The bumpers? They are beefed up of course, with large but semi-discrete tubular sections of metal protecting the original sheets of ‘70s steel.Ī new skid plate at the front of the vehicle protects the oil sump and gearbox, while the differential is enclosed in a special cage built to protect it from the rougher terrains along the way. I’ve been happy just to soak up their excitement thee past few days.Īs you can start to see in these photos, the chassis has been comprehensively reinforced as well, and a full roll cage protects the interior of the car.

There are no words to describe the sparkling atmosphere that surrounds them, full as they are with expectations both discrete and vague. For this team, a father and son pair, this is going to be their first Peking to Paris. The Spider is one of just a few cars from Italy taking part in the competition, which includes both daily and special trials along the course of the event. This is no parade borrowing a name though, and to be eligible to win in 2019, the full route must be completed within just 36 days. This extremely demanding rally and its few-and-far-between cadence will be marking just the 7th edition since the first running in 1907.

Rudolph is among the 108 cars produced before 1976 that will go nearly halfway around the world in the process of completing the route this summer. The long list of changes and additions it’s received is all in order to take on one of the most exciting and taxing endurance rallies on the planet: the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge-14,000km (roughly 8,700mi) across 13 countries covering two continents. Almost everything has been modified in and on this car to make it safer and stronger.

Modern italian tank