As well as offering our classic cars for hire, we like to use them for both local club runs and for longer distance touring. We took our 1970 Jagauer E-Type convertible on the 2009 MSA Euroclassic - a French Foray from Santander in Northern Spain to Versailles in France which took us north over the Pyrenees. When the run was being planned the organisers found out that the preferred route over the mountains was being re-built over the summer, ready for the winter skiing traffic. After some negotiation the mayor of the Spanish town of Isaba agreed to open the road especially for the MSA.

The first part of the road was very narrow, in disrepair and still being worked on but quickly gave way to the new wider road, with virgin tarmac and armco barriers. There was no traffic coming downhill and the only people we saw were Spanish workers waving at us, sitting on their trucks, or leaning on their shovels, having a well earned siesta.

This must have been the longest hillclimb over closed roads in Europe. Wonderful.

See www.theopenroad.co.uk/static_303.htm for full details or phone 0845 070 5142 if you want to hire a classic car from The Open Road. There is a 10% disount to anyone hiring the E-Type and saying they have seen it on YouTube.