Stewart
24th July 2012, 06:21 PM
Back in 1989, as the Berlin Wall fell, Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine set out on what was meant to be an 18-month tour of Africa in their Mercedes Benz G Wagen. Now, with more than 800,000km (500,000 miles) on the clock, Gunther is still going.
The German former airline executive has travelled the equivalent of 20 times around the planet in the vehicle - which he calls Otto. He says he has never had a serious breakdown. Recently in Vietnam, Canadian-born photographer David Lemke joined Gunther on one section of his epic journey.
In 1989, Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine climbed aboard their 1988 Mercedes Benz G-Wagen to travel from Germany to Africa, where they planned to complete a once-in-a-lifetime road trip that would last 18-months.
Except the trip didn’t last 18-months, it has lasted 23 years, spanned more than 200 countries and the G-Wagen now has 800,000 kilometers, or 500,000 miles, on its odometer. That’s the equivalent of 20 times around the equator.
The trio have visited everywhere from Alaska to Zimbabwe by way of North Korea, the Sahara desert, Mount Everest and Siberia in an effort to drive around the globe. Sadly, Gunther’s wife Christine passed away in 2010, but he has continued to travel the world, as per her wishes.
In June this year, the Philippines became the 200th country visited, and the G-Wagen showed 799,783 kilometers on the clock.
At 74-years old, Gunther Holtorf is an inspiration, but for all his and Christine’s determination, they couldn’t have done it without Otto — the name given to their trusty G-Wagen.
Powered by a 3.0 liter diesel engine, which produced around 85 horsepower when new, the 300GD was never fast, but it is very, very strong. Quite apart from reaching 500,000 miles, Gunther’s G-Class is continuously overweight, as he carries 500 kilograms (1100 pounds) of equipment on the roof, plus the car is his home — meaning it contains everything he needs to survive, from sleeping quarters to a shower.
He estimates the total laden weight to be 3,300 kilograms, or 7,275 pounds. Its style is also a far cry from many modern G-Class’s too.
BBC Link to Clip (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18910560)
http://youtu.be/4GwFVHvMA3o
http://cdn3.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2012/07/Gunther-Holtorf/3108694407.jpg
Now that's a serious road trip. Even after the loss of his wife her wish was him to travel on. Huge admiration for the guy! Ok we may not all be Former Airline executives but makes you think how little you've seen of the world. Shocking I've been out the Uk only twice. :frown:
The German former airline executive has travelled the equivalent of 20 times around the planet in the vehicle - which he calls Otto. He says he has never had a serious breakdown. Recently in Vietnam, Canadian-born photographer David Lemke joined Gunther on one section of his epic journey.
In 1989, Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine climbed aboard their 1988 Mercedes Benz G-Wagen to travel from Germany to Africa, where they planned to complete a once-in-a-lifetime road trip that would last 18-months.
Except the trip didn’t last 18-months, it has lasted 23 years, spanned more than 200 countries and the G-Wagen now has 800,000 kilometers, or 500,000 miles, on its odometer. That’s the equivalent of 20 times around the equator.
The trio have visited everywhere from Alaska to Zimbabwe by way of North Korea, the Sahara desert, Mount Everest and Siberia in an effort to drive around the globe. Sadly, Gunther’s wife Christine passed away in 2010, but he has continued to travel the world, as per her wishes.
In June this year, the Philippines became the 200th country visited, and the G-Wagen showed 799,783 kilometers on the clock.
At 74-years old, Gunther Holtorf is an inspiration, but for all his and Christine’s determination, they couldn’t have done it without Otto — the name given to their trusty G-Wagen.
Powered by a 3.0 liter diesel engine, which produced around 85 horsepower when new, the 300GD was never fast, but it is very, very strong. Quite apart from reaching 500,000 miles, Gunther’s G-Class is continuously overweight, as he carries 500 kilograms (1100 pounds) of equipment on the roof, plus the car is his home — meaning it contains everything he needs to survive, from sleeping quarters to a shower.
He estimates the total laden weight to be 3,300 kilograms, or 7,275 pounds. Its style is also a far cry from many modern G-Class’s too.
BBC Link to Clip (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18910560)
http://youtu.be/4GwFVHvMA3o
http://cdn3.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2012/07/Gunther-Holtorf/3108694407.jpg
Now that's a serious road trip. Even after the loss of his wife her wish was him to travel on. Huge admiration for the guy! Ok we may not all be Former Airline executives but makes you think how little you've seen of the world. Shocking I've been out the Uk only twice. :frown: