From Cape Town to London -- in a Fiat Panda

If we wanted to break the speed record for the run from Cape Town, South Africa to London -- a quick 10,000-mile jaunt -- we'd start out by scouring the classifieds for something big and rugged. A Land Rover would be a classic choice, but a tricked-out Toyota or Jeep could do nicely as well.

A team consisting of British rally drivers Philip Young and Paul Brace are taking a somewhat different approach. Their vehicle of choice? The sub-1.0-liter, two-cylinder Fiat Panda. They depart Cape Town on Feb. 1 and, ideally, they'll show up in London 10 days later.

This isn't the first time a vehicle that seemed ill-suited to the task has made such a trek: early African overlanding took place in an 8-hp Rover, and a 1908 German expedition in a Gaggenaue touring car nearly ended in tragedy when one of the parched travelers resorted to drinking gasoline. Hey, it can't be as bad as some of the energy drinks on the market today.

Young and Brace are hoping to avoid personal fuel consumption, so they aren't exactly driving their Panda off the lot and into the wild. That said, the relatively low number of modifications to their record attempt vehicle is eye opening.

Creature comforts were a priority. The stock driver's seat was swapped out for a comfy, custom-upholstered bucket pulled from a Volvo 340. A mattress was somehow installed to afford half the team a shot at some shut-eye while underway. Surprisingly, the Panda isn't equipped with air conditioning, though enhanced ventilation and a thermally insulated roof should help tame the African heat.

Mechanical modifications are minimal: The Panda gets beefier springs and shocks and a mild lift to accommodate larger wheels and meatier tires. The two-cylinder engine remains stock. After carefully adhering to the vehicle's specified break-in period, the team switched from conventional to synthetic motor oil -- and that's about it.

The current Cape Town-to-London record was set in 1983 by a team driving a Range Rover. The time to beat? 14 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes. Interestingly, the standing London-to-Cape town record is slightly shorter.

In case you're wondering what possessed the British duo to gear up for the 10,000 mile dash -- not that anyone ever needs an excuse for adventure -- know that they're hoping to raise roughly $16,000 for Farm Africa, an agricultural charity program.

Learn more about the team's last-minute preparations at their official website, and stay tuned for updates once the expedition gets underway.

By Graham Kozak