The Epic Overland Adventure: A Land Rover Convoy Across Mongolia and China

Suddenly hearing the news that my little Plucky Land Rover was not going to sit in a collection, but actually go on an epic overland trip across Mongolia towards China, was the best news ever. I had to be honest with you, the plan was set to take a convoy of vintage vehicles on an incredible off-road journey through some of the most inhospitable parts of the planet. We started putting together a list of suitable cars, but in all honesty, we chose possibly some of the most unsuitable cars for the challenge. With the exception of the Grenadiers, our team had chosen vehicles that were not exactly known for their reliability or off-road capability.

Starting from the north of Mongolia, our Convoy journeyed down through the Gobi desert, tackling thousands of miles across true wilderness. Every Land Rover owner loves a road trip, and every overlanding story is special, but few have attempted something as bold as this. We were setting out to do something that I don't believe anybody has ever done before, and I doubt anybody will ever do again. The Grenadiers in Ino's new go anywhere do anything 4x4 would support the Convoy of vintage vehicles in their bold attempt.

The Gobi desert was a tough terrain on the cars, with corrugations that were beyond brutal. You just shake the car apart, but the Grenadiers never missed a beat. They were the workhorses of the trip, carrying all the kit bags, food, tools, and spares that they were loaded to the gills. The fact that Ino did it with style and grace was absolutely superb. I have to say, I take my hat off to Ino for showing us what she was made of.

JY was a star, arguably one of the best 4x4s in the world. She was loaded to the brim with all the necessary equipment for the trip, but despite being built in 1948 and left in a field for so long to rot, she performed flawlessly throughout the month in Mongolia. The Convoy journeyed through mountains, plains, dunes, and desert on an off-road adventure worthy of the toughest 4x4. Seeing JY and the Grenadiers together was sensational - the first ever Land Rover and this new generation 4x4 were a sight to behold.

Three weeks into the trip, our Convoy completed thousands of miles across the unforgiving terrain of Mongolia. It was an epic journey that would go down in history as one of the most incredible overland adventures ever attempted. The Grenadiers had proved themselves to be more than just vintage vehicles - they were a testament to the original build quality and the craftsmanship of Ino's restoration.

Ino's approach to business and life was epitomized by this trip, which showed that even the smallest and seemingly insignificant idea could become a reality with determination and hard work. The Convoy journey was not just about reaching the destination but also about the journey itself - the camaraderie among the team members, the thrill of facing new challenges every day, and the sense of accomplishment when they finally reached their goal.

The Convoy's epic journey across Mongolia and into China marked a new chapter in the history of Land Rover. The fact that it completed thousands of miles and proved that even the most unsuitable cars could be pushed to their limits made it a testament to the original build quality and design of the Grenadiers. As we looked back on our incredible adventure, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and admiration for Ino's team - they had done something truly remarkable.

As I reflect on this epic overland adventure, I am reminded that sometimes the most impossible-seeming challenges can be overcome with determination, hard work, and the right support. The Convoy journey across Mongolia was not just about Land Rover vehicles but also about the people who made it happen - Ino's team of adventurers who pushed themselves to their limits every day.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enyou might already know this but I do like an off-roader there's something about a four before it's Spirit of Adventure it's about form following function it's a machine designed to go to work to do the job you want and need it to do so today I want to tell you a story about one not this one I'll come to this one in a bit off-roaders some of them have conquered mountains deserts this is the story of one specific offroader though and it's one that launched a phenomenon 75 years ago the grandfather of all 4x4s rolled off the production line and went on to become an icon Land Rover number one jue 477 or jwy for short number one of 2 million and has a tale unlike any other was the uh first production Land Rover ever made delivered I think 29th for July 1948 originally according to the notes it was going to be given to the king but the last minute it changed and eventually it was sent to a a professor euan Muran up at Newcastle University and then in the early 70s it was sold to a farmer up in the northeast of England for a very small sum of money and the history gets a little dim them for decades the original Land Rover was nothing but myth I've been interested in early land drivers since I was a kid and one of the most important vehicles in Land Rover history that had simply gone missing absolutely vanished from the face of the Earth was the first production land driver chassis number one there is a worldwide following of these vehicles to the point that people from all over the world were inquiring you know where is it why hasn't it been found does anything exist of it has it been