A long road trip through Sweden and Norway, in the middle of winter. The Zaankanters Paul Kok, Erwin Vinke, Michael Leegwater and Ruud Huijgen thought that was a good idea. They describe themselves as a bit insane and that’s why they participate in the Carbage run. The idea: follow the less touristy routes through Europe with an old barrel, in this case in Scandinavia.
Paul Kok already bought the 1999 Volvo in September. Entirely within the rules: the current value may not exceed 500 euros. “It was a challenge to find something, but we succeeded. He has 480,000 kilometers on the clock and we are going to add another 5,000 kilometers,” he says with an approving eye on the car. It’s good that he has experience as a mechanic.
In any case, the men should not expect any technical knowledge from good friend Erwin Vinke. However, he can stick stickers very well and it must be said, the car stands out quite a bit. “I’m going for the fun and the beautiful landscapes,” he chuckles. “I think we will experience a lot. Quite exciting.” Incidentally, he has enough experience with long car trips: last year he drove with family up and down to the Polish border with Ukraine to deliver goods and collect refugees.
Not Hazes but Elvis
The friends actually wanted to go to Sweden dressed as André Hazes, but that turned out to be Elvis Presley. “Of course they have not heard of André Hazes in the Scandinavian countries. The nice thing is: none of us are really fans of Elvis. But when we come back later we will all be Elvis fans, there is no other way. Playing Elvis, growing sideburns and soon four Kings of Rock ‘n Roll will return, haha.”
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The men first drive to Malmö, where the Carbage run starts on Monday. They then drive into Norway to end up in Gothenburg, Sweden, after five days. The friends will keep NH News updated during the journey, so keep an eye on our channels for an update on their adventures.