[planet_rocker]

One vehicle that makes heads turn in London is the Ambassador. So rare is the car in Great Britain that a specialised taxi service in London charges through the roof for a ride. But come August, there will be at least one more Ambassador in the UK.

The owners will be Max Benitz and George Vlasto, students of Edinburgh University who have spent the past nine months studying at Calcutta University. They have decided to undertake a journey across 17 countries, three mountain ranges, two deserts and three seas in the car. The trip will take them from the city to London, through Pakistan, China, central Asia and Europe. They will start early on Thursday and cover at least 15,000 km before reaching London in August.

Detailed Report: The Telegraph , Calcutta

[humyum]

The entire cost of the trip is just 6 lakh 40 thousand rupees aka 8000 pounds including the car .That is a cheap man for a trip like this

[planet_rocker]

yes - the cost comes to around 8000 pounds. its a petrol engine which means they will be using the 1.8 ISZ mpfi?? i hope they will have an awsome trip to london.

[cheap_deal]

why an ambassador? and what is the purpose of the trip? publicity stunt or some charity run?

[planet_rocker]

1. they are raising money for Future Hope, Kolkata and Royal Marsden Hospital, London.

2. adventure.

good cause

[sbasak]

Who says Ambassador is dead?

It's interesting to learn that they are carrying enough parts to make a replacement engine on the way!

[GTO]

Come to think of it : Why not the Amby? British roots, repair anywhere, comfy ride and a great back seat to sleep on.

[Ashok]

I wish them luck - sounds like the adventure of a lifetime.

[toiingg]

I had read somewhere a long time back that some guys had taken this trip on an enfield bullet. The guy came to India, bought a 2nd hand bullet and rode it to london.

There he sold it off to a collector for enough money to cover his trip, the cost of the bike + a handsome profit. Not bad eh !

[anonymous]

Man, I am speechless. Not everyone can dare to do such things.

[hvkumar]

Amby apart, the Europe-India is a very popular drive - many European drivers do it every year. Unfortunately, for Indians, Pakistan does not issues visas to pass through. There are even regular bus tours (Dragoman, for instance) from London/Istanbul/Cairo to Delhi/Chennai/Kathmandu - around 3 months.

[ajmat]

...and they have reached!

She is known as the "Old Lady" of the Indian road, but 50 years after the first Ambassador car rolled off the Calcutta production lines there is yet further proof of the essential durability of her design.


Max and George drive the Ambassador over the Khunjerab Pass in the Pakistani Himalayas


Two British history students, Max Benitz and George Vlasto, both 22, puttered triumphantly up the Fulham Road in London after completing a kidney-rattling 9,000-mile drive from Calcutta this week in aid of charity.

From the 15,400ft Khunjerab Pass of the Pakistani Himalayas, to the potholed highways of Central Asia and finally on to the smooth autoroutes of France, "Her Excellency" always proved up to the task.

"She's taken a pounding along the way and we've expended two entire rolls of duct tape keeping her together," said Mr Benitz yesterday as he nervously submitted the car for its MoT at a London garage.

more here

[hvkumar]

.....and we Indians can only read and regret. Is Pakistan ever going to allow Indians driving visas to pass through? I have my Europe trip planned and bottled up for the last 7 years, waiting to be unlocked the day Pakistan decides to give Indians visas!!!

[planet_rocker]

a very good news indeed - i am glad the car made it through.



by the way, what is this MoT test?

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

by the way, what is this MoT test?

any car over three years has to undergo this on an annual basis. Involves checking lights, tyre condition, emissions, suspension and steering linkages, brakes, corrosion etc.

Tough but fair system