broken up are we looking for parts in other cars and there were rumors of it on a farm somewhere in the northeast of England and as the story goes as the light was fading one day and the snow was blowing all around there it was tucked away for nearly 50 years with people that had made it virtually their life's work to try and Discover it the rumors proved correct jue 477 resurfaced on a farm in north umberland but the year had not been kind well after many decades of lying in the field and in a BN with no roof the vehicle was in a pretty tired but still very complete condition sadly the farmer he passed away and his family chose to sell the vehicle through our work in valuing and appraising ventage and classic cars and our lifelong knowledge of series 1 Land Rovers the family found me and asked me if I could talk to them about an important vehicle that they had so after several months I finally got to see a vehicle that by then had been removed to the security of a a Tumbl Down Stone Barn tucked away almost in plain sight in a village when the doors to the bar were finally opened there it was there was jue absolutely undeniably unquestionably Land Rover number one as a diard Land Rover fanatic with a a lifetime of of of Interest since I was a kid in seeing that these things to be standing face to face with with jue was was absolutely unbelievable it was Savaged by the elements over nearly 50 years and ultimately it was in probably the worst condition of any land driver I'd ever seen and it had very nearly broken in half so it was in a in an extremely extremely sorry State despite its appearance the family decided to conduct a sealed bid auction for jwy a One-Shot chance to buy the first Land Rover ever produced were allowed to inspect the car you could look at it and then you had to make your decision you had to write down a price fortunately Jim and anyos were invited to make a bed and even more fortunately which chose the right number it needed a brave mind and a brave approach uh to even contemplate bringing it back to life the new owner of arguably the most significant 4x4 on the planet was an entrepreneur industrialist and adventurer enter sir Jim Ratcliffe I think we were delighted to win the auction we were obviously in the middle of the Grenadier project we described it as being the spiritual successor to the Land Rover and when we talked about the land we were talking about the early iconic vehicle I mean JY was at the time the finest off-road vehicle of its generation as we now believe the Grenadier is today of our current generation so when it came up for sale we thought we we'd to have a go it came with a bit of trepidation that we'd have to restore this car now in the hands of its new owners the decision was made to restore JY and for S Jim and his team there was only one man for the job it was it was such a shock I had to go for a little walk it could have been the greatest thing I've ever done but equally it could have been been the worst decision I made because it was in such bad condition if I misjudged the restoration or or misjudged the amount of work that it would take I've ruined a really historic thing the reply was we have absolute confidence in you and your little team so we're behind you we'd agreed a period of 2 years to restore jue so over several months we stripped it down very very carefully into its component parts and assessed absolutely everything JY was exceptionally complete all of the major components was was all there so that was astounding and all actually in really quite original condition but the chassis was always going to be the issue it's the identity of the vehicle but it's the worst Twisted rotten mess that you've ever seen but it is absolutely 100% undeniable that it is the original chassis that we Sav the easiest thing for other people would have been to throw the chassis away put a brand new one underneath it new body panels new engine but that wasn't the ethos of this restoration that ethos was very simple it was to save anything that could be saved that soul that feeling that DNA was retained absolutely wherever possible from the engine to a single nut after 2 years of painstaking research careful reconstruction and a lot of love JY was ready to be returned to its owner there's every emotion running through my mind when we handed it over to S Jim watch him drive up the road it was the best moment to see the smile his face absolutely lit up when he saw it for the first time it really was a marvelous car it was rugged it was practical it was a go anywhere car it's very authentic but it looks marvelous it's a you know it's a great looking car really fantastic looking car so with the restoration completed I mean I don't think any of us really knew what was going to happen to it it was a potential Museum exhibit so what what happens next and and I really didn't know um in fact I don't think anybody really knew and so JY was complete rescued from a rusty fate and restored to perfect working order still wearing its weather beaten Bodywork as a badge of honor and this is where the story gets intered because at this point you would expect this unique precious special car to be preserved somewhere maybe in a museum but cars aren't built to be preserved in museums especially not 4 fours like this one they're built for travel an adventure so that's exactly what they did they took JY on an adventure a really big one it is truly one of the last UNS sport wildernesses of the world this is a proper trip in the harshest of environments I admired