When the Berlin wall fell in 1989, former airline executive Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine left Germany in their Mercedes G Wagen, bound for an 18-month tour of Africa.
500,000 miles (804,672km) later, and 74-year-old Gunther is still going. He has no sponsorship and no factory backing – his trip’s been entirely self-funded, without so much of a sniff of Facebook or Twitter.
Gunther told BBC news: “The main cost for the traveler is restaurants and hotels”. Which is why he kitted out “Otto” the G-Wagen with cooking and sleeping facilities, choosing to spend his money on fuel and shipping the car around the world. Literally.
Included in his epic roster of destinations are Brazil, Paris, Mount Everest, Cuba, Northern Iraq (during the war, naturally), Hollywood, Kazakhstan, Alberquque, the Caribbean, lots of Africa…
And despite covering half a million miles, his trusty G has never had a serious breakdown. Ever.
