In September 2017, Nissan organised a project to enable researchers to visit Brazil’s historic archaeology sites. Known as the “Nissan Expedition: In search of Brazil’s beginnings”, its objective was to contribute to culture and scientific research by exploring the wealth of Brazil’s historic rock paintings.
The expedition was done in 5 stages and the researchers got close looks at items found in exploring the country’s rock art sites. They also came across remains of campfires of people who lived in the Piauí sierra region 50,000 years ago.
Discovering Brazil’s heritage
The second edition of this activity took place this year, with explorers following Brazil’s Heritage Trail. It is thus known as the ‘Nissan Expedition – Following Brazil’s Heritage Trail’ and recently concluded at Chapada dos Veadeiros, the highest plain in Central Brazil, in the state of Goias.
For 3 days, the participants in a fleet of 16 Nissan Frontiers faced trails in the region known as Cerrado, a vast tropical savannah ecoregion in Brazil. Along the way, they explored a stunning landscape listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site while driving more than 1,000 kms in the state of Goiás and the Federal District.
The expedition started in the city of Brasília, which is considered the world’s largest world heritage site (112.25 square kilometres) and is widely known for its modernist architecture and uniquely artistic urban planning. The adventurers also visited key historic and cultural sites, such as 308 Sul, the first superquadra (superblock) built following the Plano Piloto (the originally planned city) as well as the President JK Bridge and the Ministries Esplanade.
Visiting Brasilia, the planned capital city
The expeditioners also visited the Live Museum of Candanga Memory, which tells the story of the construction of Brasilia (named after the nickname given to the workmen who built the city) and Catetinho Museum, the first official workplace of the President of Brazil Juscelino Kubitschek, whose name is a reference to Catete, Brazil’s presidential palace before Brasília was built.
On the second day, the group learnt about the initiatives to protect the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park and the region’s importance to the environment. They then toured the park with its outstanding scenic beauty and went around the region known as Almecegas.
At this location is an aerial attraction: the Flight of the Hawk – an 850-metre long, 100-metre high zip line that stretches across the Almecegas Range and the Sao Bento Plantation Belvedere. By the end of the day, they were at Almecegas, one of the park’s tallest waterfalls and known for its high quartzite walls.
Nissan Frontier put to the test
On the third day of the expedition, the group had an off-roading experience through the Cerrado region. Here, the toughness of the Frontier pick-up was put to the test. Needless to say, it passed with flying colours, demonstrating its robustness and capabilities.
After the off-roading experience at the Bellatrix reserve, the group headed for the Label waterfall, before facing more rough terrain and crossing some streams. Although swollen with the summer rains, the unbridged waters were crossed by the Frontiers that can cope with deep waters. The final stop was reached after climbing 1,200 metres to reach the Sao Joao d’Aliança range and see the expanse of the Cerrado region in Goias.
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The Unimog by Mercedes-Benz is a true go-anywhere all-terrain vehicle, born over 70 years ago and sold in 30 countries. At least 400,000 units have been sold to date, used for all sorts of transportation in extreme conditions.
When it comes to scientific expeditions in all places and climates around our planet, the Unimog would be ideal, as an expedition team believed. The 10-strong team had a task to install 4 emergency radio units at various high-altitude camps at a volcano known as Ojos del Salado in Chile. In an emergency, each of the units can be used to create a radio connection with the 3 other base camps of the Ojos del Salado. This system will improve the safety both for mountaineers and scientific researchers.
The volcanic mountain measures 6893 metres and is thus the tallest active volcano on earth. It is within the Atacama Desert – one of the driest places on earth and part of the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ which has many active volcanos and earth movements.
Customised for the extreme conditions
The team was supported by Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks which provided two Unimog U 5023 vehicles of the latest generation. These were configured to carry the expedition team and all of their equipment required to the extreme altitudes. To ensure that the vehicles were ready to tackle any challenges, both trucks were equipped with special tyres, strong winches and special bodies with variable centre of gravity balancing developed by the specialists at the Unimog Museum, Unimog bodybuilder AS Soder, and engineers from the Unimog development team.
Absolute world record set
After the team made it to the high-altitude camp at 6,100 metres and had completed the installation of the fourth emergency radio unit there, they set about achieving another milestone: breaking the altitude record for wheeled vehicles. This was with one of the two trucks which reached an altitude of 6,694 metres – no vehicle has climbed to such heights before anywhere around the world.