his confidence we do dream up these trips from time to time which are out of the ordinary so we thought a little road trip for its birthday across the goby desert I mean what could possibly go wrong suddenly hearing the news that this little Plucky Land Rover was not going to be sitting in a collection but actually going to drive thousands of miles across Mongolia towards China it was the best news ever to be honest with you the plan was set to take a convoy of vintage vehicles on an epic Overland trip through some of the most inhospitable parts of the planet we started to put together a list of I wouldn't want to use the word suitable cuz I think with the exception of the grenadiers we chose possibly some of the most unsuitable cars but that's part of the Jeopardy part of the challenge starting in the north of Mongolia the Convoy would Journey down through the Gobi desert tackling thousands of miles across true Wilderness every Land Rover owner loves a road trip they all love an overlanding story and very few of them actually have the guts to to do it but here we were we certainly did something that I don't believe anybody has ever done before I doubt anybody will ever do again the grenadiers ino's new go anywhere do anything 4x4 would support the Convoy of vintage vehicles in their bold attempt amazing amazing country but super super tough on the cars it's the toughest motoring I've ever done anywhere the grenadiers were the workhorses of the trip they were there to carry all the kit bags food tools spares that they were loaded to the gills and they had to work hard they were the lifes Savers the fact that jewi did it you know with style and grace arguably is just you know it's absolutely superb J was a star absolutely unbelievable I mean I have to say I take my hat off to JY jie was obviously determined to show us what she was made of because she didn't really put her foot wrong through the whole trip I mean it was impeccable in the desert really absolutely remarkable in the did everything that it says on the cam and that little car trundled along the terrain the corrugations are Beyond brutal you just shake the cars apart but JY never missed a beat JY did absolutely everything we asked of it it had very f manners throughout the whole of the month in Mongolia he took it all in its stride it's remarkable for a car that was built in 1948 and then was left in a field for so long to rot everybody that drove JY loved it treated it with respect drove it gently and it it rewarded you it looked after you got you there this car is absolutely amazing amazing it goes through everything isn't it yeah I mean seeing seeing JY and the grenadiers together was Sensational really to see you know the first ever Land Rover and then you know this new generation 4x4 which I do believe is the best 4x4 in the world uh was just a sensational site really glorious it's quite almost emotional from time to time for 3 weeks the Convoy of vehicles journeyed Overland across mountains Plains dunes and desert on an off-road Adventure worthy of the toughest 4x4 and a fitting tribute to a true Automotive hero I've always had so much time and energy invested in jue that to be part of such a thing and for for it to be so successful is absolutely incredible I'm buzzing with pride about the whole thing and the whole trip to know that it completed those thousands of miles and it's written a new chapter in the history of of this crucially important Land Rover definitely passing the torch moment because of the DNA flow the fact that the series one the first land R was built with a very clear purpose to create a really super tough four-wheel drive vehicle that could go anywhere in the world and be sold anywhere in the world and grenadiers is the same thing it's been built on purpose to go anywhere and be sold anywhere I just think it's astonishing that it's done what it's done it's Testament to the original build quality it's Testament to Julian's restoration it's Testament to Jim's approach to the whole project whole trip epitomizes Jim's approach to to business to life the inos approach they they do do things very differently Unfortunately they proved very successful at it it's a proper feel-good story and I think that whatever the future brings now for it I mean the world is its oyster so this part of Jew's story ends here but who knows what's next for the Plucky little four before and it is a story that the likes of this Grenadier will keep on writing that Spirit of Adventure always going the extra mile to attempt the seemingly impossible it is quite a legacy Mike how long have we got this for you've got it for the weekend think they'll make it a week I I we should get to know each other a bit think we might get on rather wellyou might already know this but I do like an off-roader there's something about a four before it's Spirit of Adventure it's about form following function it's a machine designed to go to work to do the job you want and need it to do so today I want to tell you a story about one not this one I'll come to this one in a bit off-roaders some of them have conquered mountains deserts this is the story of one specific offroader though and it's one that launched a phenomenon 75 years ago the grandfather of all 4x4s rolled off the production line and went on to become an icon Land Rover number one jue 477 or jwy for short number one of 2 million and has a tale unlike any other was the uh first production Land Rover ever made delivered I think 29th for July 1948 originally according to the notes it was