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The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 1997

The most exciting rally route ever devised...

1997 map | 1907 map | Full route details

Drive westwards from Peking, through the Great Wall, into semi-desert landscape of Inner Mongolia. Past pagoda-roofed temples and mammoth sand-dunes that come right down to the Yellow River. Due south in Gansu province, through a spectacular mountain range to Lanzhou, for a rest day and final preparations for a tough section ahead. Up through increasingly spectacular scenery to the Tibetan plateau, past the fertile banks of China's largest lake at Koko Nor, and through the strange region of desert, swamp and saltpans of Tsaidam.

At Golmud, the cars had better be in fine fettle for what is ahead - climbing up to 16,500ft of the Kunlun Pass. The scenery is awe-inspiring with expanses of snow and wild, empty moorland, pierced by  that is high, it goes even higher to 17,000ft - right up to the remote, lonely, roof of the world.numerous peaks. And if you think  Then it's on to Lhasa, descending to 14,000ft. The great Potola Palace looms over the town. A day of rest, readying for the Himalayas.

Dirt and gravel roads lead to the Nepal  border at Friendship Bridge with the road very twisty and up and down, with yet more mountain climbs. The route passes Mount Everest base camp - and doubtless off-road excursions will be forced on us all as the road is not in the best condition, so high ground clearance is essential.  Lhakpa La is 16,900ft and Xeger at 13,800ft is cold, bleak and windswept. Watch out for landslides. At Nyalam, the road enters a gorge and a different world with dense vegetation and lots of short demanding sections packed with tight  hairpins.

Onwards the road goes, past terraced hillsides to the Sun Kosi river with a final descent into the valley of Katmandhu. There's a well-earned rest day before dropping down into the plains of northern India - Agra and the Taj Mahal with many old, forgotten forts and Indian palaces. Here there is not shortage of repair shops who will have no difficulty making special parts for old cars.

Then it's on across northern Pakistan. The road from Multa to Quetta will be long and challenging and Quetta to Zahedan will see similar demanding roads.

Then it's a hot day through the Dash e Lut Desert... Persian trails first blazed by the likes of Marco Polo. The rally then crosses Iran, past Estfahan, one of Iran's most famous and ancient places. The roads start to get busier now.

Turkey beckons, with a coastal route to Istanbul promising to be spectacular. From Turkey the rally chases on, to the hallowed Acropolis roads of Greece, Thessalonika, Patras, then a short ferry ride to Italy, Mille Miglia Roads, Tuscany and Alpine passes for the final spurt home.

Anyone who survives such a breathtaking and stunning route, with its variety of peoples, many of whom will turn out, literally by the million, in places like India, will have driven half way round the world in the longest rally ever organized for vintage and classic cars.