javier romagosa
Sunday: just three days since one of those wet weeks of autumn rain ended, in which it seems that all the classics are painted gray.
For the first time since then nothing invades a completely blue sky and, looking up, I can't help but think that something is missing. Hit it up! Between one thing and another, I have not taken out my Jeep CJ-3B in a month!
And it turns out that the weather and terrain conditions are ideal for mounting a rewarding Brunete-Madrid expedition. One of those composed of two well-traveled people in which the past is evoked through one of the most famous 4 × 4 in the world.
I make a call and pick up the Clausor keys. Then I go down to the basement where a vehicle manufactured in Spain under license from Wyllis Motors awaits me. It came off the assembly line in 1981, making it one of the most modern units assembled by the historic Zaragoza factory VIASA, which produced the CJ-3B with hardly any major variations from 1959 to 1983.
Basically, so as not to get too long, instead of the famous engines Go devil o hurricane, it carries an endearing 4-liter, 108-horsepower Perkins 1.8-50 diesel engine.
To go up we do not have to open the door, because it does not have; although you do have to cling to the windshield with your left hand and the steering wheel with your right, insert your foot and climb, like an ape, inside. Next, we put the key in the ignition on the left of the steering column, as in the 911 ... but we must not start directly, since that would be apocalyptic.
If we did so, we could end the ozone layer in one fell swoop thanks to the dense white smoke exhaled by a Perkins with luckily minor ailments. To ward off this evil, it is necessary to first awaken the combustion chambers by using heaters. They are activated by turning the ignition key halfway ... Aaahhh, the ritual.
Now yes, we start the machine and adjust the hand throttle to act as a Starter. It also serves to put the CJ to do a tractor, a drill or anything else that has to do with heavy work. We slammed in the clutch with all our might and engaged first: we'd better get out of here, before we start seeing visions courtesy of Mr. Diesel.
This is a Jeep-Viasa
Tac tac tac tac ... the sound of the engine is simply adorable; We are now leaving town while we are getting used, not without pain, to the roughest suspension we have ever tasted in our lives. It's like a DTM or WTCC setup, but in reverse and with leaf springs: the slightest imperfection in the asphalt will cause us to start bouncing gracefully - and sometimes worryingly - on the seat.
The truth is that on the field, as you decide to play hard, you will spend much more time in the air than lying down comfortably in the armchair. Yes indeed, the Jeep will do it all and it will seem to you that it is indestructible.
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However, we do not push our CJ to the limit: its owner does not have the money to pay the possible consequences - not even the smallest ones ... Oh, Lord. But it is that, in reality, we like him as he is, with the ailments of his age. Even if we do not want or imagine where the height of its center of gravity could take us if providence, or fortune, turned its back on us in an unforeseen event.
But let's not get distracted. Let's get back to our business: already en route to Villaviciosa de Odón, we continue by road, at most 80 km / h, inserting gears in a truck change from the fifties. The travel between speeds is at least eight inches! And you have to wield the lever decisively, especially when in summer the temperature burns in the city. On the other hand, it has a jump between second and third gear that is insurmountable and that is only solved by taking the second to painful extremes of the tachometer.
We have already arrived. Let's make a short stop to pick up a newcomer in vintage vehicles:
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Ding dong!
“Hello, is Johanna here? Bla bla bla…"
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Johanna makes her appearance,
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"But what is this!!! A relic, a toy ?! "
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The surprise gradually mutates into affection - although unfortunately not towards its owner.
And is that everyone experiences a very similar, almost identical reaction: a smile that seriously threatens to dislocate the most robust jaw. Especially that of children, which gains in intensity when their incredulous little eyes try to escape from the sockets in which they reside, following the finger with which they point impetuously at the huge yellow toy. That's when they drop something like the following:
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"Mother! Mother!! MOTHER!!! Look!! How in the drawings !! »
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More than one will think that I am going around the bush or that I am exaggerating, but I swear that I am not. This tremendous emotion is inseparable from the Jeep CJ to the 3B model that we tested today.
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Ergonomics, consumption, brakes and some other defect
We start again and head to the country habitat, to take a good walk and to have fun in its course. The truth is that, being embedded in the seat, the ergonomics of this car is quite good. As long as you hold on to the wheel and press your feet on the ground, you will not fall into the void.
There are not many other actions you can take apart from driving. On the road, in particular, only three more things can happen: that you have to put the lights, the windshield wiper -only for the driver- or the warning of emergency. This is why all its buttons are inevitably at hand, on pain, yes, of having to contort ourselves. Some previous dreamer had the idea of installing a radio-cd, but it is impossible to listen to it since a hurricane, in the case of going topless, or the noise of the Perkins will prevent it.
It is hot when, with the gearbox, we emerge from the depths in the City of the Image. Once again, upon reaching the first roundabout, We have the opportunity to verify what is the main defect of this Jeep: it is devilishly understeer. And you do not know what it is to go from the front until, at a negligible speed and no matter how much you turn the wheel, your CJ persists in not twisting. In addition, the steering does not help mitigate the matter, since it is not even remotely a paragon of sensations.
As for the brakes… Oh the brakes !! We will only say that you have to arrange hours in advance for the appointment with the traffic light or with the Stop sign. Also, it is worth noting that the pedal is made of real reinforced concrete.
Regarding consumption, to finish with this section, I think I have never noticed. Even so, I can tell you that it does not seem particularly wasteful to me: at most, very much, about 8 or 10 liters per 100.
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Hyper-speed sensation and the CJ as a gym
We have arrived in Madrid. Entering the city and wandering around is complex, one more hard physical exercise. Of course, it becomes tremendously fun when you cross long and wide avenues such as Paseo de la Castellana, where, perched at the controls of one of the most spartan cars of the fifties, you are taking roundabouts and dodging modern car owners. With concentration on the edge of mysticism and a maximum speed of 70 km / h, that becomes a j ***** delicious journey.
Okay, here I am exaggerating. But it really is very exciting.
Finally, we park in front of a cozy terrace. Then I turn the key to turn off the engine, but it refuses: you have to pull a metal rod that puts Stop and strangling the Perkins.
The truth is that the closest thing to getting out of a Jeep CJ is doing it from an enduro motorcycle, after a good day in the country. Inflamed muscles, fatigue and… a feeling of tremendous satisfaction.
With the incentive, in addition, of the connection with History.
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