01 STUPID IDEA...

A few years ago, I saw the Facebook page for the Bust Rally - a jaunt across Europe in a car that cost just £500, decorated in fancy dress, starting in Belgium and finishing in Monaco, 750 miles away.  I thought this was a stupidly brilliant thing to try and immediately began to think of the best/funniest car to choose.

After a quick look at the gallery on the official website, it was clear that all the obvious vehicles had already been done.  There was Ecto 1 from Ghostbusters, a four-wheel version of the yellow Reliant from Only Fools and Horses, and a brilliant version of the Mutts Cuts van from Dumb and Dumber.

There were some really clever and unique vehicles, like the Hyundai Coupe covered entirely in red felt, which they called the Fur-rarri - polite applause, guys, that is my favourite original entry (below).  

A friend did the rally with a gang of mates and had an absolute ball.  They bought a Honda Shuttle people carrier and used the car's name as their inspiration.  They stuck NASA stickers all over it, attached appendages to the bodywork, dressed up in spacesuits, and travelled to Monaco, having a whale of a time.

The unique way was the way to go, but what theme to do?  I couldn't come up with a theme; I had a complete creative blank, and then an idea came to me: what would be the most unsuitable car to complete a pan-European rally in?  The answer is obvious: a Smart Car!  

Think about it - who in their right mind would travel to the Med in a car the size of a bread bin with the engine out of a food mixer powering it?  Now that the vehicle was chosen, the theme came quickly.  We could wrap the car in red and yellow for a few quid and make it look like a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe - job done.

I scoured eBay and Auto Trader and, to my horror, found that Smart Cars held their value surprisingly well!  It would cost more than £500 to pick up, which was annoying.  I asked my friend if they checked receipts or anything to ensure no one went over budget.  He confirmed that no one was bothered - result!!!

So, over budget, we can get a car, cover it in stickers and head off to Europe.  All I needed to do now was convince Lisa that this was a good idea, and we were on.  

She wasn't impressed in the slightest, coming up with reasons that we couldn't do it; some were daft (I'm not being seen in a Smart Car), and some were legitimate (the car has almost no boot, where do we store our clothes and toiletries?).  Hmmm, mere details that I had to work through, all systems we go…and then Covid 19 reared its ugly head.