going to be given to the king but the last minute it changed and eventually it was sent to a a professor euan Muran up at Newcastle University and then in the early 70s it was sold to a farmer up in the northeast of England for a very small sum of money and the history gets a little dim them for decades the original Land Rover was nothing but myth I've been interested in early land drivers since I was a kid and one of the most important vehicles in Land Rover history that had simply gone missing absolutely vanished from the face of the Earth was the first production land driver chassis number one there is a worldwide following of these vehicles to the point that people from all over the world were inquiring you know where is it why hasn't it been found does anything exist of it has it been broken up are we looking for parts in other cars and there were rumors of it on a farm somewhere in the northeast of England and as the story goes as the light was fading one day and the snow was blowing all around there it was tucked away for nearly 50 years with people that had made it virtually their life's work to try and Discover it the rumors proved correct jue 477 resurfaced on a farm in north umberland but the year had not been kind well after many decades of lying in the field and in a BN with no roof the vehicle was in a pretty tired but still very complete condition sadly the farmer he passed away and his family chose to sell the vehicle through our work in valuing and appraising ventage and classic cars and our lifelong knowledge of series 1 Land Rovers the family found me and asked me if I could talk to them about an important vehicle that they had so after several months I finally got to see a vehicle that by then had been removed to the security of a a Tumbl Down Stone Barn tucked away almost in plain sight in a village when the doors to the bar were finally opened there it was there was jue absolutely undeniably unquestionably Land Rover number one as a diard Land Rover fanatic with a a lifetime of of of Interest since I was a kid in seeing that these things to be standing face to face with with jue was was absolutely unbelievable it was Savaged by the elements over nearly 50 years and ultimately it was in probably the worst condition of any land driver I'd ever seen and it had very nearly broken in half so it was in a in an extremely extremely sorry State despite its appearance the family decided to conduct a sealed bid auction for jwy a One-Shot chance to buy the first Land Rover ever produced were allowed to inspect the car you could look at it and then you had to make your decision you had to write down a price fortunately Jim and anyos were invited to make a bed and even more fortunately which chose the right number it needed a brave mind and a brave approach uh to even contemplate bringing it back to life the new owner of arguably the most significant 4x4 on the planet was an entrepreneur industrialist and adventurer enter sir Jim Ratcliffe I think we were delighted to win the auction we were obviously in the middle of the Grenadier project we described it as being the spiritual successor to the Land Rover and when we talked about the land we were talking about the early iconic vehicle I mean JY was at the time the finest off-road vehicle of its generation as we now believe the Grenadier is today of our current generation so when it came up for sale we thought we we'd to have a go it came with a bit of trepidation that we'd have to restore this car now in the hands of its new owners the decision was made to restore JY and for S Jim and his team there was only one man for the job it was it was such a shock I had to go for a little walk it could have been the greatest thing I've ever done but equally it could have been been the worst decision I made because it was in such bad condition if I misjudged the restoration or or misjudged the amount of work that it would take I've ruined a really historic thing the reply was we have absolute confidence in you and your little team so we're behind you we'd agreed a period of 2 years to restore jue so over several months we stripped it down very very carefully into its component parts and assessed absolutely everything JY was exceptionally complete all of the major components was was all there so that was astounding and all actually in really quite original condition but the chassis was always going to be the issue it's the identity of the vehicle but it's the worst Twisted rotten mess that you've ever seen but it is absolutely 100% undeniable that it is the original chassis that we Sav the easiest thing for other people would have been to throw the chassis away put a brand new one underneath it new body panels new engine but that wasn't the ethos of this restoration that ethos was very simple it was to save anything that could be saved that soul that feeling that DNA was retained absolutely wherever possible from the engine to a single nut after 2 years of painstaking research careful reconstruction and a lot of love JY was ready to be returned to its owner there's every emotion running through my mind when we handed it over to S Jim watch him drive up the road it was the best moment to see the smile his face absolutely lit up when he saw it for the first time it really was a marvelous car it was rugged it was practical it was a go anywhere car it's very authentic but it looks marvelous it's a you know it's a great looking car really fantastic looking car so with the restoration completed I mean I don't think any of us really knew