, vehicles are allowed from both ends. You have to keep looking and once you come across a vehicle approaching, you have to give way and that would mean reversing in these positions, it is not easy. And here, all the techno wizardy in a Land Rover won't come in handy, besides being aided by a 360 degree camera.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

In case of the Discovery I had to keep in mind not to let go the throttle and allow the car to decide to engage all the electronic wizardry to take it forward. I am not sure if I am able to explain it properly.

Yeah, in the Discovery Sport you can spin the wheels and then the electronics takes over. You can drive like a novice and get away with it. That is why I said 4WD driving will become a lost art in 15-20 years.

BTW, all this driving was done in highway tyres.



This was a common sight on the car GPS.

[GTO]

Meanwhile, another car company celebrates 70 years...

Porsche sure could learn a thing or two about birthday parties & celebrations from Land Rover. This just came in.

Even the pictures are so ordinary. Could have been shot on any other day (and not necessarily the 70th birthday):

Please find attached the image release on behalf on 70th birthday of Porsche. Attached are the pictures for your reference.

A sports car is more than a car. It's driven on by shared experiences and memories: accelerating together, cornering together and laughing together. Moments, so valuable and exciting that you want to share them with others. Moments that fascinate. Porsche knows these sports car moments better than any other brand. Ferry Porsche's dream of the perfect sports car has always been fueled by experiences shared with others, from the roots in racing to Porsche Clubs, and now Porsche Experience Centers.

The 70th birthday of the brand Porsche, been celebrated recently on June, 2018 is the perfect reminder for this brand truth. In this fast-changing world, it is an essential reminder where Porsche comes from, what the brand has achieved and how the company will look into the future. Apart from the communication to the wider public, Porsche is also activating it´s unique community.

What is so "70 years" about these pics?







EDIT: This image just came in which is a bit better, but still so lame overall compared to what Land Rover did. Where are the classic Porsches?

[Jeroen]

Very surprised to see them handle it so low key. I am in Sweden at the moment and a colleague of mine is a huge Porsche fan and he owns a classic 911. Apparently, this weekend near Stockholm they did organise an event here and he attended but he was complaining bitterly about the poor organisation. Not worthy for such a big brand that typically gets everything meticulously planned and thought through. Sign of things to come?

[creative420]

https://youtu.be/YNXU1IR2LR8

Brilliant homage paid to this very very special place by Land Rover on their 70th anniversary.

[tomtom]

Hey everyone
Did this trip almost 15 years ago while gallivanting around Darjeeling and surrounding areas.Had noticed at that time that the drivers had welded in a a piece of metal between the brake and the accelerator pedal.They would just shift the weight of their foot from one side to another for managing each.
It was a contraption which has stayed in my mind since then.
Did you guys see any of these ?

[Aditya_Bhp]

I will be visiting Darjeeling next week for a short trip.
I thought of visiting ManeBhajang as I am a big fan of these Land Rovers. But I won't be able to do a full journey till Sandakphu as time available is short.

Is it possible for a ride on the LandRovers, like say 4 hours?

We are a group of 6 people.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by Samurai

.............

What a fabulous photologue, Samurai - the video of the last 3 km captures the ambience of the place perfectly. And your gift for relaxed and focused prose is envy-inducing!
Cheers, Shashanka

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

I have a video of the last 3 kms....

BlackPearl, your videos are - as always! - engrossing & convey the hair-raising climb more eloquently than any words. Particularly for those amongst us (that's me!) who fancy having had some experience in such terrain.


And while I concur with Samurai's experience of the extra-ordinary prowess of the newer super-SUVs, I feel that they take something away from the driving skills needed in the earlier, more raw & basic vehicles!
Cheers, Shashanka

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by rahulba

Have added this place to my clecklist. Do you think Duster AWD would be good enough to climb up there?

We did this trail on our Duster AWD last week. Here is the trip report (Sandakphu: The highest peak of Bengal in a Duster AWD)

Cheers,

Pawan