Classic cars and Portugal.

I don’t know what it is about Portugal but cars seem to last longer here. It could be the quality of the air, the quality of the maintenance, the fact that cars often cost more than a house to buy, or the fact that the Portuguese are passionate about their cars. Or it could be the fact that they are too damn expensive to replace so they have to keep them going.

Whatever the fact, all this means that there are a higher percentage of classic cars in Portugal than you might expect….and people use them for everyday use!!

Which brings me to this event which is happens over the 2nd weekend of April?

The event is called the Rallye Verde Pino which translates to the Green Pin Rally. Guess what – I can’t find out what the meaning of the event is because literal translations are too obscure.

What I can tell, you is this. The rally is staged over 600km and has some element of trying to be economical with the fuel. However if you check out this link to last years event, this appears to be anything but green!

You also have  pretty good chance of seeing a wide selection of classic, sport and modern cars going head to head in competition.

The rally is staged of a number of venues and involves public and private road stages. Here is the full itinery of the events from 2010.

9th April
14h00 às 18h00 – Administrtive and Technical Checks at Estádio Municipal Magalhães
18h00 – Participant Briefing
21h00 – 1st Circuit at Circuito Karting (Leiria)

10th April
07h00 – 1st Climb at Figueiró dos Vinhos
10h30 – 2 Circuit at  Karting Poiares
12h45 – 2nd Climb at Caramulo
19h00 – 3rd Climbat Murça
22h30 - 3º Circuit at Karting Baltar

11th April
10h00 – 4th Climb at Penha
11h00 – Speed Circuit at Vasco Sameiro
12h00 – Climb at Penha
15h15 – Distribution of Prizes