Philip Young, the godfather of historic rallying, today set off from Africa to London in a charity bid to smash a 30-year-old record.
Young, widely credited with kicking off historic rallying when he launched the Pirelli Classic Marathon in 1988, left the Mount Nelson Hotel in South Africa this morning with co-driver Paul Brace and the pair are now heading for Botswana.
The aim is to beat the 14 days for Cape Town to London achieved 30 years ago by Brigadier John Hemsley's three-man crew in a factory-prepared Range Rover, setting the benchmark for a non-specialist vehicle making the trip.
They are trying to cover the 10,300 miles across 13 countries in an 875cc Fiat Panda without any back-up or service crew and hope to cover 1000 miles a day.
They are raising funds for the charity Farm Africa. Click here to find out more or here to make a donation.
James Elliott is a former Editor of Classic & Sports Car