Duo crosses Africa in three-wheeled Reliant Robin, completing 14,000-mile ‘no common sense’ trek
Two men have driven a three-wheeled Reliant Robin from London to Cape Town, completing an unlikely 14,000-mile odyssey across Africa in over 90 days.
Ollie Jenks from the UK and Seth Scott from Canada documented the trip on Instagram as Hold My Gear, tagline: “14,000 miles, 3 wheels, 0 common sense.” Scott pitched the idea; Jenks said yes. For the uninitiated, the Reliant Robin is a quirky British car with a single front wheel, built to be cheap city transport. It’s notorious for tipping over on sharp turns — famously “the very last thing anyone would want to be reliant on.”
The pair bought “Sheila,” a silver Robin that was among the last ever built. Its previous owner admitted he got nervous driving it more than 20 miles at a time.“ No power steering, no air con, and it doesn’t do well up hills or down them. It is the most unsuitable car for probably any journey,” Jenks told the South China Morning Post.
They crossed 22 countries through jungle, deserts, and mountains, on some of the world’s worst roads. Breakdowns were constant. In Ghana, their transmission and gearbox failed. They waited five days while Reliant Robin enthusiasts in the UK sourced a replacement and shipped it out. The favor was repeated when the engine blew later.Comfort was nonexistent. Tires, springs, shocks, gauges — failures were too many to count. So were the risks. They were in Benin during a military coup. In Cameroon, they traveled under military escort with local buses, only to be abandoned when Sheila kept breaking down.
