The Alfa Romeo Owners Club Malaysia was flagged off to their Kuala Lumpur-Beijing expedition earlier this week, marking the club’s third China-bound overland trip following previous journeys to Kunming and Lijiang, in 2011 and 2016, respectively. This trip to Beijing will see the group travel approximately 6,130 km traversing three countries, about 15 major towns and 10 provinces en route, according to the club.
“As a registered motoring club that has been established for 26 years in Malaysia, it’s time for us to explore China to demonstrate not only courage but also to highlight our members’ capabilities in driving long distances as well as their expertise in dealing with challenging driving conditions,” said the patron of the club Datuk Seri Noormustafa Kamal Yahya.
The expedition comprises a group of seven cars, and the club’s journey will initially take them through Sungai Petani, Kedah for their first pit stop before crossing into Thailand the next day, followed by a 2,400 km drive to Chiang Kong-Huay Xai at the Thai-Laos border. A further 230 km drive follows, which will see the group cross the Laos-China border via Boten-Mohan.
The most populous country is also the expedition’s longest part of the trip, where the drive from the Laos-China border to the destination in Beijing will span 3,500 km. This sector will see the group go through Kunming, Xichang, Chengdu, Guangyuan, Xi’an, Linfen and Pingyao.
Upon crossing the China border, the group will be required to undergo local traffic training before driving in the country, on top of customs procedures before resuming their journey to Beijing. Notable locations will be visited along the way, including the giant panda protection area in Chengdu, the terracotta warriors museum in Xi’an, as well as Tiananmen Square in Beijing and of course, the Great Wall of China.
The group of seven cars are driven by Othman Zainal, the president of AROC Malaysia at the helm of an Alfa Romeo 156 GTA; Datuk Muhammad Saifullah Noor Bin Noormustafa Kamal, vice president of AROC Malaysia with an Alfa Romeo 155 2.5; Ron Lim, member of AROC Malaysia with an Alfa Romeo 166 3.0; and Abdul Halim Hashim, committee member of AROC Malaysia with a 156 GTA.
The group is rounded completed by affliate members from across the causeway, as well; joining the group are Rashid Karyeo, president of AROC Singapore with a GT 1.8; Lee Sea Yean, member of AROC Singapore with a Fiat Stilo 2.4; and Hubert Chin, member of AROC Singapore with an Alfa Romeo Spider 2.0.
The group is expected to conclude their Beijing-bound journey on April 17, where the participants’ cars will be shipped back to Port Klang, Malaysia and the participants themselves are scheduled to travel by air back to Kuala Lumpur the following day. Under ideal circumstances, a journey like this is no small feat. What do you think of this plan? Brave?
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What do you think of this plan? Brave? – yes very brave to use a bunch of old Alfa Romeos for the journey. #semogasukses
Bravo AROC! Beautiful Alfa Romeos yo’
The Leftovers
The only reason why A;fa failed in Malaysia was because of reliability and non stop breakdowns.
This is super risky.
No my friend…
Alfa fail here coz its not a ‘soul’ market. Malaysia is a ‘bawah tempurung’ market.
They are really brave….maybe half of them is expect in mechanical
To see fellow Malaysians enjoying our lives again, a new dawn of happy Malaysians Boleh!
Very brave, considering they are driving cars not usually put as reliable. Good luck and all the best!
my brave buddy join them with her brand new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo
Hope they have a good mobile workshop and spare parts on standby :)
Those Alfa models they drove not prone to enjin overheating and gb failures. So no problem :)
“Believe in your self’s, not your machine”.. Best of luck guys, enjoy the expedition.
Alfas are wonderful cars. But I would not drive even a 15 year-old Toyota all the way to China without mechanical skills and support. Wishing them fun and the best.
I’ve driven solo Malaysia – Sri Lanka in a 1971 Ford Capri. It’s all about respecting the vehicle and it will take you places.
No AR Giulia follow?
Copy proton x70 footsteps?
it’s their 3rd trip to China. so who follow who now
“participants’ cars will be shipped back to Port Klang”
Why can’t they drive back like Proton X70 KL-Hangzhou-KL road trip? Are they not confident it will last the journey back?
One way shipping cost frm Tianjin port to port Klang must be cheaper compare to toll road cost in China I guess..
If they can afford for these cars, they most probably can afford for whatever toll cost in China.
Maybe sponsored by Alfa Romeo dealer, Milan Auto.
Milan Auto ceased operation at Peninsula
decades ago. Meanwhile Sime Darby pulled out AR dealership years ago…
Too long already … need to cari makan also..
All the best and make sure you follow Proton X70 owners tour to China by bringing along a Toyota FJ Cruiser for support! Also, Will Alfa Romeo Malaysia by revived? Their cars are even more rare compared to a Ferrari here.
Good luck! Hopefully there is no mechanical problems as spare parts and good Alfa mechanics are very rare. Even more so en route to Beijing. Alfa cars cannot be repaired by ‘pokok cherry’ mechanics. Unlike most Japanese vehicles.
Wah…tak takut overheat ka?
This China trip by land has been a feat done by the same bunch a few years ago with success. They returned to Malaysia/Singapore by land too. China has strict laws for foreign vehicles to be driven into their country. They had to engage a chaperone vehicle when they entered China the last visit. It’s nothing new. The cars that has been picked are all reliable vehicles. No surprise there either. Perhaps this journey is way longer than what they did last time, hence, the idea of shipping their cars on their return journey seems a good decision. Bravo, guys!
Being brave isn’t enough for drivers to drive Alfas to China. Sensibility is also required.
The cars have been prep, double-checked before the trip, I am sure, all vital parts are being serviced, checked or changed before the trip.
Let’s see if there are incidents or not along the trip.
Enjoy the trip and be safe to the drivers
singaporean owners don’t bother, their cars are due for scrapping anyways
like the r35, after it returned it was scrapped
This folks never heard of aeroplane
See you in Beijing, bon voyage