.thumbnail.gif)
Hoe het begon
Intro
We are Peter Uithol and Dirk Regter, keen amateur mechanics and enthusiastic Ford Model T drivers. Our years of experience with driving Model T Fords – made famous by Laurel en Hardy films as well as being the best car of the 20th century – has given us the right basis to plan an adventure, which we are keen to tell you about. One of the greatest all-time achievements in the history of the motor car was the fantastic Peking to Paris race organised by the French newspaper Le Matin in 1907. In an age in which the motor car industry was still in its infancy, five competitors had the courage to undertake a journey that still inspires immense admiration today. After all, who on earth would dare to cover a route of 16,000 kilometers through Asia, Russia and Europe, crossing mountain ranges with dangerous ravines, passing through scorching deserts and endless steppe, with no roads or bridges by which to cross the raging rivers, and no petrol pumps and service stations along the way!Without the help offered by the locals along the route, their journey would quickly have been over. As it was, four out of the five teams completed the course; the winner in fact managed this feat in sixty days, with an average speed of 250 km per day – an unprecedented achievement in those days. This heroic journey and our love for the Ford Model T inspired us to investigate whether it would be possible to repeat the feat in 2007. We have therefore prepared a Ford Model T specially for driving in difficult conditions in order to try.
The luxury that we have to be able to drive along such a route again – contrasted with the difficult conditions in which many of our world’s children have to live – formed the motivation for us to combine this fantastic “road trip” with supporting children in the regions that we will pass through on our way. The costs of this journey will be paid for from our own resources, supplemented by sponsorship by various enthusiastic companies. All the funds raised through the kilometer sponsorship will go to Save the Children, an organisation that strives to help disadvantaged children all over the world
Approach
In 1997, we bought a 1915 Ford Model T and started preparing it for such a journey. In order to test the modifications, we have taken it on various international trips over the past few years and improved the modifications further. The Ford Model T was a conscious choice because this model of car has proved itself to be reliable, it catches people’s imaginations where vintage and veteran cars are concerned, and because parts for this car model can still be found relatively easily, particularly in the United States.
We will be taking a following car with us to carry the spare parts, baggage, petrol and other such things. Wherever possible, we will visit projects during the trip that are connected with supporting children in the areas through which our journey takes us. As far as possible, the idea is to follow the same route as in 1907 and during the same time of the year.
We will be using our own resources to fund this trip. We are also looking for businesses prepared to finance a proportion of the costs or to offer us support in some other form