what was going to happen to it it was a potential Museum exhibit so what what happens next and and I really didn't know um in fact I don't think anybody really knew and so JY was complete rescued from a rusty fate and restored to perfect working order still wearing its weather beaten Bodywork as a badge of honor and this is where the story gets intered because at this point you would expect this unique precious special car to be preserved somewhere maybe in a museum but cars aren't built to be preserved in museums especially not 4 fours like this one they're built for travel an adventure so that's exactly what they did they took JY on an adventure a really big one it is truly one of the last UNS sport wildernesses of the world this is a proper trip in the harshest of environments I admired his confidence we do dream up these trips from time to time which are out of the ordinary so we thought a little road trip for its birthday across the goby desert I mean what could possibly go wrong suddenly hearing the news that this little Plucky Land Rover was not going to be sitting in a collection but actually going to drive thousands of miles across Mongolia towards China it was the best news ever to be honest with you the plan was set to take a convoy of vintage vehicles on an epic Overland trip through some of the most inhospitable parts of the planet we started to put together a list of I wouldn't want to use the word suitable cuz I think with the exception of the grenadiers we chose possibly some of the most unsuitable cars but that's part of the Jeopardy part of the challenge starting in the north of Mongolia the Convoy would Journey down through the Gobi desert tackling thousands of miles across true Wilderness every Land Rover owner loves a road trip they all love an overlanding story and very few of them actually have the guts to to do it but here we were we certainly did something that I don't believe anybody has ever done before I doubt anybody will ever do again the grenadiers ino's new go anywhere do anything 4x4 would support the Convoy of vintage vehicles in their bold attempt amazing amazing country but super super tough on the cars it's the toughest motoring I've ever done anywhere the grenadiers were the workhorses of the trip they were there to carry all the kit bags food tools spares that they were loaded to the gills and they had to work hard they were the lifes Savers the fact that jewi did it you know with style and grace arguably is just you know it's absolutely superb J was a star absolutely unbelievable I mean I have to say I take my hat off to JY jie was obviously determined to show us what she was made of because she didn't really put her foot wrong through the whole trip I mean it was impeccable in the desert really absolutely remarkable in the did everything that it says on the cam and that little car trundled along the terrain the corrugations are Beyond brutal you just shake the cars apart but JY never missed a beat JY did absolutely everything we asked of it it had very f manners throughout the whole of the month in Mongolia he took it all in its stride it's remarkable for a car that was built in 1948 and then was left in a field for so long to rot everybody that drove JY loved it treated it with respect drove it gently and it it rewarded you it looked after you got you there this car is absolutely amazing amazing it goes through everything isn't it yeah I mean seeing seeing JY and the grenadiers together was Sensational really to see you know the first ever Land Rover and then you know this new generation 4x4 which I do believe is the best 4x4 in the world uh was just a sensational site really glorious it's quite almost emotional from time to time for 3 weeks the Convoy of vehicles journeyed Overland across mountains Plains dunes and desert on an off-road Adventure worthy of the toughest 4x4 and a fitting tribute to a true Automotive hero I've always had so much time and energy invested in jue that to be part of such a thing and for for it to be so successful is absolutely incredible I'm buzzing with pride about the whole thing and the whole trip to know that it completed those thousands of miles and it's written a new chapter in the history of of this crucially important Land Rover definitely passing the torch moment because of the DNA flow the fact that the series one the first land R was built with a very clear purpose to create a really super tough four-wheel drive vehicle that could go anywhere in the world and be sold anywhere in the world and grenadiers is the same thing it's been built on purpose to go anywhere and be sold anywhere I just think it's astonishing that it's done what it's done it's Testament to the original build quality it's Testament to Julian's restoration it's Testament to Jim's approach to the whole project whole trip epitomizes Jim's approach to to business to life the inos approach they they do do things very differently Unfortunately they proved very successful at it it's a proper feel-good story and I think that whatever the future brings now for it I mean the world is its oyster so this part of Jew's story ends here but who knows what's next for the Plucky little four before and it is a story that the likes of this Grenadier will keep on writing that Spirit of Adventure always going the extra mile to attempt the seemingly impossible it is quite a legacy Mike how long have we got this for you've got it for the weekend think they'll make it a week I I we should get to know each other a bit think we might get on rather well\n"