The Last Overland Expedition, after a 19,000 km road journey across the globe, has reached its final destination in the United Kingdom. Having crossed 23 countries from Singapore to London, the eight-member expedition team has successfully recreated one of the most historic automotive events of the 20th century – The Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition (The First Overland), undertaken from 1955-6.
Click on image to continue reading
The First Overland (formerly called The Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition) was an expedition of 10,000 miles from London to Singapore in 1955/1956 with two Land Rover Series 1. One was named Oxford because 3 of its members were from Oxford University and the other was given the name Cambridge because its 3 members are from the University of Cambridge.
Click on image to continue reading
A group of eight travellers who set off from Singapore on an epic overland trip in late August have finally reached their destination, the United Kingdom, 115 days later on Saturday morning (Dec. 14).
During my recent ride with Royal Enfield to the Everest Base Camp in Tibet, all of us were required to visit the customs office in Gyirong, the Tibetan border city on the Nepal-Tibetan border, where our bikes would be examined.
As we waited, a convoy of three ‘Landies’ trundled in. Of course, this piqued my interest because Land Rovers with luggage strapped on them here at the ‘Roof of the World’ certainly did not mean that they were out for a weekend drive. These cars had to be doing something fantastical, like a road trip from one continent to another.
In 1955, a few adventurers set out in two Series I Land Rovers. They were the first to drive from London to Singapore by car. It took them just over six months to cover the 29,000km. Now, a new group of adventurers, including the Grandson of former participant Tim Slessor has made its way back from Singapore with the Landy called Oxford.
The Last Overland is not just any expedition. Actually, it recreates the famous Oxford and Cambridge expedition to the Far East that made history in 1955 by being the first to drive from London to Singapore. Now, The Last Overland team has concluded its adventure trip and great challenges from Singapore to London, but not before visiting the manufacturing facilities of Jaguar Land Rover in Nitra, Slovakia.
Click on image to continue reading
AFTER a total of 111 days on the road, crossing 23 countries and clocking up 19,000km, the eight-member team of The Last Overland Expedition reached its final destination of London early last month.
Click on image to continue reading
The Land Rover that drove the legendary First Overland Expedition from Oxford to Singapore in 1955 is now returning the route as a 64-year-old car: by land from Singapore to London. 1 vehicle, 20,000 kilometers, 4 months, 23 countries!
In 1955, students from Oxford University and Cambridge University teamed up to drive a Land Rover Series I from London, England, and successfully arrived in Singapore after 6 months. , Completing Land Rover's first feat across the Far East. After more than half a century, the "The Last Overland" expedition consisting of eight explorers from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Belgium, Indonesia and Singapore is on an expedition from Singapore to London to pay tribute pioneering. Recently, the expedition visited a new Jaguar Land Rover factory in Nitra, the western city of Slovakia.
Stop in Nitra, Slovakia, for the team engaged in the "Last Overland" expedition. From Singapore to London, a journey in the opposite direction, following the famous 1955 expedition "Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition".
Click on image to continue reading
The Last Overland, a team that is currently retracing the route taken by the famous 1955 Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition continued its journey from Singapore to London with a stopover at Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing facility in Nitra, Slovakia. The relatively new plant which was opened in October 2018 covers an area of 300,000 square meters and has the capacity to make 150,000 vehicles every year with its state-of-the art equipment. The plant is the first in Europe to use the Pulse carrier system from Kuka for a transfer time that is 30 per cent faster when compared to conventional conveyance systems and also has a highly automated paint shop process.
Like any major expedition, especially one crossing so many international borders in such an old car, The Last Overland was not one without problems. One particularly memorable incident was a major mechanical mishap where Oxford’s back wheel fell off while Alex & Nat were driving at 70kmph in Turkmenistan, severing their brakes entirely.
Click on image to continue the reading of this article
Click on image to watch the video
In 2017, a Land Rover fanatic, Adam Bennett, recovered, refurbished and brought the ‘Oxford’ back to life in the UK. In fact, it passed the MOT (Ministry of Transport) test—vehicle safety, roadworthiness and exhaust emissions test in the UK—at the first attempt, and its original SNX 891 number plate was reinstated. In 2018, Bennett gifted the ‘Oxford’ to Tim Slessor (who documented the First Overland), Alex Bescoby (who is driving and documenting The Last Overland) and the team. In 2019, the original 1955 Land Rover is climbing mountains, and crossing cultures, for one last adventure.
Click on the image to read the full article
Spending more than 70 days on travelling by land from Singapore to London, the Last Overland expedition arrived in Ashgabat in their vintage Landrovers. We all enjoyed a ‘full English’ and ‘full Turkmen’ breakfast at British Ambassador’s residence together. It was great to hear the stories of the journey so far. It was then time to see Ashgabat.
Click on image for full article
(…) Officially called the Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition, it was the longest overland journey ever made at the time. The trip took some six months, much of that time spent traversing rugged terrain, navigating bone-jarring roadways or blazing trails across Iraqi desert or through Thai jungle. The journey would be immortalised in literature and on BBC television (…)
Thank you Land Rover Monthly for this epic read!
Read the entire story in Land Rover Monthly - November 2019 Issue
British student Nathan George grew up listening to his grandfather's stories about driving from London to Singapore with his friends in 1955.
A sprightly 87-year-old retired documentary maker and an animated 31-year-old film-maker held court on Wednesday at the quaint Grenadier pub in a back lane near London's Hyde Park Corner, where they spoke enthusiastically of their upcoming adventure - a road trip from Singapore to London.
We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of people who’ve got in touch to ask how they can contribute towards the costs of the Last Overland Expedition. We’re very grateful for the offer, but we wanted to harness that awesome goodwill from around the world to support three incredible causes close to our hearts: Dementia UK, Walking with the Wounded and The Gurkha Welfare Trust.
