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Terracan crowned king of the lands
A father and son have completed an epic 25,000 mile journey from London to Sydney in a Hyundai Terracan - raising over £100,000 for charity on the way.
Neil White and his 18 year old son Alistair embarked on the four month adventure in August 2004. They covered 25 countries and arrived at their destination on schedule in December.
The Terracan put in an unbeatable performance over tough terrain, reaching 109 mph and averaging a staggering 77 mph across the desert plains of Austrailia. There were only two problems from start to finish - one caused by polluted fuel and the other by sheer altitude, neither of which were the fault of the Terracan.
Neil explained: "Contaminated fuel brought us to a halt 700 km north of Delhi but we managed to get to Hyundai Motor India where a senior technician worked through the night to have us back on the road by daylight!" The second incident occured at the Everest base camp. He added: "We reached 5,200m, just 600m off the world record reached by a vehicle, and the air was so thin that it affected the vacuum in the brakes."
Although the challenge ended for Neil and Alistair at the finishing line, the vehicle was the star attraction at the Austrailian launch of the CRDI Turbo-Diesel Terracan. It was one of 17 Terracans to endure the press Drive 'n' Ride adventure - a tough eight hour off-road course scaling steep mountains and crossing some 26 rivers.