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Old 13th June 2019, 08:19   #76
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-aloha-wanderwell-ford-1935-india.jpg

Camel Safari
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Old 13th June 2019, 12:23   #77
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Some more pictures of Aloha (Wanderwell) Baker

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-06d251a3838123330acf4ad7a5dab62e.jpg


Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-81f4d87660a7b8a186fa1aaf8207ed2c.jpg


Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-9396a9a059ce73ad3f1b99e858588632.jpg


Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-a88c2e0b8f8f656763e74cca925c7cce.jpg


and these from the earlier expedition

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-old-1.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-old-2.jpg
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Old 22nd June 2019, 15:25   #78
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Mr. MacDonald & Grattan after completing their trip to Bombay, any more info on them ?

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-img20190612wa0016.jpg
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Old 25th June 2019, 14:13   #79
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Adding GTO's post here

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
A Skoda Popular in Calcutta.

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-skoda_popularprahacalcutta.jpg

Skoda's PR team sent the image in, with the following note:
Quote:
Mumbai, 13 May 2019: The 85th anniversary of four POPULAR vehicles’ long-distance journey from Prague to Calcutta commemorates ŠKODA’s impressive tradition in India.

In 1925 the engineering and defence company ŠKODA joined forces with the automobile manufacturer Laurin & Klement from the Bohemian town of Mladá Boleslav. The Pilsen-based company was already active in India at the time, and so the high-quality commercial and passenger vehicles with the winged arrow quickly gained acceptance on the roads of the subcontinent. Long-distance trips, especially in the 1930s, were among the most successful types of advertising at that time.

Eighty-five years ago, on Saturday, 12 May 1934, a group of four ŠKODA POPULARs set out on a trip from the Prague Automobile Club to India. The semi-convertibles had one-litre four-cylinder engines with an output of 15 kW (20 hp). ŠKODA’s new entry-level model, weighing in at 700 kg, carried a total load of 800 kg, including passengers. Led by Zbislav Peters, a lawyer and Czechoslovak ice hockey player, the seven participants embarked on a journey to India via the Balkans, Turkey, today’s Syria and Iraq. One crew even made a detour via Afghanistan. After arriving in Calcutta the ŠKODA POPULARs went on to Mumbai, and from there by ship to Trieste. From the northern Italian port, the vehicles headed back to the Czech Republic. By the time they arrived in Prague on 10 September 1934, they had covered nearly 15,000 kilometres, often over rough terrain and in harsh climatic conditions. On this long-distance journey, the new generation of ŠKODA vehicles proved their outstanding quality and reliability just as impressively as their high technical standards – the cars featured central tube frames and independent all-round suspension.

In the summer of 1936, Czech globetrotters Břetislav Jan Procházka and Jindřich Kubias circumnavigated the world in 97 days in a slightly modified open-top ŠKODA RAPID with an output of 23 kW (31 hp) and powerful hydraulic brakes. The journey also took the vehicle through India. Because of the ship’s early departure to Japan, the Quetta-New Delhi-Mumbai stage resembled a car chase: the fast and reliable RAPID made it in just three days.

Not least thanks to the advertising effects of these expeditions, the number of ŠKODA vehicles exported to what was then British India totalled 90 units per year in the second half of the 1930s. In 1938, India ranked seventh among the Czech automobile manufacturer’s 39 export markets. In light of the global social and economic change after the Second World War, only 150 ŠKODA vehicles were exported to India between 1947 and 1955, followed by ad hoc deliveries from the 1950s to the 70s. The brand, however, had no permanent representation.
P.S. Wonder how the after-sales service was back then .

Some more on this
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-skoda.jpg

and a lovely picture
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-skoda-1.jpg
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Old 9th July 2019, 12:31   #80
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Another distinguished lady to complete a world tour in 1927 was Ms. Violette Cordery

From Wikipedia
Quote:
Violette Cordery, (10 January 1900 – 30 December 1983) was a British racing driver and long distance record breaker.

Cordery was born in London to Henry Cordery and had an elder sister (Lucy)/Leslie and a younger sister Evelyn who also participated in her driving exploits. Cordery was employed as a driver to captain Noel Macklin of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) at Dover.

In 1920 she competed in the South Harting hill climb driving a Silver Hawk, manufactured by Noel Macklin. Cordery also competed in two British Motor Cycle Racing Club handicap events driving an Eric-Campbell, also manufactured by Noel Macklin. In May 1921 she won the ladies' race at the Junior Car Club meeting, averaging 49.7 miles per hour (80.0 km/h).

