A solidarity adventure among the dunes

You may remember that a few weeks ago we shared that we had joined, as sponsors, an adventure we were truly excited about: Joan, Pol and Álex set off into the Moroccan desert aboard a 1989 Fiat Panda, loaded to the brim with school supplies, clothing and basic resources destined for remote villages in the south of the country. We contributed our grain of sand from the workshop, manufacturing several components so the car could withstand what lay ahead.

And withstand it did. More or less.

The expedition has been a success, although, as Joan tells us, not the kind that comes without a cost: “It has been an unforgettable adventure, though tougher than we imagined. The desert tests every mechanical detail and the endurance of the team.”

On the solidarity front, the figures speak for themselves: participants in the UniRaid distributed more than 15 tonnes of supplies to the most remote villages in Morocco. Seeing the impact on the ground, as Joan shared with us, was simply incredible.

As for the parts we manufactured, the laser-cut rear leaf spring shackles more than fulfilled their role: raising the rear suspension and allowing the Panda to tackle dunes and rocky terrain with greater safety. Without them, the strain on the mechanics would have been far greater. The roof rack, however, has a more nuanced story: it worked perfectly on the Marbella that also took part in the expedition, but on the Panda it was lost halfway through the journey. Not due to any fault in the piece — which Joan makes a point of clarifying was excellent — but because the car’s own bars gave way under the harshness of the terrain. Such are the ways of the desert.

We are left with Joan and the team’s gratitude, with the images that have been reaching us from there, and with the satisfaction of having been part, even from a distance, of something truly worthwhile.