Crossing Africa and the Sahara in a Bedford QL, youtube vid

[Alex van de Wetering]

Awesome youtube picture compilation of a 25000mile adventure from England to South Africa and back, in a surplus Bedford QL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtG6niRiRXk

Someone in the comments suggested the truck was last registered in 1988....anyone know if it's still around?

Alex

[Lang]

Alex

What a great video!

Thank you.

Lang

[Petr Brezina]

Perfect, thanks!

[Mike K]

Reminds me. The other day SBS TV had a doco about a team that retraced the 1941 central American highway expedition. The real 1941 boys drove a 1941 Plymouth sedan, they filmed the trip in colour , they went down through Mexico and across a few other countries.

The modern chaps were saying it took the original guys 3 days to travel the same distance we did in 6 hours .

Did the QL have its original petrol engine or something like a Perkins diesel ?

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Did the QL have its original petrol engine or something like a Perkins diesel ?

Hi Mike,
They had the original Bedford 28hp engine in it. One shot shows them with the head off doing a valve job, they did this 3 times during the trip.

regards, Richard

[Alex van de Wetering]

If you watch the whole video, you will also see a number of Dodge WC's still in active use by the French army at the time.

@Lang; I knew you would like the video.....doing these kind of tours in vintage vehicles.

They had the original Bedford 28hp engine in it.

The truck seems to be pretty stock overall(?)....including the bald tyres!

Alex

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Alex

Good find, enjoyed the entire presentation, very much like the travel log lecture series put on by the National Geographical Society back when it was still a non-profit organization. There is something different about going an actuallyrics listening to a person talk and present slides.

There were a couple of similar drives across Asia, in a Citroën, and driving the Pan American Highway from Canada to Chile or Argentina.

Cheers Phil

[odwillys]

Hi All
The Colin in this video is Colin Reivers who lived for many years in Broome Australia, now I believe the East Coast and was the technical advisor for the CMCA or Campervan and Motorhome Association in Australia, a position he vacated probably in the last 18 months.
For those who knew my Unimog Motorhome, Colin gave me a lot of advice in setting up the solar system on board which functioned extremely well.
Cheers Bob Kenny