In 1925 she publicised the new Invicta car, also manufactured by Noel Macklin, by racing and breaking records. At the West Kent Motor Club meeting at Brooklands she won the half mile sprint in a 2.7 litre Invicta, and went on other victories and records.

In 1926 she set a long distance record at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy, when she co-drove a 19.6 hp Invicta for 10,000 miles (16,000 km) at 56.47 miles per hour (90.88 km/h). In July 1926 she averaged 70.7 miles per hour (113.8 km/h) for 5,000 miles (8,000 km) at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, Paris, and became the first woman to be awarded the Dewar Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club.

In 1927 she drove an Invicta around the world in five months, covering 10,266 miles (16,522 km) at an average speed of 24.6 miles per hour (39.6 km/h). She traveled through Europe, Africa, India, Australia, the United States, and Canada accompanied by a nurse, a mechanic, and a Royal Automobile Club observer.
Some pictures
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-.jpg

Australia
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-c.jpg

America
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-d.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-e.jpg

and these from India
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-f.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-g.jpg


Here is a video from Screen archive which follows her journey "Violette Cordery Motoring World Tour "


and a bit shaky but a nice YouTube video from India, courtesy the Huntley film archives

Last edited by KartikeyaL : 9th July 2019 at 12:35.
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Old 18th July 2019, 16:17   #81
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Quote:
Originally Posted by KPS View Post
Here is a story of a couple and their Beetle

Cheers

KPS
The story of a honeymoon, one Beetle, two journeys, three decades apart, many adventures.

Excepts from their website

Quote:
Ivan, Beth & the Beetle

In 1961, after a two-year stint in England, young Ivan and Beth Hodge decided to drive home to New Zealand. They bought a brand new Volkswagen Beetle for Ł439 and, with their possessions strapped to the roofracks, they set off into the unknown: across Europe, through communist countries, the mysterious Middle East and into the Asian subcontinent.

Thirty-five years later, Ivan and Beth dusted off the Beetle to retrace their steps and relive the memories. Now in their sixties, the couple called it their ‘second honeymoon’. They had a different perspective of the world, as well as a mobile phone and a laptop.

In the book, For Love and a Beetle, Ivan and Beth have recorded their impressions of these two journeys – the changes in cultures, the impact of tourism and technology, the decay of communism, the continuing hostilities in some countries and the constant friendliness of the people. Through it all, the Beetle overcomes the harsh desert, the wild weather and chaotic roads to deliver Ivan and Beth safely to their destination.

This new edition of the book includes an epilogue, bringing the Beetle story to its final journey. Even as grandparents, Ivan and Beth’s adventurous spirit has remained strong. They have visited many new places, including driving up to the Arctic Circle and the northern most point in Europe.

Their final Beetle trip takes them around New Zealand before they donate the car to the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland. You can visit the Beetle and see mementos from the journeys at the museum (www.motat.org.nz).
Some pictures
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-46296253_10215603588594229_7560825960765849600_n.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-46307728_10215603592154318_5847954490149306368_n.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-46321623_10215603594394374_5509867923172229120_n.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-46367090_10215603596554428_5027579268045996032_n.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-46406290_10215603588154218_6627723472233562112_n.jpg

and these from India

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-ind.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-india-1.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-india.jpg

The book can be bought here

Last edited by Aditya : 19th July 2019 at 07:11.
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Old 29th July 2019, 12:43   #82
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Capt. and Mrs. Osterhaus's overlanding trip started in 1921, here is picture from Vizagapatam.

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-img20190612wa0013.jpg
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Old 12th August 2019, 16:11   #83
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

From Wiki

Harriet White Fisher Andrew was an American known for being the first woman to circle the globe in a Locomobile, she set off for her trip in 1909.

Quote:
First woman to drive around the world

Initial reports prior to her setting off on the journey revealed her car was built in Bridgeport, Connecticut, it was 40 Horsepower with no special equipment. It was a four-seater and her planned companions were Harold Fisher Brooks (a relative), a chef named Albert, and a maid. She also traveled with a pet monkey, a Bull Terrier and a Pug. The planned route was to ship the car to England, travel to her Italian villa at Lake Como, and then on through Egypt, Russia, India, towards their final destination of Japan. A bon voyage party was announced in July 1909 at the Automobile Club of America[15]and the party set off on July 19, 1909.

