Selling your classic car? It's FREE to list your car on Honest John Classics | No thanks

21 Year Old Land Cruiser Drives 4,600 Miles Kabul to Goodwood

Published 17 July 2014

A 1993 Classic Toyota Land Cruiser J70 has driven 4,600 miles from Kabul in Afghanistan to the kennels at Goodwood House to raise £22,000 for Mission Motorsport.

Mission Motorsport is a group that helps the recovery and rehabilitation of those affected by military operations by offering a chance to get involved in the business of racing cars and bikes.

The tough 4×4 proved its mettle as the support vehicle in the fund-raising journey from Afghanistan to the Goodwood Festival of Speed that has raised more than £22,000 for Mission Motorsport, a group that helps the recovery and rehabilitation of those affected by military operations by offering a chance to get involved in the business of racing cars and bikes.

The Land Cruiser J70 has been built from 1984 and is still marketed in South Africa and Australia as a 4-door wagon, 2-door 'Troop Carrier', pick-up, 2-door chassis-cab and 4-door chassis-cab with 4.2 Diesel or 4.0 Petrol six cylinder engines and in Australia with Toyota's 4.5 V8 Diesel.

The expedition was led by ex-Royal Marine Chris Short, who completed the route on motorbike, traversing 17 countries and some of the most demanding desert landscapes in central Asia.

Domenic Senger-Schenk took the wheel of the Land Cruiser, which was loaded with essential supplies. He was delighted by the Toyota’s performance: “The experience has been incredible and the Land Cruiser was rock solid.

“The only issue was a radiator problem that we easily fixed. Although I had never driven on roads anything like as rough as those in the Afghan and Kazakh deserts, and despite the fact the car was top-heavy with its load, the Toyota coped with it fine.”

Scott Brownlee, General Manager Press Relations and Social Media, said: “This is a great achievement for the team and we’re delighted that the Land Cruiser has once again lived up to its legendary reputation.”

The “Kabul to the Kennels” expedition was captured on film by Laurence Cameron for a television documentary. The team’s progress was also followed in a series of reports on the official Toyota UK blog that can be seen here.