The outright world
record for driving non-stop from Cape Town to London was
smashed this week by two very daring British drivers and
one very reliable Fiat Panda TwinAir.
Adventurers Philip Young and Paul Brace set off on the
gruelling 10,000-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 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.
Shunning the use of a large 4x4 car - Philip and Paul
decided that would be "too easy" - the Fiat Panda was
chosen for its lightness, performance and fuel economy.
And despite the car's compact size, the co-drivers' bed
was a cut down foam mattress across the back seat.
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.
"It has been a remarkable time on the road - exciting
and exhilarating - and the Fiat Panda was amazing," says
Philip Young. "The roads were treacherous, the heat
unbearable and the timetable exhausting, but the car
never missed a beat. This was an extremely tough
journey, and Fiat can be proud of its reliability and
ruggedness."
Farm Africa is a charity working with families in rural
Africa, helping them to produce food more effectively.
By providing training and support to help farmers
improve the way they manage their crops, livestock,
forests and access to water, it helps families build a
future free from hunger.
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