It was reported that she arrived at Lake Como by November 1909. A contemporary newspaper account, stated that Fisher and her entourage had completed their journey to their destination of Japan and that the travelers and the vehicle were back in San Francisco, California. She arrived in Tarrytown, New York on August 16, 1910, completing her journey around the world.[19] Fisher wrote a book about her adventure titled A Woman's World Tour in A Motor.
More here

Some excerpts from her book

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-b.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-c.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-d.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-e.jpg

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Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-j.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-k.jpg

Her book "A woman's world tour in a motor" can be read in parts and
the ebook can be bought on google "here"

Last edited by KartikeyaL : 12th August 2019 at 16:13.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 11:46   #84
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Karl had shared this earlier but was missing from this thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by karlosdeville View Post
John Godley, son of Lord Kilbracken on his way to New Zealand from London by car was snapped in Delhi on his 14 H.P. Car which has specially built and equipped for him by a leading British motor car manufacturing firm. Picture shows Mr. Godley sitting his car.
Picture coutesy: Photo Division, GOI

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-john-godley.jpg
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Old 16th December 2019, 15:59   #85
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

In 1949, Dr. & Mrs. M. Da Fano of Buckingham-shire, England traveled extensively in their war time station wagon from London to Delhi.

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-da-fano.jpg
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Old 17th December 2019, 12:36   #86
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Quote:
Originally Posted by KartikeyaL View Post
In 1949, Dr. & Mrs. M. Da Fano of Buckingham-shire, England traveled extensively in their war time station wagon from London to Delhi.

Attachment 1946190

I think the car is a Fordson similar to the one in Pune. I believe one more similar car also survives.
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Old 18th December 2019, 16:05   #87
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Another brave couple, riding their Lambretta LD from England to India.
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-lam.jpg
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Old 4th January 2020, 13:14   #88
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Quote:
Originally Posted by travancore View Post

The Jaipur RR PII (22GX) in the Afghan desert, late 1960's.

It was presented to the Hon. Patrick Lindsay by Maharaja Sawai Man Singh as a wedding gift. The condition was that Patrick drove it back to the home country.

It then had 12,000 miles in 35 years!
Cross posting
Quote:
Originally Posted by karlosdeville View Post
A stunning image of 22GX driving through Afghanistan on her way to Europe in period.
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-img_6044.jpg
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Old 7th January 2020, 22:53   #89
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

More on the epic journey of #22GX

Source

Some excerpts

Quote:
Maharaja Sawai Sir Man Singh II of Jaipur was 18 when he ordered a sporting tourer, chassis 22GX, which was signed off from chassis test in October 1930. As with many Indian orders, the dual-cowl tourer had dramatic details including a polished body top, and was finished with nickel plating. The newly completed Phantom II was shipped to Bombay before transport to the Rambagh Palace, the spectacular royal residence just outside the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur.

The sporting Barker Phantom II joined an impressive collection of cars for use on special occasions and trips to polo games, which were a lifelong passion for the young prince. When the dashing maharaja married the beautiful Gayatri Devi, his third wife, in May 1940, the car was no doubt involved in what was then the most expensive wedding ever staged.

The glamorous Indian royals were regular visitors to England, where their homes included Saint Hill Manor in West Sussex. Even after independence, they remained one of India’s wealthiest families. A keen soldier, pilot and sportsman, Man Singh II continued to indulge in expensive cars and private planes. When the couple hosted a party, whether in England or India, it was a must-attend for high society. Over the years, guests at the Rambagh Palace included the Mountbattens, Jackie Kennedy and Mick Jagger. Presumably after India’s independence in 1947 the old Barker Phantom II became unfashionable and sat gathering dust in the maharaja’s impressive 30-car garage. Its low mileage was mostly completed in first gear, convoying slowly in parades, often behind elephants.

When the Hon Patrick Lindsay started planning a honeymoon with wife Amabel in the winter of 1955, they chose to visit Jaipur, where the couple were hosted at the Rambagh Palace. The groom and Man Singh II were of a similar age, and had doubtless met at parties in London. They shared similar sporting interests, including flying, and had both served with the Guards. During his stay, Lindsay – a keen motorist and lover of fine machinery – was invited into the impressive garage, where the 25-year-old Barker tourer caught his eye.

Having already developed a taste for adventure and great cars, Lindsay asked if the old Royce could be bought, but Man Singh II insisted on offering it as a gift. Surprised by his host’s generosity, Lindsay hatched the mad idea of driving the car to England.

In 1962 he made contact with Graham, his close friend and a real-life ‘Indiana Jones’, about joining him on the road trip. Lindsay was always honest about his lack of mechanical expertise, but thankfully Graham was immensely practical and had already driven a vintage Royce from New York to California via Mexico. The plan had amused Man Singh II, but his wife was convinced the car would fail after 10 miles.

