Update 23/5/2007

The rally is about to start - here's a picture of the Sixteen shortly before shipping. Click here  for latest updates on the journey.

As you can see, the vehicle has been fitted with an 'amended' front bumper and protective grille, uprated springs, lifting the body by a couple of inches, some alternative wipers, additional door mirrors, a roll cage and changed seats, and has had the running boards removed.

A number of spares are being taken, including, I believe, a couple of spare halfshafts.  John has also had the
'Austin-Healey' oil seal modification done to the rear of the engine, to stop the leaks from the scroll-type crankshaft oil seal - under the hard driving conditions encountered during the rally this oil leak would have compromised the life of clutch plates.

The Adventure:

Many ACCC members will have read accounts of the great Austin publicity runs of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Now one of our current members is about to undertake a gruelling journey in a 1948 Austin16.

John Vincent and his father-in-law Edwin Hammond have entered Edwin's 16hp for the 2007 Peking to Paris Classic Rally. This event is being staged to mark the centenary of the original Peking to Paris run. You can read the history behind this challenging event by clicking here

The Car:

The vehicle is owned by Edwin, who lives in Switzerland, so the car is currently lodging with John in Shropshire. Edwin, a keen classic rally participant, purchased the car in 1999 to repeat a family journey made in 1949 through Europe. You can read Edwin's full account of his purchase of the car and the journeys he made subsequently here .For pictures of the vehicle, click here .

The Itinerary 

Starting on 26th May 2007 from Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the rally continues over the next month finishing on 30th June in Paris at the Place de la Concorde in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. On the way the vehicles pass through Mongolia, Siberia, and the Baltic states, through Poland and the Czech Republic to Germany and finally into France.
For a day by day itinerary including the daunting distances to be covered, click here .

Preparations and planned coverage

John and Edwin would be grateful for any suggestions from the club's expert owners concerning sensible and reversible modifications which might be made to the car, and any weak points which might cause problems along the way. If you can suggest anything which might help, please email me at webmaster@psimmonds.org.uk  and I will pass on your advice to John.
When the event takes place, I hope to be receiving updates and photos via satellite phone from John and Edwin, and if possible I will publish daily updates to the website so we can all follow their progress.