Treading in the footsteps of the very earliest pioneers in motoring history, two Australians set out on the most arduous of journeys, taking in 11 counties and some of the most inhospitable terrain on planet Earth. It was, of course, the Peking to Paris Rally - and their chosen mode of transport? A wellused 1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
The two brothers, one a company director and the other an engineer for a charter airline, both have loving families and a good life in Australia. Yet one day they went out and bought a secondhand Rolls-Royce and entered arguably the most daunting competition for any form of wheeled transport. If that wasn't enough, consider the fact that neither Alan nor Steve Maden had ever involved themselves in any form of motoring competition before. Is it an exaggeration to say one could enquire of their sanity?
It wouldn't have happened if Alan Maden hadn't picked up a book and read the tale of Prince Scipione Borghese, pioneer motorist and the winner of the inaugural Peking to Paris race in 1907. As Alan says, 'His story was so graphic that it inspired me to "temporarily release the shackles and burdens of society…"'
Once he had convinced his brother Steve to navigate, Alan sent off an application for the 2016 event. In fact, all slots had been filled but an application for the next, in 2019, was accepted for the '75 Silver Shadow. The die was set; Alan Maden as driver and Steve Maden, navigator, the very last entrants for that year: car number 120. This set in train the most incredible 14,994 km (9317 mile) journey, starting beside the Great Wall of China and
