Gunther Holtorf's 23-year road trip
 

Just saw this on bbc website:

Back in 1989, as the Berlin Wall fell, Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine set out on what was meant to be an 18-month tour of Africa in their Mercedes Benz G Wagen. Now, with more than 800,000km (500,000 miles) on the clock, Gunther is still going.




BBC News - Gunther Holtorf's 23-year road trip

Saw that posted elsewhere - what an amazing trip. And an amazing vehicle too - no major breakdowns from the G-Wagon. Pity he is now travelling alone after losing his wife.

does anyone know anything else about this guy ? hes my new hero !

I think thats it, as the canadian photographer says in the video, he has done this under the radar, no blogs, no websites etc.

On the other hand these folk have been going even longer in a toyota

Worldrecordtour, Index, Start, Begin, Overview, Guinness Book of World Records, Toyota, LandCruiser, Emil Schmid, Liliana Schmid

Emil and liliana are still going strong. Their blog is excellent. I read through one section of a area of the tropics that I know like the back of my hand and their observations and photographs really did capture the spirit and sights of that area very well, they are astute observers of the world around them. Well worth a browse.

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29521102

"It’s an hour before sunset in northern Madagascar.

The bush stretches to the horizon and surges up to the edge of the road. Light floods the scene from left to right and pours through the open window.

Another vehicle is coming towards Gunther Holtorf without slowing. It’s going to be a tight fit.

He brakes and steers the Mercedes G-Wagen towards the verge. It’s soft and gravelly, and the thick vegetation conceals a steep slope. Slowly the car slips, then starts a slow-motion roll. Mid-roll, it stops for a second, then it turns again - but hits a spindly tree, just strong enough to peg it in position on its side.

Remarkably, this is the first accident Holtorf and his car, Otto, have experienced in 26 years on the road. There have been minor incidents – a kangaroo flying into a side door, an Indian lorry reversing without looking – but in 177 countries and 884,000km (549,000 miles), nothing worse than a dent.

Holtorf, 76, undoes his seat belt and lifts himself out of the open passenger window. He’s unharmed – not a scratch."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/2...703/index.html

'The world record for the longest driven journey is held by a Swiss couple who set out in a Toyota Land Cruiser in 1984, four years before Otto was built. But it’s likely that Holtorf and Otto will be awarded the Guinness record for the most countries visited in a single vehicle.

Otto, to put it another way, is the world’s “most-travelled” car.'

This is the dream. A quick search says Gunther is 81 now and lost Christine in 2010. Still, so many memories to treasure, especially with Otto still kicking.