Following a few days of rest as guests in the Rambagh Palace, the pair set out for Delhi – but within 100 miles the car ground to a halt. Graham diagnosed fuel starvation and, after cleaning the pipes and single-jet Rolls-Royce carburettor, they motored on, but the engine soon stopped again. The cleaning procedure continued, with several frustrating stops until cotton waste was discovered blocking the system between the tank and the Autovac.

The 170-mile trip to Delhi was made more fraught by overheating, and after various attempts to clean out the cooling system, Graham insisted they stop in Delhi to find a garage with a hydraulic lift to change all the fluids, including the oil. The sump plug proved impossible to loosen, so the whole plate and 12 securing bolts were removed. To Graham’s horror, when the plate was finally prised off, it was 30 seconds before a thick, treacly goo oozed out. Despite assurances back in Jaipur, it was clear the lubricant hadn’t been changed for years, if ever! The maharaja’s mechanic had simply continued to top up the oil rather than change it, and the concern now was that blocked oilways might cause a big-end bearing failure.

Thankfully, the quality of the Phantom II’s engineering proved resilient against such servicing neglect and the impressive tourer purred on to the Pakistan border. After Lahore, while following a gorge near the River Indus, water levels reached 21/2ft and locals had to be enlisted to push the car through the deep tributary. Graham was worried that water had entered the car’s oil system, but plans for a precautionary change weren’t possible because they didn’t carry enough for a complete refill.
The magnificent Phantom II, by now covered in road dust, took the Khyber Pass in its stately stride, only stopping to admire the historic hillside forts on the famous Silk Road. Once into Afghanistan, the roads to Kabul greatly deteriorated but the Phantom II cruised to the capital without trouble, where Lindsay and Graham enjoyed a welcome two nights as guests of the Indian ambassador. Here, Lindsay learnt of the birth of his third son, Valentine.

Ever adventurous, the intrepid pair ignored advice to take the new road through Afghanistan to Iran via Kandahar. Inspired by travel writer Robert Byron they secured permits for the more challenging northern territory. Concerns about the lack of fuel were resolved by fitting a huge 50-gallon drum in the back seat, but this proved unnecessary – fuel stations were non-existent, but each time they stopped en route to the Iranian border, locals would rush out with tin pitchers and a funnel to refuel from private tanks.

A visit to the legendary Bamiyan cave monastery was now the highest priority and large-scale maps were sourced for the challenge of a minor road up to 11,000ft over the Hajigak Pass. The views were epic as the grand Royce motored on, occasionally passing camel caravans of Kochi nomads heading down to warmer regions for the winter. The pre-war tourer even helped a broken-down bus, the extra weight of the petrol tank in the back seat aiding traction as it towed the local travellers to the top.

The pair motored on across the desert with breathtaking mountain backdrops, passing through Mazar-i-Sharif with its beautiful blue-tiled mosque and later Balkh, one of the world’s oldest cities. Lindsay and Graham reported the Afghans to be friendly and ever-helpful, with the car continually attracting attention but no-one touching it. Later, in Iran, the locals were less respectful, leaving handprints on the polished body. ‘One bystander even kicked the tyre,’ wrote Graham, ‘and exclaimed, “Ah, Ford!”’

The month flew by and, with leave running out, the friends agreed to head across Iran to the port of Abadan and ship the Rolls-Royce home; Lindsay and Graham then arranged flights to return to England. ‘We both derived enormous pleasure from our escapade,’ concluded Graham, who felt privileged to have experienced a ‘Golden Age of modern Afghanistan’ before the recent turmoil rocked the country. ‘It was the greatest trip of my life, so exciting and educative. Other than the oil change the car ran trouble-free for 2500 miles.’
Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-20200107_171039.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-20200107_172700.jpg

Last edited by KartikeyaL : 7th January 2020 at 22:59.
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Old 2nd February 2020, 15:06   #90
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Re: Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day

Picture and info credit : State library of Victoria.

Quote:
Jean Robertson and Kathleen Howell were the first women to drive across Australia and the first to establish a speed record for doing so. In 1928, they tried to break the Fremantle to Sydney land-speed record.

In 1930, they set off on a journey from Australia to England by car. They drove to Darwin and, from there, made their way through Malaysia, India, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Europe before reaching England in February 1932. They even made time to take part in Italy's Monte Carlo Rally on their way through.
More info here and here

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-17097462_10154591581304332_5973769177751539550_o.jpg

Vintage Overlanding! Driving Cross-Country back in the day-17097833_10154593287394332_8025436430580603193_o.jpg
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