The team didn’t just beat the record set with a Mercedes-Benz Zetros in 2014 but they also set the absolute world record for a wheeled vehicle driving at altitude. According to the head of the expedition, both vehicles ‘mastered the extremely steep and rocky passages, thanks to a combination of the best, reliable technology, a balanced centre of gravity and amazing tyre technology to bring the materials and equipment to these enormous heights. At no point in time around the world have motorised altitude expeditions taken two trucks simultaneously to such an altitude’.
Remember our report about ‘The Last Overland’, a journey by a team reversing the famous 1955 Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition between Singapore and London? The expedition – The First Overland – made history in 1955 by being the first-ever to drive from London to Singapore. That young team inspired generations of adventurers through their extraordinary endeavour, showing many remote corners of the world on film for the first time.
Two Land Rover stationwagons had been loaned for the expedition, and they were named ‘Oxford’ and ‘Cambridge’. Cambridge was lost after the expedition, but Oxford somehow ended up on the remote island of Saint Helena in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It was just left there rusting until a Yorkshireman – Adam Bennett – spotted it in 2017 and realized its historic value. He recovered the 4×4 vehicle, refurbished it and brought back to life in the UK. It passed its MOT (vehicle inspection) at the first attempt, and its original SNX891 registration could be used again on the vehicle.
The toughness of Land Rovers has now been further demonstrated by the fact that Oxford was used by a team this year to recreate The First Overland – but in reverse. It was shipped to Singapore and then travelled through some of the densest jungles, highest mountains and most arid deserts on the planet, bringing the vehicle from Singapore to London.
114 days and some 16,000 kms after setting off from Singapore, the expedition team and Oxford were met at the finish line – just steps from the original expedition finish line in 1956 – by a New Defender 110 with specially commissioned Oxford & Cambridge Expedition livery. The special livery was commissioned in the original Oxford Blue & Cambridge Blue, alongside Oxford & Cambridge Expedition lettering on the door – both being features of previous expedition vehicles.
“This journey has definitely been an action-packed one, filled with many ups and downs, and I can’t believe how quickly the 18 months that went into planning this journey has brought us here, all in one piece so far! We’ve managed to drive this incredible 64-year-old car once more, to so many remote and fascinating parts of the world, through tropical monsoons, -20 degrees and at more than 5000 metres above sea level. Oxford has taken it all in stride. From Nagaland to Tibet, from Turkmenistan to Serbia, the welcome we’ve received has been unbelievable,” said 31-year-old award-winning filmmaker, Alex Bescoby, who had long wanted to do a documentary on the original expedition.
Bescoby not only got to do it in one of the original vehicles but also had Tim Slessor, now 87 years old, accompanying the expedition team. “As I get older, I have been bothered by a recurring and nagging whisper: ‘Go for it – before it’s too late.’ Which is why I am here today – I am 87, and if I don’t do it now, I may never get another chance. After all, as that whisper reminds me, ‘you’re only here once. If you like, it’s a case of ‘this Old Man helps take the Old Lady home,” Slessor said at an event held prior to the flag-off from Singapore.
The world was a very different place in the 1950s. World War II had ended the decade before and though there were conflicts here and there, most countries were moving forward and developing themselves. Links between countries had existed for a long time, some for thousands of years as trails between major trading posts and over time, they became roads in a permanent sense.
However, the roads were not as we know them today and though there existed a network across continents, they did not offer safe passage for ordinary motorized vehicles. Eastwards from Europe, the terrain was still in much of its natural state, and only large commercial vehicles could travel over it.
The experts said the journey couldn’t be done
But the spirit of adventure was drawing many adventurous people to see how far they could drive their vehicles. Six students at the Oxford and Cambridge universities were inspired by the 1954 Oxford and Cambridge Trans-Africa expedition in which two Land Rovers bearing the names of the famous universities had travelled to the continent. But instead of southwards, they wanted to drive east to the tip of Southeast Asia, Singapore.
The ‘experts’ told them that they were ‘geographically ignorant and politically naive; the journey couldn’t be done’. Even David Attenborough, just beginning his lifelong career producing documentaries about the planet, called it a ‘madcap adventure’. Nevertheless, the BBC produced three films which preserve that adventure for all time.
The First Overland
Officially called ‘The Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition’ – but referred to as ‘The First Overland’ – the vehicles used were the 1955 Series 1 Land Rover. They were also named ‘Oxford’ and ‘Cambridge’. The route was a logical one from Europe, cutting through the dusty deserts of Iran and then along northern India (with a detour to Karachi). This route would follow the Himalayan range and connected to what was then known as Burma (Myanmar today). The entry into Burma would have been an entirely different experience with the dense jungles and high humidity.
