We've all dreamt about being the Camel Man. Well, for some that dream came true and they qualified to be a competitor at the Camel Trophy.
In the 1980s the mere mention of Solihull’s finest would evoke images of adventure, exploration, and freedom; all of which were encompassed by the legendary Camel Trophy. Run consecutively for 20 years between 1980 and 2000 (except for 1999), the Camel trophy pitted man and machine against the toughest terrains on Earth, providing the ultimate test of endurance.
The first event, originally planned as a one-off publicity stunt for Camel tobacco, came about after 6 Germans had the bright idea of driving the notoriously tough Transamazonica Highway in Brazil. 1600 km of dusty, rutted, broken dirt road with several treacherous river crossings through the Amazon. To cut down on costs, they allegedly rented the vehicles when they got there, three Jeep CJ6s. After battling the jungle and all its creepy-crawlies, the battered Jeeps almost made it to the finish line, though I doubt they got their deposits back from Hertz. Nevertheless, the teams returned to Germany as heroes, having captured the imaginations of adventure junkies everywhere, not least Land Rover.
For the next year’s event all competitors would be in identical factory-supplied V8 Range Rovers. They sported glorious Sandglow Yellow paint complete with Camel stickers, roof racks, snorkels, spot lights, bridging ladders, and some mean looking bullbars. This became the signature look for Camel Trophy Land Rovers for the next 17 years and, to my eye at least, is every bit as iconic as the more famous Gulf and Martini liveries.
As the event was still in its infancy, the thousands of applications were narrowed down to just 10 German men and women. Once again the teams drove 1600 km, this time crossing the equator through the Sumatran rainforests. The convoy of Range Rovers proved brilliantly reliable through the cold mountain regions in the North and in the heat of the treacherous tropical swamps in the South. From then on, no other brand than Land Rover would be used on the expeditions.
Over the next two decades Land rover became synonymous with the Camel Trophy with all models from Series IIIs to Freelanders taking part over the years. The format was expanded so that nations could compete against each other and by 1990 Germany was competing against 15 other nations. 'Special Tasks' were introduced that became mainstays of the event, ranging from winching, orienteering, and timed rally stage sections to physical competitions like kayaking and mountain biking.
By the late 80s the Camel Trophy had become quite a big deal; in 1989 over a million would-be explorers applied for positions to represent their countries in one of the most demanding challenges on Earth. The Trophy was no simple long-distance drive; with all-amateur teams crossing some of the most inhospitable terrain on Earth, the challenge became known as the Olympics of 4x4, testing not only driving skill but mental and physical endurance as well.
Averaging 4 hours sleep per night, the teams had to navigate over vast areas never before crossed by cars. Upon reaching remote settlements, supplies would be given to locals as well as medical aid. Wells, buildings, and bridges would be built while wildlife and geographical surveys were undertaken by specialists hitching rides with the convoy.
This was proper old-school exploring in wild locations like Borneo, Siberia, Mongolia, and all over South America, and it was a huge marketing success for Land Rover. Images of tooled up yellow 4x4s crossing vast deserts and battling through malaria-ridden rainforests kept adventurous types rushing to dealerships well into the 90s. Towards the end of the decade, however, less and less emphasis was being put on the driving. The Special Tasks were becoming the event’s focal point with exploration and adventure taking a back seat.
In the 1998 Tierra del Fuego event, a fleet of Freelanders and Defenders crossed 6000 miles of remote snowy terrain, completing challenges along the way which, for the first time in the event’s history, included winter sports. The plucky Freelander surprised its critics with its lightweight helping it skip over the snow and ice and gliding over the mud rather than just ploughing through it like the bigger, heavier Defenders. The focus of the event, though, were the 200 'Discovery' and 'Adventure' locations. Dotted around the Southernmost parts of South America, these were optional destinations where teams could stop and complete challenges like skiing and mountain biking.
This was to be the last Camel Trophy Land Rover would take part in and the penultimate event as a whole (the final event in 2000 put the teams in boats instead of 4x4s).
Land Rover briefly set up the G4 Challenge in 2003, their own version of the Camel Trophy where entrants were competing to win a brand new Range Rover but the event ended in 2008 following the global financial crisis.
The legacy of the Camel Trophy lives on with ‘One life. Live it.', the famous motto of the Trophy, adorning Land Rovers everywhere. It helped to popularise over-landing and has spawned numerous small-scale off-road adventures all over the world.
Who thinks it would be awesome if the Camel Trophy made a comeback using the new Defender? Let us know your thoughts on that one in the comments below.
The video below is an awesome representation of what the Camel Trophy was really all about and what it took to compete. Enjoy it!
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Original article: www.drivetribe.com