MARBELLAS TO THE ARCTIC - Feature on a Charity drive in two classic SEAT cars

Description:

Five Men. Two Marbellas. From Marbella to the Arctic for the Chartity DebRA. (Epidermolysis Bullosa).

In 2007, Brida Heartford, niece of Ross Holland, was born with the most severe type of EB, she died in March 2008 aged 14 months.

On Monday September 21st 2009 at 12.00 noon, Ross and four friends set off to drive from Marbella, Spain to the Arctic Circle in six days in their classic SEAT “Marbella” Cars, with the aim to raise for the charity DebRA a pound for every one of the 6,703 miles of the journey!

As DebRA had been such a great source of support and advice for his family during Brida's very short life, Ross and five friends, John Allen, Jon Short, Emilio Tesi, Shaun Dodimead and Jim Wright decided to undertake a charity drive across Europe in a small, cheap, economical car decorated with the DebRA logos. The aim: to raise funds for DebRA, and also to raise awareness of EB across the whole continent.

Having bought two SEAT Marbella cars, they decided to drive from their home cities of Southampton and Nottingham to Marbella, which is the spiritual home of the SEAT Marbella, and conveniently, the home of DebRA Spain. From Marbella, they will drive until they run out of Europe, at the Arctic Circle in Norway.

They left Southampton on Friday 18th September 2009, bound for Portsmouth. Brittany Ferries kindly agreed to pay for their crossing to St Malo in France.  They arrived in France on the morning of the 19th and drove directly to Marbella, arriving there in the early hours of Sunday 20th September. Later that afternoon, the Town Hall of Marbella agreed to close off part of the motor way under the famous Marbella Bridge for them to use as a starting point. They then drove to Alicante, leaving there on the morning of the 21st bound for Monaco. They interupted the drive briefly to meet up with us under the A7/E15 motor way bridge near Torrent,  Valencia.  After a short interview, we took some photos, wished them all the best and waved them on their way.  We expect to hear from them again on reaching their destination - THE ARCTIC CIRCLE!

On the 22nd, they aim to drive from Monaco, through Italy and Switzerland, into Germany. On the 22nd / 23rd, they will arrive at the town of Biedenkopf, home of DebRA Germany, where they have a civic reception arranged with the Lord Mayor! From Biedenkopf, their next days travel takes them through Denmark and Sweden to the vicinity of Stockholm. They hope to arrive at the Arctic Circle in Norway by the 25th / 26th September with two fully functioning, if slightly tired, SEAT Marbella Cars!

THE CARS

The SEAT Marbella is a small utilitarian vehicle based on the Fiat Panda. It was produced first as the SEAT Panda in 1980, but after SEAT and Fiat fell out in 1986, its name was changed to reflect its status as the more classy* of the Pandas. The name chosen was 'Marbella', named after a fashionable holiday resort on the Costa del Sol. The Marbella is remembered fondly by people in Britain as a godforsaken holiday hire car from hell, but their simple mechanics and good fuel economy makes them ideal for such a charity run!

 Here is what the 1988 Seat Marbella Brochure had to say:

"The SEAT Marbella is a distinctive blend of chic design and down-to-earth common sense. It combines utility with agility and is manufactured to the highest standard to meet the need for a reliable small car that is simple to maintain and fun to run. If looks could talk, the indomitable charm and distinctive lines of the SEAT Marbella would be saying just one thing: simplicity."

*This is of course a matter of opinion. I'm sure John, as a confirmed Fiat Enthusiast, would disagree.

Our Marbellas

Between us, we have acquired by scouring eBay and Autotrader for weeks, two of the UK's remaining examples of the SEAT Marbella. They are in order of seniority 'The Silver(ish) One' and 'The Red One'.

The Silver(ish) One

The Silver(ish) One is sort of gold in some lights. She came from Croydon on the edge of London where she has been doing very little since first getting there twenty years ago in 1989. She is an F-registered SEAT Marbella GLX, and as such represented the pinnacle of Marbella ownership in the late 1980's. As a GLX model she is well equipped with a fifth gear, a rear wash/wipe and back windows that actually open (a bit, then they break - don't they John?) and a lovely black carpet, all of which were denied to the lowlier 'L' and 'LX' models. In her 20 years, she has covered a mere 17,500 miles and is very clean and tidy. A 6,700 mile motorway journey may come as quite a shock for the Urban Cruiser of our fleet. Before leaving the UK we intend to make minor modifications to The Silver(ish) One, not least to fit a stereo system to her, because as lovely the sound of her 40bhp 903cc fiat pushrod engine is, we will probably need some tunes on our journey!

The Red One

The Red One was kindly supplied at a discount by ML Cars of Southampton and is a local girl, but she's been about a bit, having covered a staggering 73,000 miles in her 16 years since 1993. She is a K registered SEAT Marbella Special. And there is lots about her which is special. Firstly, although she has no carpet to speak of, she does have a fine sunroof, the ever impressive fifth gear and a fuel injected version of the 903cc engine. She also already has a cassette player. She is running well and looks more than ready for the long road ahead!
Technical Data

VITAL STATISTICS

For the Petrol Heads amongst you, here are the vital statistics of the 903cc SEAT Marbella.

• Power: 40 bhp
• Top Speed: 83 mph (Subject to change.)  (Ed Note: Like on a very steep hill?)
• Fuel Consumption at 56mph: 60.1 mpg
• Acceleration (0-60mph): 19.3 seconds (Unless we're in it.)
• Max. Torque (Kgm/Nm rpm): 6.7/60-3000
• Suspension: MacPherson Strut (Front only.)
•                   Solid axle with leaf springs (Softens the ride in the rear!)
• Kerbweight: 680kg
• Max Permissible Weight: 1150 (Diets all round then!)
• Width: 1.46 metres
• Length: 3.475 metres
• Height: 1.445m (May become lower when we get in.)
• Boot capacity: 0.272m (One change of socks each.)

Epidermolysis Bullosa

Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a very rare genetic condition in which the skin and internal body linings blister at the slightest knock or rub, causing painful, open wounds.

EB is likely to affect 1 in 17,000 live births and it is estimated that there are currently 5,000 people with the condition in the UK. Because EB is an inherited condition (it cannot be caught), which is passed on genetically from parents to children, first time parents often do not know that they are carriers and will have no prior warning that the child will be affected, until birth.

The condition has a number of distinct forms. At its mildest, the blistering is confined to the hands and feet making holding things and walking extremely painful. In more severe forms all the body is affected and the wounds heal very slowly, giving rise to scarring, physical deformity and significant disability.

For many affected by the condition, the blistering is not limited to the skin but also affects the inner body linings such as the mouth and oesophagus. The eating of solids is, in these cases, almost impossible, and the disposal of the body waste incredibly painful. When this condition applies, malnutrition is often a consequence, further reducing the body's resistance to infection.

People with the more severe types of EB also have an exceptionally high risk of developing skin cancers, shortening their lives by approximately 30-40 years. In its most severe form, the condition is fatal in infancy.

In 2007, Brida Heartford, the Niece of Ross Holland, one of the Marbellas to the Arctic drivers, was born with the most severe type of EB, she died aged 14 months in March 2008.

Whilst considerable progress has been made in recent years in understanding EB and identifying the genes that cause the condition, there is as yet no effective treatment or a cure.

You can read more about the charity DebRA on their website

More importantly you can sponsor the charity on the official website


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