‘Around the World in 80 Days’ is an epic expedition that truly tests the driver as well as the car to the maximum. 16 Land Rover vehicles have set out on this expedition from Hong Kong and they reached in UK on the 15th of July. They were given a warm welcome and were taken on Lode Lane. This place houses the facility where these Land Rove vehicles were assembled and so this was a very important stop on this expedition.
These 16 Land Rover vehicles driven by their assigned owners belonging to the Land Rover Club of Hong Kong have set on a mission to conquer the globe within 80 days. This 4 month journey began on the 9th of June and has already covered a distance of 15,000 km. Both the drivers as well as the vehicles have bravely and skillfully faced all the obstacles set before them by the climatic conditions and terrains as they crossed the Mainland China followed by Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and then finally France before they reached United Kingdom. When these 40 drivers or to be more precise explorers reached the Solihull plant, they were offered a tour of the facility and introduced to the new Honda centre.
Joe McNamara, Land Rover Manufacturing Manager, was there to welcome these explorers to the factory where they were manufactured originally and paid tribute to all the owners. He stated that “It is a pleasure to welcome these vehicles home to Solihull, and to meet their intrepid drivers and passengers, who are undertaking such a challenging and grueling journey. But they have certainly chosen the right vehicles for the trip. Land Rovers are engineered to be the world’s most capable all-purpose vehicles, and these have already demonstrated enormous durability over the world’s most challenging and inhospitable terrains, with yet more to face before they return to Hong Kong. Equally, their drivers and passengers embody the “above and beyond” ethos for which Land Rover is renowned.”
After the visit to the manufacturing plant, they all left for their next destination, London. They will be taking a break here before moving back to France. Once in France, they will take their next decided route, South Europe and North Africa.
They will return to Europe from Casablanca by the end of July. After this, several vehicles will be shipped to Hong Kong and some will be transported to Halifax in Canada. These will keep up with their journey through North America and then will move south wards to New York and Washington DC before they turn west for Los Angeles and finally San Francisco.
After this, they move for Vancouver from where they will be transported to Tinjan located in China. Here their penultimate route of this epic journey will begin through Wuzhou leading them to the Chinese Land Rover Experience Centre. After this they will reach Shanghai and finally head back to Hong Kong on the 24th of September.