The world record for driving non-stop from Cape Town to London was smashed last night (11 February) by two British drivers and one Fiat Panda.
Adventurers Philip Young and Paul Brace set off on the gruelling 10,300-mile trek on 1 February with the intention of raising money for the charity Farm Africa, and drove relentlessly through 13 countries and two continents in the almost standard Panda.
Arriving at Marble Arch, London the pair registered a time of 10 days, 13 hours and 28 minutes, breaking the previous record for the distance, in either direction, by more than a day.
To complete the trip in their target of under 11 days, Philip and Paul had to average 1,000 miles a day at 40mph, a task they felt confident of completing in their 0.9-litre TwinAir-engined city car. The popular hatchback was showroom specification apart from a few vital modifications, such as extra fuel tank, two spare wheels, sump guards, stronger springs, and an air intake moved to the top of the engine bay.
The long and tortuous route to Britain included tough, unmade pot-holed roads and treacherous, dry desert tracks through South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia before the pair crossed the Mediterranean for the final run up through Italy and France to London’s Hyde Park.