Malayan roads the best
From Burma, they headed southwards along the Isthmus of Kra to the border of the Federation of Malaya. It was a year before Merdeka and Malaya was still a British Colony. Driving ‘Oxford’, one of the original team members, Tim Slessor, recalled that he was delighted when he crossed the border to find – for the first time since leaving the German autobahns – he was on good smooth roads. In fact, while his countrymen would have been responsible for making the good roads all the way to the south, the initial part of it near the Thai border was constructed on the orders of the Sultan of Kedah as far back as 1880. By the time The First Overland Team arrived, the full length of the road from the border to Singapore had already been in existence from 7 years.
Upon reaching the finishing point at the Champion Motors showroom in Singapore’s Orchard Road in 1956, the expedition made headlines around the world by being the first drive from London to Singapore. It took them some 6 months to complete the journey – and remember that they had no GPS and no satellite or mobilephones and certainly no Google Earth.
‘Cambridge’ had been severely damaged towards the end and written off but ‘Oxford’ was returned to Land Rover after the adventure was over. Though it was a historically significant vehicle, Land Rover did not see fit to retain it and it was loaned for further expeditions. After being driven 16,000 kms across the world, it was still as durable as ever and could still go anywhere.
Abandoned on an island
Eventually, it ended up on a small island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean after an expedition. Abandoned, most of ‘Oxford’ was dismantled and left to rust. Then one day in 2017, one Adam Bennett came across it. He recognized the vehicle right away as he had followed The First Overland closely when he was younger. He knew he just had to bring it home and so ‘Oxford’ was brought back and refurbished.
After all the restoration work was done, the vehicle was sent for its MOT vehicle inspection (mandatory for all vehicles that are driven on public roads in the UK). It passed at the first attempt and the authority allowed its original SNX891 numberplate to be reinstated.
Running as well as when new, Adam could have kept it but last year, he decided to gift ‘Oxford’ to Tim Slessor, now 87, who had been thinking of ‘one last adventure’ driving ‘Oxford’ from Singapore to London. Award-winning filmmaker, Alex Bescoby, had also been thinking of doing a documentary on The First Overland but when he learnt that Slessor was planning to drive ‘Oxford’ back from Singapore, the project became much bigger and more exciting.
The Last Overland
This time, they would make the journey in reverse, from Singapore to London, calling it ‘The Last Overland’. As before, they will travel across 3 continents but the route would be different, not just to explore a different way but also because conditions in the Middle East, specifically Syria, make it dangerous for them to be driving there. As it is, where the original expedition team may have had a weapon or two for protection, this expedition will have protection provided by personnel (probably ex-military) from AKE International. And, of course, there are more support vehicles and crews too.
It’s one of the things different from 1956 – the world is a more dangerous place. Where, 64 years ago, curiosity may have been common, there are groups which may see an opportunity to kidnap the convoy members and make money, or make a political statement. And depending on how concerned Queen Elizabeth and Boris Johnson are of British subjects being kidnapped, there may or may not be a rescue operation. But any group that does such a thing is likely to get only condemnation from the world community.
The other change would be that communications are lightyears ahead of the 1950s. There are private and military satellites which can survey even the most inaccessible terrain and if it becomes necessary to get someone out due to a medical emergency, an airlift could be arranged. It would be almost impossible to be ‘lost’ unless something so catastrophic occurred that all communications equipment was destroyed. Of course, having said that, the location of MH370 still remains unknown…
Reporting via Instagram
The entire journey will be reported via the official website and Instagram has been chosen for updates. That’s very different from The First Overland when reports of the expedition’s progress may have taken a month or two to reach London – if a post office could be found along the way. Now videos can be uploaded and at almost anytime, team members can even contact their loved ones from wherever they are.
The aim is to arrive in London, at the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), within approximately 100 days of setting out from Singapore. By then, after leaving the Peninsular of Malaysia, they would have continued through Myanmar, the mountains of the Himalayas, northern Turkey, as well as over twenty countries, including Nepal, China, Uzbekistan, Iran and Bulgaria. Where the first expedition travelled through France, they will head towards England through Belgium.
The Last Overland expedition began yesterday from Singapore’s F1 circuit in Marina Bay. The ‘Oxford’ was escorted through the streets of Singapore all the way to the country’s border with Malaysia by a parade of other Land Rovers driven by local enthusiasts. Although Tim Slessor was to have accompanied the convoy from Singapore, he was ill on the day of departure. Nevertheless, his grandson is with the team to represent him.
In Malaysia, the team stopped to meet local media in Kuala Lumpur and then made its way to Cameron Highlands to visit the ‘Land of Land Rovers’ where Series I to III models are still being used by vegetable farmers.
Good luck to The Last Overland team and may your journey to London be as exciting as the first, and you arrive safe and sound to tell the complete story.
