Both my trusty Rover 75 and Jane’s equally trusty Porsche Macan are now proud members of the six figure club having both travelled more than 100,000 miles. The Rover celebrated this milestone taking me to the NEC for the ever growing Classic Car Show and as usual did not miss a beat. However, I did pick up a speeding ticket for exceeding 30mph in the HS2 Roadworks outside Coleshill.
And it seems the Rover isn’t the only one celebrating a milestone. Our own marketer’s daily, a Japanese Mazda MX-5 inspired of course by the feather-light Lotus Elan, has just clicked over 140,000 miles in the very same week. Proof, if any were needed, that great engineering, whether British or Japanese, stands the test of time when it’s properly loved and regularly driven.
The circumference of the earth is around 25,000 miles so “going round the clock” to use the historic parlance is equivalent to four circuits of the planet.
Back in the “old times” endurance records were big news and manufacturers spent a lot of time and effort setting and breaking them. Not surprisingly, Austin were very serious players in this game anxious to prove Britain’s Dependable Car lived up to the marketing hype. At 4pm on June 7th 1928 a specially prepared Austin Seven began a 24 hour marathon around the Montlhery banked track in France. Three intrepid drivers : Captain Chase, H.B. Parker and D Bland braved rain, hail and a very dark night illuminated only by red oil lanterns placed round the track. The car had no lights and was unsilenced . By 4pm on June 8th, they had averaged 65.62 mile an hour with only 36 minutes in the pits for driver changes and fuel. The previous record held by Peugeot had not just been broken but annihilated.
The 747cc machine weighed around 450 kilos and was prepared at Brooklands by Thompson and Taylor who built many of Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebirds . It didn’t miss a beat on its 1500 mile marathon and proved beyond any doubt that the car was as “Dependable” as anyone could want
Here at the Great British Car Journey we know a thing or two about high-mileage heroes. In fact, several of the cars on our Drive Dad’s Car fleet have covered remarkable distances and wear their mileage with pride. From well-travelled Rovers and Austins to sturdy Minis and Fords that have seen more of Britain than most of us ever will, these cars continue to start, run and delight thousands of visitors every year.
If you fancy experiencing one of our seasoned classics for yourself, then our Drive Dads Car Vouchers give you the perfect chance to get behind the wheel of some of our longest-serving, best-loved machines. They might not be setting endurance records at Montlhéry, but they’re still proving – mile after mile – that dependable motoring never goes out of style.
