driving around the world record?

[DanJR1]

I know it must exist but i'm having trouble finding any information about it. Is there a record for the shortest time or fastest avg. speed for driving around the world?

[The STIG]

Clärenore Stinnes and Carl-Axel Söderström were the first persons to drive around the world in a car between 25 May 1927 and 24 June 1929

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_circumnavigations

[mountainstar]

Gary Sowerby set a record driving around the world in 1977. I thought he did it in around 80 days. I'm sure someone since has broken it.

He also set a record with Tim Cahill driving from Tierra Del Fuego to the top of Alaska and I think they did that in 23 days. It's chronicled in the book "Road Fever" which I'd recommend to anyone that is into driving or road trips.

I heard the Guinness stopped taking these records for safety reasons. So I think Google is going to be your friend on this one.

[GORDON STREETER]

The current round-the-world driving record - 39 days 23 hours 35 minutes - was set in May-June, 1990, by British army crews, driving a pair of Rovers.

[DanJR1]

thank you! don't suppose you'd know where i could find the route or details of this record do you?

[GORDON STREETER]

Garry Sowerby and his two British co-drivers completed an around-the-world drive in a record time of just 21 days, 2 hours and 14 minutes. The three left Greenwich, England on October 1, 1997, travelled east and returned to the same point December 11, 1997 after driving 18,344 miles through 16 countries and across four continents.
They travelled in a virtually standard 1997 Vauxhall Frontera Estate powered by a 2.5 litre turbo-diesel engine.
The Guinness Book of Records has confirmed this as a new record for "World Circumnavigation by Car".

I also found this after a bit of "googling" but reading about the different ways it could be done I am confused (as normal ) by it, and whether people have in fact followed the Guiness Record rules. In theory you can drive or walk round the world at the poles ! And lets face it its impossible to actually drive all the way round the world at the equator.

[DanJR1]

what car would you use?

im thinking 3 drivers in 1 car (so the car could keep running for 21 out of 24 hours) meaning that a turbo diesel estate would be the ideal solution?

[Truckosaurus]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

...And lets face it its impossible to actually drive all the way round the world at the equator.

Who amongst us would not, given suitable money and time resources, want to buy an old Alvis Stalwart, Amphicar or DUKW and sail/drive around the exact equator line?

I suspect the actual best vehicle would be some dull but worthy SUV with a large diesel tank.

I believe that since tv shows like "The Long Way Round" there has been an improvement in roads around the east of Russia/Siberia/Mongolia so you could make good time across there.

[Apologies for restarting an old thread]

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Truckosaurus

Who amongst us would not, given suitable money and time resources, want to buy an old Alvis Stalwart, Amphicar or DUKW and sail/drive around the exact equator line?

I suspect the actual best vehicle would be some dull but worthy SUV with a large diesel tank.

I believe that since tv shows like "The Long Way Round" there has been an improvement in roads around the east of Russia/Siberia/Mongolia so you could make good time across there.

[Apologies for restarting an old thread]

Round the world travel, adventure driving and motorcycling has become a strong interest of mine in recent times especially since my interest in contemporary motorsport is fading due to the spec car and manufactured driver fad.

Mongolian roads haven't changed one bit. Siberia has seen improvements. The one missing section of highway was recently opened by putin and you can now drive from London to Vladivostok all the way across Russia.

The "Road of Bones" is rapidly disappearing. The russians have built a newer road around much of it and the old summer road is what you saw a lot of in "Long Way Round". That old summer road receives no maintenance and is declining every year and eventually will be impassable.

I've been doing lots of research this year for my own RTW trip and have decided to do it by any means. In looking at the costs, the big one was actually shipping costs of a motorcycle across different spots of water, a car being even worse and more complicated. I propose to travel mostly by disposable vehicle that can be sold on in Vladivostok or ferried from there to Korea or Japan and dumped there.

Right now I am thinking about 2012-2014 and pretty much have a good idea of a route.

Things like traveling exactly around the world at the equator or breaking records don't really interest me, nor does what method of transport used, except when over land the idea is to travel somehow over land. I liked Charley Boorman's concept of "By Any Means" and I think traveling that way you are lighter and freer than say driving the same exact Land Rover around the world.

Here is one guy that takes stunning photos and in the last 2 years had ridden at least 50000 miles around Russia, Mongolia and other former soviet republics:

http://www.sibirskyextreme.com/

[Dfrs]

[QUOTE=Truckosaurus;2769754]Who amongst us would not, given suitable money and time resources, want to buy an old Alvis Stalwart, Amphicar or DUKW and sail/drive around the exact equator line?

I suspect the actual best vehicle would be some dull but worthy SUV with a large diesel tank.

I believe that since tv shows like "The Long Way Round" there has been an improvement in roads around the east of Russia/Siberia/Mongolia so you could make good time across there.

[Apologies for restarting an old thread

[GORDON STREETER]

A fascinating site mountainstar, very interesting reading and as you say "stunning photos"
I would loved to have done something like that in my younger days but didn't have the money. Unfortunately in later life when I can afford it the body won't take it

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

A fascinating site mountainstar, very interesting reading and as you say "stunning photos"
I would loved to have done something like that in my younger days but didn't have the money. Unfortunately in later life when I can afford it the body won't take it

Well one of the guys that rode with him last year on the road of bones and the BAM road among other places was 68 years old, so hey you never know.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Well one of the guys that rode with him last year on the road of bones and the BAM road among other places was 68 years old, so hey you never know.

After several years of Motocrossing I am paying for it with serious back problems in later life.
Maybe I could do it in an invalid carriage ?

[Dfrs]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

After several years of Motocrossing I am paying for it with serious back problems in later life.
Maybe I could do it in an invalid carriage ?

Hi did you ever go on your trip ?

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Dfrs

Hi did you ever go on your trip ?

No I can't even afford an invalid carriage on an OAPs money