Ford’s venerable Expedition now comes in a new trim level called the FX4, and its purpose is to be the most off-road capable Expedition ever. The reason for its inception is that the Blue Oval determined that 20 percent of Expedition owners use their vehicles for off-road adventures and as such, their Expedition should be able to keep up with them.
“The FX4 Off-Road package delivers off-road driving confidence,” said Mike Kipley, Expedition vehicle engineering manager. “The technology we’re using works to adapt to different driving conditions so customers can enjoy the adventure without worry.”
The following is what separates the Expedition with the FX4 Off-Road Package compared with other variants of its namesake:
Patented electronic limited-slip rear differential to help improve off-road performance in low-traction situations. It automatically shifts power output to the rear tyre that has the most traction.on which wheels need extra traction. Overall, its gearing improves towing performance and capability
Off-road-tuned shock absorbers to keep wheels in contact with the road
All-terrain tires with thicker sidewalls
Seven different skid plates that serve as underbody armor and protect critical areas. These plates consist of a sand shield to protect the turbocharger intercoolers from getting clogged by dirt or mud, steel plates to protect steering gear, engine, transmission and transfer case as well as the fuel tank.
18-inch Magnetic Metallic-painted cast-aluminum wheels
Chrome running boards
FX4 badging on the liftgate and front fender
New rubber floor liners featuring deep side sills that can be removed and cleaned of any mud, sand or water
Like the rest of the variants, the FX4 benefits from Ford’s Terrain Management System that offers seven different drive modes (Normal, Sport, Tow/Haul, Eco, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Sand, Mud/Rut) that help the Expedition cope with different road conditions. Drivers also have the option of toggling between 2WD and 4WD mode depending on their preference/needs at any given time.
Under the hood of the FX4 is the 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine that produces 375bhp and 637Nm of torque. It is mated to an all-new 10-speed automatic transmission that will help fuel economy and provide the vehicle with the capability of towing a load of up to 4,218kg.
The Cabin is very spacious as expected and is able to offer seating for eight occupants and still provide a decent cargo space volume. And unlike the old days, Ford’s current Expedition comes with a whole slew of entertainment and safety tech that should win over city dwellers as well as adventure seekers.
The Ford Expedition FX4 will only be available in the US and will go on sale sometime in the second half of this year.
A standard Hyundai Santa Fe has made history by becoming the first passenger vehicle to travel across the continent of Antartica from Union Camp to McMurdo, then turn around and head back. The vehicle was driven by Patrick Bergel who is the grandson of polar explorer, Sir Enest Shackleton. The point of the trip was to commemorate Shackleton’s heroic Trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914-1916.
The grueling expedition has been turned into a short film by the Korean automaker and will be televised for the first time at the Hospital Club in London on 25th April 2017. The modest Patrick Bergel, was reluctant to compare his trip across Antarctica to that made by his grandfather about 100 years ago. But he did mention that it was quite an accomplishment to be the first to make the trip in a wheeled vehicle.
Regarding this feat, Patrick Bergel said, “The journey was incredible and the car was a pleasure to drive. Sometimes it felt less like driving and more like sailing across the snow. It was a proper expedition with a challenge to accomplish that nobody else had done before. It was about endurance not speed – we only averaged only 27km/h.
During the 30-day exhibition, the Santa Fe had to deal with almost 5,800km of icy terrain in treacherous conditions. Besides having to bear the sub-zero temperatures, the vehicle had to make it its own path by driving on the floating ice caps – something that no other wheeled vehicle has done before.
Scott Noh, Head of Overseas Marketing Group, Hyundai Motor Company said, “We were aware of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s story and as a Company felt a resonance with his courage and pioneering spirit. Our film celebrates this spirit and through Patrick, his Great Grandson, completes his dream to cross Antarctica – just a hundred years later. We hope that it showcases Hyundai as brand that that is more than just a means of transportation.”
Despite the unforgiving terrain, the Santa Fe that was used for the trip wasn’t that far off from the 2.2-litre one you can buy from your local Hyundai dealership. The only changes that were made were the fitment of much larger tyres, increasing the fuel tank capacity and converting the vehicles to run on Jet A-1 fuel, which is the only available fuel on the continent.
In order to fit the massive tyres, the Santa Fe’s body had to be raised with new sub-frames, suspension and gears which were fitted inside the wheel hubs to deal with higher forces and to allow the vehicle to turn more slowly to run at the required speeds.
Many were skeptical with the idea of the Santa Fe completing the journey then returning to the starting point, but Bergel and well prepared Santa Fe proved the them wrong and as a result have made it into the record books.