Peking to Paris Motor Challenge

The ultimate adventure? Thirty-six days and 8500 miles (going by 2019 figures) through genuinely tough terrain, including the great wilderness of the Mongolian desert. Daily mileages are typically around 250, but there are some 400-mile days; as the organisers at the Endurance Rally Association (now part of HERO) point out, this is an endurance event after all… You’ll camp in the desert, you’ll need to repair your car in the most difficult conditions and you’ll need a tough, competent co-driver. And a tough, competent and well prepared vehicle, too… But completing the Peking to Paris, following the route taken by first race winner Prince Scipione Borghese in 1907, is truly special. Car choices vary wildly, although there are old favourites in both the Vintage and Classic class, including Cricklewood-era Bentleys and 1930s Chevrolet and Ford Coupes in the former, and Volvo Amazons, Porsche 911s and Datsun 240Zs in the latter. But the 2019 entry list included a 1907 Contal tricycle [shudder] and a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, so there’s no need to be too predictable.