Across Africa & Beyond

Paul Davies and James Wheildon had been campaigning vintage Talbot 90’s in various events from VSCC racing to a prestigious entry in the 1984 Mille Miglia. In considering how to follow on from that event they couldn’t resist entering the gruelling 1988 London to Sydney Vintage Car Endurance Trial. The pair bought a wreck of a 1930 open tourer Talbot and spent 27 months building it for the event. Organised as part of Australia’s bicentennial year celebrations, their route took them 10,000 miles overland across some of the worst terrain in the world in a 58 year old car  without back up vehicles or support network. Daunting and dangerous does not even come close! They won the event arriving in just 84 days and before the event organisers had managed to arrange the welcoming (not expecting any entrant to arrive that soon) by a route that seemed impossible.

A recording of the presentation James Wheildon staged at the TOC 2021AGM and the acompanying slides are follow.