Originally published in 1957, this book is an entertaining account of the first overland motorized trip from London to Singapore.  In 1955, five students from Cambridge and one from Oxford set out in two Land Rovers and made it all the way from London to Singapore.  One of the students, Tim Slessor, wrote the book and another, Antony Barrington Brown, did photography and filmwork for the book and a BBC production.

A very entertaining read - I could not recommend it more highly.  Best travel book of any kind I have ever read, and I have read many.  Read more »

 Steel rationing.  That is what we owe the existence of Land Rover to.  Post-war steel rationing.

In 1945 World War II was over and the British were rebuilding.  With huge overseas debts to repay, the British government took on the slogan "Export or Die."  Steel stocks were rationed, and those car makers who could guarantee a high percentage of exports were the ones who would get the limited sheet steel supplies.

Rover Car Company early Viking marqueRover Car Company was a successful British car maker, with an excellent reputation since at least the mid 1930's. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, their track record for exports was not good - they were successful at selling cars locally but had no experience with exporting. This meant they would not be able to get enough sheet steel to keep their factory at Solihull going if they simply proceeded with producing the same Rover cars they had in the past.  They needed something new - a stop-gap - either a vehicle for which they could be sure of being able to reliably and consistently export, or else one that did not use much sheet steel, or really both. What to do?

The 1998 Camel Trophy was rather a departure from previous Camel Trophies.  For one, there was little emphasis on extreme four-wheel driving, and much emphasis on navigation and geolocation.  For two, the contestants each had two vehicles - a Land Rover Freelander, and a Defender 110 that followed behind packing the equipment.  Seems like a forerunner of the flavor of the G4 Challenge to come later than a real Camel Trophy event.   Read more »