Driving in Lisbon isn’t for the faint-hearted. First there’s the relentless, near-40-degree heat which makes getting into any car feel like stepping into an industrial oven. Then there’s the city’s fierce sunlight, which doesn’t so much fade as grudgingly dim long after sunset.
Once seated you’re not just dealing with an already overheated engine; you’ve got to navigate some of the steepest streets this side of the Channel. Add in chock-a-block traffic, packed trams and enough diversions to make a sat-nav cry and you’ve got a workout for mind, body and clutch leg. One missed gear or a badly timed stall on those inclines could ruin your day and possibly someone else’s.
Considering the boiling clutch-busting conditions it’s a surprise how many older motors are still out there earning their keep. Like the bulletproof diesel Hiace spotted in full sun or the well-baked Lancia Ypsilon I saw queuing for a hill start, tyres scrabbling for grip on coarse tarmac.
Cars like these are refreshingly common in Lisbon; a nice contrast to back home where elderly motors are more likely to be found abandoned in driveways or rotting away down forgotten lanes awaiting either the council truck or an arsonist with good aim.
Case in point: the two vehicles seen above. While an ’89-plate Nissan Patrol was busy making a right turn onto the bustling Calçada da Estrela its Irish counterpart languishes in a weedy grave near Ballywaltrim – overgrown, rusted and missing its entire front half.
Other delights included a scruffy pastel-blue Mk2 Transit with just-blushing arches and original Portuguese plates (replaced by the EU-friendly design after 1992). A street away a tasty Corolla liftback from 1996 appeared – a rare sight back home where the more sensible saloon sold in huge numbers but the sleeker spoilered version never caught on. A pity: it’s aged brilliantly.
On my final day in Lisbon I found one more gem: a Renault 21 Nevada (see main pic), complete with cavernous boot and space for seven. Even a flimsy interior and an engine with a fondness for boiling over didn’t deter What Car? which named it car of the year in 1987. A smart looker too. I nearly missed my flight home but that would have been a small price to pay.
Editor’s note: This is Luca’s first contribution to Petrolblog and we’re delighted to have him on board. Anyone who can wax lyrical about a Renault 21 Nevada in August heat is our kind of person.
